God: An Anatomy – Francesca Stavrakopoulou

The Not Old Better Show, Smithsonian Associates Interview Series

Welcome to The Not Old Better Show, Smithsonian Associates interview series here on our radio shows and podcasts.  I’m Paul Vogelzang and we have a really fantastic show today on what is among our most popular subjects: God.   and with a new guest, you’ll find fascinating: Dr. Francesca Stavrakopoulou, who’ll be appearing at Smithsonian Associates, Thursday, March 10, and more details in our show notes today and on our website.

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.

Dr. Francesca Stavrakopoulou has written a fascinating new book, “God: An Anatomy,” which we’ll be discussing today at length, as well as all aspects of Dr. Stavrakopoulou’s upcoming presentation at Smithsonian Associates.  

Please join me in welcoming to The Not Old Better Show Smithsonian Associates interview series, Dr. Francesca Stavrakopoulou

My thanks to Dr. Francesca Stavrakopoulou for her generous time today.  My thanks, as well to the Smithsonian team for all they do to support the show.  My thanks to you my wonderful Not Old Better Show audience…please be well, stay safe and remember, let’s talk about better…The Not Old Better Show.  Check out our website for details about our radio shows and all other free resources and recordings!  Thanks, everybody.  

For more details, please check the Smithsonian Associates website:  

https://smithsonianassociates.org/ticketing/tickets/god-anatomy