Heavenly Bodies

Does Christianity scorn our bodies? Friedrich Nietzsche thought so - and many others since him have thought the same. But, says Ola Sigurdson, Christianity understood properly in fact affirms human embodiment. Presenting his constructive contributions to theology in relation to both historical and contemporary conceptions of the body, Sigurdson begins by investigating the anthropological implications of the doctrine of the incarnation. He then delves into the concept of the gaze and discusses a specifically Christian "gaze of faith" that focuses on God embodied in Jesus. Finally, he brings everything together to present a contemporary Christian theology of embodiment. This profound engagement with the whole history of Christian life and thought not only elucidates the spectrum of Christian perspectives on the body but also models a way of thinking historically and systematically that other theologians will find stimulating and challenging.