Antinomianism and new legitimation. Contemporary philosophical interventions on the dyad “messianic life-law” in the messianism of Paul of Tarsus

Abstract

This article offers a critical interpretation of a central philosophical-political motif within Pauline Messianism: the nexus between the “messianic life” or “post-Christ existence” and the law (nomos). This reconstruction takes cognizance of significant contributions from contemporary philosophical ruminations, including those proposed by Giorgio Agamben and Alain Badiou in the European context, alongside insights from Enrique Dussel and Franz J. Hinkelammert in the Latin American sphere. This scrutiny reveals the concept of “messianism” outlined in the Pauline epistles can be construed either as a philosophical-theological-political validation of radical antinomianism (as articulated by Agamben and Badiou), or as the discursive articulation of a novel criterion for political legitimization (as posited by Dussel and Hinkelammert).