The Humiliation of the Word

“Western people no longer hear; everything is grasped by sight. They no longer speak; they show.” -- Jacques Ellul


Well-known for his many books on sociology and theology, Jacques Ellul creatively braids these two strands together in this provocative examination of how reality (which is visual) has superseded truth (which is verbal) in modern times. Ellul explores biblical texts for distinguishing visual cultural forms from the communicative (divine and human) Word, then
examines how this distinction plays out with the rise of audiovisual media in the 20th-century West. Even in human speech, visual forms dominate contemporary life and devalue the word; this insight informs discussion of the image/word clash in religion, politics, and art. After a scathing critique of present-day idolatry, Ellul places his hope for nonviolent community in the fragile spoken word. Ultimately, Ellul sees the Bible as presenting a hopeful vision of reconciliation—between visual reality and spoken truth.

A new afterword by Jacob Marques Rollison contextualizes Ellul’s stance within French postmodern thought, illuminating Humiliation of the Word as an outspokenly “Protestant communication ethic” in contemporary philosophical and theological discussions of language.

Jacques Ellul (1912-94) was a French law professor, social theorist, and lay theologian, teaching at the University of Bordeaux, France. Among his 58 published books, his best-known works include The Technological Society, Propaganda, and Presence in the Modern World.

Ted Lewis (Editor) is a restorative justice consultant and trainer for the Center for Restorative Justice & Peacemaking (University of Minnesota). He lives in Duluth, Minnesota, where he runs the Agapé Peace Center.



Jacob Marques Rollison is an independent scholar living in Strasbourg, France. He is the author of A New Reading of Jacques Ellul: Presence and Communication in the Postmodern World (2020). He has recently translated Ellul's two-volume ethical treatise, To Will & To Do."