Em(Bodied) Texts: A Consideration of the Hermeneutics of Identity Formation in the Pauline Tradition (original) (raw)

Physiognomy is concerned with how we read bodies. In this paper I explore the hermeneutical relationship between textual bodies and physical bodies by looking at the Pauline letters within the context of Roman Imperial ideology. With an understanding of the contextual backdrop against which and within which Paul's letters are to be understood, consideration is given to the ongoing influence of a body of texts, such as a Pauline corpus, in shaping bodies, arguing that bodies of texts rub up against physical bodies shaping identity both positively and negatively. Careful analysis of the scripted nature of bodily comportment is given by drawing attention to the regulative, normativising role of textual bodies on physical bodies, whether ancient or contemporary. In so doing, this paper seeks to wrestle with the hermeneutics of identity formation both in the Pauline letters and in the reception history of these letters for the church.