Mystical Mimesis

About the Book

Has there been anyone who has grasped the scandal of Christianity more profoundly than René Girard? Is there anyone who understands the paradoxical depths in which the uniqueness of the gospel subverts and dissolves the violent fabric holding together every form of human culture? Commentaries abound on the anthropological ingenuity of Girard’s mimetic theory. This book is an expression of my profound gratitude for Girard’s prescient insights into the scandalous power of the crucified Christ. The vision of Jesus standing silent and serene before Pilate and Caiaphas recapitulates for me, in iconic form, the ‘power and wisdom of God’ that defeats, sans violence, ‘the powers and principalities’ of the world. Mimetic violence, as Girard predicted, now threatens to engulf the entire world in a final spasm of apocalyptic annihilation. A demonic dynamic which begins as innocently and unconsciously as two infants wrangling over a simple toy now hypnotizes and blinds ‘the best and the brightest’ at the highest echelons of power. Our virtually irresistible need to exchange tit for tat finally has the whole world in its grip, ready to squeeze the life out of us all. Is this the reason the last verse in the bible is, ‘Maranatha, come, Lord Jesus’ (Rev. 22:20)?Without a doubt, only a divine intervention can deliver us from the Apocalypse on the horizon.

About the Author

PHILIP KRILL is a Catholic priest of the Archdiocese of St. Louis, MO.