The theological enemy is conceived as irreducibly carnal yet strangely bodiless

Evidence

In Shylock’s case, at any rate, the body of the Jew who, making both “breed as fast,” “cannot tell” whether “gold and silver” are as “ewes and rams” (MV, 1.3.92-93), fails to ensure its own carnality, the reproduction of its own flesh. … As such, Shylock could be said to constitute a peculiar body, one that is also devoid of body, devoid of flesh. … Standing for the letter of the law, for a reading “according to the flesh,” Shylock seems to lack a reliable and convincing body-”I never felt it till now” (MV, 3.1.81-82). … He stands for the embodiment of the law and justice while lacking both. “Is that the law?” he finally asks. The theological enemy is also the failure to master the flesh. — Gil Anidjar, The Jew, the Arab, 543

Categorization

• DEFINE: Introduces the theoretical claim that the Jew-as-enemy is defined by a paradox: embodiment of the letter/flesh while lacking a convincing body.