The Perpetual Allure of the Bible for Marxism

Author: Boer, Roland¹

Source: Historical Materialism, Volume 15, Number 4, 2007 , pp. 53-77(25)

Publisher: BRILL

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Abstract:

In light of the general lack of awareness of the long history of Western-Marxist fascination with the Bible, this article offers a synopsis of part of that history. After showing how the Bible was an important element in the work of Ernst Bloch, Walter Benjamin and Theodor Adorno, it the offers a critique of the current engagements with it by Alain Badiou, Slavoj Žižek, Terry Eagleton and Giorgio Agamben. The third section deals with the most significant element of the religious Left in recent years, namely liberation theology. It closes with some comments concerning the growth of Marxist biblical studies and some suggestions for the way Marxism might reconnect with a non-reified biblical tradition.

Keywords: BIBLE; WESTERN MARXISM; ERNST BLOCH; WALTER BENJAMIN; THEODOR ADORNO; ALAIN BADIOU; SLAVOJ ŽIŽEK; TERRY EAGLETON; GIORGIO AGAMBEN; LIBERATION THEOLOGY; BIBLICAL STUDIES