ABSTRACT
This chapter is an interaction between Eastern Orthodox theology regarding the Church as the Body of Christ and the Lacanian concept of jouissance. Jouissance is enjoyment beyond pleasure, often registered in the ego as pain. In Eastern Orthodoxy, the Church is described as the Bride of Christ, which suggests a feminine position for the Church in relation to Christ. Sexuation in Lacan’s thought does not refer to natal sex, gender identity/expression, or sexual orientation, but refers to the subject as masculine or feminine in relation to the phallic function. Psychoanalytic sex is thus not complementary, as sexual position is assumed in relation to a third term (the phallic function). Eastern Orthodox practice in marriage and monasticism are considered in relation to the phallic function and the Other jouissance beyond the Law of the phallic function. Finally, a brief consideration is given to the gender-based roles of Christians in the Church, though more work in this area is warranted.
