meier-leo strauss and the theologico political problem

7/25/2019 Meier-Leo Strauss and the Theologico Political Problem

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LEO STRAUSS AND TH

HOLOGICO-POLITICAL

PROBLM

HEINRICH MEIER

TANSLAED BY MARCUS BRAIARD

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COTETS

ae to the Amean Eton

I. TE TEOOGICOOITIC ROBE O TE TEE

F EO STRUSS

1 he heologoPolal Problem

2. On he Genealogy of Fah n Revelaon

Deah a God A Noe on arn Hedegger

. TE ISTORY O I OSO Y D TE ITETIO TE IOSOER REECTIOS O EO S TRUS S

I I . T IS OITIC TEOOGY

V Y OITIC IOSOY

EDI X TO UUB ISED ECTURES B Y EO STRUSS

. he vng ue of German Poar Phloohy( 90)

2. Reaon and Revelaon (198)

Nam

page

5

53

75

89

1


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PREFACE TO THE AMERCAN EDTON

o Sauss ound is ask in e ecove o poliical plosop, and, no oe pilosope o e wenie cenu, e engaged in eonaion wi e callenge o evelaion Bo ae nimaelynd ogee e goundng o poliical pilosopy and e con-aion wi ai in evelaion ae wo sides o one and e sameavo Wa is a issue in bo is e aional usicaion and e

ical deense o e pilosopical lie Fo is issue, Sauss nod e concep o e eologicopoliical poblemTo ealze is endeavo, Sauss dew on e enie adion o pol

pilosop, wic e aced back o is Socaic beginnng ando iso in is coninui, as we as is uns and beaks e e objec o peneaing sudies. Sauss amed e adion e gasped pilosop as a wa o li, and e euned o is ric ogn wen e eawakened e awaeness a plosopy to pove s aionali elencicall, in cononaion w e mosnding alenave Bu lke eve plosope, e cose e ways1d ans, e conceps and e eoic, a in is judgmen wee uied o is ask Tese included delibeae deviaions om en One was o insance, is eposue o e eoeicesoeic:1 o wiin, o wic pilosopes ad availed emselves o moet two lnni. n Sausss oeuve, i is given an empasis a is

l0u ex e iso o plosopy. And is olds no less 1 o o t a ipy isel, wc e gave pomi o oe r l oor e. n w S ae t fou o t n L o n ue n 936 t o r oo h u n En 1lobbes'Pitir:ah.wfJy, nd n t o l! I ook, pul ld n 18 Stud n Ptnc P\fv I o n n ea

y

s l


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x REFACE O TH AMRICA DIIO

a s moe an an eample o sow ow e ou appoacesa e eologcoPolcal Poblem oulnes o e encounew a n eelaon ae o be deeloped e essa Dea as

God pesens obseaons on a eealng noe b Sauss on ManHedegge. s be e glances a a plosope on wose ouge eologcopolcal poblem cas s long sadow wou s eeang been a eme o an mpoance o m o ae because was no a eme o an mpoance o m

Cape pesens elecons on e Hso o Plosop ande nenon o e Plosope seeks o make undesandablew Sauss engaged n socal eseac angng om Hedeggea Macaell and aab o peSocac plosopes n odeo answe quesons a ae nsepaable om e eologcopolcalpoblem, suc as Wa s e g le? Wa s e good? andQu s eu quesons a ae b no means nnscall socalquesons Fo anone wo seousl sudes s oeue, e ocal ponbecomes e nenon a e plosope Sauss pusues wen edecs s undded aenon, so seems, o e so o ploso

p and pesens s plosop n e guse o nepeaons o paswngs.Cape , Wa s Polcal eolog? aces e ncse cange

n e so o e concep polcal eolog caused b CalScms 122 wng o e same name and ges a nonpolemcal de-non o e concep, wc sows o be e smmecal counecon-cep o polcal plosop. e concludng Cape W Pol-cal Plosop? denes e place accoded o e cononaon

8 The lecure wa delered Nemer 6 1, a he cclu he lecue ereThe eac e Sau whch he Uery Chca razed hr Srau he eeh aera h deah Seh Beardee had peed he erewh he rla lecure Srau Pla auum 1 The Germa er mylecure wa puhed D Dnbwgng vn Su D Ghh Phphun Innn Phphn (Suar/Wemar: B Meler 6) 7-

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I eped here wh d perm he edr The ra Germa ewa puhed Ja ma Ph h whn {pn un I (Munich:Car Fredrch Seme Fuda 1 d xpe ed., ) 7-1

10 Fr pulhed Th w f Mphy Deember 20), 385-407. repred here wh d p of the di1 Te gial Cr vrs wpulhed n WaohPhoojJ!e? (Stgan/Wcilr:.J M1'.lt-r, ; d el2 Enshvern w pesntd he Gco


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PREFACE TO THE AMERICA EDITION

w the theologicopolitical poblem in the nne stuctue of politcasoph

h Append makes o lectues b Stauss that ae highl el-i11d ... and d ew Yr: Bac B,I K K d I f;!IIIITip de' Hobes, tr had spen1 o th lo1 o hlo-l poliics whic appeals rvlatio" aMt t wt dio o lio. ol(s (:!.\'1Tdt f l 11

.

1)


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Xl REFACE O E AMERICA ED

a discussion o De Bef es Potshen and unmisakaby in eeenceo Ca Schmi

Unde he ie "Reason and Reveaion Saus gve a ecue a

he Haod heoogica Seminay in Haod Connecicu in anuay 19 in which he dea wih he heoogicopoica pobem ina moe ouspoken way han a any ime beoe o ae hee ae seea ecues in which he ook up he bibica aenaive o phosophyhe bes known ae he o ecues hed on Mach 13 and 1 5 1967a he Cy Coege o ew Yok and pubished unde he ieeusemn Athens Some Pemny Reetons in he same yea he ecue"On he nepeaion o Genesis which was made avaiabe poshu-

mousy was pesened a he Univesiy Coege o he Univesiy oChicago on anuay 25 1957 The s pubic eamen o he heme know o daes om ovembe 13 96 when Sauss spoke in heGenea Semina a he ew Schoo o Socia Reseach in ew Yok oneusaem and Ahens The hee es om 196 1957 and 1967oveap eensivey since a hee cene on an inepeaion o hebook o Genesis he accoun o he ceaion o he wod and he soyo he o man o n he case o he s ecue cuminae insuch an inepeaon. he e pubished in he Appendi dies oma Sauss's ohe pubished and unpubished eamens o he hemewih which am ama boh in he ovea appoach ha Sauss choseand in numeous agumens hins and eampes he gave Howeve wedo no know eacy wha Sauss said o he heoogians in HaodFo we ae aced hee wih wo manuscips On he one hand wih heecue "Reason and Reveaion wien ou a eas up o page 9 veso;

on he ohe wih a e ha begins in he om o shohand noesand as deveops oveaps pay wih "Reason and Reveaion a eo whch have chosen he ie "oes on Phiosophy and Reveaion

he Cy Cllee Paper 6 ew Yrk he Cy Cllee 6 8 pp Srauluded h ex rm 16 de PoPoPhohy Cha Unery Cha Pre 8) -

16 Fr pulhed omme e e dhpooe 1 1 auayMarh

81 ) 5-0 I hae my pe a py a yperp wh he le erulem eure e delered emer 146 e Geer Sem. mweee yped ad hree addnal adwe p w vrson o par wl e e erualm Lt to b t era Semnar mb 3 9'6" o five t adtt


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RAC O H AMRICAN DION X

and placed afte Reason and Revelation. Weeas Stauss did notwite a concluding pat fo Reason and Revelation te oes onPilosopy and Revelation lac an opening pat. Tey sat abuptlyunde te eading Te Biblical agument Stauss noted a te topof te st page (typescipt p 22 paa 2 ff.) . Te efeence points oe pescip of e lectue eusalem and Atens fom ovembe3 196 ndeed e en points in wic Stauss deveops e biblical agument on te st tee pages of te otes contain a com-pessed patly ened and epanded vesion of te pesentation givenin eusalem and Aens on te las si pages of te pescip andte to pages of andwitten additions to te tet t is possible ta

we ave in e oes on Pilosopy and Revelation te st vesionof e Hatfod lectue n tat case Stauss would ave begun afeswiting te al Reason and Revelaion and ten dawing on te agumentation and te conclusion of te otes in ode to supplementte unnised tal t is conceivable at Stauss ead te tal up topage 9 eco o 9 veso and continued wit page 3 ecto o 3 veso.Anote possibility is tat e woe te oes on Pilosopy and Reve-ltion in 1

97fo an occasion about wic we now noting and ten

used tem fo te Hatfod lectue as us descibed Regadless of owtauss may ave used te two manuscipts in Hatfod given te line ofoug a ey bot contain and te peiod in wic tey wee wittn it is cetain tat tey ae closely connected and need to be studiedgee.

o conclude tis peface want to addess two questions tat aise

om a statement mae in Te TeologicoPolitical Poblem andht do not discuss tee Tey concen te instiuion of te pilo-pical scool wic as played an impotan ole in te ecepion tausss pilosopy n te essay, ema ta te sole political act onsequence tat Stauss bougt imself to launc was to found

H Hh mnip re ced e Sru Pper Bx 1 1 Flder 1 Deprme Spei Colction er Ch Re d Ree cmprewve ss wh e mered - d 1 wh he excep he l hee ih e nly e le h de l he hee he ee wre h i py is k a addion e pecl he ed mucrp cmpre shs smwh m frm whh e mered 15 d re wre b d v e i py k, nd r r ner dd


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x T O E EDIION

a scool wic e oe o a poessosip in plical pilosopa e Univesi o Cicago in 1949 povide h oppounio do. add a Sauss suel was awae o pe e ad o pao making is poliical decision. Wa can mov a pilosope oound a scool? And in wa sense does a ounding involve a poliicaldecision?

