Scientific Article Published in Prestigious International Journal The Heythrop Journal

Assoc. Prof. Zoran Turza, Ph.D., from the Department of Theology at the Catholic University of Croatia, and Assist. Prof. Antun Pavešković, Ph.D., Scientific Advisor with Permanent Appointment, have co-authored a scholarly article published in the renowned international journal The Heythrop Journal. This journal is issued by the distinguished publishing house Wiley-Blackwell, well known for producing highly peer-reviewed publications in philosophy, theology, and the humanities and social sciences.

In their article Loving Mimesis and the Theology of Imago Dei: The Journey from Proto-Subject to Subjectivity, the authors explore the relationship between imitation (mimesis), love, and human subjectivity. Their work draws on René Girard’s theory of mimetic desire and its reinterpretation through the work of American theorist Rebecca Adams.

Girard is known for his theory that humans imitate not only the behavior but also the desires of others, with the mechanism of the scapegoat at the center of his explanation of the origins of societal violence. In contrast, Adams proposes the concept of “loving mimesis” – a positive form of imitation that does not lead to violence but to the recognition of the dignity of the other. The authors critically examine this proposal and further develop it, showing that the fundamental condition for such loving mimesis can only be realized within the Christian theological understanding of the human person as imago Dei – created in the image of God.

The central thesis of the article is that the human desire for the fullness of subjectivity can only be fulfilled when directed toward God as the true Model, who does not objectify the human person but loves them and wills their fullness. This dynamic is most fully revealed in Christ, who through His sacrifice on the Cross does not affirm the logic of the scapegoat mechanism but exposes and abolishes it – opening the possibility of a new relationship among people grounded in love and the recognition of the subjectivity of the other.

Congratulations to the authors on behalf of our University community!