The abyss, force, chaos, eros, animality and even bestiality, are fundamental aspects of human beings that neither philosophy not theology can safely ignore. We need to question today "in a way that responds to the needs of our time" (Vatican II) the meaning of "this is my body." To say "this is my body," whether in the context of the intimate erotic dialogue of a wedded couple, or the gift of God in the eucharist, does not simply send us back to subjective experience of "the flesh." It is a cultural problem as well as one of religious belief. "How can this man give us his flesh to eat?" (John 6:52). "Hoc est corpus meum" has shaped all our culture as well as our modernity.
Emmanuel Falque's The Wedding Feast of the Lamb represents a turning point in his thought. Here, Falque links philosophy and theology in an original fashion that allows us to see the full effect of theology's "backlash" against philosophy.
By attending closely to the incarnation and the eucharist, Falque develops a new concept of the body and of love: By avoiding the common mistake of "angelism"-consciousness without body-Falque considers the depths to which our humanity reflects animality, or body without consciousness. He shows the continued relevance of the question "How can this man give us his flesh to eat?" (John 6:52), especially to philosophy.
We need to question the meaning of "this is my body" in "a way that responds to the needs of our time" (Vatican II). Because of the ways that "Hoc est corpus meum" has shaped our culture and our modernity, this is a problem both for religious belief and for culture.