arendt, augustine, and the politics of christian forgiveness

294 Pages·2015·1.46 MB·English

by  Christopher Koop

ARENDT,
 AUGUSTINE,
 AND
 THE
 POLITICS
 OF
 CHRISTIAN
 FORGIVENESS
THE
 POLITICS
 OF
 CHRISTIAN
 FORGIVENESS:
 AN
 AUGUSTINIAN
 ASSESSMENT
 OF

HANNAH
 ARENDT

By
 CHRISTOPHER
 F.
 KOOP,
 B.A.,
 M.A.

A
 Thesis
 Submitted
 to
 the
 School
 of
 Graduate
 Studies

in
 Partial
 Fulfilment
 of
 the

Requirements
 for
 the
 Degree

Doctor
 of
 Philosophy

McMaster
 University

©
 Copyright
 by
 Christopher
 F.
 Koop,
 2015
DOCTOR
 OF
 PHILOSOPHY
 (2015)

  McMaster
 University

(Religious
 Studies)

  Hamilton,
 Ontario

TITLE:

  The
 Politics
 of
 Christian
 Forgiveness:
 An
 Augustinian

Assessment
 of
 Hannah
 Arendt

AUTHOR:

  Christopher
 F.
 Koop,
 B.A.
 (Brock
 University),
 M.A.

(Brock
 University)

SUPERVISOR:

  Professor
 P.
 Travis
 Kroeker

Number
 of
 Pages:
  vi;
 286.

ii
Abstract

This
 thesis
 argues
 that
 Augustine’s
 account
 of
 Christian
 neighbour
 love

properly
 characterizes
 and
 illuminates
 the
 political
 relevance
 of
 forgiveness
 within

Christian
 community.
 The
 Christian
 commitment
 to
 love
 the
 neighbour
 is
 offensive

to
 Hannah
 Arendt’s
 conceptualization
 of
 political
 freedom
 and
 political
 action,
 yet

Augustine
 challenges
 Arendt’s
 notion
 of
 Christian
 ‘otherworldliness’
 by
 locating
 the

source
 of
 authentic
 forgiveness
 and
 political
 identity
 within
 the
 divine
 kenotic
 love

of
 Christ.
 For
 Arendt,
 political
 forgiveness
 has
 the
 capacity
 to
 release
 us
 from
 the

unforeseen
 and
 potentially
 devastating
 consequences
 of
 action
 as
 it
 safeguards
 our

political
 interrelatedness
 and
 distinct
 human
 individuality.

 Arendt’s
 central

objection
 to
 Augustinian
 forgiveness
 concerns
 its
 rootedness
 in
 Christ’s
 divine
 love,

which,
 Arendt
 argues,
 destroys
 the
 public
 realm
 in
 which
 human
 political
 freedom

rests.

 However,
 an
 Augustinian
 theological
 imagination
 responds
 to
 Arendt’s
 critical

account
 of
 love
 by
 showing
 how
 the
 Incarnation
 is
 the
 exemplar
 of
 human
 political

interaction.

 For
 Augustine,
 Christ
 as
 neighbour
 –
 in
 his
 divinity
 and
 humanity
 -­‐

makes
 forgiveness
 comprehensible
 as
 a
 politically
 relevant
 enactment
 of
 restorative

love,
 and
 the
 worldly
 life
 of
 Christian
 community
 witnesses
 to
 this
 enactment
 as
 it

points
 to
 coming
 fullness
 of
 God’s
 kingdom.

Augustine
 offers
 us
 a
 way
 of
 thinking
 about
 a
 politic
 of
 forgiveness
 that

tempers
 our
 expectations
 of
 political
 life
 as
 it
 broadens
 our
 understanding
 of
 love’s

capacity
 to
 restore.

iii
Acknowledgments

  I
 wish
 to
 thank
 my
 supervisor,
 Dr.
 Travis
 Kroeker,
 for
 his
 critical
 and
 patient

engagement
 with
 my
 work.

 His
 insight
 has
 shaped
 the
 direction
 of
 this
 thesis
 and

his
 support
 and
 encouragement
 were
 greatly
 appreciated.

