Walter Benjamin's Philosophy of History

What is Walter Benjamin's intention in his enigmatic on Philosophy of History'?' According to Benjamin's friend Gershom Scholem, Theses he accomplished his awakening from shock of pact.2 According to Scholem, Theses mark Benjamin's decisive break with materialism and a return to metaphysical-theological concerns of his early thought: What Theses have left in common with materialism is only ironic relation of termini technici'; frequently nothing remains of materialism except term itself.4 The secret core of theses is in fact, for Scholem, hope of a leap into transcendence.5 In support of his interpretation, Scholem cites first thesis, where Benjamin proposes an alliance between materialism and theology. Historical materialism must take its guidance from theology if it is to win day. History is likened to a chess game, where materialism appears to be in command, whereas in fact it is a mere puppet controlled by unseen hand of theology.6 On Scholem's reading of theses, angel of history (in thesis IX) cannot make whole again fragments of history, and therefore Benjamin must have resort, in last thesis, to Messiah, who alone can succeed where angel must fail-namely, in redemption of history.7 On this reading, Benjamin appears as a theologian manque, fighting to break out of materialistic categories, who finally forsakes angel of materialism for Messiah of Jewish theology. The Theses themselves present a very different face. In every one of theses, Benjamin gives impression of struggling to define true nature of materialism, as well as struggling to formulate his position in relation to historicism generally. Phrases such as the materialist knows this, historical materialists must be aware of that, run throughout Theses. In each of theses Benjamin