What is Theology of the Body?

Part One in a series of articles explaining some of the important concepts and teachings of the Theology of the Body.

By Michele Grantham 

Theology of the Body (TOB) is a teaching written by Pope St. John Paul II before he was elected Pope in 1978. He publicly delivered the content of TOB in 129 weekly Papal Audiences from 1979 to 1984. People who attended these audiences were pilgrims and vacationers from around the world, because Pope JPII intended this catechesis for the Universal Church. In Catechesi Tradendae, John Paul writes “...the definitive aim of catechesis is to put people not only in touch but in communion, in intimacy, with Jesus Christ...” TOB represents the truths of the Catholic faith for people of the 21st century. 

What is meant by the title “Theology of the Body” or TOB? We know that theology is the study of God. We cannot see God so we must study Him through the ways He reveals Himself to us. 

We have traditionally viewed God’s revelation in the Incarnation of the person of Christ, in the words of the Old and New Testaments, through the experience of the Sacraments and prayer, in writings of saints, and in Church Tradition.  

“Body” in the title Theology of the Body, refers to the human body. JPII says that the human body reveals God—that is, the person, the human being, reveals God. “So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them.” (Genesis, 1:27)   Man is the crown of God’s creation. Scripture declares “God saw everything that he had made, and behold, it was very good.”  

Theology of the Body is a Christian anthropology. That is, it marries anthropology and theology to give a clearer understanding of our identity and our mission.  

Jesus reveals God to us through the Incarnation. He sanctifies the body by becoming human in all ways but sin. He calls us to be one body with him in the Eucharist. Our bodies are holy and meant to be sanctuaries of Christ. It is through our bodies, male and female, that we are present in this world. Who we are and what we do through the body matters.  Finally, our destiny is unity in God through the resurrection of our bodies. St. Augustine puts is so well, “Thou has made us for thyself, O’ Lord, and our heart is restless until it finds it’s rest in thee.” 

In the first section of the 800-page document, we discover the beauty and dignity of the human person, our purpose, and our destiny according to God’s original plan. Pope St. John Paul II reflects on more than a thousand scripture passages. He acknowledges our human experience in the physical world and asks us to ponder His love and the gift of creation through both faith and reason.  

The second part of Theology of the Body addresses marriage, the union of Christ and the Church, and reflections on Humanae Vitae. This section helps us to live out our vocations with love and to live according to our faith. A short way to remember this structure is to say, Theology of the Body is about Identity and Mission. 

This column will present a series of articles explaining some of the important concepts and teachings of the Theology of the Body. The full collection of the Papal Audiences is in a book called Man and Woman He Created Them, A Theology of the Body translated by Michael Waldstein. A good introductory book for TOB is Theology of the Body for Beginners written by Christopher West. I hope to host a full reading and discussion of the text, audience by audience later this year.