Te scool as unconesable advanages o e developmen oa compeensive eacing o e pusui o a eseac pojec ando e omaion o an inepeive appoac makes i easie oes pilosopical agumens and o epeimen wi eoical g-ues. makes possible bo e ooug dieeniaion o an edice

o oug in diecions and e applicaion o an inepeaion oobecs e pusui o eecuion o wic would supass an individual'spowes n e bes case e semipublic spee o e scool pemise combinaion o e playul eamen o possible answes a pesupposes e elease om e demands o public selasseion and eseious involvemen wi e ue quesions a equies ageemenabou e undamenal poins o a common agenda Te insiuion oe scool elps o gain an audience o a new oienaion o pilosop and o lend i sabili is e means o coice wen e aim is oound a adiion and eeb o make i moe likel a an oeuve willemain accessible o uue geneaions. Te scool oes no lease possibili o making some ciizens amilia wi pilosop andeducaing em in suc a wa a wen e lae assume esponsibiliies in e commonweal ose ciizens will ea pilosop avo-abl o a leas especull and i necessa gan i poecion and

suppo.Sauss used all o ese advanages o e scool He also ooke oppouni ollowing Plaos and Aisole s eample o ose e poliicall gied and e genlemen among is sudens As aciizen o e Unied Saes o Ameica e was loal o e couna ad given im euge om pesecuion He sowed imsel obe a iend o e libeal democac a allowed im o lead a pilo-sopical lie He pomped a numbe o is sudens o invesigae eisoical consiuional and poliical oundaions o e Unied Saand encouaged em o deend ose oundaions. He speced hpaioism and aug em o undesand h gn y t ht o e poliical l e. Ye e mae i cl n nug 9

XnjJh N I 7

;

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PREE O E MERI EDION XX

and e no less tan Socaes, e ciizen o Aens let no doubabout te act tat e did not conside te poltical lie to be te bestlie

e ounding o a pilosopical scool, owee, becomes a politi-

cal decsion not onl insoa as te ounding makes it possible to exeta saluta nluence on te commonwealt no matte ow mediate,no matte ow aiousl eacted tat inluence ma be t s a politicaldecision alead insoa as te scool like te commonwealt compisesqute dieent natues it too consiss o pilosopes and nonpiloso-pes wo bound togete to aing degees) coopeate n dieentwas and teeoe te cental deteminations tat appl to te tension

beeen te political communit and pilosop emain alid n teelationsip o te scool to pilosop Fo te scool, no less tan ote commonwealt, it olds tue tat dieent addessees ae to beaddessed dieentl, tat te gasp te eacing dieentl and passit on deentl e scool demands politcal action and is augtwit political isks.

te scool gains a lage audience o te pilosopical teacing,t also contbutes to stengtening and oesimpliing te doctinal

content o pilosop, to empasizing eeing at allows o beingtaugt and educed to omulas, and witout an indept conontation wit te cause o te matte at ssue, can be epeated, appliedand communicated And te scool is able to exet some politicalinluence en it is in dange o accommodating pilosop to a pa-ticula egime o undescong its closeness to tis egime in suc awa tat te pilosopicall gted in te utue o in ote egions oe wold wo ae a genuine pilosopical ineest in tat teacingmust once again loosen t link to tat political egme in ode toee te teacing om te odium o being bound to an ode peail-ng at a cetain time and n a cetain place o being subseient to andeolog.

e ounding o te scool will be successul onl i te teacets s oal teacing to is students' abilit to undestand t is e at e will entust is aesteacng elections, is most po-

us, and is most callenging consideations o is caeullwtn k bes o a scool, owee ae inclined to alue teoal t i i re e tend to oeestimate o to egad asb indispensbe w fr t ws enomous sgnicanceThi my xplin in p w th hl u apol- tnJci rdin t's piosopi dil w


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XX PREFACE TO m A MRIAN EDTO

pecisely in is obi his houh s oen ende innocuous and whypieies o all kinds ae able o ake oo hee

Sauss was as amiia as anyone wih he poblem o he schooland he adiion in philosophy He knew he hisoy o Plaonism

o he isoelian Epicuean and Soic schools hei successos andhei laes heis n his dialoue wih Aleande ove on yannyand he poliics o he philosophes he commened in no unceainems in 1950 on he omaion o secs and dew a shap ine beeenhe phiosophe and he secaian Pecisey because he had con-oned he philosophical adiion so inensively he was awae hahe peicaion o philosophy in he adiion can be cleaed away

aain and aain he was awae ha philosophical eney can be se eeve anew om is encapsulaion in docines Ad pecisely becausehe was amilia wih he hisoy o he schools o he anciens he wasalso awae ha hose schools helped essenially o make philosophyconspicuous as a way o lie n modeniy Rousseau and iezscheaemped o ive he philosophical lie a visible shape by emphaically dawin aenion o hei own lives The alenaive was heoundin o a school which does no have o poduce only mem

bes o a schoo isole was a membe o Plao's school o enyyeas nealy ice as lon as he was able o each in his own schoohe Lyceum isole le he Academy as a philosophe and om hisschool emeed ohe philosophes in unus as om he school haSauss ounded philosophes have emeed and by no means only"Saussians

Since he end o he 1os have had many convesaions wih myiends Seh Benadee and Chisophe Buell on he heme o hisbook and on he lecues by Sauss ha ae pubished in he AppendiThe same is ue o Thomas Panle who has in he meanimepublished his cononaion wih he bibical aumen unde he iePoltal Phlosophy an he Go of Abham o which wish o ee he

0 O Tyy Reved d xpded do (Ca Uer Ca Pre, 000)

6 I pe e da ure pl k a w a ae

e ue e plpal e , r Reau R ad e Hm. Fr e e e I reer e reader ea u Pmenu:roe Roueu b d phphche Lbe (Mu l d on SnFuda, 00)


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PRFAC O AMRICA DIIO i

eade Wiou aan acovs iendly ciique and ougl suggesions on ow o impove e Ameican ediion o my sudies on eeologicopolical poblem is book would no be as cose o e

Geman oiginal as i is now

HMMunicune 25


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I

TH THOLOGICO-POLITICAL PROBLM

n e ee o Leo Srass


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Pilosopieen is im Bewusssein de sclecinnigenegnglickei aes Mensclicen abe gleic als ob einemdie ganze Ewigkei zu egung snde nac de Waeisucen mi vollkommene Rue one jeglice Eile sesdinglic, abe niemals eilig mi dem Mu zum scnenWagnis und besndig beei ganz von von anzuangen.

(o pilosopize is o be conscious o e absolue ansioiness o a a is uman bu a e same ime as i one adall eeni a ones disposal, o seac o e u wicomplee calm wiou an u alwas wi ugency buneve uied wi e couage o a gaceu venue andconsanl pepaed o begin om e ve beginning)

eo Sauss oe om Apil 1, 937


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THE THEOOGICO-POITICA PROBEM

oing is as conovesial in e oug o eo Sauss and noingi as cenal o a pope undesanding o i as e eologicopoliicaloblem o onl is e posiion a Sauss akes on e eologico-liical poblem conovesial Te conoves alead concens wasiion e in u ook. And since e eologicopoliical poblems a e cene o Sausss poliical pilosop, e conoves sapes e cononaion wi all e gea emes o Sausss oeuve, angingm e diaogue beween e anciens and e modes via pilosop a wa o lie and e eoeicesoeic a o wiing o e ciique osoicism

n 96, Sauss imsel made clea beond all doub e cenalif e eologicopoliical poblem in one o is no eacl numeousobiogapical emaks Te saemen, wic lon eceived ne ono aenion oug i succincl names e inenal uni o is woks

in a single senence, is pepaed o b e opening o e Peace o Englis Tanslaion a e woe in Augus 962 o e Ameicanion o is s wok, De Regonsktk Spnozas. Te s paagapds "is sud on Spinoza's Theoogoota Teatse was wienn e eas 19252 in Geman Te auo was a oung ewo and aised in Geman wo ound imsel in e gip o ecooliical pedicamen n Ocobe 196, sol ae isityf hda, auss once again looked back a e beginnings i p i eman, is ime in e peace o obbes

1 \,inoza'. Ortquf Ne trans. E M Sinair (w Yok Sokn 65, i lo -I/gonst SJZ s mg s Bbwsschj ln Jio ("ts 7d0), in:1t S ich M v 1 ul"Wma Mtz, '!; 2xpdd . -{1 n HM t


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E EOLOGOPOLAL PROBLEM

poltshe Wssenshaft e Geman ediion of The Poltal Phlosophy ofHobbes. Hee e ealls is eal sud of e biblial iism a beann e seveneen enu paiulal of Spinoza's Tatatus theologopoltus and e allene a e eolo of evelaion as posedfo im sine e enies e eawakenin of eolo wi fo meis epiomzed b e names Kal Ba and Fanz Rosenzwei seemedo make i neessa fo one o sud e een o wi e iiqueof oodo Jewis and Cisian eolo deseved o be vioious And en e adds e eoloiopolial poblem as sneemained the eme of m sudies

is saemen w is as laoni as i is aaeisi appeas in

e s and a e same ime las e wi wi Sauss afe anineupion of neal ee deades addesses Gemanspeakin ead-es o undesand oel e pespeive fom w e pefae oHobbes poltshe Wssensha was oneived one mus know tat 1965e ea in wi e volume would appea a ompised bo est publiation o e Geman oiinal of e Hobbes book e adnised i eas ealie and e epin of is Anmekunen zuCal Smi D Beg es Poltshen s publised in Sepembe1932) was e same ea fo wi Sauss ad aeped an inviaiono eun as visiin pofesso o e Univesi of Hambu weein 1921 e ad eeved is dooae unde e dieion of EnsCassie wi a dsseaion on e poblem of knowlede in JaobiA e las momen eal easons uined is plans o ea plosop in Hambu A bief vis in 95 wi ook m o Feibu imBeisau Heidelbe Fankfu am Main and s biplae Kiain

in Hessen was us o be Sauss's onl sa in Geman afe e adlef Belin in 932 fo Pais and lae oninued on o ondon andCambide.

Wen in 196 wi is eun o Geman as bo auo and eaein view Sauss named e eoloiopolial poblem as e uni-in eme of is sudies e appaenl assumed at te in was moelkel o be undesood and aken up in Geman an anee elseHoweve is fomulaion of Sauss's fo e uent onfontation wie eoloial and e poliial alenave o pilosop ould adlnd an eo amon e Gemanspeakin audiene befo a nw eo poliial pilosop ad been opend up.

2 politische Wissenscha(t Neui


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E EOLOGIOPOLIIL PROBLEM 5

e w ncompeenson so long as e confonaon w e egcal and e polcal alenave was no gasped as e ve ea polcal plosop n vew of e pacula ccumsances under c Sauss dened e eologcopolcal poblem as the eme of

wdeangng oeuve ma be appopae a a Geman eade wo came o know Sauss and engaged m jus as e came o know engaged oe plosopes of e past namel solel b eadng wrngs and confonng e oug makes e eologco-cal poblem s eme

W does Sauss n e n fom Ocobe 196 abou e cen- and un of s wok a n a s unque n s publcaons ose e concep eologcopolcal poblem? W does e noe ecouse o e fomula eusalem and Aens wc e adploed me and agan snce e mdfoes? W does e no speak e conlc beween plosop and evelaon? W no of e en-n beween e commonweal and plosop? W does e noopae e eadng ancens and modens unde wc fends sudens ad publsed a fesscf n s ono onl a few weeksle Cleal fo m e eologcopolcal poblem desgnaes

fundamenal poblem e eme n wc e oe emes meeug wc e ae bound ogee and n wose lg eac sded s specc place

e us begn b consdeng e queee e anen et e moene Sauss ekndled a e begnnng of e es and wc m n moon as dd no oe plosope of e eneu Fo Sauss e quael as s ulmae souce n e deen of e ancens and e modens owads e eologcopolcallem a sance a n eac case ess on dffeen socal sua s eeced n dffeen polcal saeges and nall s gvensson n dffeen plosopcal assessmens of e poblem. n ure abou plosop and evelaon wc e gave n anua a e afod eologcal Semna n Hafod Conneccu e pescbed tle Reason and Revelaon Sauss bngs eu e ancens and e modens o a ead n e tesslke

fmu: A plosop wc beleves a can efue e possbl and a plosop wc does no beleve a s s f la queelle des ancens e des modenes. Te

\ "Rcso1 1 : 1 1 1d Rn," rO Le Suss Ppe Bx 1, F 3. My nip01 h :1 ht n h p hs bk


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6 E EOLOGIOPOLITIL PROBEM

eologicopoliical poblem confons us we noe s of all wie difcul of efuing e possibili of evelaion.

