Leithart’s Challenge Round #6: Hans Kung

See the original post to see what this is about.

Leithart says that the Bible speaks not only of spiritual things, but also hair, blood, sweat, entrails, menstruation, and genital emissions. Theologians on the other hand (except for perhaps Augustine) rarely make any mention of these. It’s a blanket statement intended to shock, of course, but is it true nonetheless? Are theologians from another planet? Let’s find out…

In this round: Hans Kung (1928- )

According to Google Books, these words occur X number of times in his printed works:

  • hair – 6
  • sweat – 5
  • entrails – 1
  • menstruation – 3
  • genital emissions – 3

Kung was a bit hard to place. His writing is usually popular, not academic. His writing on theology is generally a lot more accessible. He makes frequent references to pop culture, movies, books, and so forth. Add him to the list of Roman Catholics worth reading. I would certainly file him in the “real world” box, despite his low scores. The scores are still low though.

This is an interesting passage about how Augustine’s belief’s about sex contributed to all kinds of silly ideas about marriage during part of the medival age:

Augusting’s negative evaluation of sexuality had meanwhile established itself completely in medieval penitential moraility: original sin was transferred by the sexual pleasure of the marital act. A rigorism in sexual morality broke through on a broad front. Sexual continence was required of the clergy, and of the laity no contact with such holy men. Male semen, like blood at menstruation and in giving birth, caused ritual uncleanness and excluded those involved from receiving the sacraments. But married people were also to abstain from sexual intercourse on every Sunday and high fest day together with their vigils and octaves, on certain weekdays (Fridays), and in Advent and Lent. Thus there was rigorous restring of marital sexual intercourse, which in part went back to widespread archaic, magical notions.

-Hans King, The Catholic Church: A Short History, p.72

Next, we’ll get to the big daddy himself, Saint Augustine of Hippo.