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Theology of the Body
Larchet traces the contours of this complex subject using Scripture and the Church Fathers. He situates the meaning and purpose of our bodies in the cosmic drama of salvation, without losing sight of the everyday activities that use and honor—or dishonor—the human body.
107 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2009
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176 people want to read
About the author
Jean-Claude Larchet
60 books68 followersJean-Claude Larchet, né le 9 août 1949 à Badonviller (Meurthe-et-Moselle), est un patrologue et théologien orthodoxe français.
Auteur de nombreux ouvrages publiés aux éditions du Cerf et traduits dans dix-neuf langues, il est notamment spécialiste de Maxime le Confesseur.
Auteur de nombreux ouvrages publiés aux éditions du Cerf et traduits dans dix-neuf langues, il est notamment spécialiste de Maxime le Confesseur.
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Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews
April 30, 2021
This book was exactly what I wanted--an introduction to theology of the human body from the perspective of the Fathers in particular. This book is more recent but mostly relies on primary sources and is heavily footnoted, making it a library within a book. I hope to come back to it when I have time to delve deeper into this topic. I realized that I have insecurities around my own body and also unhealthy views of others' bodies as ingrained into me by my cultures, and I wanted to challenge those views with a more biblical one. This was a good first step in that direction. Some notable quotes below.
"The advertisements that are everywhere in our streets and on our television screens cunningly foist on us a representation of the body in which it is deprived of any spiritual or personal dimension at all, and is instead reduced to being nothing more than its physical appearance. In a world left at the mercy of commercial forces, the body--especially the naked body--has become simply a means of arousing covetousness, by displacement onto the objects with which it is associated and from which it seems to benefit, being entirely placed at the service of the products whose sales it is being used to promote." (26)
(quoting Clement of Alexandria) "celibacy is not particularly praiseworthy unless it arises through love of God" (60)
"Others argue, more profoundly, that man was created in the image of Christ, the incarnate Word, God having foreseen from all eternity the incarnation of the Son." (22)
"The advertisements that are everywhere in our streets and on our television screens cunningly foist on us a representation of the body in which it is deprived of any spiritual or personal dimension at all, and is instead reduced to being nothing more than its physical appearance. In a world left at the mercy of commercial forces, the body--especially the naked body--has become simply a means of arousing covetousness, by displacement onto the objects with which it is associated and from which it seems to benefit, being entirely placed at the service of the products whose sales it is being used to promote." (26)
(quoting Clement of Alexandria) "celibacy is not particularly praiseworthy unless it arises through love of God" (60)
"Others argue, more profoundly, that man was created in the image of Christ, the incarnate Word, God having foreseen from all eternity the incarnation of the Son." (22)
September 13, 2018
An excellent, succinct summary of the Eastern fathers on the body, this work is weak only where the fathers themselves are weak: on the place of bodily pleasure.
July 17, 2025
An excellent introduction to the theology of the body. While the whole book is solid, his section on the body in its fallen state is noteworthy! Each page in this section leaves you with something to think about or explore further on your own. Perhaps his best work is in the section on the body in spiritual life. He makes a strong case that our lives are most impassioned and disordered when it comes to food and sexuality. His work on the resurrected body lacks the same kind detail found in the other sections of this book. Interestingly, I think this is a flaw in most books that tackle a theology of the body. While this section on the resurrected body is good, I was hoping for more here. Larchet is writing from an Orthodox perspective. As such, there are elements of his theology of the body that I do not agree with. Further, it seems his primary support is most often the church fathers before or in place of the Scripture. This does not mean he is lacking in Scriptural support, I just wish there was more of it. This is an easily recommendable book if you are looking for something that goes a little deeper than a popular level treatment on the theology of the body.
May 12, 2022
This is short but thoughtful engagement by an Orthodox patristics scholar with a topic normally exclusively addressed by Catholics. Like most Orthodox works, its methodology is basically a theology of retrieval, drawing from the fathers of the first eight centuries. Maximus especially features heavily in the analysis, particularly his reflections on how the soul, as it were, stamps or imprints the body and vice versa so that there is a shared character and mutual entwining of the two so that the resurrection necessarily entails a reintegration of particular souls and bodies - the deification of the body along with the soul (91).
