The Sacred Body

David Jasper is Professor of Literature and Theology at the University of Glasgow and is Distinguished Overseas Professor of Comparative Literature in the School of Liberal Arts at Renmin University of China.

Acknowledgements Illustrations Preface 1. Introduction: A Sunlit Landscape amid the Night of Non-Being 2. The Soul as Sacred Space 3. The Body, Sacred and Profane 4. The Word and the Body 5. Asceticism as a Way of Love with a Modern Excursus 6. Asceticism Imposed and Recovered: Velasquez, Martha and the Eyes of Faith 7. The Eucharistic Body in Literature and Modern Experience: George Herbert and Simone Weil 8. Holiness and the Resurrection Body: Meister Eckhart and James Joyce 9. Romanticism and the Recovery of the Sacred in Language 10. Towards Conclusions: Theological Possibilities Bibliography Index

"A beautiful, even inspired, book that weaves through art, literature, Scripture, and philosophy." --David E. Klemm, Professor of Modern Religious Thought, The University of Iowa "This deeply serious meditation contains fresh, often dazzling, interpretations of classical literature and painting. Quintessential Jasper--his best book yet." --George Newlands, Professor of Divinity, University of Glasgow ... heartily recommended for readers interested in intellectual and spiritual exploration. -- Eugene Webb, University of Washington -- Christianity and Literature David Jasper is a mighty theologian, and this short book... represents a serious, dense, and powerful contribution to contemporary theology--strong medicine indeed.... It is certainly a book that demands a second reading, and perhaps many more. -- Church Times [Jasper's] ability to draw the expected and unexpected partner into a conversation on the ascetic body is no mere clever or playful attempt to 'convince,' rather he invites the reader into the conversation to become part of the pursuit of a possibility for theology today. -- Paul M. Collins, University of Chidester -- The Journal of Theological Studies As an author, Jasper is not ashamed to bare his own life before the reader's eyes. His method is refreshingly frank in its idiosyncrasy: personal anecdotes are common, the personal pronoun is abundant, and the book as a whole has an artful, syncopated quality. -- Christian Scholar's Review