Patrik Hagman | Åbo Akademi (original) (raw)
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Books by Patrik Hagman
This article explores the way Rowan Williams understands saints as theo-politically significant. ... more This article explores the way Rowan Williams understands saints as theo-politically significant. By surveying a number of key texts by Williams in different genres, the author argues that the saints for Williams are highly important for his political theology. For him, the saints make a political theology possible, since they witness to the world as rooted in Gods will. This, in turn, is significant for understanding how theological language works, since it goes beyond the limits of "realistic" discourse, bound by a certain secular understanding of the way the world "is". The significance of this feature of theological language is demonstrated by discussing texts by Martin Hägglund and Theo Hobson.
The ascetic tracts of 7th century writer Isaac of Nineveh (Isaac the Syrian) provide a wealth of ... more The ascetic tracts of 7th century writer Isaac of Nineveh (Isaac the Syrian) provide a wealth of material to better understand early Christian asceticism. By focusing on the role of the body in various ascetic techniques, such as fasting, vigils and prayer, as well as on the way the ascetic relates to the society a picture of asceticism as political activity emerges. For Isaac, the ascetic was to function as something like an icon, an image that showed the world the reality of God's Kingdom already in this life, by clearly indicating the difference between God's ways and men's.
Patrik Hagman reviews the scholarly discussion on asceticism of the last three decades, and then proceeds to analyse the texts of Isaac to reveal an emphasis on asceticism as a practice that is at the same time performative, transformative and bodily. This contrasts with the long-established conception of asceticism as based on a negative view of the body. Isaac displays a profound understanding of the way body and soul are related, demonstrating how the body can be used to transform the personality of the ascetic, and to communicate the change to the world, without the use of words.
The writings of Isaac offer a rare example of an extensive discussion of asceticism by a person who lived a radical ascetic life himself. Hagman's new study brings Isaac's fresh perspective to bear on an important, yet often overlooked, aspect of the Christian tradition.
Papers by Patrik Hagman
Studia Theologica - Nordic Journal of Theology, 2021
This article explores the way Rowan Williams understands saints as theo-politically significant. ... more This article explores the way Rowan Williams understands saints as theo-politically significant. By surveying a number of key texts by Williams in different genres, the author argues that the saints for Williams are highly important for his political theology. For him, the saints make a political theology possible, since they witness to the world as rooted in Gods will. This, in turn, is significant for understanding how theological language works, since it goes beyond the limits of "realistic" discourse, bound by a certain secular understanding of the way the world "is". The significance of this feature of theological language is demonstrated by discussing texts by Martin Hägglund and Theo Hobson.
International Journal of Public Theology, 2019
This article explores the connections between political activism and Christian asceticism. It doe... more This article explores the connections between political activism and Christian asceticism. It does so through a discussion with recent political theologies and historical research into (early) Christian asceticism. Two present-day cases, the Occupy Wall Street movement and the Buy Nothing Year, are used to demonstrate similarities and potential for fruitful engagement between the two traditions. It is suggested that asceticism needs to be understood in a fuller range, incorporating introspective, imaginative and institutional aspects in order to make visible the potential for a dialogue between the Christian ascetic tradition and present-day political activism. The article thus contributes to the discussion concerning asceticism in the Christian tradition, developing public theology as a bodily practice and to a theological understanding of political activism.
Political Theology, 2013
In this article the author explores the process by which asceticism lost its central place in (Pr... more In this article the author explores the process by which asceticism lost its central place in (Protestant) Christian tradition in early modernity by comparing the ascetic teaching of fifteenth-century Carthusian writer Nikolaus Kempf with the views of Martin Luther and Immanuel Kant. The article identifies a number of philosophical and theological changes that took place that made it impossible for modern thinkers to understand asceticism in its traditional sense, and instead led to interpretations of asceticism as “works righteousness” and superstition. These changes included a new emphasis on the freedom of the individual, which corresponded to a mistrust of moral authority, a new understanding of morality that de-emphasized moral education, and a new understanding of knowledge that disconnected knowledge and virtue.
