Riddled with inconsistencies, Christian doctrine in the West often maintains an ambiguous relationship between the body and Christianity. Historically, the ways in which some theologians perceived bodies perpetuated harmful practices and systemic injustices. Tertullian cautioned, “If the flesh is not God’s creation, if it was not really sanctified by the Incarnation, and if it can have no part in eternal life, then it is a thing of no account… and it then seems to be a matter of opinion whether it should be maltreated with excessive rigorism or equally maltreated by allowing it unbridled license.” The writings of Saint Augustine were used, not long ago, in scholarly and popular writing to induce body hatred and self-loathing. These authors portrayed Augustine as a mind-body dualist, who denigrates the body as mere instrument and negatively elevates the body as a conduit of …show more content…
Miles’ foundational work, Augustine on the Body, this paper seeks to offer a reading of Augustine on the body in the Enarrationes in Psalmos. Although Miles never cites the Enarrationes, this paper contends that through the Enarrationes Miles’ original thesis ought to be affirmed and expanded upon. The argument is arranged in three parts:
Addressing key points, the first section will offer a reading of Margaret Miles original thesis.
In light of the reading of Miles’s thesis, the second section will offer a reading of Augustine on the body in the Enarrationes.
The third section will analyze Miles’s original contention with respect to the Enarrationes.
In this way, the paper concludes to assert that through both a highly variable treatment of the body and also a relatively consistent distinction between an ordinary and a metaphysical treatment of the body within the Enarrationes in Psalmos, Saint Augustine’s writings offer hope for the reconciliation of the body in contemporary Christian discourse.
II. Reading Margaret Miles: Augustine on the