Difference between revisions of "Soul"
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== History of the concept == | == History of the concept == | ||
Before the influence of the Greek concept of the ''psyche'' on Hebrew thought, the [[bible]]'s authors only spoke of a man having breath (spirit), and any living creature was called a "soul". In fact, the belief in consciousness after death was explicitly denied in the [[Old Testament]]. Ecclesiastes 9:5: ''"For the living know that they shall die: but the dead know not any thing, neither have they any more a reward; for the memory of them is forgotten."'' | Before the influence of the Greek concept of the ''psyche'' on Hebrew thought, the [[bible]]'s authors only spoke of a man having breath (spirit), and any living creature was called a "soul". In fact, the belief in consciousness after death was explicitly denied in the [[Old Testament]]. Ecclesiastes 9:5: ''"For the living know that they shall die: but the dead know not any thing, neither have they any more a reward; for the memory of them is forgotten."'' | ||
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| + | Even the New Testament speaks only of a promised resurrection of the dead at the end of time, with two notable exceptions: Jesus relates a parable of a rich man burning in hell, and later on the cross Jesus says to the Good Thief, <i>"I say to you, this day you will be with me in Paradise"</i>. | ||
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| + | The former was a parable which was intended to convey a truth about the need to convert before death and judgment, not necessarily to convey actual conditions in the afterlife. The latter can be explained by the fact that the original Greek text did not use commas, so the insertion of the comma after the word "you" was an arbitrary choice of the translators. If the comma is moved, the passage then reads "I say to you this day, you will be with me in Paradise" which allows for the traditional understanding of a bodily resurrection at the end of time rather than a disembodied state immediately after death. | ||
==Famous mangled quotes== | ==Famous mangled quotes== | ||
Revision as of 20:34, 26 October 2008
The soul is the name given to the supposed immaterial part of an individual, which some believe can exist separately from the body in the afterlife.
Although it is not recognized by science because it is both non-falsifiable and supernatural, it is an important aspect of much religious and political thought.
History of the concept
Before the influence of the Greek concept of the psyche on Hebrew thought, the bible's authors only spoke of a man having breath (spirit), and any living creature was called a "soul". In fact, the belief in consciousness after death was explicitly denied in the Old Testament. Ecclesiastes 9:5: "For the living know that they shall die: but the dead know not any thing, neither have they any more a reward; for the memory of them is forgotten."
Even the New Testament speaks only of a promised resurrection of the dead at the end of time, with two notable exceptions: Jesus relates a parable of a rich man burning in hell, and later on the cross Jesus says to the Good Thief, "I say to you, this day you will be with me in Paradise".
The former was a parable which was intended to convey a truth about the need to convert before death and judgment, not necessarily to convey actual conditions in the afterlife. The latter can be explained by the fact that the original Greek text did not use commas, so the insertion of the comma after the word "you" was an arbitrary choice of the translators. If the comma is moved, the passage then reads "I say to you this day, you will be with me in Paradise" which allows for the traditional understanding of a bodily resurrection at the end of time rather than a disembodied state immediately after death.
Famous mangled quotes
- "Soul is the brevity of wit"
See also
External links
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