Luxury Communist Jesus
Ideology, the Work Ethic, and the Anti-work Politics of Jesus
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.1558/post.v7i3.28299Keywords:
Capitalism, Jesus, luxury communism, work ethic, anti-work politics, egalitarianismAbstract
This article begins by outlining contemporary anti-work politics, which form the basis of Sandford’s reading. After providing a brief history of anti-work politics, Sandford examines recent scholarly treatments of Jesus’ relationship to work. An examination of a number of texts across the gospel traditions leads Sandford to argue that Jesus can be read as a ‘luxury communist’ whose behaviour flies in the face of the Protestant work ethic. Ultimately, Sandford foregrounds those texts in which Jesus discourages his followers from working, and undermines work as an ‘end in itself’, contextualising these statements in relation to other gospel texts about asceticism and the redistribution of wealth.
References
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Merchant, Brian. 2015. “Fully automated luxury communism.” Guardian. 18 March. Internet edition. http://www.theguardian.com/sustainable-business/2015/mar/18/fully-automated-luxury-communism-robots-employment.
Morris, William. 1884. “Useful Work versus Useless Toil”. https://www.marxists.org/archive/morris/works/1884/useful.htm.
Myles, Robert J. 2014. The Homeless Jesus in the Gospel of Matthew. Sheffield: Sheffield Phoenix Press.
Radnika, Dan. 2012. “The Refusal of Work – Workers Committee of Porto Marghera.” Libcom. 11 Oct. http://libcom.org/library/refusal-work-workers-committee-porto-marghera-1970.
Russell, Bertrand. 1935. In Praise of Idlness and Other Essays. New South Wales: George Allen & Unwin. “In Praise of Idleness” is viewable online at: http://www.zpub.com/notes/idle.html.
Vermes, Geza. 1981. Jesus the Jew: A Historian’s Reading of the Gospels. Minneapolis: Fortress Press.
Witherington, Ben. 2012. On the Road with Jesus: Teaching and Healing. South Nashville, TN: Abingdon Press.
Witherington, Ben and Hershel Shanks. 2003. The Brother of Jesus: The Dramatic Story & Meaning of the First Archaeological Link to Jesus & His Family. San Francisco: HarperSanFrancisco.
Weber, Max. 2001 [first published 1920]. The Protestant Ethic and the Spirit of Capitalism. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
Weeks, Kathi. 2011. The Problem with Work: Feminism, Marxism, Antiwork Politics, and Postwork Imaginaries. Durham and London: Duke University Press. http://dx.doi.org/10.1215/9780822394723.
Filby, Eliza. 2015. God and Mrs Thatcher: The Battle for Britain’s Soul. London: Biteback Publishing.
Graeber, David. 2013. “On the Phenomenon of Bullshit Jobs.” Strike! 17 August. Internet edition. http://strikemag.org/bullshit-jobs/.
Keynes, John Maynard. 1963. Essays in Persuasion. New York: W.W. Norton & Co. http://www.econ.yale.edu/smith/econ116a/keynes1.pdf.
Merchant, Brian. 2015. “Fully automated luxury communism.” Guardian. 18 March. Internet edition. http://www.theguardian.com/sustainable-business/2015/mar/18/fully-automated-luxury-communism-robots-employment.
Morris, William. 1884. “Useful Work versus Useless Toil”. https://www.marxists.org/archive/morris/works/1884/useful.htm.
Myles, Robert J. 2014. The Homeless Jesus in the Gospel of Matthew. Sheffield: Sheffield Phoenix Press.
Radnika, Dan. 2012. “The Refusal of Work – Workers Committee of Porto Marghera.” Libcom. 11 Oct. http://libcom.org/library/refusal-work-workers-committee-porto-marghera-1970.
Russell, Bertrand. 1935. In Praise of Idlness and Other Essays. New South Wales: George Allen & Unwin. “In Praise of Idleness” is viewable online at: http://www.zpub.com/notes/idle.html.
Vermes, Geza. 1981. Jesus the Jew: A Historian’s Reading of the Gospels. Minneapolis: Fortress Press.
Witherington, Ben. 2012. On the Road with Jesus: Teaching and Healing. South Nashville, TN: Abingdon Press.
Witherington, Ben and Hershel Shanks. 2003. The Brother of Jesus: The Dramatic Story & Meaning of the First Archaeological Link to Jesus & His Family. San Francisco: HarperSanFrancisco.
Weber, Max. 2001 [first published 1920]. The Protestant Ethic and the Spirit of Capitalism. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
Weeks, Kathi. 2011. The Problem with Work: Feminism, Marxism, Antiwork Politics, and Postwork Imaginaries. Durham and London: Duke University Press. http://dx.doi.org/10.1215/9780822394723.
Published
2016-01-20
Issue
Section
Special Issue Articles
How to Cite
Sandford, M. J. (2016). Luxury Communist Jesus: Ideology, the Work Ethic, and the Anti-work Politics of Jesus. Postscripts: The Journal of Sacred Texts, Cultural Histories, and Contemporary Contexts, 7(3), 245-255. https://doi.org/10.1558/post.v7i3.28299
