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In summing up the results of the preceding chapter we come to see the following: In Levinas' thinking divine fragmentation of the finite subject—first visible as my desire for the holy—translates into an altruistic fragmentation, a being hollowed out, of the finite subject—visible as my desire for the other to command me as neighbor. The finite and infinite are woven in with each other, and form a unique structure of agency and obedience vis-à-vis the other. Recognizing God not just as an external force, but as the infinite in ourselves, results in obeying God's command to love our neighbor. Only a radical monotheism that emphasizes both God's absolute difference as well as the apodeictic nature of God's commandment can have this effect of agency and obedience. Hence theology always translates into ethics, In this chapter we will look at the case of the prophet Ezekiel in order to better refine this agency/obedience structure. The study of Ezekiel will show that Levinas' ethics, despite his rather open-minded approach to the interpretation of the Bible, is predicated on a notion of absolute power that rests with God. It will further show, however, that God's power only reaches as far as the actual commandment goes. Everything beyond that is up to the agency of the individual.

DOI: 10.1007/978-94-011-5198-6_4

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