Body Symbolism in the Bible

by Silvia Schroer, Thomas Staubli, Linda M. Maloney (Translator)

Many people with illnesses seek healing in religions and practices that are only weakly inculturated among us. Our understanding and use of such foreign wisdom is often just as superficial; but it is easily understood against the background of a centuries-long Christian tradition of interpreting the Bible in a way hostile to the body, particularly the female body.

In Body Symbolism in the Bible, Schroer and Staubli offer a better understanding of this subject by exploring the symbolism of various body parts in the Bible. They reinterpret and thereby reclaim the notion of the body as a temple of God so that regard for the body can lead to respect for the human rights of women and men. Exploring the topic through the lenses of theological anthropology and biblical spirituality, their presentation will surely add clarity to our understanding and generate future discussion.

Richly illustrated in full color.

249 pages, Paperback

First published December 1, 1998

Reviews

[Matt Calio · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book should be titled, “Body Symbolism in the Bible and Additional Ancient Near Eastern Texts” since the authors gave an incredible amount of historical context for understanding the body symbolism in the Bible but also for that time as well. This text was very helpful in understanding what is going on with the anthropomorphic language throughout the Bible and how it was used to convey truths of the living God.

[Jonah Wilson · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book provides a very helpful explanation of the way language of body symbolism appears in the Bible. The engagement with the Old Testament and its context is substantially more robust than that of the New Testament, though, which is a loss. I would have liked to see better NT engagement, or just focusing the book on the OT instead. But, still a valuable resource to which I will return!