Political Theology II: The Myth of the Closure of Any Political Theology

Political Theology II is Carl Schmitt's last book. Part polemic, part self-vindication for his involvement in the National Socialist German Workers' Party (NSDAP), this is Schmitt's most theological reflection on Christianity and its concept of sovereignty following the Second Vatican Council. At a time of increasing visibility of religion in public debates and a realization that Schmitt is the major and most controversial political theorist of the twentieth century, this last book sets a new agenda for political theology today. The crisis at the beginning of the twenty-first century led to an increased interest in the study of crises in an age of extremes - an age upon which Carl Schmitt left his indelible watermark. In Political Theology II, first published in 1970, a long journey comes to an end which began in 1923 with Political Theology. This translation makes available for the first time to the English-speaking world Schmitt's understanding of Political Theology and what it implies theologically and politically.

Translated by Michael Hoelzl and Graham Ward

Editors' Introduction. Notes on the Translation. Guideline for the reader. Introduction. I. The Myth of the Ultimate Theological Closure. 1. The Content of the Myth. 2. Hans Barion's Critique of Political Theology. 3. The Contemporary Significance of the Myth of Closure. (Hans Maier - Ernst Feil - Ernst Topitsch). II. The Legendary Document. 1. The Genesis and the Historical limits of the Matter. 2. Politico-theological Interpolation: le roi règne il ne gouverne pas. 3. The Limits of the Matter and Question from the Political Side: Monarchy. 4. The Limits of the Matter and Question from the Theological Side: Monotheism. 5. Eusebius as the Prototype for Political Theology. 6. The Confrontation between Eusebius and Augustine. III. The Legendary Conclusion. 1. The Claims of the Conclusion. 2. The Assertive Power of the Conclusion. Postscript. On the Current Situation of the Problem: The Legitimacy of Modernity. Appendix: 'Peterson's conclusion and concluding footnote.'. Index