God: An Anatomy - interview with Dr. Stavrakopoulou

[@sirjuliusnorris7513]

Dr. Stavrakopoulou is brilliant and enjoyable to listen to. Have watched many videos of her over the yrs and never tire of her knowledge and personality. Wish she had her own KZbin Channel! Thanks for having her on, Megan. 🙂

[@Cheepchipsable]

I doubt she would have the time.

[@brodie2711]

Because of bad eyesight reading comes hard. Thankfully I've just bought the Audible version narrated by the Professor herself. I can't wait to listen to it.

[@adriansantba]

One of Stavrakopolou's students, Alan B. Hooker, wrote a very interesting doctoral thesis entitled "You Shall Know Yahweh: Divine Sexuality in the Hebrew Bible and Beyond" (availabe online) where he explores the question of gender and sexuality of God. I'd love to see he as a guest in Digital Hammurabi.

[@Camerinus]

Thanks for this. Easier to find if one types Yahweh rather than YHWH.

[@timetoreason7090]

Thanks from me too!

[@adriansantba]

@@Camerinus Fixed. If you're interested in this topic, i also suggest David Bokovoy's PhD dissertation entitled "Yahweh as a Sexual Deity at J's prehistory".

[@Bolocomcafe]

☕🍰Thank you.

[@El-Buddah]

Sounds like he just copied her taking points.

[@trevorlunn8442]

I remain in awe at the apparent ease with which Megan draws on her education, experience and background to interview scholars like Dr. Stavrakopoulou with such detailed insights, whilst maintaining clarity and 'entertainment value' for a non-specialist audience.

[@unicyclist97]

The book is so full of amazing revelations about literal passages that have always been tossed aside as metaphor that I still haven't finished it because I have to keep stopping to internalise what I've just learned.

[@dorememe8548]

Leviticus 26:29

[@loki6626]

😋 yummy

[@dorememe8548]

@@loki6626 👨‍👩‍👧‍👧🍔

[@danbreeden8738]

She's beautiful and brilliant

[@El-Buddah]

Creepy comment

[@archivist17]

The Professor has the most amazing insight into scripture and culture, which has often caused me to reassess my assumptions.

[@be1tube]

The connection between "corrupted matter" and Docetism was brilliant!

[@simongiles9749]

I bought the Kindle version off the back of Prof Stavrakopoulou,'s interview on the Humanist UK channel. Its very good.

[@chindi17]

Thank you for bringing Dr. Francesca stavrakopoulou. I just received the Audiobook of God the Anatomy here in America on January 22 and she is an excellent reader too. I am learning a lot from the book.

[@danbreeden5481]

Another masterpiece by a brilliant scholar

[@kirkmarshall2853]

As far as Christianity goes, I’ve never been able to believe that stuff but I did toy with pagan nature reverence when I was a teenager and in my early 20s, but I too am fascinated with religious belief as much as I may abhor fundamentalism and radical conservatism. I have seen Dr. Stravrakopolou on Mythvision and I just decided to buy the book on audible. Thanks Megan for the great interview.

[@deeliciousplum]

It is difficult to not smile while listening to two wonderful and passionate explorers. I have not listened to Dr. Stavrakopoulou's talks in a very long time. This discussion is a reminder to not let that much time go by before exploring their writings and talks. 🌺

[@anahernez1]

my library has it! Im so happy and pleased with my library! (still, only one copy - I must wait.)

[@robertbennett270]

I read the English edition a couple of months ago...it was absolutely brilliant; I'd say the best book I read last year.

[@AGoddess]

I look up to Dr Stavrakopolou so much!!! Ty Megan!!!

[@AGoddess]

Just ordered the book!

[@GrrMania]

I caught most of the premiere but decided to watch this in its entirety. I have to say, this was really fascinating! As a side note, I like that it’s not a long interview/discussion. It’s short and to the point at the perfect length. ❤️

[@bluevioletalien]

This interview is perfect timing. Just today I was wondering about how the Torah might contradict itself regarding whether God has a body. I was surprised that, of all things, it doesn’t contradict itself about this particular issue…and it consistently says he *does* have one! Deut 4:12 is the only possible dissenting verse I found, but even that doesn’t rule out that God may have a form.

