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The Ethics of the Body in Different Religious Traditions and...
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The Ethics of the Body in Different Religious Traditions and Spiritual Discourses

A special issue of Religions (ISSN 2077-1444).

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (15 January 2025) | Viewed by 4484

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Gabriel Noje

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Faculty of Orthodox Theology, Babeș-Bolyai University, 400437 Cluj-Napoca, Romania
Interests: postmodern ethics; religious ethics; Christian ethics; theology of the body; corporeality; ecology
Dr. Daniel Lemeni

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Faculty of Letters, History and Theology, Department of Romanian Studies, West University of Timisoara, 300223 Timișoara, Romania
Interests: orthodox spirituality; desert fathers; spiritual guidance; asceticism; theology of deification; theology of the body

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

At present, there is an increasing interest in the subject of the human body. Ranging from topics of anthropology and sociology to philosophy, from medicine to technology and bio-politics, and from literature to history and the visual arts, research on this issue seeks analyze different facets of human corporeality with the intention of deepening our understanding of the body's significance and the ethical stance we should adopt towards it. Operating from a religious viewpoint, certain approaches examine the body’s connection to ritualistic practices such as prayer, bodily cleansing, fasting, and meditation techniques. The intention in such research is to emphasize how the body can engage in spiritual experience and be enlightened through encounters with the sacred. Alternatively, some explore the body’s potential to transform into a spiritual language, embodying and expressing faith in profound ways.

The purpose of this Special Issue is to take a step further in investigating the connections between body and religion, with a specific focus on topics that illustrate how the body is ethically conceptualized, depicted or engaged with across different religious traditions and spiritual discourses.

We invite scholars from academic disciplines such as theology, religious studies, anthropology, or the sociology of religion to submit high-quality papers that can cover topics such as the interplay between the body and various forms of asceticism; the role he of tbody in spiritual struggle; the nuanced boundary between pure and impure classifications; the intricate relationship between body and mind; the intertwining of the body and emotions; the religious perception of the body; etc.

We request that, prior to submitting a manuscript, interested authors initially submit a proposed title and an abstract of 200–300 words summarizing their intended contribution. This may be sent to the Guest Editors (gabriel.noje@ubbcluj.ro; daniel.lemeni@e-uvt.ro) or to the Religions Editorial Office (religions@mdpi.com). Abstracts will be reviewed by the Guest Editor for the purposes of ensuring proper fit within the scope of the Special Issue. Full manuscripts will undergo double-blind peer review.

We look forward to receiving your contributions.

References

Chrystoph, B.; Konstantin, K. (Eds.) The Concept of Body in Judaism, Christianity and Islam (Key Concepts in Interreligious Discourse); De Gruyer: Berlin, Germany, 2023.

Peter, B. The Body and Society. Men, Women and Sexual Renuntiation in Early Christianity; Faber and Faber: London, UK; Boston, MA, USA, 1989.

Raphael, A.C. The Body and Desire. Gregory of Nyssa’s Ascetical Theology; University of California Press: Oakland, CA, 2018.

Sarah, C. (Ed.) Religion and the Body (Cambridge Studies in ReligiousTraditions, Series Number 8); Cambrigde University Press: Cambridge, UK, 1997.

Hannah, K.,H. Purity and Sanctuary of the Body in the Second Temple Period (Journal of Ancient Judaism Supplements); Vandenhoeck & Ruprecht Gmbh & Co: Göttingen, Germany, 2019.

Eilberg-Schwartz, H. (Ed.) People of the Body. Jews and Judaism from an Embodied Perspective; State University of New York Press: Albany, NY, USA, 1992.

Hannah, H. Cloted in the Body. Asceticism, the Body and the Spiritual in the Late Antique Era. (Ashgate Studies in Philosophy & Theology in Late Antiquity); Ashgate Publishing Limited: Farham, UK, 2012.

