dmariel, 1/22/09

In reference to this week of class, learning from theorists such as Barthes, Macherey and deSaussure, the concept that stands out in my mind first and foremost is Barthes idea concerning conflict..he states: “Let difference surreptitiously replace conflict..conflict is nothing but the moral state of difference”.
Language, in my opinion, is the most powerful aspect of humanity..or better yet-anything alive. Anything with this much positive power can also be destructive. Spoken words can generate more effect than any other form of communication. Language has the ability to bring people together, and also the ability to cause huge barriers between different ethnicities, religious backgrounds, etc..
The world is comprised of millions of groups of people with extremely different moral values, beliefs, and systems of language. One example which we touched on in class was fundamental religious beliefs. Right after class with Dr. Casey, I proceeded my day and went to my Modern and Contemporary Jewish Thought class. Our entire class period was spent discussing the importance of text in different religions. The Torah is the most sacred text to Jewish people, yet it is viewed much differently than Christians would feel about the bible. As far as I know, Christians view the Bible as the most pure text there is and that the purity of the text will guide them in life. Jewish theologians are known as co-authors of the Torah. Through reading, practicing and studying the text, it is believed that they individually rewrite it according to their own life experiences. My text for the class states “By providing the Torah with a voice, with animation, the theologian thereby becomes a co-author of the Torah, a collaborator with God in perpetuating and in helping to augment and to amplify in the present the voice once heard at Sinai”. This directly correlates with Barthes idea of tmesis, or the way that unique individuals interject their own ideas into text. Therefore, the Torah is an open text, or a writerly text, open to interpretation.
After learning about Barthes idea of language as difference I could better understand what it meant as a theologian to be a “co-author” of a text.