Napoleon takes the crown from the Pope
anecdote · historical anecdote ·
retold in 14 talks
Napoleon takes the crown from the Pope and places it on his own head; the Pope tells him he will fail at ruining Christianity because 'we Catholic institution have been trying to do this for years and didn't succeed'.
≤2000talks it is told in, per year2026
As told 13
“we Catholic institution are trying to do this to ruin Christianity for years, we didn't succeed so you will not.”
“the whole of Christianity as institution is a struggle not against the pagan tradition, but against its own excess.”
“papež se bliža s krono, Napoleon mu vzame krono iz rok in si jo sam posadi gor, in papež mu reče nekaj zelo modrega.”
What it carries
one story, many jobs: the ideas this anecdote is deployed to argue, one tally mark per use (an idea page shows the same relation from the other end, as its shelf of stories)
contents · one story, 4 jobsuses
heroic assumption of authority
×2
Christian atheism
×1
religion as fear of authentic religion
×1
Judeo-Christian legacy
×2
Its cast and sources
populated by
Jack Miles2Meister Eckhart3Napoleon6Richard Dawkins5Fyodor Dostoyevsky7Christopher Hitchens3Boris Gunjević2Paul Claudel4
alongside works
Every retelling 13
Napoleon takes the crown from the Pope and places it on his own head; the Pope tells him he will fail at ruining Christianity because 'we Catholic institution have been trying to do this for years and didn't succeed'., illustrating the true Christian experience survives being covered up by institutional dogma
At his coronation Napoleon took the crown from the Pope and placed it on his own head. The Pope, understanding the act, told Napoleon he knew he wanted to destroy Christianity, suggesting that Christianity as an institution is a struggle against its own excess., illustrating institution as defense against its own excess,Christianity / symbolic order
The Pope approaches with the crown, Napoleon takes it from his hands and crowns himself, and the Pope responds with 'something very wise', invoked in the context of the theology books., illustrating theology,authority and legitimacy
12:42 Slavoj Žižek on the Velvet Revolution and Vaclav Havel on Czech televisionpub. 2024-08-23 · 28:42
Napoleon takes the crown from the Pope and crowns himself; the Pope answers: you want to destroy Christianity, but we the Catholic Church have been doing that for 2000 years and haven't succeeded., illustrating religion of atheists,the Church institution against the Christian core
Napoleon took the crown from the Pope's hands and crowned himself; the Pope's comment was 'You want to destroy Christianity. Believe me you will not succeed. We the Church are trying to do it for years and we didn't succeed.', illustrating religion as fear of authentic religion
Napoleon took the crown from the Pope's hands and placed it on his own head; the Pope replied: 'Sire, I know what you want to do, you want to destroy Christianity. Believe me you will not succeed. We the Church have been trying to do this for years.' Illustrates the self-destructive excess within Christianity., illustrating Christianity's self-undermining,excess within institution,God as broken vessel