God: An Anatomy

Christianity teaches us that the biblical God 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 Bible’s frequent portrayal of God as corporeal and masculine is seen as a metaphorical, figurative, or poetic construct. But in a talk that draws on her revelatory studies, ancient religions expert Francesca Stavrakopoulou presents a vividly corporeal image of the biblical God: This is a human-shaped deity who walks and talks and weeps and laughs; who eats, sleeps, feels, and breathes; and who is undeniably male.

Stavrakopoulou, a graduate of Oxford University and a professor of Hebrew Bible and ancient religion at the University of Exeter, has closely examined and researched the portrayal of God’s body in the Bible, and shown how this deity was originally understood by his worshippers in the biblical world. God was created in the image of the people who lived then, a product of a particular society at a particular time, and shaped by their own circumstances and experience of the world. This reclaimed image of God may change how we think about religion, our bodies, and our humanity.

Stavrakopoulou’s book God: An Anatomy (Knopf) is available for purchase.

Book Sale Information

• Purchase your copy of God: An Anatomy by Francesca Stavrakopoulou here.
• SPECIAL NOTE: Politics and Prose is offering a 10% discount to Smithsonian Associates ticket-holders. To claim your discount, enter the code SPECIAL10 (no space between letters and numbers) in the “Coupon discount” section on Politics and Prose's check-out page.

Patron Information

• If you register multiple individuals, you will be asked to supply individual names and email addresses so they can receive a Zoom link email. Please note that if there is a change in program schedule or a cancellation, we will notify you via email, and it will be your responsibility to notify other registrants in your group.
• Unless otherwise noted, registration for streaming programs typically closes two hours prior to the start time on the date of the program.
• Once registered, patrons should receive an automatic email confirmation from CustomerService@SmithsonianAssociates.org.
• Separate Zoom link information will be emailed closer to the date of the program. If you do not receive your Zoom link information 24 hours prior to the start of the program, please email Customer Service for assistance.
• View Common FAQs about our Streaming Programs on Zoom.