Anarchy and the Kingdom of God: From Eschatology to Orthodox Political Theology and Back

338 Pages·2021·3.983 MB·English

by  Davor Džalto

Anarchy and the Kingdom of God
Orthodox Chris tian ity and
Con temporary Thought
Aristotle Papanikolau and Ashley M. Purpura, series editors
This series consists of books that seek to bring Orthodox Chris tian ity into an
engagement with cont emporary forms of thought. Its goal is to promote (1)
historical studies in Orthodox Chris tian ity that are interdisciplinary, employ
a variety of methods, and speak to con temporary issues; and (2) constructive
theological arguments in conversation with patristic sources and that focus
on con temporary questions ranging from the traditional theological and
philosophical themes of God and human identity to cultural, po liti cal, eco-
nomic, and ethical concerns. The books in the series explore both the rele-
vancy of Orthodox Chris tian ity to con temporary challenges and the impact
of con temporary modes of thought on Orthodox self- understandings.
Anarchy and the
Kingdom of God
From Eschatology to Orthodox
Po liti cal Theology and Back
Davor Džalto
FORDHAM UNIVERSITY PRESS
New York • 2021
Copyright © 2021 Davor Džalto
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval
system, or transmitted in any form or by any means— electronic, mechanical, photocopy,
recording, or any other— except for brief quotations in printed reviews, without the prior
permission of the publisher.
Fordham University Press has no responsibility for the per sis tence or accuracy of URLs for
external or third- party Internet websites referred to in this publication and does not guarantee
that any content on such websites is, or will remain, accurate or appropriate.
Fordham University Press also publishes its books in a variety of electronic formats. Some
content that appears in print may not be available in electronic books.
Visit us online at www . fordhampress . com.
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Names: Džalto, Davor, 1980– author.
Title: Anarchy and the kingdom of God : from eschatology to orthodox
political theology and back / Davor Džalto.
Description: First edition. | New York : Fordham University Press, [2021] |
Series: Orthodox Christianity and contemporary thought | Includes
bibliographical references and index.
Identifiers: LCCN 2021014278 | ISBN 9780823294381 (hardback) | ISBN
9780823294398 (paperback) | ISBN 9780823294404 (epub)
Subjects: LCSH: Christianity and politics—Orthodox Eastern Church. |
Liberty—Religious aspects—Orthodox Eastern Church.
Classification: LCC BX342.9.P64 D93 2021 | DDC 261.7—dc23
LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2021014278
Printed in the United States of Amer i ca
23 22 21 5 4 3 2 1
First edition
Dedicated to all those who suffer from injustice, oppression,
and the oppressors of this world.
— D. Dž.

Contents
Introduction 1
Anarchism and (Orthodox) Chris tian ity: An (Un)Natu ral
Alliance? 7
PART I. (UN)ORTHODOX PO LITI CAL THEOLOGIES:
HISTORIES
The Symphonia Doctrine: Introduction 27
Early Chris tian ity: Who’s Conducting “Symphonia”? 35
Divus Constantinus and Court Theology in the Eastern
Empire 43
Conducting “Symphonia” in Rus sian Lands 67
The Modern Nation, Ethnicity, and State- Based Po liti cal
Theologies 88
Newer Approaches 101
Po liti cal Theology as Ideology: A Deconstruction 112
PART II. ANARCHY AND THE KINGDOM OF GOD:
PROPHECIES
Alternative and “Proto- Anarchist” Po liti cal Theologies 123
Being as Freedom and Necessity 157
Something Is Rotten in This Real ity of Ours 169
Eschatology and Liturgy 180
“This World” and the Individualized Mode of Existence 184
vii
viii Contents
The Politics of Nothingness 190
Theology as a Critical Discourse? 204
The End and the Beginning 247
Acknowl edgments 253
Notes 255
Bibliography 293
Index 309
Anarchy and the Kingdom of God