Bible, Violence, and the Sacred: Liberation from the Myth of Sanctioned Violence

by James G. Williams

This work is an application to the whole of the Bible of Rene Girard's revolutionary theory of the origins and nature of violence.

Genres: Nonfiction, Theology

288 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1990

Reviews

[Andrew Marr · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was the first book to offer a systematic overview of the Bible through the lens offered by René Girard's theory of mimetic desire and sacred violence. It continues to be a good resource. Many devout people who love the Bible are perplexed by the violence in the book. Williams helps us understand how the it is the violence of humans that is revealed and the love of God is revealed in the face of our human violence.

[Ryan Ward · Rating 4 out of 5]

An application of Girardian thought to the Bible. Thoroughly researched and compelling. Only criticism is that it assumes an understanding of Girard's theory that makes it a bit tough to follow at points.