[@shosty575]

She mentions in the book that verses like that are later interpolations to avoid the idea of the bodily existence of Yahweh

[@ansfridaeyowulfsdottir8095]

Great interview, as always! Dr. Stavrakopoulou is always tremendous value. {:-:-:}

[@ADEpoch]

I hit like in the first 10 seconds because I've read the book and absolutely loved it. I found it to be a real page turner. As an ex-evangelical-believer-nutjob I've always loved history and human psychology as it relates to the religious experience since giving it up, and this book hit all the right marks for someone who wants to have a fun time following academic pursuits.

[@lawrence5117]

Another great discussion. Thanks to everyone involved.

[@thegroove2000]

GOD THE PLACEBO EFFECT. Name for a book.

[@PeterDobbing]

The ‘always will be [an atheist]’ was quite telling, suggesting a dogmatic adherence to a position/orientation that she regards as decisive and definitive. Whence the certainty? Isn’t any stance subject to revision subject to the changes of perception and understanding that come with ordinary human development and change?

[@bengreen171]

I listened to Dr Stavrakopoulou on the radio while driving a while ago - talking about the sexual imagery entwined within the concept of Yahweh - it was fascinating and made my car journey fly by.

[@WittgensteinsBeetle]

Looking forward to this book!

[@ChrisPartridge]

The footnotes in the Kindle edition are a nightmare too. But the book itself is still brilliant!

[@thesolarengineer]

"Oh, you silly girls" - St. Paul 🤣

[@adamad1958]

Absolutely delightful conversation.Thanks.

[@MaleeChino]

I am in love with Stavrakopoulou

[@מתןש-ח6פ]

Amerian reader but I specifically pre-ordered the UK version because of the proto-aeolic capitals and Ain Dara footprints on the cover. ❤

[@salvadordubon3549]

Not only is she so knowledgeable, but she is eye candy too!! Enjoy to hear all she says, I've seen lots of her videos, enjoy them !!

[@TheZinmo]

I've had the book for weeks now, haven't managed to read it though. I started N.K. Jemisins "Inheritance Trilogy" shortly before, and that one is looong. But as soon as I finish that one...

[@stephenarmiger8343]

A convoluted path to things video. I have a copy of A.C. Grayling’s book, The Good Book. I went to Audible looking for it. Audible decided that I would be interested in Francesca’s new book. I was curious. And I found this! Thinking about cannibalism, child sacrifice, I am remembering a History Channel documentary on the Greek Gods. Some speculate that the Olympian Gods were a way for the Greeks to distance themselves from their ancestors who probably were cannibals and did practice child sacrifice. Cronos and the associated gods representing their ancestors. I also thought about Bart D. Ehrman’s recent book about the underworld. He also talks about the Olympian underworld. You, Francesca, have delved deeper than Bart. All of this is wonderful! Thank you everyone!

[@justmagicmostly]

So glad I found this. Megan and Franceska are two of my favorites.

[@mrmaat]

Great interview!

[@ritawing1064]

Looking forward to this: I thoroughly enjoyed the book!

[@TheWuschi]

That was so interesting and so great! I can't wait till this book will find its way into our library!

[@Bolocomcafe]

☕🍰Good book, i liked the style of write putting all senses and textures in linguistic.

[@kevanbowkett1857]

Thank you so much, fascinating!

[@hjosephgilley]

Bravo 👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼

[@wabisabi6875]

Good interview, fascinating material. Happy to know there are good people redeeming the beauty of the texts from fanatics and reductionists.

[@jessehoward1218]

In the 12:00 minute section ("The Beautiful Image"); as "strong" as Dr. Stavrakopoulou may view the love "God has for Israel", THAT LOVE does not extend to ANY OTHER PEOPLES, until after the New Testament.

