Theology of Resistance in ‘Babel’ by R.F. Kuang
Babel is an alternate historical fantasy novel in which British imperialism is fueled by the use of magical silver bars imbued with the power of language. It follows the journey of Robin, a Chinese-born immigrant to Britain who has been sponsored by a wealthy Oxford professor to help with the work of translation. Language, it turns out, contains the power of an empire, and Robin stands at the crossroads of imperialism and translation.
Babel masterfully examines questions of language and power in the context of imperialism and colonialism. Robin is faced with dramatic choices to resist the power of the empire against the realities of immigration and racism in industrial Britain. He slowly becomes disillusioned with the illustrious Oxford University as the impact of colonialism becomes clear.
“The university ripped us from our homes and made us believe that our futures could only consist of serving the Crown,” said Robin. “The university tells us we are special, chosen, selected, when really we are severed from our motherlands and raised within spitting distance of a class we can never truly become a part of. The university turned us against our own and made us believe our only options were complicity or the streets.” (Kindle, 415)
Through Robin’s eyes, the reader is asked, “What value do people of colour have to the powers of the empire?” The answer: They are tools to be used, pawns for the expansion of the empire. They hold no value of their own.
This post will explore the theology of the empire and resistance against oppressive forces through the fiction work of Babel.
The Empire as Enemy
The Tower of Babel, the book’s namesake, is an excellent example of the hubris of humanity aiming to become like God on their own terms. In Genesis 11, the people decided to build a tower that would reach the heavens. According to the Ancient Near Eastern worldview, the closer one was to the heavens, the closer one was to the gods. The implication is clear: humans wished to become gods.
With the scattering of the nations at the Tower of Babel, Babylon is set up as the empire to beat. Of course, there are other empires, too—Egypt, Assyria, and Mesopotamia. But Babylon takes the cake. It is Babylon that is painted as the final enemy as it exiles the Jews from their homeland.
Babylon is the archetypal empire in Scripture.
Babel carefully deconstructs this notion of humans becoming gods. Britain is cast as the destructive empire of Babylon driven by greed, self-importance, and ambition to rival the gods. However, Robin discovers that the men of Oxford are just men; they were no more united in their knowledge and hubris than the scattered Tower of Babel.
With this realization comes the inkling that the empire might be dismantled. It’s a dangerous thought that results in destruction and violence.
Language was always the companion of empire, and as such, together they begin, grow, and flourish. And later, together, they fall. (Kindle, 3)
The threat of the empire is an ancient one, and it’s a theological question that the Bible spends considerable time answering.
In the book of Daniel, God reassures his people that, for all its power and bluster, Babylon will not endure. Despite all his might, Nebachudnezzar, the king of the empire, is brought low by his hubris as he is cursed to behave like an animal for seven years (Dan. 7). Babylon then falls overnight to the conquering Medes and Persians after their doom was literally written on the wall (Dan. 8).
The message is clear: Babylon will not stand against the eternal God.
Much later, in the book of Revelation, Babylon is depicted as a drunk prostitute who has consumed the blood of the faithful people of God. She is “the great city that has royal power over the kings of the earth” (Rev. 17:18). Her fall from power is mourned by all who profit from her.
“The merchants of the earth will weep and mourn over her because no one buys their cargoes anymore—cargoes of gold, silver, precious stones and pearls; fine linen, purple, silk and scarlet cloth; every sort of citron wood, and articles of every kind made of ivory, costly wood, bronze, iron and marble; cargoes of cinnamon and spice, of incense, myrrh and frankincense, of wine and olive oil, of fine flour and wheat; cattle and sheep; horses and carriages; and human beings sold as slaves. They will say, ‘The fruit you longed for is gone from you. All your luxury and splendor have vanished, never to be recovered.” (Rev. 18:11-14)
While the merchants, kings, and those who profit from the empire mourn, the people of God rejoice at the empire’s demise.
After this I heard what sounded like the roar of a great multitude in heaven shouting: “Hallelujah! Salvation and glory and power belong to our God, for true and just are his judgments. He has condemned the great prostitute who corrupted the earth by her adulteries. He has avenged on her the blood of his servants.” (Rev. 19:1-2)
The empire will not last against the might of God’s justice.
Identifying with the Empire
One might ask why empires are so bad… aren’t they the vehicle of military, educational, and industrialized advances?
In Babel, knowledge and language are the weapons used to extract wealth and control of the colonies, and this is supported in the name of progress for all. Initially, Robin doesn’t see this as a negative thing; having primarily grown up in England, he sees himself as more English than Chinese. Oxford is his home, and his fellow students are his family.
His assumptions are gradually challenged, particularly by his friendships with Ramy, an immigrant from South India, and Victoire, a native Haitian, and by the underground network of resistance sneaking beneath the university’s nose.
“You have such great fear of freedom, brother. It’s shackling you. You’ve identified so hard with the colonizer, you think that any threat to them is a threat to you.” (Kindle, 217)
When the Israelites left Egypt in the Exodus, they had only known oppression. And yet, as they wandered without food and water, they cried out to God to return them to Egypt, because there at least they had the stability of roofs over their heads and food on their tables (c.f. Ex. 16:2-3).
