Deleuze, Guattari and the Machine in Early Christianity

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Deleuze, Guattari and the Machine in Early Christianity: Schizoanalysis, Affect and Multiplicity ✍️ Bradley H. McLean In this thought-provoking work, Bradley H. McLean applies the radical philosophical framework of Gilles Deleuze and Félix Guattari to the study of early Christianity, offering a schizoanalytic interpretation of its development. McLean explores how early Christian movements can be understood as assemblages of desire, affect, and multiplicity, rather than as static doctrinal structures. Drawing on Deleuze and Guattari’s theories of deterritorialization, machinic assemblages, and becoming, he reinterprets key aspects of early Christian history—such as Pauline theology, Christian communities, and martyrdom—through the lens of affective flows and social machines. This book challenges traditional historiographical methods by emphasizing fluid, non-hierarchical connections within early Christian groups, highlighting how desire and multiplicity shaped their evolution. By merging continental philosophy with biblical studies, McLean offers an original and innovative approach that speaks to scholars of religion, philosophy, and critical theory, making a case for the ongoing relevance of schizoanalysis in the study of historical religious formations.