Ep86. Appalling Bodies, Joseph A. Marchal

Love Rinse Repeat

"Paul is probably the least interesting thing about Paul’s letters." I sat down with Joseph Marchal to talk the way his book reaches past questions of what Paul 'thought' (or how his texts can be read in 'inclusive' ways) toward far more fascinating queer figures before and after his letters: "androgynes, eunuchs, slaves, and barbarians—each depicted as perversely gendered and strangely embodied figures in their own distinctive, though interrelated ways”. We discuss his intentionally anachronistic style of juxtaposition, and how this leads his work on 1 Corinthians 11 and Paul's concerns about the women prophesying, to considerations of ancient figures of androgyny and contemporary work on female masculinity. And much, much more!

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Joseph A. Marchal is Professor of Religious Studies at Ball State University. Dr Marchal teaches introductory religious studies courses, a range of biblical studies courses, as well as more advanced seminars on bodies and religions, and theories for religious studies. He is particularly passionate about introducing students to the ancient contexts of biblical texts and, then, helping them reflect upon their relevance for more recent cultures (including our own). This passion extends to his research, focused particularly on the dynamics of gender, sexuality, ethnicity, and empire and the audiences of Paul's letters.

Dr. Marchal has published three books and edited two others on these topics, alongside eighteen book chapters, and twelve articles in a wide variety of journals for biblical and religious studies, including: Journal of Biblical Literature, Biblical Interpretation, Journal of Feminist Studies in Religion, Culture and Religion, Journal for the Study of the New Testament, Theology and Sexuality, and Bible and Critical Theory.

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