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Book Reviews

Book Reviews Religion & Th eology 14 (2007) 395–399 www.brill.nl/rt & Religion Theology © Koninklijke Brill NV, Leiden, 2007 DOI: 10.1163/157430107X241357 Book Reviews Bodies and Souls, or Spirited Bodies? Human Nature at the Intersection. By N. Murphy, et al. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2006. Pp. x + 154. GBP 12.99 (Paperback). ISBN: 0521676762. Th e strength of the (competing) ancient Greek philosophical anthropologies is such that now, some three millennia later, they still dominate thought in Western and Western-influenced soci- eties on the nature of humanity and eternity. Th e success of this (always debated) interpretative framework may in part be ascribed to its translatability into changed cultural matrixes, a phe- nomenon we see in the way it has, across the twenty Christian centuries, often been understood, mediated most particularly by Augustine and Aquinas, to be inherent to the biblical literature itself. Th is book thus touches on a theme that remains relevant. Th e tension between dualism and bodily resurrection as alternative views on the hereafter remains an inherent part of modern Christianity, in modern times also touched by non-transcendental possibilities. In this very readable book, Murphy touches on a range of perspectives from which the exis- tence or not of a ‘soul’, as a separate, eternal entity which is part of the human constitution, may be viewed. Th eology and the Bible are the expected sources for such perspectives within the Christian tradition; however, she also draws on physics, evolutionary biology, and neuroscience. Murphy’s evangelical leanings (she teaches at the famous Fuller Th eological Seminary) show most clearly in the way she relates to the Bible. She looks for a ‘teaching’ from the Bible (but to her credit, does not force the divergent texts into one choir). Her reliance on secondary sources on the biblical literature, which she acknowledges, certainly detracts from the quality of her writing. When she writes more philosophically and systematic-theologically, she is clearly more at home. A summary of her points of orientation is found on p.22: the psychophysical unity of the human being; the bodily resurrection as preferable to an immortal soul; and the importance of relationships (within the church, and with God). In the rest of the book she expands these points, negotiating her way well between the two dangers of modern scientism and theological esotericism. Strangely, on pages 33–34 Murphy gets a quote from Harold Bloom’s Th e American Religion (New York: Simon & Shuster, 1992) wrong. More dispiritingly, though, is that she follows a modern trend of seeking convergence between nature and God in quantum physics (131–132), in continuing her argument for the possibility of divine action in the world. Quantum physics will not save God for a world steeped in the referential framework of the natural sciences. God as the ganz Andere remains a superior option. As a whole, though, this book (published in the Current Issues in Th eology series) is a valuable addition to the growing body of literature on the definition of humanity in our time. Th e pasto- ral applications for this book should also not be overlooked! Christo Lombaard Department of Christian Spirituality, Church History and Missiology University of South Africa PO Box 392, Pretoria, 0003 Republic of South Africa lombacjs@unisa.ac.za http://www.deepdyve.com/assets/images/DeepDyve-Logo-lg.png Religion and Theology Brill

Book Reviews

Lombaard, Christo
Religion and Theology , Volume 14 (3-4): 395 – Jan 1, 2007
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Publisher
Brill
Copyright
© 2007 Koninklijke Brill NV, Leiden, The Netherlands
ISSN
1023-0807
eISSN
1574-3012
DOI
10.1163/102308012X13397496506866
Publisher site
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Abstract

Religion & Th eology 14 (2007) 395–399 www.brill.nl/rt & Religion Theology © Koninklijke Brill NV, Leiden, 2007 DOI: 10.1163/157430107X241357 Book Reviews Bodies and Souls, or Spirited Bodies? Human Nature at the Intersection. By N. Murphy, et al. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2006. Pp. x + 154. GBP 12.99 (Paperback). ISBN: 0521676762. Th e strength of the (competing) ancient Greek philosophical anthropologies is such that now, some three millennia later, they still dominate thought in Western and Western-influenced soci- eties on the nature of humanity and eternity. Th e success of this (always debated) interpretative framework may in part be ascribed to its translatability into changed cultural matrixes, a phe- nomenon we see in the way it has, across the twenty Christian centuries, often been understood, mediated most particularly by Augustine and Aquinas, to be inherent to the biblical literature itself. Th is book thus touches on a theme that remains relevant. Th e tension between dualism and bodily resurrection as alternative views on the hereafter remains an inherent part of modern Christianity, in modern times also touched by non-transcendental possibilities. In this very readable book, Murphy touches on a range of perspectives from which the exis- tence or not of a ‘soul’, as a separate, eternal entity which is part of the human constitution, may be viewed. Th eology and the Bible are the expected sources for such perspectives within the Christian tradition; however, she also draws on physics, evolutionary biology, and neuroscience. Murphy’s evangelical leanings (she teaches at the famous Fuller Th eological Seminary) show most clearly in the way she relates to the Bible. She looks for a ‘teaching’ from the Bible (but to her credit, does not force the divergent texts into one choir). Her reliance on secondary sources on the biblical literature, which she acknowledges, certainly detracts from the quality of her writing. When she writes more philosophically and systematic-theologically, she is clearly more at home. A summary of her points of orientation is found on p.22: the psychophysical unity of the human being; the bodily resurrection as preferable to an immortal soul; and the importance of relationships (within the church, and with God). In the rest of the book she expands these points, negotiating her way well between the two dangers of modern scientism and theological esotericism. Strangely, on pages 33–34 Murphy gets a quote from Harold Bloom’s Th e American Religion (New York: Simon & Shuster, 1992) wrong. More dispiritingly, though, is that she follows a modern trend of seeking convergence between nature and God in quantum physics (131–132), in continuing her argument for the possibility of divine action in the world. Quantum physics will not save God for a world steeped in the referential framework of the natural sciences. God as the ganz Andere remains a superior option. As a whole, though, this book (published in the Current Issues in Th eology series) is a valuable addition to the growing body of literature on the definition of humanity in our time. Th e pasto- ral applications for this book should also not be overlooked! Christo Lombaard Department of Christian Spirituality, Church History and Missiology University of South Africa PO Box 392, Pretoria, 0003 Republic of South Africa lombacjs@unisa.ac.za

Journal

Religion and Theology – Brill

Published: Jan 1, 2007

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