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Anarchy and the Kingdom of God

From Eschatology to Orthodox Political Theology and Back

Davor Džalto

Orthodox Christianity and Contemporary Thought

Illustrations: 5 b/w illustrations

eBook
ISBN: 9780823294404
Published: 15 June 2021
$38.99
Fordham University Press
Fordham University Press

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Anarchy and the Kingdom of God reclaims the concept of “anarchism” both as a political philosophy and a way of thinking of the sociopolitical sphere from a theological perspective. Through a genuinely theological approach to the issues of power, coercion, and oppression, Davor Džalto advances human freedom—one of the most prominent forces in human history—as a foundational theological principle in Christianity. That principle enables a fresh reexamination of the problems of democracy and justice in the age of global (neoliberal) capitalism.

Perhaps the best book on Christian anarchism since Jacques Ellul, Anarchy and the Kingdom of God is a timely and valuable addition to resurgent interest in political theology across various disciplines. Learned and well-written, it brings neglected sources from the Orthodox Christian tradition into this current renaissance and makes clear their relevance for contemporary economic and political debates in contexts ranging from the United States to postcommunist Europe and Russia.—Eric Gregory, Princeton University

Dzalto''s scholarship is a rich contribution to the burgeoning literature on political theology, and a particularly welcome perspective in the field of Orthodox political theology.—Reflexus

Davor Džalto is Professor of Religion and Democracy in the Department of Eastern Christian Studies at Stockholm School of Theology, and president of The Institute for the Study of Culture and Christianity. He is the author and editor of numerous books, including The Human Work of Art, Religion and Realism, and Yugoslavia: Peace, War, and Dissolution (by Noam Chomsky).

Introduction | 1

Anarchism and (Orthodox) Christianity: An (Un)Natural Alliance? | 7

Part I: (Un)Orthodox Political Theologies: Histories

The Symphonia Doctrine: Introduction | 27

Early Christianity: Who’s Conducting “Symphonia”? | 35

Divus Constantinus and Court Theology in the Eastern Empire | 43

Conducting “Symphonia” in Russian Lands | 67

The Modern Nation, Ethnicity, and State-Based Political Theologies | 88

Newer Approaches | 101

Political Theology as Ideology: A Deconstruction | 112

Part II: Anarchy and the Kingdom of God: Prophecies

Alternative and “Proto-Anarchist” Political Theologies | 123

Being as Freedom and Necessity | 157

Something Is Rotten in This Reality of Ours | 169

Eschatology and Liturgy | 180

“This World” and the Individualized Mode of Existence | 184

The Politics of Nothingness | 190

Theology as a Critical Discourse? | 204

The End and the Beginning | 247

Acknowledgments | 253

Notes | 255

Bibliography | 293

Index | 309