The Prophetic Body

Biblical prophecy involves more than words: it is always also embodied. After assessing the prevalence, implications, and origins of a logocentric model of biblical prophecy, Anathea E. Portier-Young proposes an alternative, embodied paradigm of analysis that draws insights from disciplines ranging from cognitive neuroscience to anthropology. By examining portrayals of diverse aspects of prophetic religious experience, including call narratives, bodily transformation, mobility and affect, Portier-Young demonstrates the vital synergy of word and body in prophetic mediation. 

“In this stunningly erudite volume, Anathea Portier-Young has initiated her ambitious project of exploring the textual evidence for the bodily engagement of the prophets of ancient Israel. She has taken into account a vast secondary literature as well as an intense study of the textual material. Portier-Young’s book is a seminal work that likely will refocus on-going study of the ancient prophets to show the great extent to which they imposed their compelling bodily reality upon the body politic of ancient Israel. In overcoming a mistaken, even if unintended dualism, this book opens new vistas in our interpretation and  understanding. Portier-Young shows herself to be a major voice in a new generation of interpreters. We will eagerly await the appearance of subsequent volumes in her category-shattering project.”

“This groundbreaking work reframes biblical prophecy as we know it. Rejecting the mind-body dualism that has led to a persistent focus on prophets’ words as if separable from their embodied experience, Anathea Portier-Young demonstrates how the prophetic body and word were inextricably

interconnected. With remarkable multidisciplinary breadth, Portier-Young examines prophetic experience, action, and affect, and presents a revolutionary new model for understanding prophetic literature. The Prophetic Body offers an expansive redefinition of the very nature of biblical prophecy.” 

“In this stunning exploration of somatic dimensions of prophecy in the Hebrew Bible, Anathea Portier-Young weaves an elegant tapestry of insights drawn from narratology, affect theory, disability studies, gender criticism, and neurobiology. On every page, biblical scholars and homileticians will find fresh wisdom for their theorizing of the synergy of sacred speech, cognition, embodiment, and lived experience in articulations of the holy.”

“In The Prophetic Body by Anathea Portier-Young, readers will encounter a thoughtful and insightful exploration of the sheer physicality that went into biblical representations of the prophets’ bodily practices and experiences. Drawing on a wide range of studies in neurocognition, social science and cultural theory, this engaging and well written book demonstrates how biblical prophecy was a fully embodied phenomenon that deeply affected and effected the divine words associated with prophets. An important, fresh contribution, most highly recommended for both old and new students of biblical prophecy.” 

“Portier-Young’s compelling volume weaves together a deft reading of biblical texts and deep engagement with contemporary theory on embodiment, colonialism, and gender to challenge interpretations that reduce prophecy to words. By reclaiming the role of the body – not only for the

biblical prophets but also for their readers – she offers us a path beyond the mind-body dualism that feeds ancient and modern systems of oppression. This is essential reading for understanding biblical prophecy and the limits of current paradigms of interpretation. I anxiously await the remaining volumes of the trilogy!”

“In reframing prophecy as fundamentally embodied, Portier-Young lingers over aspects of texts we had previously overlooked, giving fresh understanding of the prophet’s relationship to deity, people, and place. With careful exegesis amplified by wide-ranging yet apt insights from fields as disparate as poetry, neuroscience, affect theory, and monster culture, this study is both integrative and innovative. Its subtle argument, clearly and vividly expressed, will prove impossible to ignore.” 

“The Prophetic Body is a monumental work that transcends the boundaries of traditional biblical studies. The author’s synthesis of cognitive neuroscience, anthropology, and rigorous textual analysis offers a pioneering lens through which to understand the complex interplay between embodiment, prophecy, and religious experience in the Hebrew Bible (the Old Testament). Exploring the profound affective connection between God, people, and place, this book delves into the essential role the body plays in mediating the divine. Insightful, profoundly researched, and elegantly articulated, The Prophetic Body serves as a vital contribution to both scholarly inquiry and general understanding of one of humanity's most ancient and revered texts. This book is highly recommended for scholars, theologians, and anyone intrigued by the nexus of spirituality, literature, and the human body. Its groundbreaking insights offer a journey that promises to engage and enlighten readers across a wide spectrum of interests.”