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.

©2021 Francesca Stavrakopoulou (P)2021 Random House Audio

Critic reviews

"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

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.

Amazing!

Narration was easy to listen and comprehend. Truly inspirational. I appreciate the way the writer weaved in daily practices of our ancient ancestors. Thank you!

Wonderful

I loved it and I would recommend this book to anyone whether Christian or atheist or whatever. Great book.

Fun

I love books that take on scriptural analysis from an etymologic and historical perspective. The presentation is entertaining and engaging but I found the reader to be hard to follow.

The historical evidence

Loved it will listen again. I saw her on a YouTube channel in a interview

GREAT READ!!

God : An Anatomy by Professor Francesca Stavrakopoulou is an examination of the archeological and historical origins of the deity who eventually came to be worshiped by 3 major world faiths, Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. It mostly covers the history of Yahweh, the God of Israel and Judah, and then of Christianity around the world.

Three thousand years ago, in the Levant area we now call Israel and Palestine, a group of people worshipped a complex pantheon of deities, led by a father god called El. El had seventy children, who were each gods in their own right. One of them, a minor storm deity known as Yahweh. He had a body, a wife, offspring, pets, colleagues, and this is a story of how he evolved to become a monotheistic deity who, in time would be merged with his larger, and much better historically documented father El, for whom Israel was named.

The book goes into Canaanite recorded history of the early pantheon, then into the Proto Hebrew stories of the early Torah regarding "The God of the People of Israel". How this God had a body, all the same parts we have now since we were to have been "created in his image" and the early stories that described the anatomy of their deity and the importance of each body part.

Francesca Stavrakopoulou is Professor of Hebrew Bible and Ancient Religion at the University of Exeter in Great Britain and is an expert in the history of all the deities and faiths of the Levant region. And for anyone who is interested in a more rounded and complete history of one of the most important beings to millions of worshipers around the world, this book is a good start.

A solid 5 out of 5 read!

God and Goddesses are human

A fascinating look at religion’s “Gods/Goddesses” from a very human point of view, their bodies and their bodily functions. The Gods are human after all.

Very educational

I thought it was good. It gave me a good point of view and reinforced my belief that I am a atheist.

Totally unique and well executed

This is an epic work, both the research, writing and narration. I found it to be compelling, educational and entertaining. Also, a fantastic job by the author with her narration.