The political theology of private law

Abstract

The political theology of law has historically been treated as a facet of public law. The character angelicus of the sovereign and the mystic body of the realm bespeak the dual character of the polity rather than of the person. This paper argues that these public facets of legality are but a secondary effect of a private 'oeconomy', of the ghostly powers that invisibly govern the regimen animarum, the rule of the soul. © The Author 2013. Oxford University Press and New York University School of Law. All rights reserved.