Compassion Or Apocalypse?: A Comprehensible Guide to the Thought of Rene Girard

by James Warren

Rene Girard's thesis that culture and religion arose from an original act of scapegoating murder gained international scholarly attention in the early seventies with his publication in France of Violence and the Sacred. A few years later, with Things Hidden Since the Foundation of the World, Girard made it clear that his basic insights derived of all places from the Bible. Those insights are finally escaping the confines of academia, and coming to the awareness of a broader, theologically minded public. Many people are beginning to find in Girard answers to troublesome questions such Is God violent? Is there a necessary relationship between violence and religion? Why are there so many violent stories in the Bible? Why did Jesus have to die? Are we living in the end times? In clear, understandable prose, Compassion or Apocalypse shows how the Girardian perspective answers such questions, making Girard s mimetic theory and its application to biblical interpretation available to those who have little or no familiarity with Girard s work. To read the Bible from a Girardian point of view is to discover the radical message of God s nonviolent love in its historical wrestling with human violence, and its immanent confrontation with the gathering human apocalypse.

Genres: Philosophy, Religion

380 pages, Paperback

First published May 16, 2013

Reviews

[John · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the best book I have found crossing the Christian faith, the life of Jesus, and Rene Girard and the scapegoat. Hands down it is a book that needs to be read and read again. I took my time and read this over months. I needed to take it nice and slow. Soaking up. Warren is a solid writer and though at times feels slightly longwinded I am okay with it. There is so much substance it can definitely be allowed. I would like to see more expansion on the Apocalypse theme and really entangle it in today's narrative. Kudos to Warren for writing such a thoughtful book with an incredible synthesis of faith and Girardian thought.

[Philip Hunt · Rating 5 out of 5]

At last, a treatment of the ideas of the late René Girard that is "comprehensible". Girard's work is difficult, mainly because it challenges so many of our modern taken-for-granted beliefs. Therein, of course, lies its great value. Faced with a complex and challenging subject, James Warren has made sure his writing style does not get in the way. Clear and simple treatment of a topic that is itself hazy and complex. Worth reading if you care about the future of mankind.

[Paul Rack · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a very powerful and important book, summarizing the approach to Scripture and theology of Rene Girard. Girard's work is in the area of "mimetic" interpretation, which literally means it's about imitation. But obviously it goes much deeper, and provides a whole new framework for understanding a lot of what is going on in the Bible. The most important insight, I think, is in the area of sacrifice. Warren says that ancient peoples were prone to see their communities collapse in spirals of mimetic, retributive violence. They discovered that the way to release this destructive energy in a way that allowed the community to thrive was to find one person upon whom their collective violence could be vented. A community was thus united against a common perceived enemy. This explains why sacrifice, especially human sacrifice, was so pervasive in ancient cultures. Eventually animals were substituted, and elaborate rituals developed around the practice. The Bible is unique among all the other examples of ancient literature because it begins to focus on the victim, and not always rationalizing and celebrating the killers, as in most mythology. The Hebrew prophets even critique animal sacrifices, and this all culminates in Jesus. In offering himself he takes on the role of victim, and then in his resurrection reveals the presence of God there. The image of the Crucified becomes the way empathy for victims slowly percolates through Western, and now world, culture. It transforms the way we think and live. Even just a few generations ago, people did not have the identification with victims we now have. We easily sacrificed in some way the people deemed expendable, be they slaves, children, the sick, the poor, "witches," heretics, foreigners, or the disabled (and sometimes the rich and even kings). Warren's is the second book I have read recently naming Jesus' death as a "lynching." This is instructive. The institution of sacrifice probably originated in mob violence. And lynchings had a similar effect of maintaining social order, however corrupt and oppressive. We may not be able to relate well to an institution as old and disappeared as sacrifice. But lynchings only stopped in this country 50 years ago. The fact that they have stopped, and now horrify most people, is an indication that the influence of the Crucified continues to spread. Unfortunately, the ideology of sacrifice -- one person dying for the people -- is by no means over. Warren's contention is that either we can grow into the Spirit of the Crucified, and cultivating compassion for victims, or we can bring down upon ourselves the consequences, which is the destruction witnessed in some of the apocalyptic writings of the Bible. A lot to think about, and inspire us to live differently.

[Andrew Marr · Rating 5 out of 5]

René Girard is a thinker whose insights are of vital importance for dealing with the challenges of our time. However, even the most devoted developers of Girard's thought admit that Girard's own books are often daunting, especially as introductions to his thought. There is a need, then, of secondary literature explicating his ideas. Several fine books along these lines have been published, among them "Violence Unveiled" by Gil Bailie but we can use more, and James Warren has given us what I would strongly recommend as one of the very best books to help a beginner plunge into Girard's ideas. This book is as comprehensive as it is clear. By that, I mean it has heavy doses of both these qualities. The way Warren explains the way of reading myths as persecution texts is particularly helpful in adding plausibility to Girard's theories of myths' connection to collective violence that is sacralized. Warren's laying out the contemporary situation where apocalyptic violence is all the more threatening as a HUMAN threat and while signs of Christ appear in odd places helps us see clearly the challenges we face in the here and now. I would add that Warren's ways of explaining this thought is also helpful for those of us who are trying to introduce and explain these ideas to others.

[Connie Hintz · Rating 5 out of 5]

An interesting study of the history of violence and sacrifice in religion, from primitive religion to Christianity. How can we understand Christianity, especially the cross of Christ, in light of Girard's non-violent understanding?