Political Theology, 2012
The article argues that there is an ascetic character implicit in Stanley Hauerwas's thinking and... more The article argues that there is an ascetic character implicit in Stanley Hauerwas's thinking and that a more explicit engagement with the Christian ascetical tradition could clarify some lines of thought in it, in particular the relationship between moral formation and witness. The way Hauerwas treats e.g. the virtues and practices that are used to pursue them, the role of spiritual authority and the difference between Church and world show clear similarities to the thought of early Christian ascetics, such as Evagrios of Pontos, Isaac of Nineveh and John Cassian. By showing how Hauerwas by addressing some key theological, ethical and political developments in modern theology opens up the possibility to overcome modern misunderstandings of asceticisms, the author argues for the relevance of asceticism as a political concept in today's world.
Henriksen, Kurtén (eds.), Crisis and Change. Religion, Ethics and Theology under Late Modern Conditions. Cambridge Scholars Publishing., 2012
Studia Theologica, 2011
In this article, the author attempts to clarify the motivation and goals of early Christian ascet... more In this article, the author attempts to clarify the motivation and goals of early Christian ascetics by treating asceticism as a political concept. By reading the ascetic tracts of Isaac of Nineveh (7th century), and drawing on some views on the role of the body in the practice of resistance in Michael Hardt and Antonio Negri, the author argues that ascetics like Isaac used their bodies to resist the control of ancient society and to create a tangible image – or icon – of a different way of living and of a different kind of society – the kingdom of God. Using a threefold typology of asceticism as transformative, performative and bodily, and focusing especially on the role of the body, a new way of understanding Christian asceticism emerges that, on the one hand, clearly distances itself from earlier models that viewed asceticism as an alien element in the Christian tradition; and, on the other hand, makes it possible to use the concept of asceticism to understand present day forms of resistance.
Martin Tamcke (ed.) Mystik – Metapher – Bild. Beiträge des VII. Makarios-Symposiums, Göttingen 2007, 2008
Die Deutsche Nationalbibliothek verzeichnet diese Publikation in der Deutschen Nationalbibliograp... more Die Deutsche Nationalbibliothek verzeichnet diese Publikation in der Deutschen Nationalbibliographie; detaillierte bibliographische Daten sind im Internet über <http://dnb.ddb.de> abrufbar. Die Ausrichtung des 7. Makarios-Symposiums vom 23. bis 26. August 2007 in Göttingen wurde durch die Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft unterstützt.
Artiklar på svenska by Patrik Hagman
Rydell, Ekman (ed.) Soteria och Gnosis. Frälsning och kunskap i den tidiga kyrkan, Artos förlag, Skellefteå, 2012
This article explores the way Rowan Williams understands saints as theo-politically significant. ... more This article explores the way Rowan Williams understands saints as theo-politically significant. By surveying a number of key texts by Williams in different genres, the author argues that the saints for Williams are highly important for his political theology. For him, the saints make a political theology possible, since they witness to the world as rooted in Gods will. This, in turn, is significant for understanding how theological language works, since it goes beyond the limits of "realistic" discourse, bound by a certain secular understanding of the way the world "is". The significance of this feature of theological language is demonstrated by discussing texts by Martin Hägglund and Theo Hobson.
The ascetic tracts of 7th century writer Isaac of Nineveh (Isaac the Syrian) provide a wealth of ... more The ascetic tracts of 7th century writer Isaac of Nineveh (Isaac the Syrian) provide a wealth of material to better understand early Christian asceticism. By focusing on the role of the body in various ascetic techniques, such as fasting, vigils and prayer, as well as on the way the ascetic relates to the society a picture of asceticism as political activity emerges. For Isaac, the ascetic was to function as something like an icon, an image that showed the world the reality of God's Kingdom already in this life, by clearly indicating the difference between God's ways and men's.
Patrik Hagman reviews the scholarly discussion on asceticism of the last three decades, and then proceeds to analyse the texts of Isaac to reveal an emphasis on asceticism as a practice that is at the same time performative, transformative and bodily. This contrasts with the long-established conception of asceticism as based on a negative view of the body. Isaac displays a profound understanding of the way body and soul are related, demonstrating how the body can be used to transform the personality of the ascetic, and to communicate the change to the world, without the use of words.
The writings of Isaac offer a rare example of an extensive discussion of asceticism by a person who lived a radical ascetic life himself. Hagman's new study brings Isaac's fresh perspective to bear on an important, yet often overlooked, aspect of the Christian tradition.
