Journal article
The desert in the desert: Faith and the aporias of law and knowledge in derrida and The Sayings of the Desert Fathers
Journal of the American Academy of Religion, Vol.71(4), pp.811-833
12/01/2003
DOI: 10.1093/jaarel/lfg100
Abstract
In this article I consider The Sayings of the Desert Fathers in light of deconstructive ethical theory. Jacques Derrida's critique of law in favor of undecidability, the uncertainty of chora or the "desert in the desert," and limitless responsibility helps us understand this perplexing work; wandering in the desert of the Sayings, the reader does not find the law guaranteeing salvation but, rather, is left searching in each particular instance for "discernment" and "charity," for "what your soul wills in following God's will." Amid a contradictory collection of narratives and advice, the Sayings leaves the reader to find in his or her particular life the lack or desire that prompts him or her to approach the other in repentance and yet in hope. The Sayings points to this sort of faith as much as to deconstructive questioning - both of which take place in this "desert in the desert" - as constitutive of right relations with the other. © 2003 The American Academy of Religion.
Details
- Title: Subtitle
- The desert in the desert: Faith and the aporias of law and knowledge in derrida and The Sayings of the Desert Fathers
- Creators
- Lori Branch - University of Iowa
- Resource Type
- Journal article
- Publication Details
- Journal of the American Academy of Religion, Vol.71(4), pp.811-833
- Publisher
- Oxford University Press
- DOI
- 10.1093/jaarel/lfg100
- ISSN
- 0002-7189
- eISSN
- 1477-4585
- Language
- English
- Date published
- 12/01/2003
- Academic Unit
- English
- Record Identifier
- 9984398060102771
Metrics
3 Record Views