Te conlic beween pilosop and evelaion fom wic aisese ask of efuing e possibili of evelaion is aiculaed b Saussmoe sapl in is lecue o e eologians a e Hafod Seminaan in an of is wiings befoe o afe He woks ou e opposiion in wic e feedom of quesioning and knowing a pilosopequies and e obedience o e soveeign auoi a evelaioncommands sand o one anoe To e pilosopic view a man'sappiness consiss in fee invesigaion o insig e Bible opposes eview a man's appiness consiss in obedience o God Te opposi

ion in pinciple beween pilosop and evelaion egading man'sappiness alead poves in e ne senence o be e ul adicalopposiion egading e ig and e necessi of pilosop eBible us oes e onl callenge o e claim of pilosop wiccan easonabl be made. One canno seiousl queson e claim ofpilosop in e name e.g., of poliics o poe To sa noing ofoe consideaions, man's ulimae aim is wa is eall good and nowa meel seems o be good and onl oug knowlege of e good is

e enabled o nd e good. Sauss sees fom e ul adical oppo-siion diecl owads e absoluel ndamenal alenaive on wice conlic beween pilosop and evelaion is based and wic concens man as man Bu is is indeed e quesion wee men canacquie e knowledge of e good wiou wic e canno guideei lives individuall and collecivel b e unaided effos of eieason, o wee e ae dependen fo a knowledge on divine

evelaion Onl oug e Bible is pilosop o e ques fo knowl-edge, callenged b knowlege viz. b knowledge evealed b e omni-scien God o b knowledge idenical wi e selfcommunicaion ofGod. o alenaive is moe fundamenal an e alenaive umanguidance o divine guidance Tetum non atu" Ta pilosop canseiousl be called ino quesion onl in e name of evelaion meanso ings Revelaion appeas as the callenge o pilosop since iolds e pospec of e fulllmen of e deepes desie a moves

pilosop, e knowledge of u and a e same ime adicallnegaes a desie iself as a fee desie. Te God of evelaion claio ave a is disposal in pefecion wiou esi i i

Ro a Rvltio l t/ vrs; . hUivi a P


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tion pecise tat at wic te eos o piosop aims but ees access to it subect to is soveeign decision to eveal te tut abos witin imse to wom e wises wen e wises wee ises and ow e wises in te bounds tat is wi establises and e ends tat is udgment detemines Fo pilosop eveationesents bot a teoetical and an eistentia caenge. Reveationenges piosop teoetica b cononting piosop wit tetion o wete te tut te aimpotant tut is not missedn it is sougt ate ee b man wete te soe possibe access t does not instead consist in its devout acceptance o im wo s t. Reveation caenges pilosop eistential b cononting

sop wit te commandment o obedience wic eects te sopica ie in te name o te igest autoit conceivabe and I l ses on tat ie te seveest sanction imaginable. Poitics o poet ncapabe o seos calling pilosop into question since te o ng as te do not negate te piosopica ie b appeaing to teedge tut and powe o te omniscient te omnipotent teomable God and cannot add weigt to tei obection to pios wit te pospect o etenal salvation o etenal damnation. e ogiopolitia pobem daws ou attention we note second I equiement to deend te igt and te necessit o piosopt te doube calenge tat eveation and te ie based on it e o te obedience o ait epesents o piosop.

tension beeen te political communit and pilosop pe te conict beeen piosop and eveation and te same o te equiement to usti te igt and te necessit o pi-

h ationall and deend tem politica e piosopical ie as its aison d'e in e act ta it is based on uneseved ning and does not est satised wit an answe tat owes its tication to an autoit does not nd itse in a pecaious situ wit te appeaance o eveaed eligions As a distinct waof a ess on a conscious coice and is eld ast in te ace o ance piosop is an answe to te question o wat is igt

ta is awas alead cononted wit autoiaive answes estion o wat is igt and ust o man t meets te poitica and moal demands ta oppose i wi te will to enoce subect to te aw o te commonweat divine o uman a dent an ibitions. n te conontation wit te theos and nds its muc h d v


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n \ OICA ROBEM

dnce o lfe of divine guidance naually aises. Hash enson beween he commonwealh and philosophy been supeseded by he conlic of philosophy wih evelaion Does i, in view ofhe new fa moe seious challenge lose any of is inees O howis he elaionshp of he uly adical opposion egadng he ghand he necessi of philosophy o he absoluely fundamenal alenaive fo man o be deemned moe pecisely? In one of his laes andmos mpoan essays, hs Noe on he Plan of Niezsche's Bn Gan E" Sauss says of Nezsche in 1973 Philosophy and eligioni seems, belong ogehe belong moe closely ogehe han phlosophy and he ciy. . . The fundamenal alenaive is ha of he ule

of philosophy ove elgion o he ule of eligion ove philosophy is no, as i was fo Plao o Aisole, ha of he philosophic and hepolical life fo Niezsche, as disingushed fo he classics, policsbelongs fom he ouse o a lowe plane han eihe phlosophy o eligon. hen Nieshe in onas o he polcal phlosophes ofaniqu, bu in ageemen wih hose of modeni focuses on hequesion of whehe eligon should ule ove phlosophy o philosophy ove eligion, he akes accoun of he changed hisoical siuaion,

which came abou fo philosophy hough he ise of evealed eligionsand in paicula hough he ascen of Chisani. Sauss is fa fomplacing in doub he ugency o even he legimacy of he quesion ofule. Rahe han conesing ha he vial inees of philosophy is oasse iself agains a soveeign eligon wh a unvesal clim, whch hashe heological and he poliical eans a is disposal o make phlosophy subseven o i, Sauss insead subjecs o an emphaic ciique

he oe han mllennumlong accommodaion of a philosophy pe-ied in he adiion of is docinal conens o a poweful adionof obedience o in his wods, he "pevese ineweaving of a nmadion ih a phlosophical adiion ha objecion does Saussaise hen, agains he lenaive he aibues o Nezsche? As wehave seen, fo Sauss, philosophy mees he decisve challenge in evelaion n he end, phlosophy canno be shaken in is own mos claim by

5 Note o the Pl oeche' " ( 9 ) u ttPhphy (hgo Uer o Chcago Pre, 98) ,

eter to Gerhrd Krger rom oember 1 9 Gamm Sch:j 406 'TheMuul luece o heoogy d Phloohy ( 95 2) utpendrml'' ojPhisofJy (99), to d th t f Wt Geoe I F P!, ! - 8 9 Thugh Mahialli ( I re I H I K ; t Md e Yk Ba B


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TE TEOOGOPOT PROBEM 9

litics and its dpst dsir is incapabl o nding ulllmnt in thitical li Yt i philosophy is to b in a position to rspond approatly to th challng o rald rligion it must sriously ngag xpctations and dmands that distinguish th political li and it

st conront th moral obligations th notions o th common goodd o th ust rul o God or o mn, that dtrmin that i at auss has in iw whn h accuss itsch o rgarding politics asonging rom th outst to a lowr pan than philosophy and rin is th rquirmnt that on start mor radically with politics with commonwalth with th oundations o its xistnc with its itamnt th opinions and aluations o its citins in ordr to nd thrion in which philosophy and rligion can bgin thir disput with

anothr and carry it out.7 Th undamntal atrnati as w mayt trausss obction dos not concrn th qustion o whthr phiophy or rligion should rul. Th undamntal altrnati is opnd only by th qustion at s the ght le?And at stak in it is an mintly political qustion Th prcis ormulation with which traussooss to charactri th uniing thm o his studis namly as a ologicoltl problm w not thirdly and nally contains a

t about th path on which th right and th ncssit o philosoy ar capabl o bing ustid and on which th conrontation withation is capabl o bing carrid out succssuly.

hat is most conspicuous in trausss ormulation I ha yt to touch His mntion oth thologicopolitical problm immdiaty calls ind th thologicopolitical ntrpris that dro modrn phioso- orward From trauss's pspcti this ntrpris was unsuccss- n at ast on rspct it was unabl to sttl th thoogicopoiticallem. Th poitical succss o th ntrpris th stabishmnt o liba socit ga th problm mrly, but consquntially a nw twist ld thological dicult was t unrsold, whras th nw politi-c allng consistd hncorth in rstoring th rank o th politicald n making th dignity o th political li isibl onc again. Th

l hs je h Suss dd spell u s he sm h Nezshe nt re hmse he exe eessy m he us he plal les h dd ke hem sesy eugh phsphly d hs hlds s ad o he wll o ule el. Whehe hs sm ehes he ee Nesheslspy o eer s oy o hs exe ehg Nezshes pje ulehy h osors th oupy s he Moe mpoa o us s he eroc


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10 E EOLOGIOPOLIA PRO M

hitoricl proce iitite by the theoloicopoliticl eterprie ofmo-e philoophy led to the prceli of hm life ito mltipliciy of"toomo provice of cltre the ppoey micble coopertio coexitece of the ecoomy politic reliio rt ciece

d o o philoophy loe the erio ltertive with them fethe wree tht philoophy i pecil wy of life the world ofmoe cltre tht it eciively helpe to bri bot philoophy ile eqipped th ever to crry ot the cofrottio with reveltiocceflly d to jti it riht it eceity rtiolly

t i here tht I come to the third or the rt pe i which Stremploy the epithet "theoloicopoliticl i hi ow me to chrc

terie hi hitoricl ittio hi theme d hi edevor 1935 i eimtic footote to Phosophe un Gesetz he rie i pi it were the qetio of the pproprite philoophicl tretmet of thetheoloicopoliticl problem A rdicl critiqe of the moe coceptof "cltre o crx of which he me the "fct of reliio it other crx the "fct of the politicl i poible Str yoly i the form of "theoloicopoliticl tretie However ch tretie wold hve to hve, "if it i ot to led oce to the fo

i of cltre exctly the oppoite tedecy of the theoloicopoliticltretie of the eveteeth cetry epecilly thoe by Hobbe dSpio. The thrt of the theoloicopoliticl tretie of the eveteeth cetry imed t the recovery the peritet feriof the betas phosophan by me of effective eprtio of pol-itic from theoloy Pece d ecriy th re philoophy co-ceptl offeri i it eclr llice with the politicl overei col be chieved o the pth of the proreive omitio of tre the trformtio ebled thereby of hm livi coitio ieerl. Philoophy wol pply the relible d meble kowl-ede reqired for the methodicl coqet of tre d the rtiolreoritio of ociety while the overei wol hve to tke creof politicl protectio. ith thi compreheive project the bttle ofthe theoloicopoliticl tretie it the "kiom of rke "pertitio took the le ht bei with the emciptio of pol-

itic from theoloy relt ltimtely fter the ccefl lehi of

8 Phoophe d Gez. Bege zm Ved Mm d ee Vo (BrlSchok, 9), , Gemmee he ol 2 (StttrtW tzr 1 2 eule Athn ( , Studies n Pla.or oc. 'hfJhy,4-9


