Marx and the Bible: A Critique of the Philosophy of Oppression

by José Porfirio Miranda, Jose Maria Diez-Alegria (Foreword), John Eagleson (Translator)

José Porfirio Miranda

Genres: Philosophy, Religion, Theology, Theory, Social Justice, Nonfiction, Politics

338 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1971

About the author

Catholic clergyman and Jesuit, philosopher, theologian and economist, author and professor at the Universidad Autónoma Metropolitana of the Metropolitan Region of Mexico City, and at the Jesuit College in Guadalajara. Miranda wrote basic works of liberation theological exegesis and theory formation.

Reviews

[Stephen Morrison · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent book. The title is somewhat misleading, though. Very little to do with Marx (except towards the end). But I think this was one of the best books I’ve read for a biblical defense of liberation theology.

[Mark Derderian · Rating 4 out of 5]

A book that demonstrates how Marxism emerged from and contributed to the prophetic Christian tradition. Some surprising juxtapositions of Marxism and Christianity, that reveal depths in each tradition.

[Left_coast_reads · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is an example of liberation theology, a tradition focused on the emancipatory potential of Christianity by emphasizing God's actions on behalf of the oppressed. One hallmark of liberation theology is its embrace of orthopraxy rather than orthodoxy--salvation is achieved by right action rather than right belief.

Using the Bible and Marx, Miranda claims that private ownership of the means of production can only be achieved through violence. From here, he argues that Christians should oppose capitalism. He argues that recent papal encyclicals on economic matters should be interpreted along these lines. He engages in some motivated reasoning here, sort of giving the Popes a pass for not explicitly condemning capitalism.

The following three chapters explore a range of topics concerning interpretation of scripture, including God's intervention in human history. Miranda hits the reader with an astonishing number of bible quotes to support his claims. One of the most notable is that to know God is to do justice to the poor. It is not possible to know God simply through contemplation or prayer. God only reveals Himself when we interact with others in pursuit of justice.

Throughout the book, Miranda argues that Christianity has inherited philosophical baggage from the Greek tradition and as a result has lost its way, focusing on an individualistic, abstract interpretation of faith. It has also been shaped to be more compatible with capitalism, losing its radical message.

The last chapter is confusing. Miranda attempts to show parallels between the Marxist view of history and early Christian theology. Maybe I need to brush up on my understanding of dialectics, but it seems to me that Miranda goes off the rails a bit here. He claims that Marx, too, would have predicted resurrecting the dead but his thinking wasn't sufficiently dialectical. This last section is full of non sequiturs and unsubstantiated claims.

I think the title of the book is a bit of a misnomer, but it was good to read something which challenges my own beliefs using some material familiar to me.

[Terry · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you can read Das Kapital and survive, you'll handle this easily.
Not for someone who's looking for excitement.
Somewhere between Carlisle's History of the French Revolution (marvelous) and reading the works of Thomas Acquinas. (ugh!)

[Carol · Rating 2 out of 5]

I had a hard time getting into this book and kept wondering if the book would be more appealing in the original language. It had a lot of interesting and thought provoking ideas.