Body
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€17.50
The Body and the Spirit, though, roughly speaking, being in the same place they are almost always separated from each other in Christian thought.
The body is painted as something bad, frail, coarsely corporeal and ruled by "the flesh" (which is always pronounced with parental disdain, as if it were a bad influence on an otherwise good child). Whereas the Spirit is pure, lofty, and Good, and that you can only really connect with God with what is inside.
But is it fair to separate 'Spirituality' from the Body?
Following up 'Heaven', her bestselling and highly praised look at how we see heaven and how the Bible depicts it, Paula Gooder explores key Biblical concepts of the Body before moving on to examine what Paul taught in the New Testament. That actually we need to take a different look at what is meant by the Body.
With careful scholarship, thoughtful reflection on Biblical passages, and an stylistic approach like that of 'Heaven', which The Times Literary Supplement called "a fine example of careful biblical scholarship made accessible and exciting", Body isn't just a book for the brain.
Neither is it a book to feed the Spirit.
It's a book for the person.
The whole person.
Dr Paula Gooder is Canon Chancellor at St Paul's Cathedral and a writer and lecturer in Biblical Studies. Her research areas focus on the writings of the apostle Paul, with a particular focus on 2 Corinthians and on Paul's understanding of the body. Her publications include Heaven, Body: Biblical spirituality for the whole person and Searching for Meaning: An introduction to interpreting the New Testament.