In the Old Testament, God wrestles with a man (and loses). In the Talmud, God wriggles his toes to make thunder and takes human form to shave the king of Assyria. In the New Testament, God is made flesh and dwells among humans. For religious thinkers trained in Greek philosophy and its deep distaste for matter, sacred scripture can be distressing. A philosophically respectable God should be untainted by sensuality, yet the God of sacred texts is often embarrassingly sensual. Setting experts' minds at ease was neither easy nor simple, and often faith and logic were stretched to their limits. Focusing on examples from both Christian and Jewish sources, from the Bible to sources from the Late Middle Ages, Aviad Kleinberg examines the way Christian and Jewish philosophers, exegetes, and theologians attempted to reconcile God's supposed ineffability with numerous biblical and postbiblical accounts of seeing, hearing, smelling, touching, and even tasting the almighty. The conceptual entanglements ensnaring religious thinkers, and the strange, ingenious solutions they used to extricate themselves, tell us something profound about human needs and divine attributes, about faith, hope, and cognitive dissonance.

Aviad Kleinberg examines the way Christian and Jewish philosophers, exegetes, and theologians from the Bible to the late Middle Ages attempted to reconcile God's supposed ineffability with numerous biblical and postbiblical accounts of seeing, hearing, smelling, touching, and even tasting the almighty. The conceptual entanglements ensnaring religious thinkers, and the strange, ingenious solutions they used to extricate themselves, tell us something profound about human needs and divine attributes, about faith, hope, and cognitive dissonance.

About the Author
Aviad Kleinberg is a professor of history at Tel Aviv University. In his academic and popular works, he writes about the complex ways ideas and practices interact. His books include Seven Deadly Sins: A Very Partial List; Flesh Made Word: Saints' Stories and the Western Imagination; and Prophets in Their Own Country: Living Saints and the Making of Sainthood in the Later Middle Ages.

Reviews
The Sensual God is a fascinating study of various kinds of religious faith, written from the point of view of a skeptic who is nonetheless intrigued by faith, by the need for faith, and, primarily, by the sensual dimensions of faith and by the paradoxical aspects of these sensual dimensions. Written with vast erudition and rich with original perspectives, this work is a combination of a scholarly study and a playful personal essay. It excels in its intellectual and emotional curiosity. This book is a fierce provocation for believers and nonbelievers alike. -- Amos Oz, author of A Tale of Love and Darkness Aviad Kleinberg writes with ease and at times delightful humor, all the while expertly navigating between various ancient and modern texts, and substantiating his arguments with biblical examples. The Sensual God is a work of impressive erudition and a brilliant contribution to understanding the cultural givens that define how we understand 'God,' contradictions and all. -- Francoise Meltzer, University of Chicago A witty, profound, and highly original book on God and the senses in Judaism, Christianity, and other religions, in which Aviad Kleinberg combines an accessible and entertaining style of writing with truly immense learning in comparative religion -- Brian Stock, Etudes Augustiniennes, Paris, and Pontifical Institute of Mediaeval Studies, Toronto A fascinating study of unappreciated aspects of theology. Library Journal (starred review) A quirky and perceptive look at the psychology of religious belief... Highly recommended. Choice



Book Information
ISBN 9780231174701
Author Aviad Kleinberg
Format Hardback
Page Count 200
Imprint Columbia University Press
Publisher Columbia University Press