The church and the kingdom - Giorgio Agamben

Italian philosopher Giorgio Agamben is the rare writer whose ideas
and works have a broad appeal across many fields, and his devoted fans
are not just philosophers, but readers of political and legal theory,
sociology, and literary criticism as well.In March 2009, Agamben was
invited to speak in Paris'Notre-DameCathedral in the presence of the
Bishop of Paris and a number of other high-ranking church officials.His
resulting speech, a stunningly lucid and provocative look at the
history and state of the Church and its role in society, is presented
here. The Church and the Kingdom is at once a pointed attack on the
institutional structure of the Catholic Church and a theoretical
excursus on the concepts of messianictimeandeconomy.

Presenting an exegesis of certain key passages in the New
Testament, Agamben examines the philology and philosophy at the root of
the Church and of its earthly reign. With its examinations of the
foundational texts of the Church, which are also the foundational texts
of our modern idea of economy,The Church and the Kingdom reveals significant connections and parallel ideologies which are imperative to understanding the current global situation.

This edition of Agamben's text is accompanied by photographs by
artist Alice Attie. Made from folded and twisted reproductions of
paintings culled from Christian iconography, these works of art evoke
the restless challenge that well-characterizes Agamben's four decades of
philosophy and critique. This book will be welcomed by Agamben's many
readers across the disciplines.