The Humiliation of the Word

Year 1981
Type Book
Genre cultural criticism
Tradition Reformed
Original language French

For For readers concerned about words, images and media in modern culture; a good bridge between his sociology and his theology. Not a light read.

Should I read this?

For the general reader: 3 of 5 worth your time
For the researcher: 5 of 5 essential
Difficulty: 4 of 5 hard

His study of word and image, arguing that modern image culture has humiliated the word on which biblical faith depends.

How it proceeds

Philosophic 4 of 5
Scriptural 3 of 5
Experiential 1 of 5
Sociological 4 of 5
Historical 2 of 5

Independent intensities, 0–5 — what the work is made of, not how good it is.

Published by Seuil in 1981 and translated by Joyce Main Hanks as The Humiliation of the Word (Eerdmans, 1985). Ellul contrasts seeing and hearing: the image belongs to the realm of reality and technique, the word to the realm of truth. He argues that modern culture, through images, media and technique, has humiliated the word, and that this has consequences for faith, since the God of the Bible reveals himself by speaking. The book joins his sociology and his theology more closely than most of his work.

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Catalog IDW.9DXE2S.3

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