The choice of Pontius Pilate, between the sacred and the profane Cover Image

Le choix de Ponce Pilate, entre le sacré et le profane
The choice of Pontius Pilate, between the sacred and the profane

Author(s): Sara Tongiani
Subject(s): Language and Literature Studies, Literary Texts, Studies of Literature, Comparative Study of Literature, French Literature, Theory of Literature
Published by: Katolicki Uniwersytet Lubelski Jana Pawła II, Instytut Filologii Romańskiej & Wydawnictwo Werset
Keywords: Roger Caillois; The Man and the Sacred; Pontius Pilate; sacred; profane

Summary/Abstract: At the beginning of The man and the sacred (1939) Roger Caillois affirmed that “every religious conception of the universe implies that there is a distinction between the sacred and the profane”. Caillois discussed the theme of the sacred throughout his life, through several essays, articles and lectures. In 1961, Caillois wrote Pontius Pilate, a brief novel in which the author explored the dilemma of the governor of the Judea. For the first time, Caillois has changed genre. The author escaped the theme of the sacred by way of the novel. The purpose of this paper is to show how the theme of the sacred leads to a comparison between the thought of Caillois, the theories of the College of Sociology, and the theme of The Scapegoat by René Girard.

  • Issue Year: 2013
  • Issue No: 3
  • Page Range: 124-132
  • Page Count: 9
  • Language: French