Studia Theologica - Nordic Journal of Theology, 2021
This article explores the way Rowan Williams understands saints as theo-politically significant. ... more This article explores the way Rowan Williams understands saints as theo-politically significant. By surveying a number of key texts by Williams in different genres, the author argues that the saints for Williams are highly important for his political theology. For him, the saints make a political theology possible, since they witness to the world as rooted in Gods will. This, in turn, is significant for understanding how theological language works, since it goes beyond the limits of "realistic" discourse, bound by a certain secular understanding of the way the world "is". The significance of this feature of theological language is demonstrated by discussing texts by Martin Hägglund and Theo Hobson.
International Journal of Public Theology, 2019
This article explores the connections between political activism and Christian asceticism. It doe... more This article explores the connections between political activism and Christian asceticism. It does so through a discussion with recent political theologies and historical research into (early) Christian asceticism. Two present-day cases, the Occupy Wall Street movement and the Buy Nothing Year, are used to demonstrate similarities and potential for fruitful engagement between the two traditions. It is suggested that asceticism needs to be understood in a fuller range, incorporating introspective, imaginative and institutional aspects in order to make visible the potential for a dialogue between the Christian ascetic tradition and present-day political activism. The article thus contributes to the discussion concerning asceticism in the Christian tradition, developing public theology as a bodily practice and to a theological understanding of political activism.
Political Theology, 2013
In this article the author explores the process by which asceticism lost its central place in (Pr... more In this article the author explores the process by which asceticism lost its central place in (Protestant) Christian tradition in early modernity by comparing the ascetic teaching of fifteenth-century Carthusian writer Nikolaus Kempf with the views of Martin Luther and Immanuel Kant. The article identifies a number of philosophical and theological changes that took place that made it impossible for modern thinkers to understand asceticism in its traditional sense, and instead led to interpretations of asceticism as “works righteousness” and superstition. These changes included a new emphasis on the freedom of the individual, which corresponded to a mistrust of moral authority, a new understanding of morality that de-emphasized moral education, and a new understanding of knowledge that disconnected knowledge and virtue.
Political Theology, 2012
The article argues that there is an ascetic character implicit in Stanley Hauerwas's thinking and... more The article argues that there is an ascetic character implicit in Stanley Hauerwas's thinking and that a more explicit engagement with the Christian ascetical tradition could clarify some lines of thought in it, in particular the relationship between moral formation and witness. The way Hauerwas treats e.g. the virtues and practices that are used to pursue them, the role of spiritual authority and the difference between Church and world show clear similarities to the thought of early Christian ascetics, such as Evagrios of Pontos, Isaac of Nineveh and John Cassian. By showing how Hauerwas by addressing some key theological, ethical and political developments in modern theology opens up the possibility to overcome modern misunderstandings of asceticisms, the author argues for the relevance of asceticism as a political concept in today's world.
Henriksen, Kurtén (eds.), Crisis and Change. Religion, Ethics and Theology under Late Modern Conditions. Cambridge Scholars Publishing., 2012
Studia Theologica, 2011
In this article, the author attempts to clarify the motivation and goals of early Christian ascet... more In this article, the author attempts to clarify the motivation and goals of early Christian ascetics by treating asceticism as a political concept. By reading the ascetic tracts of Isaac of Nineveh (7th century), and drawing on some views on the role of the body in the practice of resistance in Michael Hardt and Antonio Negri, the author argues that ascetics like Isaac used their bodies to resist the control of ancient society and to create a tangible image – or icon – of a different way of living and of a different kind of society – the kingdom of God. Using a threefold typology of asceticism as transformative, performative and bodily, and focusing especially on the role of the body, a new way of understanding Christian asceticism emerges that, on the one hand, clearly distances itself from earlier models that viewed asceticism as an alien element in the Christian tradition; and, on the other hand, makes it possible to use the concept of asceticism to understand present day forms of resistance.
Martin Tamcke (ed.) Mystik – Metapher – Bild. Beiträge des VII. Makarios-Symposiums, Göttingen 2007, 2008
Die Deutsche Nationalbibliothek verzeichnet diese Publikation in der Deutschen Nationalbibliograp... more Die Deutsche Nationalbibliothek verzeichnet diese Publikation in der Deutschen Nationalbibliographie; detaillierte bibliographische Daten sind im Internet über <http://dnb.ddb.de> abrufbar. Die Ausrichtung des 7. Makarios-Symposiums vom 23. bis 26. August 2007 in Göttingen wurde durch die Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft unterstützt.
Rydell, Ekman (ed.) Soteria och Gnosis. Frälsning och kunskap i den tidiga kyrkan, Artos förlag, Skellefteå, 2012