I wish Larchet would have done more to make the discussion of sexuality and the passions more comprehensible for 'sex positive' modern readers. To note, as he does, that the fathers do not depreciate sex within marriage and yet at the same time that the sexual union between partners should happen without passion is confusing without some phenomenological description of that mode of sexual encounter. On the other hand, his description of how sexual passion inherently objectifies one's partner is striking: "Reduced by sexual passion to the generic, animal dimension of carnal sexuality, human beings become practically interchangeable, like so many objects" (68).
His descriptions of asceticism in the fathers are inspiring - especially the way in which the whole of the body is caught up into the mystery of redemption. In chrismation the whole body is anointed to signify that all parts of it are to be used to glorify Christ. And yet here again the problem is that it's abstract and altogether too briefly developed. Nonetheless there is so much that is helpful in this book, not least the reaffirmation that "original, authentic Christianity is, by its very nature, the one religion that values the body most of all....Indeed, it is seen in its conception of the human person as composed inextricably of soul and body, and who thus does not simply have a body but in part is a body, marked by all its spiritual qualities" (11).
I wish Larchet would have done more to make the discussion of sexuality and the passions more comprehensible for 'sex positive' modern readers. To note, as he does, that the fathers do not depreciate sex within marriage and yet at the same time that the sexual union between partners should happen without passion is confusing without some phenomenological description of that mode of sexual encounter. On the other hand, his description of how sexual passion inherently objectifies one's partner is striking: "Reduced by sexual passion to the generic, animal dimension of carnal sexuality, human beings become practically interchangeable, like so many objects" (68).
His descriptions of asceticism in the fathers are inspiring - especially the way in which the whole of the body is caught up into the mystery of redemption. In chrismation the whole body is anointed to signify that all parts of it are to be used to glorify Christ. And yet here again the problem is that it's abstract and altogether too briefly developed. Nonetheless there is so much that is helpful in this book, not least the reaffirmation that "original, authentic Christianity is, by its very nature, the one religion that values the body most of all....Indeed, it is seen in its conception of the human person as composed inextricably of soul and body, and who thus does not simply have a body but in part is a body, marked by all its spiritual qualities" (11).
December 17, 2017
Excellent primer on a Christian theology of the Body. The middle sections on virtue and asceticism, as well as the discussion of the role of the body in receiving the grace of the sacraments in the church are typical of Eastern Orthodox thought and practice. Though I do not hold the same views, I appreciate the terse, clear explanations given by Larchet.
April 10, 2018
This book is excellent! Jean-Claude Larchet is such a superb modern Orthodox writer, and very underrated in my opinion. Nothing groundbreaking here, really, just a very clear summary and explanation of the understanding of the body in Orthodox Christianity based on a broad reading of the Fathers. It is a very deep book but also still very accessible.
The book actually touches on much more than you might think. The state of man before and after the fall, the practice and goal of the spiritual life, the purpose of ascesis, and much more are covered in this relatively short book.
I will definitely be recommending it to others.
The book actually touches on much more than you might think. The state of man before and after the fall, the practice and goal of the spiritual life, the purpose of ascesis, and much more are covered in this relatively short book.
I will definitely be recommending it to others.
October 7, 2023
Really fascinating dive into understanding what it means to be a human being - body, soul and spirit. Drawing inspiration from the writings particularly of the early church fathers, it offers great insights into what it mens to be bodied, and how that impacts the spirit, looking at the effects of bodily desires and the way the spirit interacts with the world through the body - taking us from the fall through our salvation to our ultimate death and resurrection.
January 12, 2024
Father’s Of Roman Catholic Church Vision People Both Body & Soul From Conception. “Conception” A “Creation” Of ‘Soul’ A Person Is Not “Just Physical Matter.” We As Humans Creatures Alive On Earth Not Just A “Physical Essence Of Matter” Per A Secular View. “Body & Soul” is Respect For Life.
July 4, 2017
Wonderful continuation of Larchet's "Theology of Illness". Well researched, great set of Patristic references, and certainly within the ethos of Orthodox Christianity: contemporary and ancient.
June 5, 2017
The book is not a hard read and deals with the topic in a very condensed form. He holds to traditional Orthodox ideas and presents them with certainty. Because he sticks to traditional ideas, some who have questions about the tradition won't find answers here.
May 22, 2015
An excellent read.
Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews