God: An Anatomy

By: Francesca Stavrakopoulou

Narrated by: Francesca Stavrakopoulou

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.

Biblical Deity/Deities Not the Same as Modern One

I got this book after watching an episode of Mythvision, on which she was a guest. I loved the episode so got the book right away. I was delighted to see that the author narrates it herself. The book did not disappoint. It offers much evidence that the Biblical Deities are quite different from those being worshipped today. Although many claim to be worshipping the one true god, it seems more likely that no one is, which makes it all the more ironic that people take their religions so seriously.

Stunning

Sparks much curiosity and leads the reader to multiple wells of human understanding. Can’t wait to read into the resources discussed.

History blended with story

History can be boring She told a story that was important and taught me things I wished I had learned long ago.

Historically Significant

Why do we study history? To learn from the past. It is amazing that we (as human beings) continue to hold tight to the myths of the past for no other reason or purpose than to create the world that we want to live in. Our reality is crafted from the stories we have created to support it and oftentimes we have forgotten where the stories originated. This book gives us that deep dive into the historical significance of our views on the god we choose to create and believe in. This book will teach you how to see the anatomy of god clearly and what you decide after is up to you.

A great review of ancient history

The book does what it says on the cover. It describes the anatomical details of God and other ancient historical gods.

The evidence presented, by going back to original sources, presents a very different version of God.

Fascinating.