Definition for Theology of the Body
Glossary
Theology of the Body (TOB)
In the Theology of the Body, JP II examines how man’s body should be understood in light of the Scripture passage that reads, “So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them” (Gen. 1:27). As the starting point of his examination, JP II considers the nuptial meaning of the body, i.e., the unitive and procreative. He teaches that valid marriage is a sign of the Triune nature of God. He tells us that: 1) the body and it alone can bring the invisible into the visible; 2) the body is essential for expressing love into the physical world; 3) the language of the spirit must be expressed into the visible world through an adequate language of the body.