Does Jesus' Foreskin Still Exist?
Summary
Host Kate Lister explores the medieval obsession with Jesus’s foreskin with Dr. James White, who discusses how the relic became a major pilgrimage attraction across Europe. They examine the theological and erotic implications for mystics like Catherine of Siena and Agnes Blannbekin, who viewed the foreskin as a tangible piece of Christ’s body. The episode also covers the relic’s eventual disappearance from its last known location in Italy and the Church’s efforts to suppress discussion of it.
Topics discussed
Sponsors: History Hit, Pacific Life, and Citizens Bank
Introduction to Betwixt the Sheets and adult content warning
Setting the scene: The 1983 theft in Calcutta
Episode recap and introduction of Dr. James White
How Dr. White discovered the subject via Catherine of Siena
The origin of the legend: Mary and Charlemagne
Defining religious relics and their medieval importance
Why the foreskin specifically? Scriptural basis
Sponsor: Rula therapy and World Mental Health Day
Sponsors: Pacific Life and Gone Medieval
The spread of relics across Europe and the Charlemagne connection
Metonymy and the Eucharist: How multiple relics coexisted
Agnes Blannbeckin's visions and the erotic interpretation
Catherine of Siena's wedding rings and the shift to human Jesus
The Reformation, French Revolution, and the 1900s Papal decree
Sponsors: Citizens Bank and Pacific Life (Katie Couric)
The 1983 disappearance and the silence since 1917
Theological tensions: Resurrection, priesthood, and anti-Semitism
Closing remarks and where to find Dr. White
Sponsors: Citizens Bank and Pacific Life (Katie Couric)
Listen ad-free on Castria