Belly and Body in the Pauline Epistles
Belly and Body in the Pauline Epistles
The belly is today a matter of much concern. Modern cultures, particularly in the West, have developed means to cultivate this part of the body: corsets, exercises, revealing fashions. In this compelling exploration of the 'belly' motif, Karl Olav Sandnes asks whether St Paul might be addressing a culture in which the stomach is similarly high on the agenda. The result is a surprising new insight into his writings. Paul twice mentions the enigmatic phrase 'belly-worship' (Phil 3; Rom 16). The proper context for these texts is the moral philosophy debate about mastering the desires, and the reputation of Epicurus' philosophy as promoting indulgence. The belly became a catchword for a life controlled by pleasures. Belly-worship was not only pejorative rhetoric, but developed from Paul's conviction that the body was destined to a future with Christ.
- Compelling exploration of the 'belly' motif
- Overlaps with 'body studies' and relevant aspects of modern cultural studies
- Surprising new insights into the writings of St Paul
Reviews & endorsements
"Belly and Body in the Pauline Epistles is a well-argued and informative volume on a neglected portion of Paul's writing. Sandnes's Greco-Roman contextual examination is extensive and thought-provoking...This volume will be of interest to anyone considering Pauline ethics." Journal of Biblical Literature
"In this superbly researched and persuasively argued monograph, Sandnes demonstrates that the language of the belly found in the Pauline letters is firmly rooted in the Hellenistic world, especially in the philosophical discussion of the mastery of the desires....This study is a masterful analysis of the belly topos in Paul's letters....This work is an important secondary source for anyone who is interested in Paul's letters, especially in the context of his appropriation of the principles, language, and topoi of Hellenistic moral philosophy." Catholic Biblical Quarterly
Product details
January 2005Adobe eBook Reader
9780511030437
0 pages
0kg
This ISBN is for an eBook version which is distributed on our behalf by a third party.
Table of Contents
- Abbreviations
- Part I. Prolegomena:
- 1. Introduction, previous solutions, method and Pauline context
- Part II. The Graeco-Roman Belly:
- 2. The belly as a sign - ancient physiognomics
- 3. The belly in ancient moral philosophy
- 4. Ancient critique of Epicureanism
- 5. Banquets - opportunities for the belly
- Part III. The Appropriated Belly:
- 6. The belly-topos in Jewish-Hellenistic sources
- 7. The belly in Philo's writings
- Part IV. Belly-Worship and Body According to Paul:
- 8. The lifestyle of citizens of the heavenly Politeuma - Phil 3:17–21
- 9. 'Serving the belly' as kinship with Satan - Rom 16:17–20
- 10. The Corinthian belly
- Part V. The Earliest Expositors of Paul:
- 11. The belly-dicta of Paul in Patristic literature
- Part VI. Conclusions:
- 12. Concluding remarks
- Bibliography
- Indices.
