Reviews

摘要

John Raines revisits Marx's writings from the 1840s to illustrate the ties binding the critical study of religion and the development of dialectical materialism, and ultimately to emphasize the shared values of secular and religious movements. Roland Boer demonstrates the applicability of Marxist literary theory to the Old Testament, illuminating textual ambiguities and contradictions in relation to the tribute-based economies of the ancient Near East. Both authors emphasize the earthly roots of religious ideas in social conflicts, injecting class analysis into a field of discourse where it is routinely neglected, and they pay particular attention to ways in which religion has served both to legitimate oppression and to voice resistance. These texts provide lucid and accessible discussions forwarding the role of religious analysis in Marx's intellectual development and Marxist contributions to the study of religion.