Catalin-Stefan, P. (Ed.) Soul and Body Diseases, Remedies and Healing in Middle Eastern Religious Cultures and Traditions (Studies on the Children of Abraham 10); Brill: Leiden, The Netherlands; Boston, MA, USA, 2023.

Geoffrey, S.; Jay, J. (Eds.) Religion and the Subtle Body in Asia and the West: Between Mind and Body (Routlegde Studies in Asian Religion and Philosophy Book 8); Routledge: London, UK, 2013.

Vos, N.; Van Geest, P. (Eds.) Early Christian Mystagogy and the Body (Annua Nuntia Lovaniensia LXXXIII); Peeters: Leuven, Belgium, 2022.

Dr. Gabriel Noje
Dr. Daniel Lemeni
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a double-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Religions is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 1800 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • human corporeality
  • the ethics of the body
  • embodiment
  • desire
  • repentance
  • sin
  • emotions
  • asceticism
  • moral responsibility
  • spirituality of the heart
  • illness of body
  • sexuality
  • mind-body practices
  • relaxation techniques
  • transfigured body

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Further information on MDPI's Special Issue policies can be found here.

Published Papers (4 papers)

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Research

14 pages, 276 KiB  
Article
Embodied Mystery, Spiritual Deepness: Paradoxes of the Heart Inside a Spirituality of Purification
by Georgiana Huian
Religions 2025, 16(4), 410; https://doi.org/10.3390/rel16040410 - 24 Mar 2025
Viewed by 177
Abstract
Drawing on patristic sources and modern Orthodox authors, this paper explores the paradoxes of the heart as the deepest and most hidden place of the human being. The heart can be both the highest and deepest point of an encounter with God, as [...] Read more.
Drawing on patristic sources and modern Orthodox authors, this paper explores the paradoxes of the heart as the deepest and most hidden place of the human being. The heart can be both the highest and deepest point of an encounter with God, as well as the highest and deepest place of the secret self. The paper describes the difficulty of searching for the place of the heart in the context of the philosophies of interiority, subjectivity, and self and examines the spatial metaphors involving the centrality of the heart. The paper also considers the dynamics of purification, which places the heart at the crossroads between purifying the body and achieving the transparency of intellect through divine illumination. The heart is revealed as the coincidence of dispassion (apatheia) and the purest and most intense charity (agape), which means regaining the purity of desire (oriented to God). As a space of both hiddenness and revelation, the heart invites an apophatic anthropology. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue The Ethics of the Body in Different Religious Traditions and Spiritual Discourses)
23 pages, 258 KiB  
Article
On the Tension Between the Elemental Nature and the Ethical Other in Levinas’s Thought: An Interpretation Conducted with the Body as a Clue
by Kai Qi and Guangyao Wang
Religions 2025, 16(2), 187; https://doi.org/10.3390/rel16020187 - 6 Feb 2025
Viewed by 475
Abstract
The article discusses the irreducible tension between the elemental nature and the ethical Other in Levinas’s philosophy. Firstly, the article indicates that Levinas, as a phenomenologist, uncovers that the relationship between humans and nature is primarily characterized by sensitive enjoyment, where the sensitive [...] Read more.
The article discusses the irreducible tension between the elemental nature and the ethical Other in Levinas’s philosophy. Firstly, the article indicates that Levinas, as a phenomenologist, uncovers that the relationship between humans and nature is primarily characterized by sensitive enjoyment, where the sensitive body bathes and immerses itself in the elemental nature. Secondly, the paper reveals how Levinas, as both a disciple and a sharp critic of Heidegger, elucidates the anteriority of the elemental nature over the equipmental world, further illustrating how the elemental nature transforms into the world of equipment. Thirdly, the paper indicates that, as a prominent pioneer of the ethics of the Other, Levinas emphasizes the tension between nature and ethics: on one hand, the enjoyment immersing in the elemental nature leads to an egoistic way of life, while the ethical relation with the Other disrupts and breaks this egoism; on the other hand, the subject’s enjoyment and possession of nature is a necessary prerequisite for responding to the Other. Finally, the paper reveals that, when elucidating the irreducible tension between nature and ethics, Levinas, as a Jewish philosopher, is profoundly influenced by the absolute separation between the transcendence and the world that Judaism upholds. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue The Ethics of the Body in Different Religious Traditions and Spiritual Discourses)
