Pharisees and Intellectuals

Jesus charges in John 5 that the Jews seek glory from one another rather than the Father. It reminds me of a suggestion (I believe it came from Ken Myers) that the New York Review of Books should change its name to the New York Review of Each Other’s Books . It is a peculiar sin of intelletuals to form a community of mutual admiration, one that I’ve noticed (ironically enough) at SBL/AAR conferences. A community of mutual admiration, however, seems poised to dissolve in a Girardian fashion into a community of competitive mimesis. Just as (Augustine says) a true commonwealth is one that shows justice to God, so a true community is one whose honor comes from OUTSIDE the community, from the Father.