Material Mystery: The Flesh of the World in Three Mythic Bodies

Material Mystery examines three anthropocentric Abrahamic religious myths, highlighting their human-centered theology and anthropomorphic God. However, Karmen MacKendrick suggests reading these figures through the tradition of Wisdom as a creative force, which gathers philosophical influences from various traditions and interprets each human-like figure as an interdependent part of the material world, combining matter and divinity. This mythic reading complements our factual understanding and engages wider kinds of knowing and affective attention.

Format: Hardback
Length: 224 pages
Publication date: 17 August 2021
Publisher: Fordham University Press

Material Mystery delves into three seemingly anthropocentric myths that hold significant importance within Abrahamic religions. These myths revolve around the primal human, the incarnated and potentially divine redeemer, and the resurrected body. At first glance, these narratives seem to reinforce a human-centered theology, portraying a God that is remarkably anthropomorphic. However, it is possible, as demonstrated by Carmen MacKendrick, to interpret these figures through a distinct tradition originating from the Hebrew Bible, known as the tradition of Wisdom as a creative force. Wisdom texts are prevalent throughout the ancient Near East, and as the concept of creative Wisdom evolves from antiquity to the Middle Ages, it draws philosophical influences from various philosophical traditions. This rich amalgamation of intellectual, artistic, and theological influences creates a realm of new interpretive possibilities. In these interpretations, each human-like figure becomes an interconnected part of the world's matter, blending seamlessly with divinity. Such mythic readings enrich our factual, scientific understanding of the material world, enabling us to engage in broader forms of knowing and emotional attention, particularly the harmonious blend of care and delight embodied by Wisdom.

Dimension: 229 x 152 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9780823294541