I See Satan Fall Like Lightning (Paperback)

by Rene Girard (Author), James G. Williams (Introduction) "IN THE BIBLE, and especially in the Gospels, there is an original conception of desire and its conflicts that has gone largely unrecognized..." (more)
Key Phrases: single victim mechanism, violent contagion, mimetic cycle, New Testament, Old Testament, Hebrew Bible (more...)

Product Details

• Paperback: 199 pages
• Publisher: Orbis Books (April 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1570753199
• ISBN-13: 978-1570753190
• Product Dimensions: 10 x 7 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 13.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.9 out of 5 stars See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #188,844 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

133 of 139 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars French Egghead Knows His Stuff, June 17, 2001

By	The J Man "thejmantimes" (New Jerusalem) - See all my reviews

Not an easy book to summarize. Girard is a French egghead and former Stanford professor who believes to understand human behavior, we must first understand something he terms*mimetic desire*. . .with mimetic desire meaning that people only desire what other people have or what other people desire. Simply put, people imitate the desires of other people (role models). Further, this imitation leads to conflict (Girard terms this conflict *scandal*) which turns violent. This violence threatens to tear apart communities, and is only remedied when all rivals of mimetic desire unite against a single victim, and sacrifice that victim (a *scapegoat*). Girard identifies Satan as both the instigator of scandals, which cause the disorder, and the sacrifices of the victims, which then restore order. Hence, Girard answers Christ's famous question "how can Satan cast out Satan?" Satan causes disorder in the world, and then restores order in the world, in order to remain in control of the world. Girard demonstrates in this amazing book that human sacrifice is the very foundation of civilization (similar to The J Man's own theories as outlined in The Cain Theory of Civilization). Of course, the greatest example of the *single victim mechanism* is the crucifixion of Jesus. Jerusalem is on the brink of riot, but the masses imitate the murderous desire of the Jewish hierarchy toward Christ. So powerful is the violent contagion of this mimetic desire, even Jesus' disciples become infected (Peter's denial of Christ being the most famous example). The crucifixion of Christ, sanctioned by the Roman governor Pontius Pilate, placates the mob and restores order. Hence, Satan believes once again his *single victim mechanism* will enable him to maintain control of the world, and also to defeat the Son of God. Satan, the Accuser, has accused Christ before the crowd, and the crowd has believed Satan's lie. They call for Christ to be put to death. Girard reveals Satan has used this tactic over and over again throughout human history. It is the cornerstone of the myths and false religions which hold the world in his bondage. But Christ defeats Satan at his own game, through the Resurrection. The Resurrection unmasks Satan as an impostor. Christ's innocence, revealed by the Resurrection, nails Satan's accusation to the cross, and publicly exposes it for the lie it is. Christ's resurrection frees His disciples from the violent contagion of mimetic desire, and they set about to take the Gospel to the world. As Paul wrote, it is the power of the cross "which none of the princes of this world knew: for had they known it, they would not have crucified the Lord of Glory" (I Corinthians 2:8). This is an academic text, not easy to read and not without its flaws (Girard is foggy on the exact nature of Satan, and is not a Bible literalist), but Girard's understanding of human behavior as the Bible reveals it, and Satan's ability to manipulate human behavior, make this an important book to read in an age when the violent contagion of mimetic desire unites the world again and again in near-planetary acts of *single victim mechanics* (Iraq, Serbia). . .with those acts seeming as test runs for the Apocalypse to come.

36 of 39 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Girard at his most brilliant, February 10, 2003

By A Customer

Over the course of his long career, Girard has moved from literary criticism to anthropology to Biblical exegesis. This work of comparative religion sees him at his clearest and most brilliant as he compares the Gospel readings of violence to mythological interpretations that conceal the role mimetic desire plays in our conflicts. Especially revealing is a late chapter on "the concern for victims," the absolute value of modern culture. But it is in the book's final pages, where Girard finally postulates the existence of a power superior to violent contagion, that I See Satan Fall Like Lightning becomes truly great. This is a work of superb intelligence, among the most powerful and thought-provoking I have ever read.

5.0 out of 5 stars Resonse to John Earp, above, April 2, 2009

By	Marcus - See all my reviews

John Earp writes, above: "Perhaps the biggest flaw I found in Girard's argumentation is that he claims that Satan really DOES cast out Satan, in direct contradiction to what Jesus recognizes as the source of his power to cast out demons--the Holy Spirit within Him."

John's comment is a good one, and I had a similar response and objection upon reading the book. But after thinking about the matter for a while, here is what I think Girard is saying: Satan cannot "really" cast out Satan. Jesus can and does really do that, in the Bible account. So Jesus is correct: Satan cannot cast out Satan. But Satan does "appear" to cast out Satan in the sense that a new violent ("satanic") episode provides a resolution for a current mimetic crisis. Satan, in "casting out Satan," accomplishes a renewal of the mimetic (violent) foundations of the world. Unlike Jesus, we cannot fully cast out Satan; but Jesus has enabled us to recognize the "things hidden since the foundation of the world."