Incorruptible Bodies - (Christianity in Late Antiquity) by Yonatan Moss

About the Book

"Incorruptible Bodies examines a fateful theological controversy that raged in the eastern Roman empire in the early sixth-century. The controversy, whose main participants were the anti-Chalcedonian leaders Severus of Antioch and Julian of Halicarnassus, centered on whether or not Jesus' body was corruptible prior to its resurrection from the dead. Viewing the controversy in light of late antiquity's multiple images of the 'body of Christ,' Yonatan Moss reveals the underlying political, ritual, and cultural stakes of this debate and its long-lasting effects"--Provided by publishe

Book Synopsis

In the early sixth-century eastern Roman empire, anti-Chalcedonian leaders Severus of Antioch and Julian of Halicarnassus debated the nature of Jesus's body: Was it corruptible prior to its resurrection from the dead? Viewing the controversy in light of late antiquity's multiple images of the 'body of Christ, ' Yonatan Moss reveals the underlying political, ritual, and cultural stakes and the long-lasting effects of this fateful theological debate. Incorruptible Bodies combines sophisticated historical methods with philological rigor and theological precision, bringing to light an important chapter in the history of Christianity.

From the Back Cover

"Incorruptible Bodies reveals the unappreciated significance of an episode in the sixth-century history of the Christian church and the work and legacy of Severus of Antioch, the leading anti-Chalcedonian theologian and churchman. Moss explores the bitterly debated question of the corruptibility of Christ's body during his earthly life in its many surprising facets, uncovering in the anti-Chalcedonian community a deep-rooted tension between the perfect ideal and the less-than-perfect reality, between idealism and pragmatism, and between exclusivism and inclusivism in imagining the one true church of Christ."--Lucas Van Rompay, Professor of Eastern Christianity, Duke University

"Yonatan Moss's groundbreaking study focuses on the writings of Severus of Antioch, the greatest theological thinker of the sixth century, and his disputes with Julian of Halicarnassus on the corruptibility of the body of Christ. Although some scholars marginalize their debates as so much hair-splitting, Moss shows convincingly that what is at stake is an argument about being intact, whether in relation to the physical body of Christ or to his social body as the one church. Incorruptible Bodies is a clearly written and deeply learned work that will be a milestone in sixth-century studies."--Iain R. Torrance, President Emeritus of Princeton Theological Seminary

"Drawing on a wide range of often difficult sources, Moss forces us to rethink how we understand the aftermath of the Council of Chalcedon. According to the traditional narrative, Severus of Antioch was a founding leader of the nascent anti-Chalcedonian Church. Moss, however, provocatively--and convincingly--argues that Severus was in point of fact opposed to separating from the Church of the Empire. This rich book exemplifies how to read against the received historical narrative."--Aaron Michael Butts, Assistant Professor at the Catholic University of America

Review Quotes

"Incorruptible Bodies represents the best aspects of many streams in the study of late ancient Christianity." -- "Reading Religion"

"An intelligent and comprehensive approach to the ecclesial perception of Christ's body, in the three facets discussed above, conveying something fundamental about the multilayered construct of the body in the early Christian centuries."-- "Journal of Religious History"

"Moss's detailed analysis of exiled anti-Chalcedonians has furnished us with a new key to the late antique understanding of authority."-- "Book Notes"

"Provides us with a new key to Severus of Antioch as a theologian and as a church politician. . . . extremely useful, learned and innovative book."-- "Journal of Ecclesiastical History"

"This brilliant monograph by Yonatan Moss is not only a fine study of Severus of Antioch, the greatest of the theological critics of Chalcedon, but in a bold and rather remarkable way offers a convincing account of wider aspects of the confusing landscape in the first half of the sixth century."-- "Church History and Religious Culture"

"This is a learned, bold and entirely constructive study of the sixth century. It builds on the foundation of an earlier generation which concentrated on close studies, and in a way that deserves much credit it now obliges us to reread texts that we thought we had understood."-- "Ecclesiology"

"This is an important book on patristic Christology, given Moss's methodological care, his modesty about his conclusions, and his exploration of less commonly used Syriac and Coptic sources... Recommended."-- "CHOICE"

"Yonatan Moss has written an engaging and important study."-- "Body & Religion"

About the Author

Yonatan Moss is a scholar at the Martin Buber Society of Fellows at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem where he teaches in the Department of Comparative Religion.