THE DOGMA OF CHRIST

by Erich Fromm ‧ RELEASE DATE: July 22, 1963

Frich Fromm's title essay, over 30 years old but translated here for the first time, blends psychological anthropology such as Freud's Totem and Taboo with historical determinism such as Marx'. As a commentary on the cultural origins of the Christianity it is certainly a complex and challenging paper. Nevertheless, though Fromm's command of dialectics is considerable, the thesis proves, when all is said and done, more clever than convincing. Further, the style is pretty sad. Out of that Germanic glumness, the following was gleaned: Jesus is the suffering man-god with whom the suffering masses identify; they have ambivalent attitudes towards the father- god or the rulers. Though they seek to overthrow these father-figures, early Christianity, according to Fromm, was a sort of angelic anarchism--socio-economic interests intervene and dogma develops. Jesus becomes God without overthrowing God because it seems He always was God. Sado-aggression is turned into masochistic regression; it is not the oppressive rulers who are guilty but the oppressed masses; and thus psychic illness (the idea of sin and atonement) becomes class structured. The other essays, randomly delivered over the last 10 years, touch tangential topics: alienation, sexual anxiety, the authoritarian personality vs the revolutionary one, the concepts of peace and power. Fromm, of course, demands a dialogue between man and man not between man and god; only that way can man's corruption and estrangement be transcended. It's the new post-religious theme song. The Fromm exhortations are imaginative and he has a definite audience.

Pub Date: July 22, 1963

ISBN: 0203642163

Page Count: -

Publisher: Holt, Rinehart and Winston

Review Posted Online: N/A

Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 1, 1963

Categories: NONFICTION