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“Pleasing to the eye”: The problem of physical beauty and beautification in the theology of Chrysostom

Mavropoulos, Angelos orcid logoORCID: 0000-0002-2306-8476 (2023) “Pleasing to the eye”: The problem of physical beauty and beautification in the theology of Chrysostom. Biiblica et Patristica Thoruniensia, 16 (2). pp. 171-183. ISSN 1689-5150

Abstract
“Pleasing to the eye” (Gen 3:6) – this is how Genesis describes the forbidden fruit when Adam and Eve were trying to apologise for eating it, as, since the time of the first people, beauty, or that which is “pleasing to the eye”, has been admired. Christian Fathers, since the time of the early Church, came up against the problem of beauty, as, although the human body was unquestionably beautiful, the question of the right attitude towards it was of particular concern to them. One of these Fathers was the most prolific Eastern Christian thinker and writer, St. John Chrysostom. As Chrysostom, drawing mainly from the Bible, saw, beauty, especially that of the human body, should be appreciated and even glorified. However, paradoxically one could say, physical beautification is morally disapproved. How is it possible, then, that the beauty of the body is desired, while its beautification should be condemned? That is the problem this work deals with.
Metadata
Item Type:Article (Published)
Refereed:Yes
Uncontrolled Keywords:John Chrysostom; beauty; embellishment; human body; Eastern Christianity
Subjects:Humanities > Philosophy
Humanities > Religions
DCU Faculties and Centres:DCU Faculties and Schools > Faculty of Humanities and Social Science > School of Theology, Philosophy, & Music
Publisher:Uniwersytet Mikolaja Kopernika
Official URL:http://dx.doi.org/10.12775/BPTh.2023.009
Copyright Information:© 2023 Nicolaus Copernicus University in Toruń.
ID Code:28852
Deposited On:28 Jul 2023 08:36 by Angelos Mavropoulos . Last Modified 28 Jul 2023 08:36
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