[@DarthRock]

Got my copy today. Looking forward for great reading.

[@neilarmitage6632]

The books of the bible were written over a span of around 900 years. Which suggests times. Environments. Social conditions were vast. And different for each book. And maybe changing conditions within the framework of each book.

[@jacksimpson-rogers1069]

Oh, Brilliant! I'm "Not making it up" . Anna Russell, in her short summary of "The Ring of the Nibelungs" says almost exactly the same thing. She has already described Siegfried as the perfect hero -- "very strong, very handsome, very brave, and very, very stupid."

[@waderogers]

I love Francesca's work and her love of the subject matter. One thing she mentions is that it was not uncommon for people to have physical totems/icons/statues of YHWH that represented the god made manifest. These statues were also located in the early Jewish temples, which is why one of the 10 Commandments is "Do not make for yourself any carved image, or any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth." And prior to this commandment, it says 'You shall have no other gods before me', indicating that people worshiped other gods in conjunction with YHWH AND they had carved images/effigies of these gods in their homes and temples. That said, the idea that the carved image of YHWH was a physical manifestation of YHWH is sort of carried over into the NT where Jesus comes as a physical manifestation but is fully a god. The "god made flesh" as it were. He was following the same model of gods being manifest in a physical form as what's found in the O.T. and in other ancient cultures. A good interview, and you asked some salient questions...

[@bf99ls]

Exodus 20, verse 3 says (in a literal translation of colloquial Hebrew), “There will not be to you other gods on my face”, the latter part meaning “before my face”, or in “front of me”. Although in Genesis 1, verse 2, the same words do seem to mean “on the face (surface) of the waters” It was very much a physical meaning, implying that the Israelites must not allow any other gods in Yahweh’s presence.

[@michaelsommers2356]

I would think that an omnipotent, omniscient being would be able to provide adequate facilities, including waste treatment capabilities, for any human guests.

[@oldpossum57]

Physicist Brian Cox-who is just about the most affable person you can meet-makes the following case to those who talk about “souls”, “energy”, “spirits”, ”ghosts”. Fox converses here with Joe Rogan. Anyone reading this post is at least as smart as Rogan, and doubtless more sober. The relevant part starts at 2:25. kzbin.info/www/bejne/qaPKc3WufN-Ci5o I would add to Cox’s explanation: people like Rachael and Alice Eve suppose that spirits not only persist after death but persist in an afterlife. Just how do these spiritual entities avoid being disappeared as heat? They must be organized, and they must then receive energy from some source to stay organized, or the Second Law requires them to dissipate. I think as folks become better educated, they will stop believing in “folk science”.

[@enzomolinari9141]

Hmm I dunno. I get what you're saying, but I've experienced some things that lean towards the possible existence of some sort of energy spirit realm and I am by no means religious and as far as the folklore, I've always found it interesting that many isolated civilizations throughout history independently developed a following to whatever diety they developed a following to and maybe that's some sort of a defense or survival mechanism programmed into us but...maybe it's not. Maybe there's something to it 🤔

[@oldpossum57]

@@enzomolinari9141 Enzo, the universe is both more extraordinary and less magical than you imagine. You note that certain beliefs and behaviours are cultural universals. How can these be “explained”. You offer one explanation: ghosts, spirits, supernatural. However, if you look at the. Ryan Cox interview with Rogan i linked to, you can see the problem. If there are spirits that interact in powerful ways with flesh and blood (matter) then what energy form is this that we cannot measure? Your “solution” has the very undesirable logical consequence of saying everything we thought we knew about physics is wrong. There is a solution to your observation that fits with existing science, and actually tells us some interesting things. A big part of the mystery is solved when you learn from the geneticists that, for a big mammal, there are almost no genetic variations among humans: all H. sapiens any on the globe genetically much more similar than two populations of c(I panzers in different regions. Thus our rains are really similar too. You know that all humans see faces in clouds and stains, the mental hormone on of pare ido lia. The short article here explains why this happens, and why there was selective pressure for this trait in the specie’s evolutionary history. You would not think for a minute that the imagined faces in the clouds are real, would you? You understand they are a universal illusion. Ghost and spirits are similar. Yes, every human culture has them, though the beliefs vary. European ghosts in purgatory or hell (like the ghost of Hamlet’s father) do not exist in Japanese culture. Their spirits of the dead are different. Every human believes actions are caused by agents. If we can’t see an agent, we invent them. “Thunder is the sound of angels moving furniture in heaven.” The peasant in Chekhov thinks the breeze is made by the swaying of trees. If you are genuinely interested in humans, read a book like Steven Pinker’s How the mind works”

