Manifestations of the Body: The depiction of the Human Body in the 16th Century Germany as expressed in Texts by Martin Luther

Abstract

The foremost concern of this study is to articulate the thoughts and attitudes towards the notion of embodiment during the first half of the 16th century. The dissertation argues that in depicting the concept of the body within the social order as well as within the thoughts of an individual, one must look at the cultural traditions of that society, because assumptions of the body are always socially constructed. In capturing the voice of the time, attention is given to the texts of Martin Luther. The findings of the research show, that body perceptions of the time are encoded in church theology, scholastic philosophy, cultural practice, and institutionalized pedagogy.