The Divine Body in History

This is a study in the field of comparative philosophy of religion. It initiates a dialogue between St Augustine and Rmnuja by focusing on two central themes time and embodiment that play a crucial role in their thought. The elaborations of these two themes by St Augustine and Rmnuja have continued to exert a tremendous influence on the histories of European thought and of Hindu movements centred around the notion of bhakti. The examination of the symbolism through which these thinkers articulate their understanding of time and embodiment also challenges certain stereotypes related to classical Indian thought and Latin Christendom, such as the formers lack of historical consciousness and the latters denigration of the human body. This study shows how the west and east have traditionally engaged with concepts such as temporality, progress and the metaphysical status of finite and bio-physical reality.