[@katew.9402]

I bought to the audio book and loved it! But I had no idea there were pictures. Maybe I'll have to get a print copy, too...

[@HarryNicNicholas]

i wonder what WLC would make of her book. brilliant stuff, never tire of listening. it's not often you can say someone is talking sht and it be a compliment.

[@beatriz9676]

Will it be published in Portugal? Congratulations for both of you.

[@reveivl]

Just ordered the book. Thankyou for this. Edit to add: and subbed.

[@GeneTickles]

She is so beautiful. I could listen to her talk about religion all day long. My goodness. 😍 that smiles makes my heart skip a beat.

[@librulcunspirisy]

Thanks

[@danbreeden5481]

Excellent thanks

[@blitzkrug]

I'd have to say the striking similarities between canaanite mythology and biblical is shocking, as well as learning of Yhwh vs El and that whole situation 😮

[@Justin_Beaver564]

The Hebrews were one of several Canaanite peoples.

[@lgbtqchristian4696]

Wonderful video.

[@amazonwater7778]

Moses said he is not flesh but energy. I think God can transform himself in many forms! He is holy and divine! I will get the book ! He is a man speaks like a man fulfills his promises he is a Gentleman!

[@ben-theamateurexegete6747]

Loved this interview!

[@robertherring9277]

Great video! Ordered the book!

[@ConverseContender]

Haven’t read the book yet, but I am wondering if it is significantly different than Dr. Benjamin Sommers book Bodies of God? Just from what I’ve heard, it sounds just like his book. Though I’m sure there are plenty of differences.

[@aranciameccanica71]

I Heard about Francesca Just in the last week and I'm about to buy her book "anatomy of God". I am very curious about It.

[@keaco73]

I loved listening to her debate when she teamed up with Dawkins. 👍👍

[@danbreeden5481]

Exceedingly beautiful and brilliant

[@jipersson]

Jesus not having to take a shit could explain the walking on water thingy. A 30 year buildup of methane does help your buoyance, that of course then poses some problems, not only when he were baptized since that would have taken some serious force to push him under water, but also when he were punctured being nailed to the cross, getting instantly deflated like a balloon being poked by a needle! :) Damn I love Dr. Stavrakopoulou, not just physically!

[@philippedolle1211]

100% aligned with the work of Mauro Biglino.

[@danbreeden5481]

Plato and Aristotle's philosophical conception of god influenced through philo of Alexandria and later Thomas Aquinas reduced the conception of human attributes as metaphor but that is apologetic and contrived

[@danbreeden5481]

Two beautiful ladies

[@bartvanransbeeck1341]

Sefirot inKabalah is very close to hindu chacra subtil system , turia state is a word close to torah , an d talmud is close to thalamus : groomroom where female and male energies of ida and pingala meet in optic chiasm and uplifted by kundalini ' sekinah' one can only understand words when backed up by experience .....

[@vvMiguelAngelvv]

👣 Footprints 👣 ~ minuto 16:17

[@DigitalGnosis]

Great interview! Its a shame you didn't use the opportunity to whip out the minimal facts argument and convert her though!

[@anthonywalker6276]

There are several Adam and Eve scriptures which have appeared in an English compilation, in which God is regularly on Earth while they hide from him. In one of these books we learn that God didn't bother to install digestive systems until after the Fall, when they kept complaining of belly ache.