 I
 would
 also
 like
 to
 thank

Dr.
 Peter
 Widdicombe
 for
 putting
 me
 in
 touch
 with
 Thomas
 Breidenthal’s
 work,
 and

Dr.
 Zdravko
 Planinc
 for
 challenging/changing
 my
 perspective
 –
 I’ll
 never
 read
 The

Republic
 without
 thinking
 about
 Homer.

  My
 friends
 and
 colleagues
 from
 McMaster
 have
 been
 truly
 supportive,
 several

of
 whom
 I
 would
 like
 to
 thank:
 Randy
 Celie,
 Jason
 Anderson,
 Mike
 Bartos,
 Kim
 Beek,

Joe
 Wiebe,
 Émilie
 Roy,
 Ian
 Koiter,
 and
 Susie
 Fisher.

 These
 are
 all
 excellent
 people.

  I
 would
 also
 like
 to
 thank
 my
 family
 who
 helped
 me
 stay
 focused
 –
 especially

Jeremy
 Koop,
 who
 truly
 understands
 what
 writing
 a
 thesis
 is
 all
 about.

 Finally,
 I
 am

grateful
 to
 my
 wife,
 Brittany
 Koop,
 who
 is
 undoubtedly
 the
 funniest
 and
 loveliest

person
 I
 know.

iv
Table
 of
 Contents

Introduction

 1.

A.

 Augustine,
 Political
 Forgiveness,
 and
 the
 Order
 of
 Love

 1.

B.

 The
 Contested
 Origins
 of
 Forgiveness:
 Situating
 Arendt

and
 Augustine
 Amongst
 Contemporary
 Theories
 of
 Political
 Forgiveness

 4.

C.

 Hannah
 Arendt
 and
 Augustinian
 Forgiveness:
 The
 Politics
 of
 Love

 32.

and
 ‘Otherworldliness’

Chapter
 One:
 Hannah
 Arendt
 on
 the
 Vita
 Activa,
 the
 Public
 Realm,

 57.

and
 the
 Political
 Relevance
 of
 Forgiveness

A.
 Philosophy,
 Social
 Economy,
 and
 the
 Realm
 of
 Human
 Affairs

 57.

B.

 Labour,
 Work,
 and
 Political
 Activity

 74.

C.

 Plurality,
 Identity,
 and
 Critical
 Concerns

 84.

D.

 The
 Political
 Nature
 of
 Forgiveness
 and
 the
 Irreversibility
 of
 Action

 97.

Chapter
 Two:
 On
 Christian
 Love
 and
 Saint
 Augustine:

 119.

An
 Arendtian
 Assessment

A.
 Jesus
 of
 Nazareth
 and
 the
 Human
 Capacity
 to
 Forgive

 119.

B.

 The
 Orientation
 and
 Instrumentalism
 of
 Christian
 Neighbour
 Love

 126.

C.

 Arendt’s
 Critical
 Reading
 of
 Augustine:
 Love
 as
 Craving

 137.

D.

 Arendt’s
 Critical
 Reading
 of
 Augustine:
 Love
 as
 Remembering

 150.

E.

 The
 Body
 of
 Christ
 and
 the
 Negation
 of
 Political
 Individuality

 162.

v
Chapter
 Three:
 Christ
 as
 Divine
 Neighbour

 172.

A.
 Political
 Forgiveness
 and
 Loving
 Christ
 as
 our
 Neighbour

 172.

B.

 The
 Divine
 Sovereignty
 of
 the
 Son
 of
 Man

 188.

C.

 The
 Christian
 Church
 as
 Witness
 to
 the
 Humanity
 and
 Divinity
 of
 Christ

 200.

Chapter
 Four:
 The
 Political
 Authenticity
 of
 Christian
 Forgiveness:

 211.

An
 Augustinian
 Response
 to
 Arendt

A.
 Arendt
 and
 the
 Worldly
 Estrangement
 of
 Christian
 Community

 212.

B.

 Human
 Individuality
 and
 Christian
 Community:
 Thomas
 Breidenthal,

 229.

Augustine,
 and
 Authentic
 Political
 Self-­‐disclosure

C.
 Christian
 Community
 and
 the
 Political
 Relevance
 of
 Forgiveness

 245.

Conclusion

 262.

A.
 Overview

 262.

B.
 Final
 Observations

 269.

