The "Violence" of the Canon: Revisiting Contemporary Notions of Canonical Forms

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Abstract

The historical conditions surrounding the processes of forming a canon are rarely examined directly, yet it is these processes which govern over the realm of religious representations and identity constructions. In light of recent critical scholarship, it is imperative to address theologically the role that the canon plays within a religious tradition. This essay demonstrates the cultural necessity of canonical forms despite their “monotheistic tendency” to subdivide the world into binary oppositions. By utilizing a scale of violence to determine the impact of the canonical form upon culture this essay offers an account of canons and their role in forming religious identities over and beyond the violence they are said to provoke. Through this clarification, an alternative perspective of canons can emerge that reveals the violence at the core of cultural-canonical norms, thus providing a valuable distinction between differing (violence-concealing or violence-revealing) canonical forms.

Original languageAmerican English
JournalTheology: Faculty Publications and Other Works
Volume40
Issue number1
DOIs
StatePublished - Jun 1 2013

Keywords

  • religious representations
  • identity constructions
  • violence
  • canonical forms

Disciplines

  • Religious Thought, Theology and Philosophy of Religion

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