In this phenomenological reading of Luther, Marius Timmann Mjaaland shows that theological discourse is never philosophically neutral and always politically loaded. Raising questions concerning the conditions of modern philosophy, religion, and political ideas, Marius Timmann Mjaaland follows a dark thread of thought back to its origin in Martin Luther. Thorough analyses of the genealogy of secularization, the political role of the apocalypse, the topology of the self, and the destruction of metaphysics demonstrate the continuous relevance of this highly subtle thinker.rabbi

About the Author

Marius Timmann Mjaaland is Professor for Philosophy of Religion at the University of Oslo. He is author of Autopsia: Self, Death, and God after Kierkegaard and Derrida.

Reviews

Original research... which offers new perspectives.

* Norwegian Teologisk Tidsskrift *

Readers not acquainted with Luther studies or Continental philosoph might at times find Mjaaland challenging, but his work is well worth the effort.

* Cultural Encounters *

Mjaaland . . . provides a dazzlingly, provocative exploration of the political implications of Luther's theological method and scriptural exegesis.

* Journal of Lutheran Ethics *

Challenging the mutual exclusivity of theology and philosophy, Mjaaland links Luther to Nietzsche, Marx, Heidegger, and Derrida, highlighting connections between "destruction" and "deconstruction," and showing how philosophy, politics, and theology converge in Luther's radical critique of religion. Recommended.

* Choice *

This is a bold work of philosophical theology.

* Reading Religion *

While at one level this book advances a fairly technical and focused argument about Luther, it is profound and wide-ranging in its insights and implications. It deserves to be carefully read by anyone with deep interests in theology, philosophy, and politics.

* Political Theology *

An important book on Luther's Hidden God and the nature of modernity. . . . [T]his work should be considered by Luther scholars of all stripes, especially those interested in Luther's theology and its relationship to modernity.

* Lutheran Quarterly *



Book Information
ISBN 9780253018168
Author Marius Timmann Mjaaland
Format Hardback
Page Count 248
Imprint Indiana University Press
Publisher Indiana University Press
Weight(grams) 490g