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E EOLOGIO POLTIL PROBLEM

ld f nceasng pupsve atnalty and gwng pspety n tate f ncmpehensn f and ndffeence twads the gnalse the thegcpltca ctque a state n whch the demands ltcs ae ejected wth the same matteffactness as thse f el n Ths state nds ts cnspcuus expessn n the exstence f theges wh clses hmself t a cams that am at the whle and phlsphy that n lnge knws hw t answe the questn "Whysphy? A thelgcptcal teatse wth "exactly the ppstedency f the teatses that funded the hstcal develpment fl "cutue thugh the ntentn and achevement went eynd1 hat fundng wud thus have t ng nce agan t awaeness n

ct clat the clams that the gnal facts f ptcs and f el cntan and eawaken the undestandng f the cnnectn thatxist eteen the t.

hen Stauss speaks f a thegcpltcal teatse he s speakng phlsphcal wtng that faces the thelgcal and the pltcal atve and that leads yway f the cnfntatn wth the demands tcs and elgn t phsphy The thegcptcal teatse n the wds th an elenctc and a pteptc chaacte Yet can the scutny egn whee des phlsphy nd ts esstance untepnt f the demandng altenatve s n lnge pesent ntus ecme lued eynd ecgntn n the mutplct f pesnal cncens n whch eveythng appeas t e cmpat th eveythng else? Must nt the phlsphcal tansgessn e >recd unde such cndtns y a cuntefundng whse auth s lsphe hmself? Russeau Hegel and Netsche f exam

dv ptca cuntepjects n answe t the exstence f h ges and wn ve t phlsphy the mst gfted amng the '


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H H OLOG I C O P OL J I A P R O L M

as a as th hstocal sult s concd h h ontbutd t o thntnscaton o that ocss o sa nothn lcal lctons nth naow sns h dcsv wanss o h nd v oltcalcountojct o xcllnc und th cond o modn was

ncdntall xosd b Roussau n th nulat chat o Ducon ocial n such a wa that t can nv b ogottn

I a oundng aad to b uld out o hstocal asons a hs-tocal oundng could nvthlss b atd that s could bthought n ts undamntal ncls hat s csl what Staussundtoo n Philoophie und eez Avcnnas statmnt that th tatmnt o ohc and dvn law s contand n Plato's Law dsclosd

to Stauss a nw accss not onl to th mdval hlosohs AlaabAvcnna Avos and Mamonds but also to Plato h sntncthat Stauss cam uon n 1929 o 1930 whl adng Avcnnas Onhe Diiion of he Raional Science and that mo than ou dcadslat h would us as th motto o hs last boo h commnta onth Law (th most ous and most oncal o Platos wos) 10 sadnothng lss than that long bo th uton o vald lgonsn th wold o hlosoh, Plato had at hs dsosal th mans that th

hlosohs o th Mddl Ags ndd and that th Platonc oltcalhlosohs usd n od to mt th hstocal challng wth whchth w conontd that s to sa to undstand t hlosohcall andto ma th bst o t oltcall o thmslvs and o th common-walths h Aabc hlosohs and Mamonds ollowd Plato whnth gasd th dvn law ovdnc and th oht as objcts ooltcs th ld on th Lawwhn th tatd th tachng o v

laton th doctn o atcula ovdnc and ohtolog as atso oltcal scnc and not at all o mtahscs) th movd n tholtcohlosohcal hoon o th Republic whn th gadd thoundng o th ct c as th ason d t o vlaton n thssns Stauss can sa o ou gasng n Plato th unblvng hlo-sohcal goundng o ath n vlaton n ts ogn h ndavoto gound o to ound ath n vlaton dstngushs th atonalsmo th Platonc oltcal hlosohs om modn atonalsm whch

was no lss ntstd n a natual xlanaton whch ndavod no

1 TheAmedheAco oPo L h ica UniversyfChicago P, '97) ,1 ad 2 O Aaae' Plhca ad Ptal Tachi" ( 9:17 ) . Gmm he 2, 8; 'h Spi o f S o t he Tase of Xl oph o." ac 6 ( 939, !30-2.


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ss to gain a philosophical understanding of faith in revelation, buthich did not carry out the confrontation from the perspective of theounder In addition unlike the theologicopolitical treatises of theventeenth century premodern rationalism begins the confrontation

y focusing on the nomo or on the law in the original sense, on theomprehensive order of the commonwealth an order that unites relion and politics and that as religious political moral law lays claimto the individual wholly eistentially Premodern rationalism justies e law so as to get beyond the law. If the philosophical justication the law is the modus of understanding the law from the ground up the politicotheological order of the commonwealth then it is simul-

neously the locus in which the question of the presupositions and e right of the philosophical life is raised most acutely For the Platoniclitical philosophers of the Middle Ages, justiing the law philosoph-lly becomes the grounding of philosophy In the guise of a historicalcovery, Philoophie und eez makes the theologicopolitical problem object of a philosophical relection that is focused completely on matter at issue and thus tests the chances for knowledge that the n away from the premise, sanctioned by powerful prejudice that a

turn to premodern philosophy is impossible holds in store hecovery of the sentence in Avicenna had opened a door for Strauss t was still rmly closed to him as he wrote hs Spinoa book in 1925- It showed him a possibili of achieving a genuinely philosophicalponse to the challenge of historicism by returning to the history ofilosophy

hiloophie und eez marks the beginning of a long series of

ologicopolitical treatises with which Strauss pursues the opposite dencyofthe treatises of the modern Enlightenment, and the "repeti1 of the newly understood founding out of the spirit of the medieval< htenment is only one form that he chooses for his endeavor Com- to all the writings that follow upon Philoophie und eez however

hphe d Ge, 65 Geammee he 2 64 ee lo d, 49, 86 The ad he Ao oPao Law 7- Thogh o Mahave 288-0 21-

< fmoe my The Htoy oPhloophy the teo othe Phloopher," elow efe o poz' rqe o Relgo, Lbeam Ae ad Mode, 257

hv lod e line o tht o th pgrph the pee to the eoum f t GsaH Schr, wll n y How Stru Becme Str," Mkv d St phn O, , Enei Rt a Hoo o ( L h J M I x i" t Hk 201) p 2 (338 2 Aiont t cl d


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TE TEOLOGIOPOLITIL ROBLEM

i that in thm Stau mak th thlgical and th plitcal challngthtically a tng a h pibly can Jut a cntant th mpha-i in hm that h plac n th inupabl ppitin that itbtn th phiphical lif and it mt pfu altnativ fath

in vlatn Bth making th atnativ intctualy tng andth hap mpha n th mt pfund ppitin a intnddt cuntact th avidanc f th mt imptant qutin. hy aStau an t th tuy Napnc tatg in hich th Enlghtnmnt tv f victy by maching pat th mingly mpgnabft f thdy in d t pvid pf f it n p thughth cain f a n d tuting that th nmy' pitin ud b

hiticay dipd f in Stau' udgmnt th tatg f va-in and backting mad it pibl nt cincidntaly f fantatcplitical hp t ai and dp ligiu lnging t tak t n thmidt f phiphy 3 ith hi thgicpitica ntpi Staupnd t a pcic hitical cntlatin: n th n hand t thplitical dang that g ut f iba cutu n th th t ththtcal challng that adical hticim pntd. H it hithlgicplitcal tati in dct cnfntatin ith philphy

blivin f pitc and ftfn th tntith cntuy. But h d ntpac th tati at th vic f a pitcal pct in th nan. Unik th thlgicpitical tat f th vntnth cn-tuy h pitical ntntin a n lng adquatly undtd byth pntativ f th mdat Enlightnmnt Stau' tatihich puu actly th ppt tndncy f th matpicf th adical Enlightnmnt f mdnt d nt put phlphy t

k f th pup f ptic; ath thy tun t plitc f thak f philphy lfctn thi tu add a nithth tatmn f th pnt n th ad f th vutin f thfutu; thy mak n attmpt t da pitntly t thmlv thattntn f pitcaly pmiing and ambitiu ad by inpngth plitical idalm by fding th il t ul; thy d nt ab-at a thy f plitic n d thy dvi an imag f th pfctcit that ud b capab f inducing idnticatin and dvtin;

thy d nt pmt in a d th plitcal lif a th iting f th

3 Phiohe d Geez 2 Geammee h 2, 2 oopy Rgoou Sd Poltl Phlosoph 7 di Patoc ot: ospy on he P o Neche' Bd Good d E," 8 1 9 j /lterfm"tai 22 ( 95) 3 , 3 7- 1 8.


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E TEOO GOPOT PRO BEM

litical philsphs f th pas did s mphatically at st glancaving land fm histical xpinc Stauss is n ppad pay th pic that Plat Cic Masilius f Padua Machiavlli

ussau Hgl itsch ppad t pay f thi tachingsf plitical funding and thi pjcts f cuntfunding Evntausss ftcitd tun t Plat and Aistl alngsid whmt cincidntally Xnphn and istphans cm t sand in hisuv has nthing t d ith th ndav f a plitical stitutin put i pintdly th sl plitical ndav th sl plitical actf cnsqunc that Stauss bught himslf t launch aft h hadut h plitical activiis and natinalistic aspiatins f his aly yas

hind him as t fund a schl which th ff f a pfssshipn plitical philsphy at h Univsit f Chicag in 1 pviddim h pptunit d; and h as suly n lss awa f th pic had t pay f making this plitical dcisin

Stausss thlgicplitical npis is hlly in th svic flfxaminatin and th justicatin f philsphy. His studis his atiss his cmmntais hav as thi pfd addsss ads

h a abl and willing t tak upn thmslvs th fft f hat slfaminatin and t mak th task f that justicatin thi n caus cncntatin n th qustin f th justicatin f th philsphl lif is accmpanid by h fact that th aspcts f th thlgiclitical pblm th latinship btn plitics and ligin in h wlldd cmmnalth th ptctin and dfns f phils-hy th safguading f th bass f is futu xistnc fad th backgund. And th pfnc f addssing philsphical

ds th tun t kindd natus xplains ctain pculiaitis f h mphasis and th htic that a chaactistic f Stausss tatt f th thm. Tw pculiaitis will spcially ccupy us h: On1 h n hand his psistn fnc h ncssit f achiving a tin f vlatin and his n lss psistnt ticnc t spll ut1 h ssibiliis f such a futatin On h th hand th pdm tndncy which gunds nt nly this cnspicuus cntast t

tteet o ophon's Ho 9) O Tyy d d Egdl'rito l IlL: ree Prss 963 ) Se he Hso o Phooph adI he l nlen lion of t he P ilosopr," 6o-6 low

1 ; S('c 1 h Vowon des Hr:gh zu wit Aug" Gme h , -, a t h "Vor w . -l na gbr, " Ge h xx d h Polcll l 1 i ls p l )? ' 1 0 4- o.

l t IO Hl h l 1 1 4\ ) i C :!ISf1W/ rhnj \.


