Book Review: I See Satan Fall Like Lightening by Rene Girard

I See Satan Fall Like Lightening by Rene Girard

A lot of contemporary people compare the Bible to mythology, implying that it is both unoriginal and fictitious. In a subtle analysis, Rene Girard draws out some crucial distinctions and similarities between classical myths and the content of the Old and New Testaments, though his main purpose is not to debunk the debunkers, but to examine a common destructive cycle in human society.

As individuals and collectively, people fall into mimetic desire--the desire for what someone else has. The desire naturally causes conflicts, which often escalate. In order to relieve the tension and restore (or in some cases create) social order, a scapegoating mechanism is used. An individual is blamed for the problem and eliminated from the group (typically by death). The tension is eased and the problem is solved, uniting the society. The punishment is seen as divinely inspired or satisfying, thereby fixing the situation and creating a new cohesive social order. Of course, the new social order will have mimetic desires spring up, creating a tension that will boil over into another crisis that is resolved by finding a victim to take on the sins and expiate for them. Girard calls this the cycle of mimetic violence.

Girard cites two main examples of the mythological take on the cycle. First, Oedipus's parents hear the prophecy that he will kill his father and marry his mother. To avoid this, the parents have him cast out, expecting him to die. He doesn't and is raised without knowledge of his true parents or the prophecy. Through circumstance, he returns to his hometown of Thebes, kills his father and marries his mother. Then a plague descends on the city (caused by the gods) that can only be ended when Oedipus's guilt is discovered and he is punished. Second, Apollonius of Tyana (a real person from second century AD) lived in Ephesus when an epidemic. To cure it, Apollonius pointed out a poor, ragged, blind beggar in the market square. He told the crowd to stone the beggar which would appease the gods and cure the epidemic. After the crowd (which was a first reluctant) killed the stranger, the plague ceased. In both cases, a larger societal problem was solved violently through the punishment of a more-or-less innocent scapegoat. The mechanism is not limited to fiction as the Apollonius example shows.

Girard's primary example from the Bible is Jesus's crucifixion (though he does write about Old Testament figures like Joseph in Egypt and Isaiah's suffering servant). The jealousy of the Jewish leadership over Jesus's success as a preacher boils over and spreads to Pilate who wanted to maintain the peace in Palestine and to the crowd that had welcomed Jesus joyously only a few days before. Even Jesus's own followers give in to the social pressure and abandon Him. A larger societal problem was solved violently through the crucifixion of Jesus. 

The key difference for Girard is that in the mythological cycle of mimetic violence people are unaware of the process in which they participate and the guilt of the victim is not disputed. Biblically, Joseph was persecuted unjustly by his brothers in Genesis just as Jesus was in the Gospels. The victims are innocent, though their suffering is transformed in a more substantial way to the benefit of their societies. They are aware of the cycle and are able to free themselves from it thanks to divine intervention. The apostles recognize their ignorance and go out humbly and forthrightly to proclaim the saving message of Jesus to everyone.

While the theory is very interesting and has lots of subtle and dramatic arguments in its favor, I found the presentation unsatisfying. Girard claims that the cycle of mimetic violence is not just a cause of social order, but what begins societies. He cites examples but there are plenty of other cases where families grow into societies. His application of the cycle of mimetic violence is too universal to be convincing. Also, he seems unaware of or ignores other counter-examples to his theory. He describes how everyone, including Pilate and the disciples, are swept up into the condemnation of Jesus. Even the thieves crucified with Jesus have scorn. Except Girard never talks about the Good Thief. Also, Jesus caused wide-spread discord among people following Him after the claim that they need to eat His flesh and drink His blood in John 6. Surely this situation should have resulted in mimetic violence? Girard's theory is fascinating within his context, but there is a larger context.

Mildly recommended--the powerful ideas are not convincingly presented here.

Sample quote about the thieves crucified with Jesus: The more one is crucified, the more one burns to participate in the crucifixion of someone more crucified than oneself. [p.21]