I have little to add to the positive commentary on the philosophical/theological content of this masterwork. But if you are choosing between versions of this book, Waldstein's commentary and footnotes are excellent and certainly enhance the understanding of John Paul II's thoughts.

This book is beautifully done. The introduction is very helpful and accurate. It gives JPII's philosophical and theological perspective and the modern philosophical problems (beginning with Francis Bacon) the pope is addressing. This call to holiness renews our call to salvation as embodied children of God from the beginnning. John Paul's reflections are moving, powerful, and pursuasive.

It was in 1968 that Pope Paul VI gave the world "Humanae Vitae," his beautiful encyclical on human life: "The transmission of human life is a most serious role in which married people collaborate freely & responsibly with God the Creator.... Responsible men can become more deeply convinced of the truth of the doctrine laid down by the Church on this issue if they reflect on the consequences of methods & plans for artificial birth control.
* "Let them first consider how easily this course of action could open wide the way for marital infidelity & a general lowering of moral standards....
* "Another effect that gives cause for alarm is that a man who grows accustomed to the use of contraceptive methods may forget the reverence due to a woman, & ...reduce her to being a mere instrument for the satisfaction of his own desires....
* "Finally, careful consideration should be given to the danger of this power passing into the hands of those public authorities who care little for the precepts of the moral law. Who will blame a government which in its attempt to resolve the problems affecting an entire country resorts to the same measures as are regarded as lawful by married people in the solution of a particular family difficulty? ....Should they regard this as necessary, they may even impose their use on everyone"

Few doubt that there has indeed been "a general lowering of moral standards," as well as a growing disrespect for women, in the past four decades. We also see affluent governments trying to impose contraceptive practices on less affluent governments! Yet, in spite of its proven prophetic nature, Humanae Vitae continues to meet with monumental resistance.

Before becoming pope, John Paul II prepared a masterful work, largely intended to lead the Church and the world to a better appreciation of Humanae Vitae. As he became pope before publication, he used his notes to address audiences at weekly catechetical sessions, over five years. Michael Waldstein has published an updated and magnificent translation of these "Theology of the Body" addresses, under the title: "Man & Woman He Created Them." This magnificent and scholarly translation provides a lifestyle challenges, which does not seem to have been so elusive for people of past generations.

As per Pope John Paul II, "The whole of the catecheses...can be grasped under the title, `Human Love in the Divine Plan," or with greater precision, `the Redemption of the body & the Sacramentality of Marriage'....The first part is devoted to the analysis of the words of Christ....The second part of the catechesis is devoted to the analysis of the sacrament based on Ephesians (Eph 5:22 - 23), which goes back to the biblical beginning of marriage expressed in the words of Genesis, `a man will leave his father and mother and unite with his wife, and the two will be one flesh' (Gen 2:24)" (11/28/84).

"The reflections about the sacrament of Marriage were carried out in the consideration of the two dimensions essential to this sacrament, namely, the dimension of covenant and grace and the dimension of sign....The doctrine contained in...[Humanae Vitae] remains in organic relation both with the sacramentality of marriage and the whole biblical problematic of the theology of the body, which is centered on the `key words' of Christ....all the reflections dealing with the `Redemption of the Body and the Sacramentality of Marriage' seem to constitute an extensive commentary on the doctrine contained precisely in Humanae Vitae" (11/28/84).

Michael Waldstein has done a great service for the Church, the people of our generation, and the people of future generations.

It was in 1968 that Pope Paul VI gave the world "Humanae Vitae," his beautiful encyclical on human life: "The transmission of human life is a most serious role in which married people collaborate freely & responsibly with God the Creator.... Responsible men can become more deeply convinced of the truth of the doctrine laid down by the Church on this issue if they reflect on the consequences of methods & plans for artificial birth control.
* "Let them first consider how easily this course of action could open wide the way for marital infidelity & a general lowering of moral standards....
* "Another effect that gives cause for alarm is that a man who grows accustomed to the use of contraceptive methods may forget the reverence due to a woman, & ...reduce her to being a mere instrument for the satisfaction of his own desires....
* "Finally, careful consideration should be given to the danger of this power passing into the hands of those public authorities who care little for the precepts of the moral law. Who will blame a government which in its attempt to resolve the problems affecting an entire country resorts to the same measures as are regarded as lawful by married people in the solution of a particular family difficulty? ....Should they regard this as necessary, they may even impose their use on everyone"

Few doubt that there has indeed been "a general lowering of moral standards," as well as a growing disrespect for women, in the past four decades. We also see affluent governments trying to impose contraceptive practices on less affluent governments! Yet, in spite of its proven prophetic nature, Humanae Vitae continues to meet with monumental resistance.

