The attacks against charlie hebdo and Samuel Paty, the attempted assassination of Salman Rushdie or the controversies over an alleged parody of “The Last Supper” during the opening ceremony of the Paris Olympic Games have reminded, each in their own way, that the issue of blasphemy is no longer It belongs to a past topic. past, even in Western societies.
Is it presented, however, in the same terms as in the past? In an interview with Worldthe German historian Gerd Schwerhoff, professor at the Technical University of Dresden and author of Damn gods. The history of blasphemy. (Ed. de la Maison des sciences de l’homme, 488 pages, 39 euros), sheds light on the long history of offenses against the sacred and the reactions they provoke, from Antiquity to contemporary controversies.
Is there a shared definition of blasphemy, valid throughout the centuries?
No, none are universally valid. Blasphemy can be understood quite generally as an offense to the sacred. But another question immediately arises: that of the definition of the sacred, which varies according to cultures and times. Ultimately, it is not the intention of the speaker that determines whether something is blasphemous, but the perception and reaction of his or her social environment.
Can we, however, consider that the notion appears in the Bible, particularly in this passage of the Decalogue where Yahweh prohibits “mispronouncing the name of God” (Exodus 20:7)?
In the ancient polytheistic world the gods could be ridiculed and belittled, so it is true that the denigration of the sacred in the strict sense only arises with monotheism. The unconditional demand for loyalty to one’s own faith is then accompanied by a fierce rejection of all those who did not share this faith or violated it. Thus, the law transmitted by Moses, as it appears in Leviticus, stipulated that anyone who blasphemed the name of the Lord must be stoned to death by the community (Leviticus 24, 16).
Who do we blame when we blaspheme? Is God the goal?
According to the classical Christian conception of blasphemy, it is above all God who is offended, but it can also be Mary and her saints. Medieval theologians defined blasphemy as an attack on the “honor” of God, which is a serious accusation in a society where honor plays a central role.
According to this conception, the Creator reacts in a very human way to an offense, as he becomes angry and threatens to punish the entire community with famine, epidemics or war. Christian leaders had to prevent this and inflict severe punishments on blasphemers to appease God. The first to do this was the emperor Justinian. [482-565]in VImy century, which threatened death to those who uttered blasphemous oaths and curses. Many others will take similar measures, like San Luis [1214-1270] in France, in the 13thmy century.
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