1st Edition

Bodies in Question Gender, Religion, Text

Edited By Yvonne Sherwood, Darlene Bird Copyright 2005
    214 Pages
    by Routledge

    214 Pages
    by Routledge

    Exploring a range of subjects from the human genome project to Kierkegaard's Fear and Trembling, the poetry of Jorie Graham to feminist Christian art, the contributors pose questions around the theme 'Body and Voice'. Questions raised include: 'Who speaks for the foetus and on what basis?'; 'What effect does the near-sacrifice of Isaac have on mother Sarah's body?'; and 'What do embodiment and gender mean for the resurrected body and Jesus's body?'

    Contents: Introduction: Gender, religion, text: body and voice (Körper und Kommunikation), Darlene Bird and Yvonne Sherwood. Part I Unexpected Women: When Johannes de Silentio sounds like Johanna de Silentio: strange harmonies and discords in the 'attunement' section of Fear and Trembling, Yvonne Sherwood; The feminine aspect of God in the Book of Bahir, Carola Goetzen-Krieg. Part II Indecent/Subversive Women: Symbolism and the power of art: female representations of Christ crucified, Julie Clague; Playing the whore: gender performance and basic instinct in Genesis 38, Sarah Nicholson. Part III Demonic/Angelic Women: The possession of women in Antiquity: stories of conflict, Gudrun Guttenberger; Women, magic and angels: on the emancipation of Job's daughters in the Apocryphal Testament of Job, Heike Omerzu. Part IV Techno Bodies: The power of potential bodies: theological responses to new reproductive technologies, Jacci Stoyle; CyberSex: David Cronenberg's vision of a bodily communion with technology, Jessica Lindohf. Part V The Question of the Body in Literature, Theology and Philosophy: Literature and theology: sex in the relationship, Heather Walton; The body in the text: Iris Murdoch's embodied writing style in The Sovereignty of Good, Marije Altorf. Part VI Future Bodies: The joy and sorrow of the flesh: Jorie Graham's 'At Luca Signorelli's Resurrection of the Body', Darlene Bird; 'Like angels in heaven': Mark's understanding of humanity in the new creation, Susan Miller; 'Fremdkörper' (alien body) or caro salutis est cardo? On the precise nature of Christ's body in Tertullian and his adversaries, Katharina Greschart. Index.

    Biography

    Darlene Bird works for the Subject Centre for Philosophical and Religious Studies, University of Leeds, UK Yvonne Sherwood is Senior Lecturer in Hebrew Bible and Jewish Studies at the University of Glasgow, UK.

    'This volume produces an interesting mixture of articles which indicate the width of contemporary explorations of body and gender issues in contextual theology.' Scripture Bulletin 'There are valuable and provocative passages in this collection.' Theological Book Review