Citation

Depoortere F. Mod. Theolog. 2007; 23(4): 497-523.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2007, John Wiley and Sons)

DOI

10.1111/j.1468-0025.2007.00407.x

PMID

unavailable

Abstract

This essay evaluates Slavoj Žižek's claim that God's transcendence ends with the Incarnation. The first part offers a description of transcendence and a discussion of its fate in modern philosophy. The second and major part presents the theme of the Incarnation as it appears in Žižek's recent work. His critique of the sacrificial interpretation of Christ's death on the cross, his alternative reading of this event, his view on the difference between the Jewish and the Christian understanding of God, his concept of ‘the Divine’, and his interpretation of both the Incarnation and the Crucifixion are discussed. The second part concludes with a concise comparison between Žižek and René Girard. In the third and final part, Žižek's claim that God's transcendence ends with the Incarnation is then re-evaluated.