This is a fascinating collection of essays ... The collection of works by these scholars associated with the Kingâs College in London offers readers a vivid portrait of current approaches to the interpretation of biblical texts and texts rooted in the biblical world.
Journal of Theological Studies
This is not only an important volume but also a quite enjoyable read with interesting and sometimes surprising insights ... The editor and the authors have produced an important work providing new and significant insights on numerous body-related issues. The work is heartily recommended for anyone interested in biblical studies, ancient Judaism, and early Christianity. It is hoped that the contributors to this volume will continue to enrich the scholarly community with new studies on the body.
- Joshua Schwartz, Bar-Ilan University, Ramat-Gan, Israel, Review of Biblical Literature
Not only is its textual scopewide ranging (Leviticus to Josephus and Ezekiel to Thecla), the techniques deployed in the analysis are similarly diverse. Whether it is through discussions of Frankensteinâs monster or via the application of Foucault philosophy, the reader has much with which to engage. Thus, what emerges is actually a very interdisciplinary volume, and what makes the book succeed is the sheer variety of material consulted.
- David M. Allen, The Queen's Foundation Birmingham, Reviews in Religion and Theology
The book is nicely balanced and covers depictions of the body from biblical to rabbinical thought ... I was able to use the volume as an accessible reference tool. The book as a whole is original in scope ... Michelle Fletcher in chapter 8 provides an innovative and comparative analysis of the whore of Babylon alongside Frankenstein's monsters ... The volumes provides a wealth of material and it is certain to encourage and renew interest into this fascination and under-researched area of work.
- Jessica Keady, University of Chester, UK, Journal of Semitic Studies
The body is an entity on which religious ideology is printed. Thus it is frequently a subject of interest, anxiety, prescription and regulation in both the Hebrew Bible and the New Testament, as well as in early Christian and Jewish writings. Issues such as the body's age, purity, sickness, ability, gender, sexual actions, marking, clothing, modesty or placement can revolve around what the body is and is not supposed to be or do.
The Body in Biblical, Christian and Jewish Texts comprises a range of inter-disciplinary and creative explorations of the body as it is described and defined in religious literature, with chapters largely written by new scholars with fresh perspectives. This is a subject with wide and important repercussions in diverse cultural contexts today.
Contents
List of Figures
List of Abbreviations
Notes on Contributors
Introduction - Joan E. Taylor, King's College London, UK
1: The Body Inscribed: A Priestly Initiative - Sandra Jacobs, King's College London, UK
2: Queering the Body: Un-desiring Sex in Leviticus - Steffan Mathias, King's College London, UK
3. Ritualized Bodies in the Valley of Dry Bones (Ezek 37.1-14) - Casey Strine, University of Sheffield, UK
4. âTwo by twoâ: The Ark-etypal Language of Markâs Apostolic Pairings - Joan Taylor, King's College London, UK
5. Jesusâ Gentile healings: The Absence of Physical Contact and the Requirement of Faith - Rebecca Harrocks, King's College London, UK
6. âThis is my Bodyâ: Jewish Blessing or Thyestean Banquet? - Katie Turner, King's College London, UK
7. How are the Dead Raised? The Resurrection of the Dead as a Bodily Phenomenon in Second Temple Jewish Writings - Daniel Hayter, King's College London, UK
8. Flesh for Franken-whore: Reading Babylonâs Body in Revelation 17 - Michelle Fletcher, King's College London, UK
9. Can a Body Change? Josephusâ Attitude to Circumcision and Conversion - Davina Grojnowski, King's College London, UK
10. The Acts of Paul and Thecla: Violating the Inviolate Body â Thecla Uncut - Rosie Ratcliffe, King's College London, UK
11. The Fire and the Flesh: Self-Destruction of the Male Rabbinic Body - Laliv Clenman, King's College London, UK
Bibliography
Index