Listed in: Religion, as RELI-275
Rebecca Stephens Falcasantos (Section 01)
The body provides our first contact with the world and each other. It is also a tool of social formation and site of competition: meanings and ideologies are mapped onto the body through narrative, image, and practice. How does the experience of living, moving and breathing in a body affect the experience of worship, practices of Christian formation, and engagement with theological debates? How did ancient Christians understand this, and how do we?
This course explores these themes in the context of ancient Christianity (late first century through the sixth century). In our readings we will consider early Christian discussions about the connection between the body/flesh and the soul/spirit, as well as issues of embodiment (for example, dietary habits, education, ritual practices, and funerary care). We will also explore how the body featured within the politics of boundary formation, particularly in regard to distinguishing Christians from “Others,” to defining doctrinal orthodoxy, and to establishing hierarchies within Christian communities. These investigations require a close reading of our authors, but always with a view toward the world that informs the text and which the author of the text aims to shape. Consequently, our primary readings will be supplemented by secondary literature that provides historical grounding and theoretical perspectives.
Fall semester. Professor Falcasantos.
Section 01
Tu 01:00 PM - 02:20 PM CHAP 119
Th 01:00 PM - 02:20 PM CHAP 119
This is preliminary information about books for this course. Please contact your instructor or the Academic Coordinator for the department, before attempting to purchase these books.
ISBN | Title | Publisher | Author(s) | Comment | Book Store | Price |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Burden of the Flesh: Fasting and Sexuality in Early Christianity | Fortress Press (1998) | Shaw, Theresa | Required | Amherst Books | TBD | |
Divine Bodies: Resurrecting Perfection in the New Testament and Early Christianity | New Haven: Yale University Press (2019) | MOss, Candida | Required | Amherst Books | TBD |
These books are available locally at Amherst Books.