God Audiobook By Francesca Stavrakopoulou cover art

God

An Anatomy

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God

By: Francesca Stavrakopoulou
Narrated by: Francesca Stavrakopoulou
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An astonishing and revelatory history that re-presents God as he was originally envisioned by ancient worshippers - with a distinctly male body, and with superhuman powers, earthly passions, and a penchant for the fantastic and monstrous.

"[A] rollicking journey through every aspect of Yahweh’s body, from top to bottom (yes, that too) and from inside out ... Ms. Stavrakopoulou has almost too much fun.” (The Economist)

The scholarship of theology and religion teaches us that the God of the Bible was without a body, only revealing himself in the Old Testament in words mysteriously uttered through his prophets, and in the New Testament in the body of Christ. The portrayal of God as corporeal and masculine is seen as merely metaphorical, figurative, or poetic. But, in this revelatory study, Francesca Stavrakopoulou presents a vividly corporeal image of God: a human-shaped deity who walks and talks and weeps and laughs, who eats, sleeps, feels, and breathes, and who is undeniably male.

Here is a portrait - arrived at through the author's close examination of and research into the Bible - of a god in ancient myths and rituals who was a product of a particular society, at a particular time, made in the image of the people who lived then, shaped by their own circumstances and experience of the world. From head to toe - and every part of the body in between - this is a god of stunning surprise and complexity, one we have never encountered before.

©2021 Francesca Stavrakopoulou (P)2021 Random House Audio
Bible Study Bibles & Bible Study Biblical History & Culture Christianity Church & Church Leadership Historical Ministry & Evangelism Theology Mythology

Critic reviews

"A detailed and scrupulously researched book . . . [Stavrakopoulou] proceeds, in 21 chapters packed with knowledge and insight, to 'anatomize' the divinity from head to toe, starting with the 'standing stones' that marked the footsteps of deities in the Late Bronze and Early Iron Age and ending with images of God that enabled people to imagine that they were somehow communing with him 'face to face.'\"—Karen Armstrong, The New York Times

“Brilliant . . . Fascinating . . . Boldly simple in concept, God: An Anatomy is stunning in its execution. It is a tour de force, a triumph, and I write this as one who disagrees with Stavrakopoulou both on broad theoretical grounds and one who finds himself engaged with her in one narrow textual spat after another . . . Great fun to read . . . A stunning book.”—Jack Miles, Catholic Herald

“This book is a great rebel shout. . . [A] rollicking journey through every aspect of Yahweh’s body, from top to bottom (yes, that too) and from inside out . . . Ms. Stavrakopoulou has almost too much fun.”—The Economist

Scholarly Research • Historical Context • Clear Narration • Fascinating Journey • Thorough Examination
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I got this book after watching an episode of Mythvision, on which she was a guest. I loved the episode so got the book right away. I was delighted to see that the author narrates it herself. The book did not disappoint. It offers much evidence that the Biblical Deities are quite different from those being worshipped today. Although many claim to be worshipping the one true god, it seems more likely that no one is, which makes it all the more ironic that people take their religions so seriously.

Biblical Deity/Deities Not the Same as Modern One

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Sparks much curiosity and leads the reader to multiple wells of human understanding. Can’t wait to read into the resources discussed.

Stunning

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History can be boring She told a story that was important and taught me things I wished I had learned long ago.

History blended with story

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Narration was easy to listen and comprehend. Truly inspirational. I appreciate the way the writer weaved in daily practices of our ancient ancestors. Thank you!

Amazing!

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I loved it and I would recommend this book to anyone whether Christian or atheist or whatever. Great book.

Wonderful

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I love books that take on scriptural analysis from an etymologic and historical perspective. The presentation is entertaining and engaging but I found the reader to be hard to follow.

Fun

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Loved it will listen again. I saw her on a YouTube channel in a interview

The historical evidence

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This book taught me so much about the history of the deity Yahweh. I think everyone should read this book

Very insightful

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The book does what it says on the cover. It describes the anatomical details of God and other ancient historical gods.

The evidence presented, by going back to original sources, presents a very different version of God.

Fascinating.

A great review of ancient history

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Why do we study history? To learn from the past. It is amazing that we (as human beings) continue to hold tight to the myths of the past for no other reason or purpose than to create the world that we want to live in. Our reality is crafted from the stories we have created to support it and oftentimes we have forgotten where the stories originated. This book gives us that deep dive into the historical significance of our views on the god we choose to create and believe in. This book will teach you how to see the anatomy of god clearly and what you decide after is up to you.

Historically Significant

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