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Theology of the Body

In: Religion Topics

Submitted By pamulaian
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Pope John Paul II’s Theology of the Body
A Cliff Notes’ Version
Introduction
A. The Theology of the Body is the term used to describe the teaching of Pope John Paul about the human person and human sexuality given during his Wednesday Catecheses in St. Peter’s Square between September 5, 1979 and November 28, 1984. John Paul II says that these catecheses could be called “Human Love in the Divine Plan” or “The Redemption of the Body and the Sacramentality of Marriage.”

B. Various scholars, in different language groupings, will generally break the theology of the body found in these 129 catecheses down into four main sections, others six. I think the most logical way to do so is to break it down into seven interrelated sections:
1) The Original Unity of Man and Woman as found in the Book of Genesis
• 23 catecheses from September 5, 1979-April 9, 1980
2) Purity of Heart versus Concupiscence: Catechesis on the Sermon on the Mount
• 27 catecheses from April 16 to December 10, 1980
3) St. Paul’s Teaching on the Human Body: Life according to the Spirit
• 13 catechesis from December 17, 1980 to May 6, 1981
4) Marriage and celibacy in light of the resurrection of the body
• 9 catechesis from November 11, 1981 to February 10, 1982
5) Virginity or celibacy for the sake of the Kingdom of Heaven
• 14 catecheses from March 10, 1982 to July 21, 1982
6) The sacramentality of marriage based on Ephesians 5:22-33
• 27 catecheses from July 28, 1982 to July 4, 1984
7) Reflections on Humanae Vitae based on the redemption of the body and the sacramentality of marriage
• 16 catechesis from July 11, 1984 to November 28, 1984

C. My aim is to summarize accurately and clearly the central themes that the Holy Father examines in each of the sections. This will help those who want to become familiar with the main ideas of the theology of the body to do so rather quickly — in

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