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6 E EOOGO PO PROBEM

heighten t the best fhis abilit the pressure fr argumentatin n thetrue addressees f his studies and t prtra the intelectual situatinf philsph as extremel difcult and tense

et us begin with the secnd pint In rder t cunteract the avidance f the mst imprtant questin, the questin f the right r thebest life, trauss nt n makes the challenge psed b faith in revelatin as strng as he pssib can He als ccasinall makes it strngerthan it actual is r (what amunts t the same thing) he alws thepsitin f philsph t appear weaker than it prves t be n clserexaminatin In a famus passage frm the three famus paragraphstwards the end f the 1962 "Preface t pinza's Critique f Religin

in which he "summarizes the results f the pinza bk, a wrk hehad nished in 1928, trauss writes abut the failure f the claim fpinzas Ethia t refute rthdx b means f a cnclusive phisphca sstem "Certain it is that pinza cannt legitimate den thepssibili f eeatin T this trauss adds the general statement"But t grant that reveatin is pssible means t grant that the phisphic accunt and the philsphic wa f life are nt necessaril, ntevidentl the true accunt and the right wa f life: philsph, the

quest fr evident and necessar knwledge, rests itself n an unevident decisin, n an act f the will, just as faith The three wrdsust as faih seem t pass judgment n philsph, t establish tsinferirit t faith in revelatin Fr ust as faith suggests thughtrauss expicit des not sa this that what is at issue in the case fphilsph is a psitin f faith that, in cmparisn with the faith inreveatn that phisph ppses, has the weakness f nt wanting t

admit t itself that it, t, is faith he faith f philsph wuld thusdistinguish itsef frm faith in revelatin b a lack f prbit et us setaside fr a mment the questin f what cnsequences it wuld havefr philsph if it were based n an act f the wil and cnsider hwthe cmparisn ks frm the perspective f the suppsedl superirpsitin f faith in reveatin Des faith rest fr the believer n anunevident decisin, r des he regard it as the wrk f him wh is theruth Can he be satised that faith in revelatin riginates frm an act

7 o Spoza o Rgo 2 og p o , wh ogzd h x orywo d ofo ghs t h sayo h rr ru o oud h s h b h ast two ararah whi hpd oudg pph h pssa s so ht l o h w, j s h os" Spinow 's Crtque f l?d(o. \ ) Tl esnghns h imprss n o th ndnn h t t I lo


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E EOOGOPO ROBEM

f th i h rmittd t acrib t himf faith a a achivmtf hi i Or d h hrb fa r t th mai f rid th bdic t th Gd f rvati t rquir that vrm th vic f rid ad xrci th virtu f humii Yt humii,

hich d it cmti a th virtu f bdic i it t kig f t b virtu rv itf i attributig faith t th grac f Gd fmii cmmad th biv t biv that faith t a act f ufathmab i f Gd, th crtai f hi faith mut arad b ig f rid A faith that cat k itf ad a virtu h truark f diticti i igrac cari ad t a circl iio cur i rdiatd b th tak f big bigd t ditiguihbe faih ad juic, humii ad rid, i ad th i Gd, i rdr t rrv th uri f th hart r th gd cc h rbm arud hich th viciu circ rvv agaid agai i th rbm f rbit ad fdcti.

trau ctiu th citd tatmt aftr th thr rd ut a h a f "Hc th atagim b Siza ad udaim, ubif ad bif, i utimat t thrtica, but mra at "utimat ma i tatd mr rci at th d fth third

grah f th "ummar "h at rd ad th utimat jutica1 on f Siza criiqu, rad hr, "i h ahim frm ic prbi hich vrcm rthdx radica b udrtadig ita, that i, ithut h mica bittr f th Eightmt; H th quivca rvrc f rmaticim thi ccui f thar traatd b Strau rd fr rd frm th irduci iophie nd eet frm 1935 h add a ig tc i

hich h cumiat hi critiqu f "athim frm itctua

, ad thu hi critiqu f th utimat rut f th hitrica mt that th tratmt f th thgicitica rbm i hih ha brught abut "t thi caim, hvr l nt y aid, cat dciv abut th fact that it bai i a actoJ , bif, ad that big bad bif i fata t a hiophy."' h atagim b ubif ad bif ha turd < n iti i hich bif cfrt bif Of Siza hi

t p , had aid i t attmt t rfut th ibiit f rva1 it riv tm that ud av rm fr. 1 n l ; o a e aid that it rt " a uvidt

1 H ! ( Sp i nm.a < : i q Rf g, e Philospe d Gselz, 28 n S'/1rl w w


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TE TEOLOGICOPOLITICL PROBLEM

deciion an act o the wi jut a aith et regarding that phloophhe had alo expel poken aerwad o unbele B contat othe philooph ollowing etzche which no longer mae an erioueort to eute the pobili o revelation but ntead ret atied

wth t cruelt toward itel and out o probit obid e bele he a that t bai i an act o will o beie Whence the dierenceoriginate between the ormer phlooph which ret on an act o thewl and the latter phiooph which i baed on an "act o belieStrau make quite clear in the na paragraph o the ummar Anew kind o ortitude which orbd ite ever ight rom the horroro e into comorting deluon which accept the eoquent decrip-

ton o the mier o man without God a an addtiona proo o thegoodne o it caue revea tel eventual a the utmate and puretground or the rebeion againt revelation Thi nal athem witha good concience or with a bad concence i ditinguhed rom theatheim at which the pat huddered b it concientioune Com-pared not on wth Epicureani but wth the unbele o the age oSpnoza it evea itel a a decendant o biblica moralit 20 Whatditnguihe the philooph o the age o eidegger rom the phio

oph o earlier age t moralit What allow t to be baed on belieare it uqueoned moral peuppoion What contute it weakne in the ace o aith in revelation i the inucient conrontationwith mora and poltica opinion not onl that are determinative ort oppone but alo b which it alow itel to be detemied 2

Cf. Pf o Spos Cqu ofRlgo 235 h oovsy sy dg o whh h ws who os h smlls suy d h gs od gdg wh would o b dul o guss who wll b h w Bu juss sso dos o bom u bus s show o b omfog dos obom u bus s show o b g S dh Nsh r GalMal, Wrk Kish Gsamasgab [ KG 2 BlNw Yok d Guy16 .) III ph. 2

20 Pf o Spos Cqu of Rgo 256. Comp Philsph d Gs, 262 Gsamml Shri 2 25-26 O hs po osd h pdg mks Ad so bg bsd o blf whh s h pd of lgo lmy fo phlosophy? Ch w hkg ossly j o (wh s h sm hg) pss by vlo? Thos of h w hkg o sp fom h vd of h bbl udsdg ofm s om bbll moly hv fld Ad s w hv ld fom Nzhbbl mo dmds h bb God Pf o Spos Cu of Rl 236 d 237

2 Pf o Spo's Cqu of Rlgo 26-7. onidr Matin idrPhomologsh Ipo A ( 9 22 ) , d U i inilhahrbh 6 26 2


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E E OOGCO OLCAL ROBLE

Lt us rturn to our argunt and considr anothr xapl oStrausss tndncy to hightn th prssur on philosophy by anso th contrasing srngthning o aith in rvlation. "I philosophycannot usti itsl as a rational neeit" - w rad in th lctur "Rason and Rvlation, in which Strauss addrsss h thologians roth Hartord Sinary and Karl Lwith in 94, hr with a orulation that gos arthr than th prviously citd passag ro th 1962rac a li dvotd to th qust or vidnt nowldg rsts iteon an unvidnt assuption but this conrs th thsis o aith thatthr is no possibility o oniten o a onitent le without aith orbli in rvlaton What as th li o ath n rvlaton a con-

sistnt li Can it b rgardd as consistnt insoar as it surrndrs itslwithout xcption to divin guidanc and obtains its innr uniy roobdinc to th On Sovrign Authori, by which it allows itsl tob ruld copltly Yt, lik vry huan li, th li that blivsitsl to b basd on rvlation ncssarily rquirs huan udgnt,huan insght, and huan dcision It ust thror rly on huanguidanc which would b intrruptd or surountd by th call or thinvocation o od so that at bst it could b rgardd as a mitm ompotm o huan and divin guidanc And obdinc to od s, roth start, dpndnt upon th intrprtation o his coandntsand th rading o his will such that th li o obdinc rains ali in conlict, in discord ovr th right and th wrong intrprtaion,in th disunity bwn th spculations that ons own subctivi andth dands that th dirnt huan authoritis in thir particularsubctiviy sk to gt out o th coandnt and th will o od

Is th li o aith in rvlation consistnt, sinc it wants to b basdonly on aith and blivs itsl to b nothing but aith Yt th li thatould lik to undrstand itsl out o th truth o rvlation and livp to this truth ust cla or itsl that it rsts not on ust any, but onu, aith. It cannot but distinguish tru aith o rivolous arbitrariss or obstinat sldcption, on th on hand, ro r opinionr sipl conctur on th othr hand, and nally and abov all, ro

divrs tptations o als bli h blivr cannot b satisdth only bliving that h blivs Evrything dpnds or hi on hisiving truly and his bliving th truth Or should th li o aithi vlation b calld consistnt solly bcaus its incohrnc is thor-oughging ad t s rr l is ndic to it Bcaus all obctions

w w \vl o fo eo


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20 E EOOGCOP OLTL PROBLEM

of reason are only so many rounds for belief? Beause for it, no abyssan be too deep to prove ones resolve to leap and no doma too absurdto test the strenth of faith aainst it? "For the absurd is preisely theobjet of faith and the only thin that an be believed The life offaith in revelation would nd its true oherene and its ultimate seurit therefore in the redo qia abrdm, in a faith for whih everythinappears possible beause it knows nothin to be neessary

When Strauss speaks of the thesis of faith that there is no possibiliof leadin a onsistent life without faith in revelation , at issue for him issolely the onsisteny of philosophy He onsiders faith insofar as it anbe a hallene to the philosophial life Revelation is of interest to him

insofar as it is able to all him himself his ause and his existene, intoquestion That explains the seemin indifferene towards the ontentof revelation that struk a riti about Strauss early on Whereas forthe believer eethingdepends on the material determinations of reve-lation, for Strauss they, to ite our riti one more, do not mch mtt.Whether Jesh or Christian revelation is of onern makes no differ-ene whatsoever In view of the fat that Judaism, Christiani, andIslam aree in their neation of the philosophial life, the dispute that

the ompetin traditions of revelation arry out with one another overthe truth of faith and that an, of ourse, be arried out only reardinontent, only on the dotrinal plane, is of subordinate siniane forStrauss t is of no onern to him as a philosopher

The demand for onsisteny that Strass makes on philosophy doesnot arise from a eneral ideal of a onsistent life, whatever its unity,

Sre Keregr ludig Usi Pss hilsphil Fgs (Prceo, N Prceo ersty Press 99 , 4 Cf erulla D hisi V Oper oma (Prs: Mge 866, II 8oB8oB

lso eo Scesow Ah uduslm (Grz: ScmDegler, 98 8 496.