Bibliography

 281.

vi
Ph.D.
 Thesis
 –
 C.F.
 Koop;
 McMaster
 University
 –
 Religious
 Studies.
  1

Introduction

A.
 Augustine,
 political
 forgiveness,
 and
 the
 order
 of
 love

At
 the
 end
 of
 Book
 XIX
 of
 The
 City
 of
 God,
 Augustine
 concludes
 chapter
 27

with
 a
 brief
 commentary
 concerning
 the
 peace
 that
 belongs
 to
 those
 whose
 love
 is

ordered
 in
 accordance
 with
 the
 divine
 love
 of
 God.

 Augustine
 writes
 that
 though

God
 has
 made
 this
 peace
 available
 to
 his
 people
 in
 the
 midst
 of
 their
 earthly

pilgrimage,
 they
 must
 patiently
 endure
 the
 temporality
 of
 the
 world
 until
 this

imperfect
 peace
 will
 be
 made
 perfect
 within
 God’s
 eternal
 presence.

 The
 familiar

thematic
 contrast
 between
 worldly
 sinfulness
 and
 heavenly
 perfection
 found

throughout
 Augustine’s
 work
 is
 highlighted
 here
 once
 again
 in
 his
 description
 of
 the

dynamic
 reality
 of
 God’s
 peace.

 While
 on
 earth,
 the
 human
 experience
 of
 divine

peace
 is
 tempered
 by
 a
 worldly
 sinful
 conditionality,
 and
 Augustine
 reminds
 us
 that

the
 right
 time
 for
 rejoicing
 in
 the
 blessedness
 of
 God’s
 peace
 has
 not
 yet
 arrived.

 The

peace
 God
 makes
 available
 within
 this
 earthy
 reality
 is
 solace
 to
 those
 who
 have

confessed
 their
 sinfulness
 in
 light
 of
 God’s
 love
 for
 them.

 What
 Augustine
 is

describing
 here
 is
 not
 two
 different
 species
 of
 peace
 that
 are
 competitively
 related,

but
 is,
 instead,
 an
 image
 of
 the
 continuity
 of
 God’s
 peace
 that
 is
 already
 at
 work

within
 the
 world
 and
 the
 eschatological
 fulfilment
 of
 this
 peace
 that
 is
 yet
 to
 come.

For
 Augustine,
 being
 mindful
 of
 our
 sinfulness
 shapes
 the
 direction
 of
 our

interactions
 with
 the
 world
 and
 with
 one
 another.

 Those
 who
 are
 righteous
 must

acknowledge
 that
 the
 temptations
 and
 vices
 they
 will
 inevitably
 confront
 in
 their
Ph.D.
 Thesis
 –
 C.F.
 Koop;
 McMaster
 University
 –
 Religious
 Studies.
  2

mortal
 state
 are
 beyond
 their
 capacity
 to
 control
 by
 reason
 alone,
 and
 Augustine’s

point
 here
 is
 that
 the
 full
 sense
 of
 God’s
 peace
 cannot
 be
 experienced
 so
 long
 as

these
 vices
 must
 be
 governed
 in
 this
 way.

 Justice
 is
 present
 when
 we
 obey
 God
 and

order
 our
 minds
 and
 bodies
 in
 accordance
 with
 His
 divine
 love,
 Augustine
 writes,

but
 it
 is
 also
 present
 when
 we
 offer
 our
 praise
 to
 God
 and
 seek
 forgiveness
 for
 our

offences.

 This
 is
 why
 the
 posture
 of
 the
 City
 of
 God
 in
 Book
 XIX
 is
 one
 of
 prayer,
 and

it
 is
 through
 a
 unified
 cry
 that
 the
 people
 of
 God
 repeat
 the
 words
 Christ
 taken
 from

Matthew
 6:
 12
 –
 ‘Forgive
 us
 our
 trespasses,
 as
 we
 forgive
 those
 who
 trespass
 against

us.’

 Referring
 to
 Job
 1:7,
 Augustine
 sums
 up
 the
 human
 condition
 on
 earth
 as
 one
 of

continuous
 temptation,
 and
 when
 we
 resist
 offering
 and
 receiving
 forgiveness,
 it
 is

our
 sinful
 pride
 that
 causes
 us
 to
 negate
 the
 reality
 of
 our
 need.

