Žižek's Interpretation of "Christ's Sacrifice" in his Reverse Logic
Author: CHEN Jian, Ph. D. Candidate, School of Liberal Arts, Renmin University of China
Abstract:
Through a close study of several of his representative works, this essay introduces and analyzes Žižek`s view of Christ’s sacrifice, which reveals Žižek`s “theological” idea: namely that – “monotheist Christianity is an atheist religion.” The paper sets out the possible values contained in this “alternative” and radical interpretation through a reading of Žižek`s critique of Jean-Luc Marion, and at the same time, explores the “reversal/inversion” logic of Žižek`s atheistic theology. The paper follows Žižek’s presention of his ideas: firstly, as Žižek refutes Marion’s view of seeing Christ’s sacrifice as the “sacrifice of a rescuing gift”, regarding it as a revolutionary legacy of abolishing the sacrificial mechanism of repayment and undermining the Other. In a second move, Žižek explains the suspicious, rebellious and revolutionary spirit of Christ’s sacrifice through Michelangelo`s Christ on the Cross, and illuminates the atheistic character of God through Job. Žižek holds that Christ’s sacrifice and the original Christianity are the revolutionary Event which breaks the balance of the One-all and the eternal circuits of the restoration of Order in pagan or other earthly civilization. Finally, Žižek sets Christ’s sacrifice in four rebellious events at the origin of Christianity in order to expound Christian belief and the concept of redemption against a background of rebellions. Through all of these, Žižek tries to present the atheistic nature of Christianity.
Keywords:
Žižek, Reverse, Atheism, the Other, Sacrifice
Full Text (International Version):
Full Text (Simplified Chinese Version):
