The Resurrection of the Body in Western Christianity, 200-1336 - (American Lectures on the History of Religions) by Caroline Walker Bynum

About the Book

A classic of medieval studies, this book traces ideas of death and resurrection in early and medieval Christianity. Caroline Walker Bynum explores problems of the body and identity in devotional and theological literature, suggesting that medieval attitudes toward the body still shape modern notions of the individual.

Book Synopsis

A classic of medieval studies, The Resurrection of the Body in Western Christianity, 200-1336 traces ideas of death and resurrection in early and medieval Christianity. Caroline Walker Bynum explores problems of the body and identity in devotional and theological literature, suggesting that medieval attitudes toward the body still shape modern notions of the individual. This expanded edition includes her 1995 article "Why All the Fuss About the Body? A Medievalist's Perspective," which takes a broader perspective on the book's themes. It also includes a new introduction that explores the context in which the book and article were written, as well as why the Middle Ages matter for how we think about the body and life after death today.

Review Quotes

[A] fascinating and wide-ranging account that tells us a lot about medieval thinking and practice.-- "New York Times Book Review"

A masterful work of intellectual history.-- "Publishers Weekly"

There are few historians of whom one can say that they have actually shifted some of the landscape of the writing of history in their own generation, but Bynum is one of them.-- "New Republic"

About the Author

Caroline Walker Bynum is University Professor Emerita at Columbia University and professor emerita of medieval European history at the Institute for Advanced Study. Her books include Holy Feast and Holy Fast: The Religious Significance of Food to Medieval Women(1987); Metamorphosis and Identity (2001); Wonderful Blood: Theology and Practice in Late Medieval Northern Germany and Beyond (2007); and Christian Materiality: An Essay on Religion in Late Medieval Europe (2011).