Spectres of YHWH: some hauntological remarks on Lamentations 3

Abstract

In this article, the author offers a brief hauntological perspective on Lamentations 3. After discussing some of the rudiments of the relevant type of Derridean philosophy of history/literature, the hauntological layers of Lamentations 3 are extracted by way of reconstructive informal philosophical commentary. This is followed by a closer look at the representation of Yhwh in Lamentations 3 as a spectre in the Derridean sense of the word. The conclusion is that, from the perspective of hauntology, Lamentations 3 is a good example of ancient spectral theology.