num_pages: 216
description: In The Time That Remains, Agamben seeks to separate the Pauline texts from the history of the Church that canonized them, thus revealing them to be the fundamental messianic texts of the West.” He argues that Paul’s letters are concerned not with the foundation of a new religion but rather with the messianic” abolition of Jewish law. Situating Paul’s texts in the context of early Jewish messianism, this book is part of a growing set of recent critiques devoted to the period when Judaism and Christianity were not yet fully distinct, placing Paul in the context of what has been called Judaeo-Christianity.” Agamben’s philosophical exploration of the problem of messianism leads to the other major figure discussed in this book, Walter Benjamin. Advancing a claim without precedent in the vast literature on Benjamin, Agamben argues that Benjamin’s philosophy of history constitutes a repetition and appropriation of Paul’s concept of remaining time.” Through a close reading and comparison of Benjamin’s Theses on the Philosophy of History” and the Pauline Epistles, Agamben discerns a number of striking and unrecognized parallels between the two works.
language: English
title: The Time That Remains: A Commentary on the Letter to the Romans
titlecomplete: The Time That Remains: A Commentary on the Letter to the Romans
genres: History, Philosophy, Religion, Theory, Theology, Italian Literature, Nonfiction, Christianity, Faith
ratings_count: 277
publisher: Stanford University Press