The Kingdom by Emmanuel Carrère: Believing or Learning as a Theological Virtue

Abstract

Le Royaume [English Translation: The Kingdom] is one of the French author Emmanuel Carrère’s most successful works. The main question posed by this book is this: how can normal, intelligent people believe in something as absurd as the Christian religion? One of the believers with whom the author enters into dialogue is Carrère, who for some years was a devout Catholic himself. He then links this questioning to a form of historical research into the sources of Christianity. If Carrère’s historical research is not always up to date, the part devoted to introspection is a convincing testimony, showing how a renowned author grapples with his own past and that of the church in a postmodern, secular world. The interesting aspect of his research is that he finds that, although he is not a believer, he wants to be a disciple.