[@Greenawareness188]

Those who are believers worship the God or goddess of their understanding .

[@scottharrison812]

The book’s on order! 🙏🙌⭐️ Fascinating! I’m just terrified that that crazy fundamentalist & faux scholar Finis Jennings Dake might be laughing from his grave - he insisted God had a body. I kinda prefer God without all the fiddly bits…

[@thedarkknight3880]

I would like to ask her a question but I don't know where to contact her.

[@VeridicusMaximus]

Try her University email or contact info there!

[@MeltonECartes]

I wonder if Dr. Stavrakopoulou has read Daniel Quinn's THE HOLY.

[@berglen100]

I do trust Neville who also knew Atheist can play the game but deep there still one like all man. knowldge is another short of wisdom that began with Imaginations the stories represent.

[@danbreeden5481]

She carries on the tradition of the Alexandrian scholar Hypatia

[@godlessbeliever4817]

God only exists in believers head!!!😁😁🤣🤣

[@tmkeesler]

Iconography and archaeological artifacts give a context to the subject that does make it more real and relatable.

[@bellezavudd]

28:20 Yhwh/Yeshua is definitely NOT the only ancient god to survive to today. Hinduism for one is older than Christianity or the bible. Their gods are still revered and adored by 100s of millions. And more other gods are still with us. Just because they dont have as big of a promotional budget is no reason to dismiss them.

[@jessehoward1218]

IT IS SO INTERESTING THAT AN ATHEIST, can have a deeper analysis of the bible than 95% of Christians.

[@IshaqIbrahim3]

@Digital Hammurabi Is the intro music the same or similar to the one at the time of Hammurabi?

[@Lobsterwithinternet]

So the song ‘Rock Me Sexy Jesus’ is actually canonical?

[@CAPSLOCKPUNDIT]

Is she an expert in Navel Intelligence? My only question so far is whether God is an innie or outie.

Whatever happened to that single surviving copy of the Hebrew Torah/Tanakh? Which General Vespasian stole. And took back to Rome and then kept under lock and key. After he destroyed all other Jewish texts held in the Temple. What happened to it? Does I still exist? Did it disappear? Does the Vatican have it? Do we know? 💙

[@seanhammer6296]

I love Dr Francesca and her work and have a question for her that I'd like to ask as a superchat when she's on MythVision in Feb (sorry, didn't get the notice she was here until today.) Do you have the date for that? Much appreciated if you do. Thanks My question has to do with the term "Semite." To historians the term Semite refers to a language group, but to Christians it means the Biblical "Shem," who they think was a real person from which eventually came "God's chosen people." So do the historian and religious lines trail back to the same origin? Are one or both correct? Or are they just two different animals with the same name? It just now occurs to me that Dr. Josh could weigh in on this also. Thanks so much. Cheers

[@darnytoads]

New Book: Corrupt Matter or Holy Shit, The Controversy

[@danbreeden5481]

Plato's conception of human nature

[@davidrandell2224]

Gen. 1:2 has thwm-Hebrew - Tehom or Arabic thmh-Tihamah erroneously called “the deep “. What does it really mean?

[@alfredochavezv]

Dang! I think I always assumed that God's body would look a lot more like Morgan Freeman 😕

[@Vina_Ravyn]

I grew up in a non religious household and used the family bible (that no one read) to write metal lyrics. Now religion and mythology is like my favorite subject beyond clothes and music. Bring it on!!! LOL Great show great guest!!!

[@danbreeden5481]

Monotheism a product of Josiah?

[@hedwegg]

1.To the Quik: How did we "wind up" with this One (1) God Belief with "so many gods being worshipped" before him? 2. The [Wind Up]: The One (1) God not only freed them from [Captivity, Destruction & False Beliefs]. [Slavery & Hypocrisy]! 3. To the Point: He "freed them" from [Death]! "I will have no other gods before me"! Great [Game Changer]! 4. All for (a) One (1) God & (b) [Eternal & Everlasting Life] with him! "Spirit & Love"! "Truth & Friendship"! 5. To Note: Free of [Disease, War, Hate], [Porn, Prostitution, Drugs & Pedophilia] et.al. following a [Final Judgment]. Great [Game Changer]! Amen.

