"A stunningly beautiful look at what it means to be human."

Man and Woman He Created Them is the title John Paul II gave to his seminal work on the bodily dimension of human personhood, sexuality, marriage, and celibacy. First written while he was Archbishop of Kraków, then later revised and delivered as a series of catecheses after he became pope, this work was called "theology of the body" by John Paul II himself. In his momentous teaching, John Paul has left us the core of his great vision, focused on the mystery of love extending from the Trinity, through Christ's spousal relation with the Church, to the concrete bodies of men and women. With keen insight into the modern "split" between the person and the body, he presents an integral image of the human person, one rooted in Sacred Scripture and the Church's living tradition.

This translation of the Pope's work, prepared by biblical scholar Michael Waldstein, allows us to enter into John Paul II's profound vision. With the inclusion of material previously unpublished in Enlgish, and the rediscovery of John Paul's own headings for the work, the reader is able to follow the pope's thought with clarity and confidence.

Complete with a comprehensive introduction, translator's footnotes, and detailed index, this edition has been crafted with the kind of insight that builds more than twenty years of scholarship on John Paul II's great gift to the Church.