Before becoming pope, John Paul II prepared a masterful work, largely intended to lead the Church and the world to a better appreciation of Humanae Vitae. As he became pope before publication, he used his notes to address audiences at weekly catechetical sessions, over five years. Michael Waldstein has published an updated and magnificent translation of these "Theology of the Body" addresses, under the title: "Man & Woman He Created Them." This magnificent and scholarly translation provides a lifestyle challenges, which does not seem to have been so elusive for people of past generations.

As per Pope John Paul II, "The whole of the catecheses...can be grasped under the title, `Human Love in the Divine Plan," or with greater precision, `the Redemption of the body & the Sacramentality of Marriage'....The first part is devoted to the analysis of the words of Christ....The second part of the catechesis is devoted to the analysis of the sacrament based on Ephesians (Eph 5:22 - 23), which goes back to the biblical beginning of marriage expressed in the words of Genesis, `a man will leave his father and mother and unite with his wife, and the two will be one flesh' (Gen 2:24)" (11/28/84).

"The reflections about the sacrament of Marriage were carried out in the consideration of the two dimensions essential to this sacrament, namely, the dimension of covenant and grace and the dimension of sign....The doctrine contained in...[Humanae Vitae] remains in organic relation both with the sacramentality of marriage and the whole biblical problematic of the theology of the body, which is centered on the `key words' of Christ....all the reflections dealing with the `Redemption of the Body and the Sacramentality of Marriage' seem to constitute an extensive commentary on the doctrine contained precisely in Humanae Vitae" (11/28/84).

Michael Waldstein has done a great service for the Church, the people of our generation, and the people of future generations.

Perhaps the single most unpopular aspect of Catholic teaching relates to sexuality. Not only is the Church against divorce, abortion and gay sex, not only does the Church oppose women priests and believe in priestly celibacy, the Church calls immoral all use of artificial contraceptives of any type, even within marriage. In this post-Sexual Revolution era, in which divorce is routine, and both sex and child-bearing outside of marriage unexceptionable, when school children are taught about condoms, the Church' seems utterly out of touch. Most Americans and Western Europeans dismiss the Church's views as utterly absurd, without even bothering to learn why the Church teachs what it does.



The career of John Paul II was marked his absolute refusal to give way to the evils of modern times. When his native Poland was ruled by a seemingly invincible Communist dictatorship, when "sensible" people of all types compromised with the Communists, John Paul II stood as firm as a rock, against them, until their power crumbled.



This book is part of the same career. It is a very long, complex and profound work, which can be read in many ways and as addressing many issues. For example, in the very learned Introduction, Micheal Waldstein argues that the book is primarily the definitive Catholic refutation of Englightenment thought, and, more specifically, an answer to the thought of Immanuel Kant.



I can see why Waldstein reads the book that way, but that is not how its primary purposes comes across to me. I think that what John Paul II was primarily doing in this book was explaining the Catholic approach to family and sexual issues. His theme, I believe, is that the Church is NOT restricting freedom or limiting people by her rules on sexuality. Rather, the purpose of the rules is to uplift people, to put deeper meaning into their lives.



The argument is very long, very learned but fundamentally quite simple. John Paul does not cite other scholars a great deal. His primary method is extended reflection upon the meaning of Scripture. He starts with the words of Jesus, prohibiting divorce, then follows the Lord's logic back to Genesis. He then does a very long profound analysis of Genesis, parts of the Gospel and then parts of Paul.



