At Home with René Girard: Eucharistic Sacrifice, the ‘French School’ and Joseph De Maistre

Abstract

I am not especially concerned whether Rene Girard’s theory of sacrifice is true or false, right or wrong — even though I believe recent criticism from anthropologists has settled the question in the negative.1 Similarly, as an historian of religion, I take serious objection to Girard’s claims about the violent origins of religion and culture, about the foundational character of scapegoating and victimage in the religions. Neither Buddhism, nor even a religion as paradigmatically tolerant of violence such as Islam, for example, fit. Had Girard limited himself to the claim that power was an element in the origins of societies, religions included, I should not have the qualms I now have. But clearly Girard is after something more. This may or may not thus make me one of those dogmatic empiricists Girard decries.2 But as I shall try to show, the truth of Girard’s claims need not be our only concern in reading him.