Sacred Sin - A Commentary on Sophocles' Antigone

Author: [American] Seth Bernardt, edited by Zhang Xinzhang
Publisher:
Publishing Date: 2005-01-01
Features: Bernardt names this seemingly classical and scholarly commentary "Sacred Transgression," bringing the classic Greek work Antigone back into the realm of political theology rather than, like Heidegger, placing it within a framework of neophilosophical interpretation. The book was originally published in three parts in the political philosophy journal Interpretation. When it was published as a standalone book in 1999, it included Appendix I: Two insightful notes on Aeschylus's Seven Against Thebes. The other two appendices were added by the editor to help readers understand the two fundamental sources of Bernardt's scholarship: classical philology and Strauss's political philosophy. This book was written by Seth Bernardt, an American classicist and political philosopher. As one of the outstanding students of the contemporary political philosopher Strauss, Bernardt, with his deep classical and philosophical background, offers a brilliant and intricate interpretation of the ancient Greek tragedy Antigone as the text. The book analyzes the tension between the "justice" of the gods and the "justice" of humans, arguing that from the perspective of secular politics, the divine justice becomes a sacred transgression. This tension between justice and righteousness runs through the political and social life of ancient Greece from the beginning, and Antigone's tragedy is its concrete manifestation. Additionally, Bernardt analyzes the ancient Greeks' profound and traditional concept of fate.