#calling all mimesis understanders who also understand saints. hello

[catilinas]

hi tate :) i've recently finished Rene Girard's 'violence and the sacred' and I was wondering if you have any ideas on how it might apply to martyrdom/ self-sacrifice? (I'm writing abt paintings of gay saints at the moment) I know this isn't really your area but idk you might have some thoughts! :)

hi! unfortunately i have literally no clue bcs martyrs are a christian thing right? and idk much about That. self-sacrifice as in Sacrificing Your Self...... i am thinking about publius decius mus the consul in 340 bce and his son also called publius decius mus the consul in 312 bce who both sacrificed themselves in battle in a ritual called the devotio which walter burkert (wrote homo necans, the Other book about sacrifice published in 1972) says is scapegoat adjacent. if you read what he has to say and translated it into girard’s takes on sacrifice and then generalised the Self-sacrifice part you might be able to generate some Thoughts!

but if you do mean christian stuff specifically. i havent read it but book 2 of girard’s things hidden since the foundation of the world apparently has some Hot Takes?

what is happening here i do not know but you might want to!