Affiliation:
1. Department of Religion, Boston University, Boston, MA 02215, USA
Abstract
Carl Schmitt proposes a political theology founded on the paradigm of secularization. In an attempt to evade secularization, Strauss responds to Schmitt’s approach in Philosophy and Law by subtly recovering the Maimonidean prophet. By doing so, Strauss points to the prophet as a theological–political figure who, as a ruler, survives the secularization of the Enlightenment. Following the trajectory laid out by Strauss, this article explores prophecy as an unsecularizable figure. By approaching the prophet as an unsecularizable figure, the objective of this paper is to: (1) explore prophecy as a theological–political figure through Strauss’s particular interpretation of Maimonides’ prophetology in Philosophy and Law; (2) examine the Enlightenment secularization thesis in the light of prophecy; and (3) vindicate the anarchic character of prophecy in postmodern and post-secular times.
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