The Body of Christ and Phenomenology of the Body

In this article, I explore what might be the implications of Merleau Ponty's later ontological turn in his phenomenological writings for getting beyond a dermal metaphysics. Relying heavily on his idea of the chiasm and its implications for sense and sensibility as critical pieces of ontology in generative phenomenology, I consider how the concept of chiasm could serve as a philosophical concept that may aid theologians in articulating the breadth of Christ's meaning for all creation as God incarnate – especially as with the idea of 'deep incarnation.' Articulating a connection to deep incarnation prevents one from understanding Merleau Ponty's concept of the flesh as banal pantheism, while providing a rich philosophical language for deep incarnation.