Rome Better Than Christ: Levinas’s (Negative) Political Theology

Abstract

ABSTRACT This paper delves into Emmanuel Levinas’s political theology, as found in his Jewish writings, positing an analysis of a philosophical historiography, termed “eschatology” by Levinas. Within this framework, the narrative revolves around two pivotal entities: the West and Israel. Levinas contends that Israel embodies the ideal and telos of the West, portraying Judaism as the essence of Western civilization. The focus here centers on the adverse aspects, particularly three figures identified by Levinas’s eschatological political theology as problematic embodiments of Western civilization: Hitlerism, Christianity, and Rome. The paper asserts that, contrary to common assumptions, Levinas places Rome, not Christianity, in the closest and most significant rivalry with Judaism. Levinas posits that Judaism's primary role is political, not religious, and its historical struggle pertains more to the Empire than to matters of faith.