The Resurrection of the Body in Western Christianity, 200-1336

by Caroline Walker Bynum

Bynum examines several periods between the 3rd and 14th centuries in which discussions of the body were central to Western eschatology, and suggests that Western attitudes toward the body that arose from these discussions still undergird our modern notions of the individual. He explores the "plethora of ideas about resurrection in patristic and medieval literature--the metaphors, tropes, and arguments in which the ideas were garbed, their context and their consequences," in order to understand human life after death.

Genres: History, Religion, Theology, Nonfiction, Medieval History, Christianity, Medieval

384 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1995

About the author

Caroline Walker Bynum is Professor emerita of Medieval European History at the Institute for Advanced Study, and University Professor emerita at Columbia University in the City of New York. She studies the religious ideas and practices of the European Middle Ages from late antiquity to the sixteenth century.

Reviews

[Steve · Rating 5 out of 5]

The pivot for the argument of this books is 1 Corinthians 15, where the apostle Paul describes the body laid in the grave as a seed. The analogy serves to stress that what will be raised to life will be more than what was laid in the grave. We move from death to life, but also from a natural body to a
glorified state. However, Romans 6-8 stresses that this new birth and resurrection has already begun in the life of a christian. Out of this sprung notions of immortality and that of the soul, or a spiritual resurrection and the bodily resurrection. But in all of this, what of the person? Where is the continuity?

Bynum supplies a detailed and careful study of the development of different understandings from 200AD to 1336 (Dante). The standard view has become that this period downplayed the phsyical resurrection in favour of the immortality of the soul in "heaven". Bynum shows this to be in error.

Paul's "seed" argument becomes a point of contention, some fearing that it be misunderstood as meaning the resurrection is to a new form of life - rather than a resurrection of what was laid to rest.

Bynum concludes, "The study of religious language I have carried out suggests, however a different story. Images of the resurrection body in thirteenth and fourteenth century scholastic discourse, hagiography, poetry, and art seemed to make it more crucial and integral to self than ever before . Body is a beloved bride, rewarded with gifts particular to her because of her experience and merits on earth; it is a flowering plant or the perduring container that organizes flux; body is the expression of soul, it's overflow, the gesture that manifests souls intention." (319)

She goes on to describe how the theologians of this period "make soul unabashedly somatamorphic.." and technical theological discussion from the period "stresses the wholeness of the final person (including the restored person in hell) more than ever before.."

[Denise Kettering · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book traces the notion of the resurrection of the body over the course of the early church and into the medieval period, following in close detail the changes that took place in the presentation of the idea and the way that different theologians wrestled with it. At times, the book becomes almost overwhelming in detail and some of the writing could be more straightforward. However, this book is a worthwhile read for those interested in the conversation around body and soul and how to engage the historical theology on this point in Christian history. As with all of Bynum's work, it is meticulously researched and cogently presented.

[Lily · Rating 4 out of 5]

For some reason I got really into this, I guess because it provokes bizarre and interesting questions about what happens to the body when it goes to heaven? What is the role of the body in eternity and prior to it? This great, impossible contradiction is explored in regurgitation, eating and defecating, and identity: does the body change sexes? does it go to heaven at a perfect age? without scars? Tracing metaphors and ideas over time, this was strange, interesting, and conceptual.

[H. Frances · Rating 5 out of 5]

Routine Bynum reader, once again thrilled. A sincere approach to history and people of history--never over-skeptical, intentionally approaching thought as it was experienced and felt then. A genuine interest in understanding what was, devoid of the modern urge to criticize based on deviance from modern thinking. Marvelous as ever.

[Laura Hellsten · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting yet not that readable with the many detailed changes of such a large time-frame.

[Briana Wipf · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really interesting. Bynum somehow manages to make theological debates compelling.

[Doris Raines · Rating 3 out of 5]

THIS IS A NICE BOOK.

[Jill · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really well-reasoned and documented history of thought. Fairly readable (aside from the footnotes...unless you're fluent in medieval Latin) and engaging.

[Reader · Rating 5 out of 5]

I fucking love everything this Dr. prof. Bynum writes. My hero

[Christopher Smith · Rating 3 out of 5]

Bynum is not the most lucid writer. Labyrinthine sentences and scattershot paragraphs make the argument difficult to follow. The reader is left with the arduous task of parsing out the different lines of argument. But the issues the book discusses are interesting, and her methodology is more interesting still.

The most useful part of the book, in my opinion, was Bynum's explanation of why the most useful point of entry into an abstract theory is to look at the concrete metaphors used to illustrate it. Such images “can guide us to the unspoken assumptions, especially the unspoken inconsistencies and conflicts,” behind the theory (7). Because “they are offhand and oblique,” they also communicate more “speculation or intuition” than is usually allowed in formal theorizing (7-8).

I would add that most human reasoning is analogical. We humans comprehend new ideas by connecting or comparing them to things we already know. For a theory to be "thinkable," there have to be apt analogical resources in the existing stock of knowledge and experience. The analogies used to explain a theory thus help us understand the imaginative tissue from which it is constructed.

[Chris · Rating 3 out of 5]

What interests Bynum is her theologians' metaphors. What is resurrection like, and thus, what problem is it addressing? She doesn't have a thesis here so much as a collection of images, so this is less of a monograph like Holy Feast, Holy Fast than a survey. Nevertheless, she has a clear preference for metaphors that make space for flux and transformation, and is disappointed when they don't appear.

As a collection, I found this insightful and helpful. It isn't particularly accessible to non-specialists or incisive for specialists, but I learned a great deal and enjoyed the journey.

[Paul · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this about five years ago and would love to find the time to read it again. Bynum's discussion of theological concepts is simply inspiring - lucid, challenging, even exciting. I know very little about theology as a field of knowledge, but I found I was able to approach this fascinating topic as an amateur with some interest in Catholicism, medieval history and literature, and a smattering of philosophy.

Though the focus of this book is clearly in the medieval period (though it spans an apparently unwieldy period of over 1000 years), you'll find yourself making connections far beyond the 14th century. Strongly recommended for those who are up for a bit of a challenge - and a huge reward.

[Pirate]

We used much of this book for a History of Medicine class I took in college. I thoroughly enjoyed the class and bought the book a few years ago because I wanted to better understand the topic. Finally finishing the book while also reading Luther and it's re-igniting my love of medieval theology.

[Kristen · Rating 2 out of 5]

Ughhhhhhhhhhhh. Basically just throwing a bunch of evidence at you and it gets real old real quick.