Julus Gum Philshi d Rli dr Philsphi ds Gss ? Pdigs fhsl Adm fSis d umiisV 6 erusem 94 ( my empssGutma's crque of Philshi ud G ws wre eee 94 94 was pulse more two eces fer s e Cf Gsmml Sh 6,8 64 6 W ppears o e eleer o e fferece proes o coser

speco o e coscous ssoco a umely rejeco e srucuralcorrespoeces mog e rous ros of reelao sa e foregrouregrg e calege ey me for posopy. ep lyss of e coeof reelo s mpere oweer f e plosoper s gog o refue reeo

6 Cocerg Spoa, Sruss asks: y oes e ke e se of Cry n colc eeeJusm Crs, i i f him hihPrefce o Spozas Cre of Relgo (y ss). . "Eie Ernruga essg, Gmml Sclne


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THE THEGIITI RBEM 2 1

wholeness and happiness miht onsist in t aims at the ational jusiaion of philosophy o in Stausss wods a he jusiation ofphilosophy as a ational neessity What onsequenes would it have fophilosophy if it wee to est on an unevident assumption an unevident

deision o an at of the will? The answe o this question to whihhe two passaes ited fom "Reason and Revelation and the "autobioaphial pefae ive ise depends on what to ret means and whichwill is unde disussion. Is philosophy not sustained by the will that isaualied aain and aain o follow the "naual desie fo tuth andto ive it a onete fom in ime? Could the philosophial life eve ainonsiteny wee it not detemined by the will to follow the path that

the philosophial eos asps as is naual and neessay path to followthat path in spite of all oppositions obstales and distations to followi fathe to follow it to the end? Can philosoph be thouht at all as adistin onsious way of life wihout an at of the will o deision thatmakes a diffeene in the whole and makes one awae of this diffeenesuh that i an neve be lost fom view aain? The at of deision o ofthe will on whih philosophy may by no means est if it is to usti itsneessiy does not onen that beinnin o deep beak to whih the

phiosophial ife owes its onsious peuliai. Rathe it desinatesa statin poin o esolve that is not obtained aumenatively whoseationality is neve demonsaed and tha theefoe emains oundess fo the spei will hat is in question in the onfontation wihevelation to options espeially onen us the will to pobity on thene hand and the will to seuity on the ohe. Sauss showed in hisitique of "atheism fom pobiy hat pobi o the selfsatisfation at

he moal meit that deives fom enuniation saie and th uty towads oneself does not sufe fo the jusiation of philosophy.oweve impotant pobity may othewise be as a mean fo the su-ssful exeuion of the philosophial investiation howeve helpful itay be as a divn and eulain force in the philosophes unommisin selfquestionin a philosophy that would want to base itselfon pobity as the ltimate and pret ond" would est not only on an of he will but also on belief in the peise sense insofa as it is

ased on biblial moality d biblial moality demands "as we have

7 lnj1 ud Gsl 5 i a Schf On t st i L LO b ad t ll t secty m h aa

fom t l u t PhoofJh Gtz 5 2-4 6-7 i Ga


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22 THE THEGICITC R

leaned fom Nietshe, the biblial God. But ow about the will toseui? Is it not beyond the moal biases of the wil to pobit andfee of all biblal presuppositons? Does it not aise fom the orienta-tion towads the ood, one's own ood? he phioopes have oodeason to keep thei seuity in view when they ae onfonted withthe laim of an unfathomable God, thus of a God who, unlike the Godof natual theoloy, annot be thouht in analo to the knowlede,insiht, and mananimi of the philosophes and imained as theipefetion, the laim of an inaessible God who may damn eo assin and prosibe the natual quest fo knowlede as disobediene andtheaten it with etenal punishment. hey pusue a leitimate inteest

when they develop oneptions and take peautions with the aim that"man be poteted fom the ip of the omnipotent God Yet theyannot ahieve this aim if the potetion onsists meely of atifats ofthei will. A wold skillfully fabiated in the inteest of seuity onlyfeeds the illusion of seuit By ontast, seuit an be attained in noothe way than on the basis of tuth The will to seuit points, whenpopely undestood, beyond itself Like the will to pobit, it must beovened by the desire fo tuth, by the quest fo the tuth. Philosophy

must ule both, the will to seuit and the will to pobi. It an estneithe on the one no on the othe

Stauss shapens the stuaton for philosophy still moe not only byontestin the onsisteny of philosophy insofa as it ests on beliefthe ood onsiene of pobi) , on an at of the will the inteest inseuit) , o on an unevident assumption suh as Spinoas postulatesin the system of his Ethica) but also by ultimately allin into question

whethe the vey quest fo evident knowlede is an evident neessiin view of evelation Fo faith in evelation denies peisely this thatthe tuth is aessible to the quest fo evident knowlede, that it an bemade visible to an impatial obseve The tuth that deides the salvation of man is held to be bound not to the insiht of eason and to sensepeeptions but to piet, to the obediene of faith. Revelation neatesthe tuthiteion of philosophy It hallenes philosophy as adiallyas philosophy an be hallened. "If thee is evelation, Stauss says

in "Reason and Revelation, "philosophy beomes somethin innitelyunimpotant the poibilit of evelation implies the poible meaninglene of philosophy. If the possibili of evelation remai a opn

9 Pece to Spoz' Crue Rli g 37; PhiosofJh d Glz 26 i G Schrn 5.


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THE THEGI ITI RBEM 23

uestion the ignane ofphilooph emains an open quesion Theefoe philosophy stands and falls by the ontention that philosophy isthe One Thin Needful o the hihest possibilit of man Philosophy

annot laim less it annot affod bein modest One an hadlyput it moe lealy If the hoie of philosophy is not to est on anunevident deision if its iht and its neessi is to be ationally justied the efutation of faith in evelation beomes the indispensabletas

The estaint that Stauss imposed on himself in the publi teatmentof the question of how this ofim of philosophy is to be fullled hasesulted n the poston ben widely attibuted to hm that n the fae of

evelation philosophy nds itself in a blind alley fom whih it an feeitself only by means of a deisionisti at This attibution has to appea the moe paadoxial as no philosophe denied with eate laitthat a blind unpoven deision an eve be a sound foundation fo thephilosophial life Stauss not only allowed fo the misleadin impession that he holds a deisionisti position but he even helped to nouishit with a numbe of emas that suested a stalemate between philos-

ophy and faith in evelation His hetoial statey an be haateied as follows Politial onsideations indue him if not to ouse then

0 Ren nd Reetin" f N ret. Cf. Prui d h Ar f Wig 7 heMutu nuene f hegy nd hihy" 1 18

r mul li hihy i tiu ng ii ef reeng he twhih thegin e n hhy wih the wen f hihy But hihy in it urn uffe defet n it trt n ffenie f it n ittie t refute nt the neeriy ndeue f f reetin, ut reetin itef

eney ted wud y tht eged rein f reen eue uneief in reetin nd eged refuttin f hihy reue redy fth nreetin. here ee t e n grund t th, nd therefre uerir th" he Mutu nuene f heg nd hihy" 1 16 17

he i ndertin need n furher exnin ng he entr nern f it hihy re t te: rtetin nd deene f hhy nthe ne hnd the re ried t reigin in werdeed nweth n theher. ht Stru hd the ie iti neuene f h - eeingy ereyhr - de ery in vew i eed y h rrendene. h he witen Ferur 6 1938, in etter t J Kein f he dere th he de whiedying Mnide Mr Nwuhim f et hi w n few ye (hd ht ng huge te w e u Gtzer wh nw here, id t e tht fd Mnide i re irtnt thn the Bie - thu if ne derive udi fnd e derie it f it i (Yu undernd Gter rer: in ertnay r Thoma i i re itnt t the Cthi thn the hui w i he i i th ey hti ertn - he erintht Mm Jw in hi lie i o y iy gnine:t nm t p p phph im y d i


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THE THEPLTL PRBLEM

at least to suppot the opinion i n the eat majoi of his eades tatin te onfontation ith faith in evelation, he takes a deisionisistane heeas he ives he philosophial addessees to undesandthouh his insisene on he equiement of a ational justiation

that they may not est satised ith a deisionisi position he notionof a blind alley o salemae, the suppot of hih pudene in politial mattes demands is at he same ime elome to Stauss in vie ofthe philosophial eades of his heoloiopolitial teatises Fo them,he stalemae habos the demand to quesion futhe and to tink fothemselves he blind alley ontains te appeal to seek afte paths thatlead out of it. Stausss oeuve shos suh paths, o i points to hem,

as e have seen fom afa and not infequently by auin e contoAlthouh they intelok and intepenetate vaiously, fou appoahesmay be distinuished and haateied in an extemely abbeviatedfom

The corntation with h claim to knowldg by aith in reelation or thconcentrtion on molit Philosophy seeks o ain a ommon oundon hih he onfontation ith faith in evelaion an be aied outonenin assetions that ae aessible o examination It nds that

ound above all in the opinions tat the believe expesses on moalit and the enal siniane of moali, and it subjets o thoouhsutiny the knolede that faih assets in mates of moalit and, inonneion ith hem, about the voie of onsiene o the all andpesene of od The means of Soati dialeis, hih poved su-essful in the sutiny of the opinions aboutjustie by exposin the intenal ontaditions and neessay pesuppositions of those opinions ae

d ese f eness wll e densed d ul Gmmel Schri 9- fSss's lee f Jly 3 938 Kein, d., 4 On My 199, Stss wiesn lee Jis nn n esle B s f s Mnides s nened,hee s sl e pfnd diy hee. f y hnh is igh, hen Mndes ws phlsphe in f e dl sense n is slly ssed dy nd ely wsls lwys ssed les ws sid. Hee e esin ses edey f heexen whih ne y espnsiy expnd is pssily plly esin enly es e pe f eseis edely ely , s ne sys hese

dys, n exisentl' ne. his ws ne f e esns why wned pesen he ple n pniple f eses he ple f he enshp eeen hghnd sie - i crpr vii hs wi espe se steglly fle nnewshje hse enphn ply de he nnen wh he ple f Sespy ese he sspin s h f v enphn hs seengly h ss wten ll e e . he e wng O Ty] s pelny u A spn shd le nsh he nepen f ns ou So w ngse Sss Ppes, Bx 4 Fld 8


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HE HEOOGIOOI ROBM 25

ruial to this approah Thus it should be no surprise that Strausss twolate books Xeophos Socratic Dicore and Xeopho Socte are ofpartiular signiane to the onfrontation in uestion4 He alreadyprovides a preise formulation of the starting point and the guiding

thought however in the notes to "Reason and Revelation "Faith asfaith mt make assertions whih an be checked by unbelievers it mtbe based at ome point on alleged or real kowedge- but that knowledge'is eceariy only aeged knowledge owing to the baic fallay of faiththe attribution of absote importane to mority the pure heart)

The determiatio of the imit of what i poib or the cocettio oecri. Philosophy shows on whih assumptions the artiles of faith in

revelation the reation of the world an omnipotent God as awgiverlord of history and guarantor of justie the power of mirales andprovidene are possible It demonstrates whatmust be presupposed inorder to defend the possibilit of revelation therefore what the seuritof faith in revelation depends on the seurit with respet to whihal human seurit is said to shatter and to pale It provides faith inrevelation with the onepts faith needs in order to attain its theoretialstrength the creatio e ihio without whih the omnipotene of God

annot be thought and the unfathomabiliy of Gods will without whihthe omnipotene and omnisiene the goodness andjustie of God areot ompatble with one another. Philosophy determines the prie thatust be paid if unfathomabilit is to reonile all the ontraditionsn the divine attributes if God is not to be bound to any intelligibleeessi if he is to be the lord of everything. The mutipliiy of theuestions in whih the whoe is artiuated for us olapses into one

uestion and we see ourseves faed with one single uestion mark

The epaatio of reeatio or the cocetrtio o poitic. Philosophyrasps revelation as a work of reason as an attempt to solve the probm of human life or more preisely as a possibili of answering the

1 Xph ' Srai ir A Iai f h "Omi th N CrellUvert Pre, 90 Xph S th, N. Cl vert , 9 Sr ler t erh Shl fr Str 6 9 d Nver

Gamml Shfe 3 6 665 Se he threkg ey y Chrthr Brull Stru Xeh' StePoliial Si Rviw (94 633

.R Rv fl N 5 r Cf Naral Righ ad ir 5 eleand Athes,"

rlm nd Athns," T f arl Shmi: Fr hap h itru:Nn betTI1 /'li w( ad Plc.l PhlsojJhy, B hg rKN ' ' H6-!


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THE THEGCTC RBLEM

poa queson of soa fe n he ommonwealh expans rev-eaon by foundn phosophally or by reonsrun he devel-opmen of fah n evelaon hsoray The san pon for hphosophal foundn as wel as for he hsora reonsruon s

he onep of dvne law Srauss who deal rs n Philoophie ndeet and nally n The Ament and the Action of Plato Law whhe phlosophal foundn of revelaon ounes n "Reason and Revelaon a eneaoy of reveaon. "The ask of he phlosopher weread here onernn he expanaon of revelaon "s o undersandhow he ornal myha) dea of he theio nomo s moded by herada undersandn of he moral mpaon and hus ransformed

no he dea of reveaon Srauss hen oes on o develop he loof hs ransformaon n eeven seps from man's need for laws o henarnaon of od.

The concentation on the qetion qid it de? Phlosophy reles n vew o he dends asserons hopes expeaons of revealedreons on he queson ha s oeval wh phosophy qid it de ? asks wha knd of od he od of fah n revelaon s he od whos held o safeuard seadfas juse o uaanee unshakable seury

he od who s hed o be owed unlmed obedene o whom one so urn wh undvded love he od who ves and reeves hs loveas wel as ha obedene as a f of hs ae n askn s quesonabou knd or spees phosophy s led by he knowede ha ansn he analyss of he pola lfe and ha an es ever anew byhe experenes of pola fe n he sudy of he dfferen forms ofovernmen he quaes and neress of he lawvers her vrues

and her passons he onneon beween proeon and obedenehe reaonshp beween masery and servude and so on And nhe end wll due o he more prese deermnaon of he qid squeson s askn afer make lear o sef what s abe o rasp ando reonze as od

n Srausss heoloopoal oeuvre he nerpreaon of Arsophanes omedes ha appeared n 1966 under he le Socate and

Res Revelti," fl 9 versf 1 vers cf The Muu luee f\

Theg hilshy," 68 erusle Athes" 62 he Mtl lee Thelg hishy, 1 1

Th i d M Chg: R MNlly 196) , 2 Thugh hivi 48, 1 2,18689 19899 28, 29-, 2-, 218-9, 2; rgres Re?" 2),Md udim 1 1981 ) 4; Th Argm d h i ofPlato 's "Law, 2 73 1 ; NumlRigh d ir 122-24


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HE HEGIIIC RBEM

Aritophane oupies a speia pae Nex o Thoght on Machiaelli hemos aefully wien eaise on evealed eliion, Socrate and Aritophane is he lones and mos asonishin of his books n i Saussmakes audible he heooiopoiial iique haAisophanes binso bea aains he peSoai Soaes n his way, he shows wih aaiy ahieved nowhee else he een o whih he Soai uno poiial phiosophy, on whih he wiins of Plao and Xenophonfous, is a esponse o ha iique4 The book as a whole evolvesaound he quesion qid it de? ha he omi poe does no voiebu neveheess aises and eas wih his means Sauss oyed wihhe idea of usin as he moo fo Socrate andArithanea passae fom

Calvins Intittio hritianae relioni whose inedi aains he ques-ion qid it de? Sauss had paaphased moe han hee deadeseaie in Die Religionkritik Spinoa and in fa, as he juded in eospe in a lee o Seh Benadee, "en pleine inoane de a hose4I do no know wha moved Sauss no o use he moo in he endNo do know how he himself would have deemined he spei

39 O My 9 96 Stss ites t Aexde Kjve: peprig fr pitithree etes the i d deig ith the Pii the bli d Thdides Oy ter hese thigs hve ee ished i e e egi ih m ralwrk an ineain fAiphan On Tnn id and xpandd diin, nldingh Sau- pndn ed. Vir Grevith d Mihe S Rh higversi f hig ess, 00 y ephsis)

40 S and Arphan Ne Yk Bsi Bks 966 4-5 6 9 -3 3 46 49 5 64 6 77, 0 3 3 3-4

4 SoctesandAristphanes, 18, 2 , 23, 25 33, 44,53,8g, 143, 234 245 296, 3 13.4 eieve tht shd itde sevti hih is ppety very tivi y

rder eeti My yers g s strk y the ft tht G he hyprepred fr the dte f ides, eped t st ieditey A e is eedy his efeee t Ms rief, he is prepred fr the ides y the gds erikid gds the gds h hve prper e ppe . Eveye ks tht Nikes prese th Sis e, h she is he se heher sptred y x r rshipped i et he reeree i the Repi the se hey ekg f the st ) ther rds the des epe the gds Fr i rder td tht the gds st e pegrti f the ides. Bt sie the drie f idesis t sipy yth tht drie s ti se t the qesti ht is gd F ths jp t the fther si ht the priry d st iptt

ppiti f the qesti h is is the qesti ht is gd Needess t sy thisqesti is eqipet t the qesti ht is '. Ths e sppies he key tAitphes d t y e thigs hee is vey e ek this sjet ivi stit hih hve sried e peie igre de hse i the rsttw y hp vi i y Ge k Spiz p se the ey f Cvi


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THE THELGJLTL RBLEM

inorane on whih his early writin was based Yet does not everythinspeak for Strausss havin been enabled by his lifelon onfrontationwith the theoloiopolitial problem to understand better what philosophy owes its enemies, or what the "ood in the evil is?4 Does phi

losophy not beome a speial and onsious way of life solely insofar as

it must assert itself aainst an authoritative obetion? Does Calvins orLuthers No to the qid it de? not draw our attention to the entral

question? Does it not hit the riht taret? And, speakin in view ofthe present, are there not more important thins to learn at the frontiers where philosophy is neated than within the new jte milie inwhih, for the time bein, the sloan holds "Anythin oes? Calvins

ritique of uriosi in the name of the obediene of faith and the ritique of the disreard of the politial and reliious onditions of theommonwealth with whih Aristophanes onfronts his friend Soratesonvere this muh an be said with ertain insofar as they ive thephilosopher reason to enae in selfeamnation and onsequeny toseek selfknowlede Yet nothin ives him more reason to enae inselfeamination, nothin is a reater hallene to his selfknowlede,than the God of revelaion

C Plt Rpuli Cnid Luth ttnt th qud i du ding thih iing thi qutin

invitly t n n pth tht ut nd in nthingn F th dtil n thi, ThLs f a Shmi 86-88 C Stu ' lt t Gh Shl Nv22 96 in Gamml Sh


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N THE ENEAL Y F FAITH

IN REVELATIN

In the middle of his philosophial life at the heht of a renewed anddeepened onfrontation with the theoloiopolitial problem, oneonduted more penetratinly than ever before Strauss skethed aenealoy of faith in revelation. The sketh is uniue in his oeuvre It ispart of the fruits of a "shipwrek as a result of whih Strauss saw himselfompelled in the summer of 196 "to bein one more from the bennin His renewed reetions found luid expresson in a manusrip

that he wrote around the end of 197 for the leture "Reason and Revelation and in notes from he same year on whih he drew for he le-ture presented at the Hartford Theoloial Seminary he manusript

1 O A 1 96 Sa we a lete o Kal Lwh hat he ha oe aaffeed hpwe ad ee hmelf ompelled o be oe moe fom he be Gsamml Shrn 3 66 That the hpwe oeed the ofotato wth

fah eveato beome lea fom ote tha Sa wote - befoe ad afte thelette to Lwih lewe At 946 See the be of the lete to Lwithfom At 946 d, 666. he ealet dome of the hpwe i daedA 1 1 1946 The ote whh Sta wte Gema povde a mpota lea to what ave e to the Se t hed dde lht o he atttde ad the p whh he bea h eewed eleto we te he be of the oe hee fl Elh talto 811-46 I heewth te ot eveyth have doe o fa mt rall be fom he be / I m oe aa e ea o wha heeal eo ad I have to hae my wo pla aodly to the etet thatI am o bod by pome - oe Th fa I have amed hat he aot ofhe oal oept of phloophy d he te ethed of the mode oep of phloophy old fe e fo me the ht ad the eety of phloophywa ea mpeed by Kieeaad ad eal my eae dobt mt ae the e aa ad a haply a poble whethe the ht ad the eey ofhiso om evdt. e h the ae mh moe mpoat tha o 'Socrates a d Idio o l al pho [phy beome - Philph T ( p


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HE THEGICIIC RBEM

insofar as it is ompleted ulminates in the enealoial sketh. Thissketh onludes an astonishinly open dialoue to whih Strauss hasthe leture lead In the eihth and nal setion entitled "Revelation

annot refute philosophy in an immediate ash of arument andounterarument Strauss subjets philosophy to the objetions of the-olo whih he answers or philosophy Altoether he voies seven the-oloial aruments whereby aruments 45 and 6 are dealt with inan expliit dialoue beeen "the theoloian and "the philosopherAt the enter of the dialoue stands the laonially formulated doubleobjetion

an: phsph s sfdn; phsph hs s np

pr f w ndsnd b Gd h ms pf bing h s

prn h n gds bu h phisphs (Sphis n pnc: E

EYKK) gds? ndd msd b mgn sndds

"pd, wh s m pud, h wh ss h i psn f isf cncn cus f h uns h wh hmb dmis h

hs f is f n cncn wh nn bu himsf nd his fw

fnds.

The dialoial disussion onerns six theoloial aruments 1 ) Thelife of man without God without the God of revelation is miserable 2 ) he philosophers are blind to the fat and the power of sin ) It isinonsistent of the philosopher not to admit the validi and indispensabili of the stritest moral demands sine the love of truth to whih helays laim requires radial selfdenial and thus a strit morality (4 Phi-losophy s sefdeaton. (5) Phlosophy has ts root in pride 6) Theunderstandn that philosophers have of man is superial they arenot able to fathom his depths his despair what is hidden in his ravinfor distration and in the mood of boredom whih disloses more ofmans reali than all his rational ativities.

2 Rea ad Revelat fl ret. he m la bjet the dalue atuallyta a the rwe artula f the retr mae lea w bjet. Fr thethela they de beaue fr hm the uet f Gd eetally a mrallydetermed uet the relathp t Gd be utmately a relathp f bedee dbedee. he phphe dvde wha he hea mbe bjet merely terrupted by a eml t tw arum eparatd by oad a dah . he phlpher dtuhe betwee per a u t otlorfrm the mla apet whh th hoog obne n rto dlawverG


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O E GEEALOG OF FAIT I REVEATIO

Unde the subheadin "Phiosophy annot epain eveation ?Sauss beins anew in ode to pesent the seventh and onudinaument Pehaps the most impessive theoloial aument is takenfom the insufieny of the phiosophi eplanaion of the beief ineveation Fom the theooians pespetive the deisive deienyof the phiosophial eplanation onsists in its inabilit to do justie tothe uniqueness o the adia histoiiy of evelation "Philosophy muintepet eveation as a mh Ie it must ovelook the essentia dferene between myth and eveation he diffeene beween myth andevelation that Stauss eluidates by means of fou ompaisons an,on ose inspetion, be taed bak to the fat that eveation, in on

tast to myth, does not seem to have any onnetion to natue Unlikemyth, it knows no speies of ods but only the one omnipotent God, noimpesona fate that ontols the ods but ony the ations of God, noeuin phenomena but only absoutely unique, unepeatabe events,and, in ontast to myth, whih has no distint elation to histoialevents, evelation has an essential elation to histoial events the oeof histoy in the Old estament, "Cuied unde Pontius Pilate) f

willfuness, deision, and histoii take the pae of eulait, neessit, and inteliibiit whee woud phiosophia epanation nd itsstatin point And what woud that eplanation ahieve?

Yet th fou points of ompaison that Stauss bins into play in tak-in up the theooial objetion neithe ehaust the diffeene betweenmyth and eveation no sufieny detemine the points of ontastand those held in ommon within the mythevelationphilosophytianle the philosophe woud admit the essentia diffeene between

the Bible and myth the Bible pesupposes, just as philosophy itself, theealiation of the problem of myth Philosophy and evelation ae onneted by the fat that eah in its own way insists on tuth ontay tomyth On the othe hand, myth and evelation belon toethe insofaas the itiaskeptia spiit has no pedominane fo them Weeaswhat is ommon to myth and phiosophy is that moali possesses nopedominane fo them hese delimitations and lassiations, whih

e made in ony a few stokes, ae enouh fo Stauss to show that the

ad Reelato ol ero ll the uotato that foow wthout more prece are tae rom the ecto ettled hloophy aot epla reelato d y e ud pge 9 ero, 10 recto, ad 10 ero The ubttle of thst t y py rte reelato - ater Strau replace t t eey peequ r h t o ? Or 1 t


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32 THE THEOOGIOOIT ROBEM

phlosophial explanation of revelation is by no means fored to passover the "essential dfferene between myth and revelation, but, onthe ontrary, is able to take aount of the differene if it knows how

to ben orretly. The suess of the attempt at explanaton depends,on the one hand on philosophys diretin its attention to the dstin-tion that separates revelaton from both myth and phlosophy "Thestartinpont of philosophi explanaton of reelaion would thereforebe the fat that the foundation of belef n revelation is the belef inthe entral importane of moralit On the other hand, the suess ofthe undertakin requires that preisely that differene beteen mythand revelation on whih the theoloa objetion fouses, that the

uniqueness of revelation ts radia histority, the neated bond wthnature, be made the objet of the explanation The philosophial explanation of revelation requires, in other words, that the ulf separatnmyth and revelaton be losed by means of a enealoial reonstruton that is oriented towards morait, or that the transiton from natureto historit the dervaton of the asserted snulart from ntellbleneessity, be ahieved.

The postion of the enealoy of revelaton n the daloue of "Rea-son and Revelation is thus speed That Strauss treats what is "per-haps the most impressive theoloial arument in a speial part andmore thorouhly than the six preedin aruments taken toether, thatin this ase he does not eave the answer to "the philosopher, that, as weshall soon see, he nstead rst formulates as "the task of the phlosopherwhat a phlosopha explanaton would have to aheve and outlinesan attempt of hs own to fulll ths task all of ths undersores the

weht that he aords the explanation of ath n revelation withn theonfrontation beteen phlosophy and revelaton f the explanatonwere sufient, phlosophy would demonstrate its superiorit not onlyin the determination of the limts ofwhat is possible. Philosophy wouldprove at the same time to be the jude of the artulation of revelationn human realt The enealoal sketh reads as folows

h t th phiph i t ndtnd hw th igin (mhicid f th i mdid b h dic ndtnding f thm impitin nd th tnmd int h id tin.

1 ) Nd f mn city, ibiity w idcib nd aw

[nd] w igin itin f ge Rtin b ) w


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H GEAGY F FAIH RVAI

the law depends on the ancestors the fr or fathers, e sourceof one's being oving (benecent) and demanding obedience (c

Fuste de Coulanges) .

4) absolute superiority of the ancestors: superhuman beings vne

beings - vne the rst things the sources of our being are 5 contradiction between various divine aws: ony ne divine aw

fuobedience to the aw the law must be the source of blessings the god must be mnpen there can be ony ne God - MakerCreato = Generator

7 ) fuobedience to the law obedience not merey a duty to be fued

in order to get something ee as reward fu obedience is ve of the

one God wth al ones heart a ones sou and a ones power

8 ) fu obedience to the aw: no human reaton is eft to irresponsibearbitrariness love of men God is the father of a men, and almen are brothers ' ' [in the image of God - Gen 1 : 27 ]

fu obedience to he aw: no ony exerna actions bu he ighnenn purity ofthe heart ( ovng God with ones heart) impos

sibii for man of achieving this n need for mer the loving God

forgiving sin more important than God as Judge

fu obedience to the law: rejection of0 sefassertion in nysense:critque of cities arts kings epey of science which is evehice

of human sefassertion

unique na eveation which has taken pace in the pas is ecorreative of absoute obedience absoute surrender

No science: no universals - goodness a derivative from a prur

nvu phenomenon (goodness being Christian Jew ) . e

guidance is not knowedge of universas, but the record of the deeds

of the mysterious God.

1 1 ) fu obedience to the aw the required law must be the gi of God:

God must puri our heart if our heart is to be pure - God must open

our ips if our mouth is to proclaim His praise God must communi

cate Hmeto man He must come e to him: Incarnation5

33

The abel enealoial sketh is merely a rouh harateriation ofwhat Strauss takles at the end of "Reason and Revelation t ives a rstapproximaton of the thrust and the form of the text that will oupy ust therefore must be stated more preisely he task that he puts to thephilosopher oes beyond a enealoial reonstrution t onsists in

rt wrte dv the ed t t prhma. a v f 0 / ver. Stru ruped pt 5 d 6 by mea

F bac wt l t E wn mphz hr tt e ht n H !-d r e o I ckv p al t


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3 THE THEGIITA RBEM

ombinin to ideas o eid two kinds the speies of divine laws andthe speies of divine evelations with one anothe in suh a way thatthe sequene of thei histoial appeaane an be not only followed

but also thouh the demonstation of the loi on whih the tansfomation of both ideas is based) ndtood The poammati statementwith whih Stauss pefaes the outline makes it lea that the attemptto ahieve a tue undestandin oes in both dietions is aimed atboth speies moves beteen both ideas illuminatin sutinizin andaiin the one in the liht of the othe we have seen the philosophial explanation equies that the steth of oad that lies beteenmyth and evelation be tavesed o bided But the explanation of ev

elation is not all thee is to it and when Stauss makes divine law onefoa point of his eliptial eetions he does so not ony with eadto the othe foal point Divine evelation emains inompehensibleif it is not linked with divine law It emains afatm brtm dumb andin itself a matte of indiffeene so lon as no demand is deived fomit so lon as no laim is made to it as the authoitative soue of ommandments and pohibitions. The theio nomo is neithe dumb no in

any sense a matte of indiffeene but is al demand. Wheeve it ndsan ea wheeve obediene to its ommandments and pohibitions isenfoed it detemines the ode of the ommonwealth and stampsthe life of the individual The law whih ombines politis and eiionwithin itself equies and deseves the attention of the philosophenot only in view of evelation. Befoe anyone and anythin else the lawaims to have knowlede of bein The aw answes the question ofwhat is iht befoe philosophy is able to aise it and at the same time it

answes the question of what somethin is God o man life and deathwa and peae justie o wisdom When the polytheisti idea of divinelaw is modied as a onsequene of "the adial undestandin of themoal impliation whih ues one beyond that idea) in suh a waythat it is tansfomed into the monotheisti idea of evelation then theundestandin of the enealoial esults o put moe peisey ofthe undelyn lo of tansfomation wll seve the laation ofthe divine law in its oiinal fom no less than it will the explanationof evelation

6 Se O he Mino am Aci adMd 6 68, a wl a Bar,Pla's Laws: Th Dvr fBg ao: vrt h iao woo) , te op capter Edt an ni

7/25/20

meier-leo strauss and the theologico political problem

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