Criticism of Heaven: On Marxism and Theology: 18 (Historical Materialism Book Series, 18) - Tapa dura

"A great philosopher once wrote that 'some books are to be tasted, others to be swallowed, and some few to be chewed and digested'. The five volumes of Roland Boer's magisterial series Marxism and Theology may well be all three." Matthew Sharpe, Arena Journal, No. 41/42, 2013: [28]-58. "The tradition of the Marxist reference and critical appropriation of Christian legacy is a long one, starting with the Late Friedrich Engels. Through the XXth century, it left its mark on some of the greatest Marxist figures, from Gramsci to Benjamin, and it was given a new boost in the last years by Agamben and Badiou. Boer's book, the first one to give a detailed overview of this entire tradition, is much more than a mere critical compendium. One usually says about introductions and overviews that they succeed if they bring the reader to take a look at the original texts themselves. Criticism of Heaven stands fully on its own, achieving a perfect balance between a detailed exegesis and the deployment of the interpreter's own position. In an almost miraculous way, the more we understand the interpreted authors, the more we hear Boer's own voice. An indispensable volume not only for those interested in the topic, but for all who strive for a cognitive mapping of today's perplexing state of things. (Slavoj Zizek, Birkbeck College, London) "In his highly intriguing and relevant work, Roland Boer, esteemed and prolific biblical scholar, offers a traveller's guide to European Neo- Marxist positions from the point of view of their various biblical and theological bearings. Roland Boer's brilliant exposition and highly controversial interpretations suggest that Marxism is the last resort of a bona fide Calvinist theology of grace. (Carsten Pallesen, Professor of Theology, University of Copenhagen) Praise for Marxist Criticism of the Bible "An astonishing tour de force in which the varieties of Marxist criticism are marshalled to investigate the extraordinary richness in both form and content of the Hebrew Bible. It is a lesson in dialectical criticism fully as much as in Biblical Studies." (Fredric Jameson, Duke University) "All [...] of these essays are well worth reading. They embody the fruit of many years of reflection and show a most impressive command of a vast and heterogeneous literature. They are insightful, thought-provoking, and also original in the sense of revealing unexpected aspects of those under discussion. The style is sometimes a little arch, but the analysis is always substantial and the assessment judicious. No one reading Boer will come away without being better informed and wiser." David McLellan, Marx and Philosophy Review of Books. Accessed 2 September 2010 URL: http://www.marxandphilosophy.org.uk/reviewofbooks/reviews/2010/182

This volume consists of a critical commentary on the interactions between Marxism and theology in the work of the major figures of Western Marxism. It deals with the theological writings of Ernst Bloch, Walter Benjamin, Louis Althusser, Henri Lefebvre, Antonio Gramsci, Terry Eagleton, Slavoj Zizek and Theodor Adorno. In many cases their theological writings are dealt with for the first time in this book. It is surprising how much theological material there is and how little commentators have dealt with it. Apart from the critical engagement with the way they use theology, the book also explores how their theological writings infiltrate and enrich their Marxist work. The book has three parts: Biblical Marxists (Bloch and Benjamin), Catholic Marxists (Althusser, Lefebvre, Gramsci and Eagleton), and the Protestant Turn (Zizek and Adorno).