Richard's Reviews > God: An Anatomy

I'm exceptionally torn about this book, in a way I'm often usually not. Stavrakopolou is exceptionally learned; her knowledge of South-West Asian cultures, Levantine history, Ugarit scripture and Jewish folklore is second-to-none. She really does have an excellent grip on these cultures, or at least what has been left of them. However, she consistently seems to fall down flat when it comes to actual theological analysis. She constantly speaks of how the concept of a bodily God has always been present within the Bible insofar as God actually, physically having a body for believers in these ancient times. I just don't see it as correct; it is eisegesis at best, and downright misleading at worst.

Stavrakopolou's problem, and one of all writers trying to write on any philosophical, scientific or theological matter, is that she is anti-confessional in a particularly unhelpful way. She characterised and stereotypes people within the Bible (especially Paul, where I think her analysis the weakest) means that she often has a warped view of what the scenes actually mean in praxis as to belief. Her problem with Paul is that she is completely obsessed with the idea that Paul thought that Christ was going to come back to Earth IMMEDIATELY. 1 Thessalonians is literally scorning those who believed that Christ was coming directly back to Earth, thus neglecting their Earthly duties. Paul rages against them; so, STOP!

Her initial observation within the book is that she was 'sick and tired' of all of her theology teachers at university brushing over God's body as some form of deception to detract away from 'the very real' body of God. And I won't deny that there are teachers who do also 'cloud' things they don't like to try and get their point across, but there is a reasonable point to be had that God's body is ephemeral. Rather than being exceptionally literalist (as alas Stavrakopolou is on so many occasions), I think it is always important to take an allegorical edge on Biblical exegesis. The point of God's body was that it was a function of texts humanising that which is non-understandable. It was, to steal from the ideas of Maimonides, that cultural function which allows us to relate on an intimate level something which could be so alienating as the concept of God.

Where Stavrakopolou's genius lies is in her brilliance as a history writer. She knows the texts inside-out and backwards insofar as South-West Asian cultures are concerned. She has a very keen eye for social analysis, as well as archaeological analysis- managing to relate all sorts of things, such as statues and scriptures. I liked in particular her examination of storying-identity within icons made by Mesopotamian cultures; like the depictions of Enki as a very powerful warrior.

All in all: fascinating, but alas flawed. If I could give two ratings, I would give 5 for detail, but a 2 for analysis.