Montserrat Herrero, Theopolitical Figures: Scripture, Prophecy, Oath, Charisma, Hospitality – Edinburgh University Press, paperback May 2025

Examines the meaning of five theopolitical figures – scripture, prophecy, oath, charisma and hospitality – in contemporary philosophical-political discourse

• Re-inscribes contemporary political concepts and experiences in the ‘theological locus’ from which they supposedly come and at the same time looks for new semantic derivations for the political arena
• Engages with various 20th century continental philosophers, including Walter Benjamin, Jacques Derrida, Jean-Louis Chrétien, Michel Foucault, Giorgio Agamben, Jean-Luc Nancy, John Caputo, Jean Luc Marion among others
• Brings into dialogue discussions of theological literature and history
• Combines philosophical reflection with case studies of the political interpretation of the Bible; the Lisbon earthquake of 1755; the transferences between oath and sacrament in early Christianity; and acclamations from the imperial cult to modern autocracies
• Considers different theological traditions of thought, mainly, Christian and Jewish

This book explores the extent to which theological discourse has been, and continues to be, relevant in shaping the meanings, symbols and realities of certain instituted political practices. This relevance has historically manifested itself in the hybridisation of theological and political concepts, images, gestures, and rituals.