Volume 53, Issue 3, Fall 2023
Paul T. Wilford

, Samuel A. Stoner
Pages 213-235
https://doi.org/10.5840/idstudies202414158
Arendt¡¯s Kantian Existentialism and the Political Significance of Jesus of Nazareth
Despite her emphasis on politics, Hannah Arendt¡¯s account of the existential grounds of action in The Human Condition culminates in a discussion of Jesus of Nazareth that emphasizes the significance of forgiveness for grasping the radicality of human freedom. This essay investigates Jesus¡¯s role in Arendt¡¯s thought by excavating and explicating the premises that undergird her account of Jesus¡¯s political significance. It argues that Arendt¡¯s innovative approach to politics is complemented by a comparably innovative conception of human agency and shows how Arendt¡¯s defense of the autonomy of the political rests on a novel metaphysics of action¡ªa ¡®Kantian existentialism¡¯¡ªthat underlies and explains her account of Jesus¡¯s political significance.