The Non/Sovereignty of Christ and the End of Sacrifice: Toward a Phenomenology of Christian Pacifism

Following Girard, the analysis of religion and violence has often been framed by discussions of sacrifice. This may occur either through a scapegoat, as in Girard, or through the operation of the sovereign, as in Paul Kahn's recent book, "Sacred Violence". For both authors, Christ functions as the possibility of transcending the sacredness that ultimately causes violence. But rather than separating Christ from sovereignty or sacredness, as Girard and Kahn do, I argue that Christ represents a form of sovereignty that is the negative correlate of political sovereignty. The political sovereign is the locus of collective power and identity. In Christ, however, sovereignty is dissolved into whatever lies external to the communal identity. Christ is not the simple absence or abolishment of sovereignty; Christ ends sacrificial violence by demanding loyalty on behalf of those outside the community. He is a sovereign that has no location or identity - the non/sovereign.