This article responds to the question of the ‘implicit and presupposed theological turn of phenomenology’ by providing a close
reading of Jacques Derrida’s
Le Toucher—Jean-Luc Nancy (2000 French/2005 English translation), particularly concerning what Derrida alludes to as ‘the Christian thinking of the
flesh’ in the French phenomenological tradition post-Husserl. In reading Derrida’s own text, the article identifies and then
performs a ‘cryptonomy’ of references to the ‘Christian body,’ and of the ‘return of religion.’ The article also focuses on
the more recent writings of Jean-Luc Nancy, especially
Corpus (2000 French), concerning the body and its relationship to the concept of corporality (
Leiblichkeit) from Husserl’s
Ideas II.
Keywords Derrida Nancy - Husserl - Heidegger - Abraham - Torok - Religion - Phenomenology - Crytonomy - Flesh - Body - Humanism - Christianism - Christianity