 Title page forLa subversion du christianisme (1984) | |
| Author | Jacques Ellul |
|---|---|
| Original title | La subversion du christianisme |
| Language | French |
| Subject | Christian anarchismFeminism |
| Genre | Non fiction |
Publication date | 1984 |
| Publication place | France |
The Subversion of Christianity is a book written byJacques Ellul and published in 1984 byÉditions du Seuil. Released four years beforeAnarchy and Christianity, it offers aanarchist andChristian reflection onChristianity.
The author argues that the message and actions ofJesus were fundamentallyradical andanti-political. These, however, would have been corrupted through various dynamics, including Christians' participation in thestate and their increasing collusion withmoney. Ellul also presentsfeminist ideas, notably suggesting that the centrality ofMary in Christianity contributed to the establishment ofpatriarchy by creating a distinction between "ordinary" women and the mother of Jesus.
The work begins with a conclusion drawn by the author: Christianity would have distorted the message of theGospels.[1] Christians, he argues, failed to resist "political contaminations" during the conversion of theRoman Empire.[1] The same occurred witheconomic issues, particularly with the rise ofcapitalism, as well as with religious matters, as otherreligions influenced Christianity.[1] The institutionalChurch, according to Ellul, embodies this subversion,[2] making this one of his most controversial texts regarding the Church.[3]
Ellul contrasts this negative subversion—dominated by the State or money—with a positive subversion, which he claims was preached by Jesus.[1] Christians, he argues, are called to subvert society by engaging in critical reflection and action "against the powers of money, political authority, and even the religious domain itself". The thinker also critiques the concept of a purely transcendentGod, claiming that thistranscendence gave rise tomodern nihilism.[4] He does not spareChristian anarchism either, criticizing it for absolutizing politics.[4]
The work is heavily influenced by the philosophy ofKierkegaard,[5][6] whom Ellul quotes directly in a passage questioning the "massification" ofChristian conversion in the4th century.[6] Ellul also advancesfeminist ideas, notably by asserting that the centrality of Mary in Christianity facilitated the establishment of patriarchy by creating a distinction between "ordinary" women and the mother of Jesus.[7]
Moreover, Ellul insists that Jesus was fundamentallynonviolent.[8]