- 著者
-
松平 功
- 出版者
- 桃山学院大学
- 雑誌
- 桃山学院大学キリスト教論集 = The St. Andrew's University journal of Christian studies (ISSN:0286973X)
- 巻号頁・発行日
- no.51, pp.3-43, 2016
More than fifty years, Rene Girard has developed a hypothesis which is alled the mimetic theory. According to this theory, human beings imitate each other, and this tendency spreads mutually among people and leads to rivalries. This mimetic also causes mutual conflicts in a community. Since the mimetic rivalry that develops from the struggle for the possession of objects is contagious, it leads to the threat of violence. According to Girard, such conflicts are partially solved by a scapegoat mechanism, but ultimately, Christianity is the best appeasement to violene. Girard believes that the gospel texts have instead acted as a catalyst that brings about the break-down of the sacrificial order. The evangelical "good news" clearly affirms the innocence of the victim, thus becoming, by attacking ignorance, the germ of the destruction of the sacrificial order on which rests the equilibrium of societies. The Old Testament already shows several turning points, and also exposes the mythic accounts with regard to the innocence of the victims. The Hebrew people were conscious about the uniqueness of their religious tradition. The gospels fully clarify this hidden system, and unveil the Satanic order which has continued since ancient time. The gospels also describe the foundation of this order as the murder in the account of the Passion. Medieval Europe showed the face of a sacrificial society that still knew very well how to despise and ignore its victims, nonetheless the efficacy of sacrificial violence has not decreased, in the measure that ignorance has receded. Girard sees the uniqueness and of the transformations of the Western society whose destiny today is one with that of human society as a whole. The purpose of this paper is to research about the mimetic theory and the scapegoat mechanism, and to provide a deeper understanding about a relationship between those hypotheses. Through criticizing Girard's concepts, this paper will provide an accurate recognition concerning the redemption.