One of the areas that I’m interested in is that of the resurrection. Not just the resurrection of Jesus, but the final resurrection from the dead. Divine Bodies: Resurrecting Perfection in the New New Testament and Early Christianity by Candida Moss is an interesting addition to scholarship on this topic.
One of the most helpful things about this book is that Moss points out that there is a lot of talk about resurrection bodies without much reflection on what that will look like. When there is reflection, it is often based on assumptions that are not found in the Bible.
I especially liked her chapter that deals with disabilities and the resurrection. Many funerals talk about how all traces of disability disappear in the resurrection. But there is a growing number of scholars suggesting that there may be some representation of disability in the resurrection.
There will be parts of this book that will make some feel uncomfortable. For example, Moss discusses the role of genitals in the resurrection. Will they be there? If so, why? Are they for decoration or for use? I don’t think there will be intercourse in the resurrection but it is an interesting topic to consider.
I definitely didn’t agree with every interpretation that Moss presents. Still, this relatively short book is interesting and it asks good questions. It can be a useful part of a wider study on the resurrection.
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that your god forbid the disabled entering into its temple doesn’t bode well for them entering heaven.
“But there is a growing number of scholars suggesting that there may be some representation of disability in the resurrection.”
Aka a bunch of people’s opinions with no evidence for them at all.