 Put
 simply,
 the

prayer
 of
 God’s
 people
 during
 their
 pilgrimage
 on
 earth
 bespeaks
 the
 necessity
 of

forgiveness
 not
 only
 to
 maintain
 a
 right
 relationship
 with
 God,
 but
 also
 with
 one

another.

 Augustine’s
 commentary
 on
 God’s
 divine
 forgiveness,
 which
 is
 central
 to

his
 account
 of
 the
 Christ
 event,
 can
 be
 appropriated
 in
 order
 to
 explore
 the
 role
 of

active
 Christian
 neighbour
 love
 and
 forgiveness
 within
 the
 context
 of
 a
 modern

political
 life.

 Several
 contemporary
 interpretations
 of
 Augustine’s
 text
 have
 worked

to
 establish
 an
 important
 link
 between
 righteousness
 and
 justice
 with
 an

understanding
 of
 authentic
 political
 life
 that
 is
 born
 out
 of
 Augustine’s
 own

articulation
 of
 proper
 love
 of
 God
 and
 neighbour
 (such
 as
 Oliver
 O’
 Donovan,
 Eric

Gregory,
 and
 Thomas
 Breidenthal).1

 By
 appealing
 to
 Augustine’s
 account
 of

1
 See
 O’Donovan,
 The
 Desire
 of
 Nations,
 (Cambridge:
 Cambridge
 University
 Press,
 1996)
 and
 The
Ph.D.
 Thesis
 –
 C.F.
 Koop;
 McMaster
 University
 –
 Religious
 Studies.
  3

neighbour
 love
 and
 forgiveness,
 contemporary
 conversations
 with
 these

Augustinian
 themes
 help
 make
 conceptual
 room
 in
 which
 we
 can
 consider
 how
 the

authentic
 political
 nature
 of
 forgiveness
 grounds
 Christian
 community
 within
 this

present
 reality.

 In
 this
 way,
 Augustine’s
 theological
 imagination
 helpfully

contributes
 to
 the
 development
 of
 a
 modern
 understanding
 of
 a
 Christian
 worldly

politic
 of
 love
 and
 forgiveness
 that
 already
 participates
 in
 the
 fullness
 of
 God’s

kingdom
 that
 is
 yet
 to
 come.

The
 task
 for
 this
 project
 is
 twofold:
 our
 first
 objective
 is
 to
 examine
 the

constitutive
 elements
 of
 political
 forgiveness
 by
 drawing
 from
 Hannah
 Arendt’s

unique
 account
 of
 authentic
 political
 life
 and
 her
 critical
 reading
 of
 Augustinian

neighbour
 love.

 Arendt’s
 central
 objection
 to
 Augustinian
 forgiveness
 concerns
 its

rootedness
 in
 Christ’s
 divine
 love,
 which,
 Arendt
 argues,
 destroys
 the
 public
 realm
 in

which
 human
 political
 freedom
 rests.

 By
 highlighting
 the
 important
 contributions

Arendt
 makes
 towards
 an
 understanding
 of
 political
 interrelatedness
 that
 stresses

the
 distinctiveness
 of
 human
 individuality,
 we
 see
 how
 forgiveness,
 when
 framed
 as

political
 action,
 is
 necessarily
 linked
 with
 our
 capacity
 to
 meet
 other
 individuals
 in

their
 sheer
 distinctiveness.

 The
 second
 related
 objective
 is
 to
 respond
 to
 Arendt’s

critical
 reading
 of
 forgiveness
 as
 an
 expression
 of
 Christian
 neighbour
 love
 by

turning
 to
 the
 Augustinian
 themes
 of
 incarnation
 and
 the
 divine
 abundance
 of
 Christ.

Problem
 of
 Self-­‐Love
 in
 St.
 Augustine,
 (New
 Haven:
 Yale
 University
 Press,
 1980);
 Gregory,
 Politics
 and

the
 Order
 of
 Love,
 (Chicago:
 The
 University
 of
 Chicago
 Press,
 2008);
 Breidenthal,
 (1991)
 The
 Concept

of
 Freedom
 in
 Hannah
 Arendt:
 A
 Christian
 Assessment.
 PhD.
 dissertation.
 Christ
 Church,
 Oxford
 and

“Jesus
 is
 my
 neighbor:
 Arendt,
 Augustine,
 and
 the
 politics
 of
 Incarnation”
 in
 Modern
 Theology,
 14:4

October,
 1998.