Fragmentation and memory : meditations on Christian doctrine

209 Pages·2008·3.576 MB·English

by  MacKendrick, Karmen

K A R M E N M AC K E N D R I C K
Fragmentation
and Memory
MEDITATI ONS ON C HRISTIAN DOC TRINE
FRAGMENTATION AND MEMORY
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KARMEN MACKENDRICK
Fragmentation
and Memory
MEDITATIONS ON CHRISTIAN DOCTRINE
FORDHAM UNIVERSITY PRESS
New York ◆ 2008
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Copyright(cid:2)2008FordhamUniversityPress
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,oranyother—exceptforbriefquotationsin
printedreviews,withoutthepriorpermissionofthepublisher.
LibraryofCongressCataloging-in-PublicationData
MacKendrick,Karmen,1962–
Fragmentationandmemory:meditationsonChristiandoctrine/Karmen
MacKendrick.
p. cm.
Includesbibliographicalreferencesandindex.
ISBN978-0-8232-2949-9(cloth:alk.paper)—ISBN978-0-8232-2950-5
(pbk.:alk.paper) 1.Baltimorecatechism. 2.CatholicChurch—
Doctrines. I.Title.
BX1968.M315 2008
230(cid:2).2—dc22
2008022288
PrintedintheUnitedStatesofAmerica
10 09 08 5 4 3 2 1
Firstedition
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FOR ALAN, WHO ALWAYS REMEMBERS
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CONTENTS
Acknowledgments ix
Introduction:OnHavingForgotten 1
1. TheOneandtheMany 9
2. TheSinofOrigin 32
3. FromTraumatoRevelation:Forgiveness 55
4. PoppiesandRosemary:Love 84
5. DismemberedDivinity:Saints’Relics 106
6. EternalFlesh:TheResurrectionoftheBody 132
Afterword:OnReturningtoMemory 149
Notes 153
WorksCited 179
Index 189
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ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
I
t is a source of recurrent pleasure and occasional surprise to me that
somanysmartandinterestingpeoplearesowillingtobeengagedin
myprojects.Theyhavemadethisbookmuchbetterthanitwouldhave
beenwithoutthem—thougheventhatistomakethedoubtableassump-
tionthatitwouldhavebeenpossibleatall.
Among those who listened and gave me feedback throughout the
process, I owe particular thanks to a few. I have been thinking together
with Bruce Milem and Virginia Burrus, though in different ways and
oftenondifferentmatters,forsolongthatIhaveundoubtedlybegun to
credit myself with ideas and insights that were originally theirs. I hope
that I haven’t done so too egregiously here, and I thank them for their
sheer smarts and their continued generosity. My friend and former col-
league Jennifer Glancy has likewise been exemplarily generous and pre-
ciseinherthinking,bothtomybenefit.
Helpful conversations with Elliot Wolfson provided both essential
insights and valuable references. Catherine Keller was helpful in her
enthusiasmandherquestions,particularlyabouttheforgivenesschapter.
I am grateful to James Dahlinger, S.J., both for his knowledge of
Catholic doctrineandforthequietdiscretionwithwhich,I nonetheless
suspect, he concerns himself with the well-being of my soul. Jim, Vir-
ginia,andBrucewereamongthefriendswhohelpfullyaccompaniedme
on the exploratory relics trips central to Chapter 5. On others, Marcos
Bisticas-Cocoves,JamesDigiovanna,ColetteCopeland,andBorisBelay
were both helpful and pleasant companions. Among the wider circle of
friends less immediately involved in this particular text, I owe particular
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