Abstract :In The Nomos of the Earth, a representative works of the international law written by the German jurist Carl Schmitt , the doctrine of the katechon is of great importance to understand the total construct of this book. The concept of the katechon plays a central role in Schmitt’s political theology, whose inherent connection with the Christianity in the Middle Ages is the key to understanding the analysis framework of this book. Since the image of the katechon appears in a few of Schmitt’s works, the ignorance of this detail will lead to great difficulties in grasping the theological foundation of his political thoughts. Endowing this concept of the katechon with the obvious nature of argument, Schmitt not only employs this theological image to resist the illusion of eschatology, but provides a powerful ideological weapon to stop all kinds of secularized eschatology as well. Centering around this core concept of katechon, this paper reviews its origin with theology in the Middle Ages , and its ideological connotations in Schmitt’s works.

Key words:The Nomos of the Earth; katechon; empire; political theology