[@williamwilson6499]

Excellent book. Currently about halfway through. If anything that demonstrates the so-called Bible is simply a collection of writings made by humans with no divine inspiration whatsoever, it’s this work by Dr. Francesca.

[@SPQR748]

Is there a difference between the lord and the creator. The lord may have a body but does the Creator have a body? Also what does the author think about the descriptions of Yahweh that sound like he is a dragon 🐉?

[@suelingsusu1339]

🙏🙏🙏🙏👏👏👏👏👌👌👌👌

[@jacksimpson-rogers1069]

There are some leading atheists who reject the idea of refusing to commit idolatry. They are not noticing that it means "the worship of false gods" --- and that we (I'm an atheist) reckon that ALL gods are falsehoods. Commandment 2 gets at least one thing right.

[@thetruthaboutscienceandgod6921]

Please share my two brief videos with other people. Thanks!

[@danbreeden5481]

Was yaweh in cannanite mythology thought of as the son of El

[@danbreeden5481]

@@WS-dd8ow thank you

[@VeridicusMaximus]

Not so much the from Canaanite material but Duet.32:8-9 suggest very strongly that YHWH was a son of Elyon and his portion was Israel.

[@danbreeden5481]

@@WS-dd8ow thank you

[@VeridicusMaximus]

@@WS-dd8ow There is no source in Canaanite material - there does not have be for there to be borrowing. And yeah there is no consensus about where YHWH originated but there are clues. But what do expect given borrowing,incorporation and redaction. Anybody who has studied the Hebrew bible knows that words and phrases are borrowed from Ugaritic texts not just themes about how god is described but what he does and who he dealt with. It's not so much an interpretation as the final redactor surely did not want YHWH to be such. The fact that it has been redacted is obvious given the DSS, LXX, MT versions of this section (Deut.32). It has been altered over time because of the controversy surrounding the Divine Council. Tropes and themes were clearly borrowed and adjusted over time as the religion changed. You can find things like this throughout that give hints and clues that this was going on and texts at one time were either interpreted differently or redacted a little to fit the present beliefs of those in charge of preserving them (Kings/ their prophets, and the scribes). Israelites did not start out as strict monotheists and like the surrounding ANE went through times of henotheism and monoltary. Think of these passages as evolutionary vestiges that get repurposed. The final redactor of Genesis 1 surely did not believe it. Who said all the verses have to be consistent - only a biased approach to and an assumption of divine providence over the texts or an assumption that redactors couldn't fail in trying to weed out or change sufficiently these hints and vestiges is without justification. You do realize that celestial objects were tied to divine beings and not all references to them are references to objects like stars - even in the Hebrew texts. Just read the Bible and you can see this - who sang with joy when the heavens were created in Job? Look at the Psalms as well! Ps.82 is very clear. I know believers will struggle and fight over this but to anyone with and open mind it is obvious. And by the way in Genesis 1 YHWH did not speak the earth into existence - he made it appear from already existing material. This is another area where these vestiges get redacted. Genesis 1 actual teaches creatio ex materia not creatio ex nihilo. A very common theme in ANE.

[@VeridicusMaximus]

@@WS-dd8ow It is also of interest that the phrase you quoted hints at another issue regarding other gods (elohim -actual divine beings). "Yahweh your Elohim" -Many Deut. passages suggest this via this phrase. You can practically see the transition from YHWH being one of the sons of God - Israel's god and then taking over the High God position of El and simply fusing the two roles as one. Then trying to eliminate any other elohim as being real and changing passages to angles (Deut.32) and etc., etc. YHWH get transitioned into the only High God but all the ideas and concepts are borrowed and redacted to fit this new change.