God An Anatomy, Francesca Stavrakopoulou
God An Anatomy, Francesca Stavrakopoulou
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God: An Anatomy

Author: Francesca Stavrakopoulou

Narrator: Francesca Stavrakopoulou

Unabridged: 15 hr 56 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Published: 01/25/2022

Synopsis

An astonishing and revelatory history that re-presents God as he was originally envisioned by ancient worshippers—with a distinctly male body, and with superhuman powers, earthly passions, and a penchant for the fantastic and monstrous.

"[A] rollicking journey through every aspect of Yahweh’s body, from top to bottom (yes, that too) and from inside out ... Ms. Stavrakopoulou has almost too much fun.”—The Economist        

The scholarship of theology and religion teaches us that the God of the Bible was without a body, only revealing himself in the Old Testament in words mysteriously uttered through his prophets, and in the New Testament in the body of Christ. The portrayal of God as corporeal and masculine is seen as merely metaphorical, figurative, or poetic. But, in this revelatory study, Francesca Stavrakopoulou presents a vividly corporeal image of God: a human-shaped deity who walks and talks and weeps and laughs, who eats, sleeps, feels, and breathes, and who is undeniably male.
 
Here is a portrait—arrived at through the author's close examination of and research into the Bible—of a god in ancient myths and rituals who was a product of a particular society, at a particular time, made in the image of the people who lived then, shaped by their own circumstances and experience of the world. From head to toe—and every part of the body in between—this is a god of stunning surprise and complexity, one we have never encountered before.

About The Author

FRANCESCA STAVRAKOPOULOU is a professor of Hebrew Bible and ancient religion at the University of Exeter. A graduate of Oxford University, her focus is in the history of ancient Israel and Judah--she has also worked in television on the BBC and Channel 4, presenting shows on the historicity of the Bible and the Hebrew Bible, the role of women in biblical times and the development of the biblical text. She lives in Exeter, England.

Reviews

Goodreads review by Paul on November 09, 2021

I really loved this book. Francesca Stavrakopoulou is a professor of Hebrew Bible and Ancient Religion at a British university who occasionally makes programmes for TV. In this book, she draws on her knowledge of Egyptian religion and other south-west Asian religions to help us understand the god of......more

Goodreads review by Viggo on October 23, 2021

Review from a none believer: A absolutely brilliant book! (I read it at the same time as I listened to the Professor herself read the book, so in one way I've read it twice.) It starts with a quote from Alice's Adventures In Wonderland, maps, a list of illustrations, a prologue and an introduction.......more

Goodreads review by Socraticgadfly on September 10, 2024

This was a great book in many ways, but a nagging issue, an overemphasis on one talking point, and what I believe is an incorrect interpretation of the Book of Job in the last chapter ultimately cost it a star. I’d rate this 3 1/2 if you let me be precise. (Since we can't do half stars, and the aver......more

Goodreads review by Alenka on January 29, 2022

I think it needs to be said that I am a Christian who came to believe in God pretty much on her own. With that out of the way one must say that this book stands for excellent scholarship and readable writing style. I would say it may only offend those who indeed take every word in the Bible as holy......more

Goodreads review by Tanja on January 16, 2024

This is a long, thorough book on what we know of the physical characteristics of the god of the old testament. Although most christians now see god as incorporeal, that is not how he was perceived when he was first conceived. Yahweh was a minor storm god and like the Greek gods, he definitely had a......more

Quotes

"A detailed and scrupulously researched book . . . [Stavrakopoulou] proceeds, in 21 chapters packed with knowledge and insight, to 'anatomize' the divinity from head to toe, starting with the 'standing stones' that marked the footsteps of deities in the Late Bronze and Early Iron Age and ending with images of God that enabled people to imagine that they were somehow communing with him 'face to face.'"—Karen Armstrong, The New York Times

“Brilliant . . . Fascinating . . . Boldly simple in concept, God: An Anatomy is stunning in its execution. It is a tour de force, a triumph, and I write this as one who disagrees with Stavrakopoulou both on broad theoretical grounds and one who finds himself engaged with her in one narrow textual spat after another . . .  Great fun to read . . . A stunning book.”—Jack Miles, Catholic Herald

“This book is a great rebel shout. . . [A] rollicking journey through every aspect of Yahweh’s body, from top to bottom (yes, that too) and from inside out . . . Ms. Stavrakopoulou has almost too much fun.”—The Economist

“In both Judaism and Christianity God is conceived as non-physical. In God: An Anatomy Francesca Stavrakopoulou shows that this was not yet so in the Bible, where God appears in a much more corporeal form. This provocative work will surprise and may shock, but it brings to light aspects of the biblical account of God that modern readers seldom appreciate.”—John Barton, author of A History of the Bible

"Good Lord, Stavrakopoulou touches that sweet spot that is scholarly, funny, visceral and heavenly. A revelation."—Adam Rutherford, author of A Brief History of Everyone Who Ever Lived

"One of the most remarkable historians and communicators working today."—Dan Snow, author of On This Day in History

"In Stavrakopoulou's stunning dissection of historical religious texts, the real back-story and context of the God of Judaism and Christianity is revealed . . . Where pious theologians have abstracted him into emptiness, Stavrakopolou gives him back his substance, and he’s so much more interesting in this bodily form! Both scholarly and accessible, and full of fascinating stories - I guarantee you’ll never think of this God the same way again."—Alice Roberts, author of Ancestors

"God: An Anatomy is a tour de force . . . Extraordinarily rich and nuanced . . . Stavrakopoulou has taken to heart the biblical injunction to seek the face of God, and what emerges is a deity more terrifyingly alive, more damaged, more compelling, more complex than we have encountered before. More human, you might say.”—New Humanist
 
“This is an extraordinary book. It’ll rewire your thinking, and it’s so readable you won’t notice till it’s too late.”—Tim Whitmarsh, author of Battling the Gods

“Well-researched . . . A refreshing look at ancient Scripture and the people behind it, reminding readers that the concept of ‘God’ in the 21st century is a world away from that of the earliest people of Israel. A challenging, engaging work of scholarship that sheds new light on ancient Hebrew conceptions of the divine.” —Kirkus Reviews

“Refreshing . . . The sheer amount of primary evidence examined is staggering . . . Excellent . . . Stavrakopoulou’s argumentation is intellectually penetrating, analytically robust, and sophisticated . . . Respectful and intrigued . . . Stavrakopoulou’s book, and her public-facing scholarship, demonstrate what makes an outstanding biblical scholar.”—Church Times

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