Matthew G. Whitlock (PhD, The Catholic University of America, 2008) is Associate Professor of New Testament at Seattle University. His research focuses on Acts of the Apostles, the Apostle Paul, New Testament Poetry, Critical Theory, and Science Fiction. His publications have focused on topics ranging from New Testament poetry in the Catholic Biblical Quarterly to the Body Without Organs and Christianity in Deleuze and Guattari Studies. He is currently working on a book of dialectical images from the science fiction of Philip K. Dick and from the letters of the Apostle Paul.

• Contents Preface: Dialectical Images and Critical Theory vii 1. Introduction: Making Early Christian Texts Strange (Again) 1 Matthew G. Whitlock PART I: WALTER BENJAMIN 2. Walter Benjamin and Early Christian Texts 35Matthew G. Whitlock 3. Reading, Libraries, and Urban Change in the Shadow of Capitalism and Apocalypse: Reading Walter Benjamin and John of Patmos 50  Robert Paul Seesengood 4. “On the Concept of History”: St. Augustine and Walter Benjamin 66 Carl A. Levenson PART II: GILLES DELEUZE 5. Gilles Deleuze and Early Christian Texts 99 Matthew G. Whitlock 6. The Deleuzioguattarian Body of Christ without Organs 127Bradley H. McLean 7. The Many Acts of the Apostles: Simulacra and Simulation 147 Matthew G. Whitlock and Philip L. Tite 8. Face-ing the Nations: Becoming a Majority Empire of God Reterritorialization, Language, and Imperial Racism in Revelation 7.9-17 184 Sharon Jacob PART III: ALAIN BADIOU 9. Alain Badiou and Early Christian Texts 213 Matthew G. Whitlock 10. Christianity Appears First, as Itself 236 Bruce Worthington 11. Towards a Vulgar Marxist Reading of Christian Origins Today 252 James Crossley 12. Recapitulating the Event: Reading Irenaeus with Badiou 268 Hollis Phelps PART IV: JUDITH BUTLER 13. Judith Butler and Early Christian Texts 295 Matthew G. Whitlock 14. Paul Exposed: Reading Galatians with Judith Butler 314 Valérie Nicolet15. Mattering Bodies: Animacy and Justice in Origen’s On First Principles 350 Peter Anthony Mena Index of Biblical References 367 Index of Classical References and Authors 371 Index of Early Christian Writings 372Index of Jewish Writings 374 Index of Modern Authors 375 Index of Subjects 380

Matthew G. Whitlock (PhD, The Catholic University of America, 2008) is Associate Professor of New Testament at Seattle University. His research focuses on Acts of the Apostles, the Apostle Paul, New Testament Poetry, Critical Theory, and Science Fiction. His publications have focused on topics ranging from New Testament poetry in the Catholic Biblical Quarterly to the Body Without Organs and Christianity in Deleuze and Guattari Studies. He is currently working on a book of dialectical images from the science fiction of Philip K. Dick and from the letters of the Apostle Paul.

• Contents Preface: Dialectical Images and Critical Theory vii 1. Introduction: Making Early Christian Texts Strange (Again) 1 Matthew G. Whitlock PART I: WALTER BENJAMIN 2. Walter Benjamin and Early Christian Texts 35Matthew G. Whitlock 3. Reading, Libraries, and Urban Change in the Shadow of Capitalism and Apocalypse: Reading Walter Benjamin and John of Patmos 50  Robert Paul Seesengood 4. “On the Concept of History”: St. Augustine and Walter Benjamin 66 Carl A. Levenson PART II: GILLES DELEUZE 5. Gilles Deleuze and Early Christian Texts 99 Matthew G. Whitlock 6. The Deleuzioguattarian Body of Christ without Organs 127Bradley H. McLean 7. The Many Acts of the Apostles: Simulacra and Simulation 147 Matthew G. Whitlock and Philip L. Tite 8. Face-ing the Nations: Becoming a Majority Empire of God Reterritorialization, Language, and Imperial Racism in Revelation 7.9-17 184 Sharon Jacob PART III: ALAIN BADIOU 9. Alain Badiou and Early Christian Texts 213 Matthew G. Whitlock 10. Christianity Appears First, as Itself 236 Bruce Worthington 11. Towards a Vulgar Marxist Reading of Christian Origins Today 252 James Crossley 12. Recapitulating the Event: Reading Irenaeus with Badiou 268 Hollis Phelps PART IV: JUDITH BUTLER 13. Judith Butler and Early Christian Texts 295 Matthew G. Whitlock 14. Paul Exposed: Reading Galatians with Judith Butler 314 Valérie Nicolet15. Mattering Bodies: Animacy and Justice in Origen’s On First Principles 350 Peter Anthony Mena Index of Biblical References 367 Index of Classical References and Authors 371 Index of Early Christian Writings 372Index of Jewish Writings 374 Index of Modern Authors 375 Index of Subjects 380

Matthew G. Whitlock (PhD, The Catholic University of America, 2008) is Associate Professor of New Testament at Seattle University. His research focuses on Acts of the Apostles, the Apostle Paul, New Testament Poetry, Critical Theory, and Science Fiction. His publications have focused on topics ranging from New Testament poetry in the Catholic Biblical Quarterly to the Body Without Organs and Christianity in Deleuze and Guattari Studies. He is currently working on a book of dialectical images from the science fiction of Philip K. Dick and from the letters of the Apostle Paul.

• Contents Preface: Dialectical Images and Critical Theory vii 1. Introduction: Making Early Christian Texts Strange (Again) 1 Matthew G. Whitlock PART I: WALTER BENJAMIN 2. Walter Benjamin and Early Christian Texts 35Matthew G. Whitlock 3. Reading, Libraries, and Urban Change in the Shadow of Capitalism and Apocalypse: Reading Walter Benjamin and John of Patmos 50  Robert Paul Seesengood 4. “On the Concept of History”: St. Augustine and Walter Benjamin 66 Carl A. Levenson PART II: GILLES DELEUZE 5. Gilles Deleuze and Early Christian Texts 99 Matthew G. Whitlock 6. The Deleuzioguattarian Body of Christ without Organs 127Bradley H. McLean 7. The Many Acts of the Apostles: Simulacra and Simulation 147 Matthew G. Whitlock and Philip L. Tite 8. Face-ing the Nations: Becoming a Majority Empire of God Reterritorialization, Language, and Imperial Racism in Revelation 7.9-17 184 Sharon Jacob PART III: ALAIN BADIOU 9. Alain Badiou and Early Christian Texts 213 Matthew G. Whitlock 10. Christianity Appears First, as Itself 236 Bruce Worthington 11. Towards a Vulgar Marxist Reading of Christian Origins Today 252 James Crossley 12. Recapitulating the Event: Reading Irenaeus with Badiou 268 Hollis Phelps PART IV: JUDITH BUTLER 13. Judith Butler and Early Christian Texts 295 Matthew G. Whitlock 14. Paul Exposed: Reading Galatians with Judith Butler 314 Valérie Nicolet15. Mattering Bodies: Animacy and Justice in Origen’s On First Principles 350 Peter Anthony Mena Index of Biblical References 367 Index of Classical References and Authors 371 Index of Early Christian Writings 372Index of Jewish Writings 374 Index of Modern Authors 375 Index of Subjects 380