“A necessary companion piece to Violence and the Sacred for those interested in Girard’s grand theory of society and human nature. . . . Girard expounds his vision of the foundational place of mimesis, violence, and scapegoating for all human cultures. . . . More forcefully stated here than elsewhere is Girard’s conviction that his thesis is merely an uncovering of the message heretofore buried in the Christian scriptures.”—Virginia Quarterly Review