Philosophy of "the body"

[chrisbainbridge]

My wife is a vicar and doing a dissertation o for her BA.  Her supervisor has asked for some more philosophy.

Her dissertation is basically on how the old testament  views the body -Shema and hw the high view of the body is validated by the corporal incarnation of Jesus and then the resurrection to a bodily form.  however the church has forgotten the three fold view of a human being as body mind and spirit rarely talking about the body.

She is finishing then with a discussion of how the church could change and especially vicars try to live this out better in their own lives (their contracts are archaic!).

She is looking for some philosophical work on how views of the physical body have changed perhaps over the last couple of centuries and especially anything about recent changes especially in view of eating disorders, narcissism in instagram selfies, etc


Thank you and have a wonderful Easter

[ijsbrand]

The classic text on this probably would be Peter Brown's The Body and Society; Men, Women and Sexual Renunciation in Early Christianity. Even though that focuses on the early Christians, and even concludes they borrowed many of their ideas from previous cultures.

And I could name Simon Blackburn's Lust as a book on more contemporary notions -- and then especially the chapter ‘The Christian Panic’.

[Canardly]

The Mormons have some interesting ideas on the sanctity of the body in the here and now and thereafter.

[Cudzoziemiec]

Might Graeme otp have some relevant ideas here from his "physical exercise as worship" thing?

On a side track, you mention archaic contracts; is it true that vicars in the C of E are regarded in law as having no earthly employer, their employer in the eyes of the law being God?

[woollypigs]

All I can say is that Jesus must have been a biiiiiiiiig fella. Since so many Christians are still eating the body of Christ after 2000 years, every Sunday.

But then again I might be on the wrong donkey and misunderstood something

[The French Tandem]

He was certainly a special kind of alien, since priests sometimes become drunk after drinking his blood 

[hellymedic]

The Mormons have some interesting ideas on the sanctity of the body in the here and now and thereafter.

As do the Jews.
Most body art (piercings & tattoos) is forbidden.
The dead are to be cleaned and buried intact, to facilitate resurrection. Few really believed in resurrection. 'The dead do not worship The Lord'...

[Graeme]

Oooooh! Exciting topic.

Funnily enough, today I shared with the church in Welton a bit about last year's Easter Arrow. (And we're hosting a few audaxes this year too)

I'll have a look through my books and see if there is anything useful. Not that I have an extensive library.

[Graeme]

Have you got a copy of 'Body: biblical spirituality for the whole person' by Paula Gooder? There​ is a useful looking bibliography.

[Graeme]

... and I keep typing ...

I engaged with neo-platonic views of the body/soul and perhaps that it what her supervisor is looking for? If that isn't too presumptuous of me. (Your wife's dissertation will be deeper than my short independent learning project.)

I'd be really interested in reading her work when it's finished.

[Andrij]

Some acquaintances might be able to help, but are rather busy these next few days.  Will write again asap.

[chrisbainbridge]

Hi Graeme

i just did 100k today but thought of our time last year and the moments of reflection.  Did not actually stop but went through the events as I rode.

Phyllis has Body: biblical spirituality for the whole person' by Paula Gooder thank you and is using that as a start to access the bibliography.  She now needs a short section with more up to date philosophy .

We are two weeks from the handing in stage and at the going through the supervisor comments!!

ijsbrand, thank you.  both ordered

[drossall]

Paula Gooder is pretty up to date? I was listening to her this week.

I think much of this is beyond my ken, but the division of body, soul and spirit has strong Greek influences. I would say that recent teaching has rediscovered a high view of the body by recognising this. You could try NT Wright, for example.

[chrisbainbridge]

drossall, thank you.  Gooder is lightweight unfortunately in terms of a dissertation but a good source of primary bibliography.  NT Wright is brilliant.  I love his writings and Phyllis has already got a lot of those in.