Overview

Holy Body: Gender and Sexual Difference in Theological Anthropology and Ecclesiology argues that all bodies across sexual difference are procreative. The author lays the ground for her argument with chapters that summarize the current debate over the gender binary in theology, modern scientific evidence about sexual difference, philosophical arguments about gender as a social construction, the development of the gender binary in Christian history, and the effects of the gender binary today. With this foundation laid, Brianne Bell Jacobs argues for a theological anthropology in which all bodies, by performatively expanding who is loved, are generative. Then, in the context of Roman Catholic ecclesiology, Jacobs argues again that all bodies are generative. She calls for an ordained priesthood in mutual relationship with the priesthood of the baptized, in which both are given meaning beyond the gender binary, and in which both are able together to generate the Body of Christ in the church and the Eucharist. In response to the harms of patriarchy, sexualized racism, homophobia, and sexual abuse, this book presents a Roman Catholic theology that affirms we are each of us, and together, a life-giving and holy body.

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9781666971248

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Reviews

In this crisp, critical, multidisciplinary analysis of gender, Brianne Bell Jacobs marshals the data of science, social analysis and philosophy, and integrates them with history and theory, to construct a balanced anthropology and ecclesiology. This penetrating yet accessible scholarly work presents “body” as a key metaphor for personal and ecclesial spirituality in our time: that we may be one. This work is required reading for understanding today’s church. -- Roger Haight S.J., Union Theological Seminary I scarcely have words to express my appreciation for Brianne Bell Jacobs’s brilliant, incisive, and inspiring work. Combining wide scholarship, moral passion, and a rare delight in the power and beauty of language, her book lays the foundation for a life-giving paradigm shift in Catholic theology regarding gender, sex, and the body. For many it will be a life-line to renewed faith. -- Robert Ellsberg, publisher, Orbis Books Holy Body is both a sure-footed guide through the thickets of gender theology and theory, and a compelling vision of the possibilities within Catholic thought for a recast theology of the body with grace at its heart. Sure to command interest within and beyond Roman Catholicism, Jacobs gently exposes myths and misunderstandings about the body and gender, and presents a forthright and progressive alternative to standard conservative thought about both. -- Adrian Thatcher, University of Exeter, UK Holy Body is a thoughtful, thorough, and engaging treatment of the connection between theological anthropology and ecclesiology in a genuine, intersectional feminist key. Jacobs pushes the fields of gender studies, ecclesiology, and feminist theology to new insights and fresh understandings of love, generativity, and communion. -- Natalia Imperatori-Lee, Manhattan College

Author Information

Brianne Bell Jacobs is assistant professor of theology and religious studies and coordinator of women and gender studies at Emmanuel College in Boston.

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