17 pages, 331 KiB  
Article
The Unity of Virtue and Body: Moral Realization in Mencius’ Theory of Embodying Virtue
by Siyuan Jiang and Pinghua Liu
Religions 2025, 16(1), 59; https://doi.org/10.3390/rel16010059 - 9 Jan 2025
Viewed by 771
Abstract
Mencius’ “Theory of Embodying Virtue 踐形說” is an important theory that combines moral cultivation and physical practice, emphasizing that virtue is externalized and realized through concrete physical actions. This paper explores the theoretical foundation of the “Theory of Embodying Virtue 踐形說”, examining its [...] Read more.
Mencius’ “Theory of Embodying Virtue 踐形說” is an important theory that combines moral cultivation and physical practice, emphasizing that virtue is externalized and realized through concrete physical actions. This paper explores the theoretical foundation of the “Theory of Embodying Virtue 踐形說”, examining its internal connections with Mencius’ doctrines of “Innate Goodness”, “Four Beginnings 四端”, and “Nurturing Qi 養氣”. Through self-cultivation, individuals can gradually transform their inner virtues into outward behaviors, ultimately achieving the unity of virtue and the body. This not only serves as an essential path for personal moral cultivation but also embodies the Confucian moral ideal. Additionally, the paper analyzes the contemporary significance of the “Theory of Embodying Virtue” from the perspectives of modern ethics and body philosophy, particularly in terms of its implications for moral education, the improvement of social ethics, and the shaping of leaders’ moral images. By conducting an in-depth discussion, this paper reveals that Mencius’ “Theory of Embodying Virtue” still holds significant theoretical and practical value in contemporary society. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue The Ethics of the Body in Different Religious Traditions and Spiritual Discourses)
15 pages, 239 KiB  
Article
Cosmetic Surgery and the Christian Body: Comparative Ethical Reflections from Orthodox and Catholic Traditions
by Angelos Mavropoulos
Religions 2025, 16(1), 8; https://doi.org/10.3390/rel16010008 - 25 Dec 2024
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1322
Abstract
This article explores the ethical dimensions of cosmetic surgery, offering a comparative analysis of perspectives from both the Orthodox and the Catholic moral theologies. Both traditions uphold the sanctity of the human body as a creation of God, emphasizing the importance of maintaining [...] Read more.
This article explores the ethical dimensions of cosmetic surgery, offering a comparative analysis of perspectives from both the Orthodox and the Catholic moral theologies. Both traditions uphold the sanctity of the human body as a creation of God, emphasizing the importance of maintaining its integrity and dignity. However, their approaches to the ethical implications of cosmetic surgery might reveal distinct theological nuances that reflect their unique doctrinal and cultural contexts. By examining the theological foundations, doctrinal teachings, and contemporary ethical debates within both traditions, this study seeks to illuminate how Orthodox and Catholic ethics address the complexities of bodily modification. The analysis highlights the ways in which each tradition navigates concerns related to vanity, identity, and the pursuit of physical perfection, offering insights into their shared values as well as their distinct perspectives. This interdenominational study aims to contribute to ecumenical and intercultural dialogue, fostering greater understanding and respect between the two original Christian traditions. By engaging with the ethical considerations surrounding cosmetic surgery, this article provides a platform for deeper reflection on the role of the body in Christian spirituality and the ongoing relevance of these issues in a diverse and interconnected world. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue The Ethics of the Body in Different Religious Traditions and Spiritual Discourses)
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