When they were later exiled to Babylon, many Jews chose to remain in Babylon instead of returning home, thus creating the Jewish diaspora (Est. 2:2:5-6, Neh. 1:1-2).
It is easier to identify with the empire than to resist it. This is true in Israel’s history, global history, and Robin’s personal history.
The Empire’s Exploitation
It’s no surprise that the empire exploits its resources in the name of progress. That’s all that humans are—resources. As events unfold, Robin realizes
That they were all expendable. That this tower—this place where they ahd for the first time found belongin—treasured and loved them when they were alive and useful but didn’t, in fact, care about them at all. That they were, in the end, only vessels for the language they spoke. (Kindle, 201)
Those who sit at the bottom of the social hierarchy are most aware of this disturbing fact. This is true in every imperial system—in Egypt, Babylon, Rome, and Britain. The book of Revelation describes those who mourn the destruction of the empire because they have lost their resources.
However, God is not blind to the horrors of oppression. This is what makes the Exodus story so powerful.
God heard their groaning, and God remembered his covenant with Abraham, with Isaac, and with Jacob. God saw the Israelites, and God knew. (Ex. 2:24-25).
Biblical theology declares God’s immense love for his creation. It states that all of creation, including humans, are valued and cared for. Jesus says, “Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they?” (Matt. 6:26)
The exploitation of the empire is wrong, period. God cares for his creation and declares them worth his time and attention. Humans are not resources; they are his very images meant to proclaim his presence and character to the world (Gen. 1:28).
Resistance to the Empire
Robin journeys from an optimistic student to a leader of the revolution against imperial Britain. He reaches a breaking point, beyond which there is no return.
There was no pretending anymore, no hiding in their supposedly safe corner of the world while unimaginable cruelty and exploitation carried on beyond. There was only the vast, frightening web of the colonial empire, and the demands of justice to resist it. (Kindle, 350)
The final act of the book attempts to answer the question of how best to overthrow the empire. Clearly, action must be taken. But what action can topple an intricate network of commerce and wealth and grind it all to a halt?
In the biblical narrative, we see several people who are truth-telling revolutionaries, though the revolution does not always end as anticipated.
Moses confronts Pharaoh, and Pharaoh eventually concedes to letting go the entire enslaved Hebrew populace (Ex. 3-14).
The prophets speak truth to the corrupt kingdoms of Israel and the ancient world. They entreat the people to repent. By and large, they were unsuccessful. Israel is carted off into exile by an imperial power. But then, you might point to Daniel and say that he was entirely successful in teaching the kings of emperors that they were beholden to the God of the Universe (Dan. 4-9).
Finally, Jesus’ resistance against imperial powers resulted in his being killed by them. In a shocking turn of events, Jesus doesn’t defeat the empire, at least not by physical military means. By submitting to the powers, he defeated the final power, that is, Death.
Thus, the power of the empire crumbles.
Is Violence Necessary for Revolution?
The subtitle of the book is “Or the Necessity of Violence.” It asks a significant question about the nature of revolution: Is violence always necessary?
Robin’s revolution is demonstrated by violence. He’s challenged on his pursuit of vengeance by his friends and colleagues. His motives for rebellion are questioned.
“But what you’re doing here is not self-defence; it has trespassed into malice. Your violence is personal, it is vindictive, and this I cannot support.” (Kindle, 498)
There have been many responses to the question of violence in Christian history. The Just War theory lists criteria by which war is justified. Pacifism states that no violence is justified. Martyrdom chooses self-sacrifice as its political statement. Liberation theology says that God will one day execute justice on the oppressors.
Jesus, living in imperial Rome, suggests that subservience subverts the system. He taught his disciples to turn the other cheek and to walk the extra mile (Matt. 5:38-40). I realize that these verses have been used to support martyrdom, often in harmful ways.
Instead, I might suggest that Jesus advocated for actions that subtly shamed the oppressors. If one turned the other cheek, they opened themselves up to a backhand slap—a truly shameful act in the first century. Backhanded hits indicated a deep contempt for the person who was being abused.(1)
Walking the extra mile went above and beyond the imperial law, which stated that any Roman soldier could ask any citizen to carry their equipment for only one mile. Walking an extra mile garnered the respect of the oppressor.(2)
So is violence necessary for revolution?
Jesus said no. But this doesn’t mean that injustices slide by without repercussions. Jesus defeats death by dying, thereby stripping violence of its power, for violence is simply a threat of death.
Conclusion
Babel is a remarkable book with tremendous insight into the powers of the empire and the struggle for the inherent worth of immigrants and foreigners.
It asks us questions about the use of power: Do we use power for our own sake without considering who else might be affected or hurt by it?
It asks questions about the overthrow of power: How will the evil powers of the empire be cast down? What role can we play?
Ultimately, it asks questions about what we believe about God: Does God see oppression, and will he respond?
Babel forces a reckoning. It invokes themes of justice and, for Christians, the hope of redemption in a God who has responded to the powers of evil —he submitted to the powers, was killed by them, and then rose again to defeat them all by defeating Death itself.
Footnotes
NIV Background Study Bible, Matt. 5:39.
NIVBSB, Matt. 5:41.
