Re: Stoning -- Mimetic Theory and Literary Study

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Date Posted: 19:02:10 02/10/08 Sun
Author: Jfish
Subject: Re: Stoning
In reply to: Betsy Peters 's message, "Stoning" on 05:00:57 02/04/08 Mon

My guess in the case of Achen is both. Remember, the scapegoat doesn't have to necessarily be innocent. He simply has to suffer. Girard attributes this mechanism to the justice system in general. He says in Violence and the Sacred, pg. 23, that "the judicial system and the institution of sacrifice share the same function, but the judicial system is infinitely more effective." I suppose if you have God acting as judge, it is infinitely more effective than the current justice system too in carrying out the scapegoat mechanism.

But this example I think raises another question which I was hoping to discover once we start reading the Biblical text. We are told that the Biblical text uses the same mechanisms, but takes the side of the victim. But it doesn't always do so. The example of Achen demonstrates this, but there are many more. So the question is why. Why does the Bible take the side of the victim in some circumstances and not others. The answer cannot be something like, "The Bible takes the side of the victim whenever the victim is innocent," because innocence and guilt are defined in the Girardian system by whose side you take. So, is there a different answer?

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Replies:

Re: Stoning -- Hwaet!, 17:24:27 02/16/08 Sat
- Re: Stoning -- Jfish, 19:54:50 02/17/08 Sun