His central focus is upon what he calls the Law of the Gift. He argues that we find our own being, in giving in love to others. He argues that it is our nature, as humans, to be both male and female, and that it is our nature to give ourselves to each other, through marriage. He argues very strongly that it is always and everywhere evil for humans to view other humans as objects to be manipulated, as sexual playthings or as anything other than autonomous, free subjects. He argues that, when we approach sex from the perspective of meeting our own needs, we reduce the other person to an object. He argues that, only by fully giving ourselves to our spouse, can we fully live our own truth. (Among other things, he has a very heartfelt form of feminism, in which he argues very strongly that women always be treated with the utmost respect for their autonomy.)



John Paul II explcitly argues against the Manichean view that sex is evil, because the body is evil. He completely rejects that perspective. In his view, the body is not evil. Rather, he argues that we were created, as bodily creatures, in grace, that we fell with Adam and that we are now redeemed through Christ. This is all standard Christian doctrine, of course, but what is different about it is that he argues that the body is critical to all of this. He argues that it is our nature to be in a body, and that we find grace with the body, not in spite of it. Thus, Catholic sexual morality is not intended to restrict an evil body. Rather, it is intended to uplfit and enoble a body with the potential for both good and evil.



The great bulk of the book -- and it is very long -- focuses upon Scripture. The sections on actual sexual practices are not long. There is no discussion of gay sex. There is very little discussion of abortion. He does have a fairly extended discussion of priestly celibacy.



The book ends in an interesting way. First, he builds to a conclusion, flowing out of his argument. This conclusion is a long analogy between the love between the spouses and the love of Christ for the Church. In this conclusion, he discusses the Song of Songs and the Book of Tobit in some detail. Second, he shifts gears, to the more practical, and discusses Humane Vitae, Pope Paul VI's widely criticized teaching on the use of artificial contraceptiion. In a sense, the whole book has built to that conclusion. John Paul, however, does not wish to simply hand down arbitrary-sounding rules; he is very concerned to place these rules into a rational, ethical context.



This is the kind of book that you can come back to, over and over. As long as it is, it is packed with insights and wisdom. And, like the Scripture which the book focuses so intently on, the argument is not one which is really aimed at any particular time and place. Rather, it is a genuinely timeless discussion, aimed at a subject which is deeply relevant to our time, but nonetheless not limited to this time and place.



This is a book of extraordinary power. In its quiet, reasonable, reflective way, I think it will have the power to move mountains over the years. It gets to the heart, very deeply and profoundlly, of what is wrong with our culture and of the values needed to heal it.

This is a very valuable addition for scholars and for the general reader. The book is very well produced and easy to handle; the print is large enough to read easily with clear setting out. There are excellent additional features such as indices, bibliography, standardised referencing, table of contents, etc.

I had an earlier edition of Theology of the Body and decided to replace it with this new translation with footnotes and an index. I am very glad I did.

This book, and the many beautiful books and lectures that sprang from it by the likes of Dr. Janet Smith and Chris West, has changed my life and my marriage for the better.

I LOVE the Church's teachings on marriage and the family. This book is quite possibly the most important text written on sexual morality in the last century.

Outstanding.

For those who may be confused, this is the new translation of John Paul II's 'The Theology of the Body: Human Love in the Divine Plan' (the original title). JPII's "Theology of the Body" is culled from a series of homilies (129 to be exact) he delivered in his Wednesday audiences beginning in 1979. Considering the complexity and profundity of these sermons, it is hard to believe that many in the crowd actually comprehended them. L'Osservatore Romano, the Vatican newspaper, published the homilies, but this was done by a variety of staff translators, thus resulting in an inconsistent translation when published as a whole. Now, for the first time in English, we have a professional, critical translation of these homilies. John Paul's "Theology of the Body" has been highly lauded as one of the greatest (if not *the* greatest) exposition on Christians sexual ethics, with a focus on the human person and the gift of the body. It is perhaps JPII's greatest gift to the Church, especially as it was/is critical in the renewal of the Church after the devastating effects of the sexual revolution of the sixties and the irresponsible and childish rebellion of certain Catholic academics. For a greater appreciation of this work, one can do well to consult the more philosophical works, 'Love and Responsibility' and 'The Acting Person'. The work of Dietrich von Hildebrand would also be a great supplement. On a lighter side, Dawn Eden's 'The Thrill of the Chaste' (recently released) would be a fine example of how JPII's theology of the body is influencing the younger generation.