Mystical Politics as contradictio in adjecto. Thoughts on the Margins of Aristotle Papanikolaou’s Recent Book

Abstract

This article is an expanded critical review of the book “The Mystical as Political: Democracy and Non-Radical Orthodoxy” (2012) written by Aristotle Papanikolaou, a contemporary Orthodox theologian. The article contains analysis of key assumptions and arguments of the author of the book who looks at the political regime of liberal democracy from the perspective of Eastern Christian ascetical theology. Position of the author of the book is considered through a possible distinction of several models of the Christian political theology: theology of “using” (the political) versus a theology of “participating” (in the political) versus a-theology of anachoresis (withdrawal from the political). Papanikolaou’s interpretation of traditional asceticism as compatible with liberal democracy is criticized, as well as his overall apology of a certain political regime, which seems arbitrary as the author avoids any formulation of specifically Christian political ideal as opposed to secular philosophical foundations of contemporary polity.