is the soul physical or spiritual?

[vnct]

i'm trying to figure out if the soul is more physically-based or more spiritually-based. i'm hearing two different viewpoints from people in general, and trying to reconcile the two if such a thing is possible. several scriptures have been quoted, but definitions and contexts may vary, and thus possibly interpretations of such verses. if the soul is physically-based, then it would seem to die with the physical, but if the soul is spiritually-based, then it would seem to be eternally spiritual. or is it maybe somewhere in the middle. might a part of the soul die if it's based on the physical, while another part of the soul might live if spiritually founded? i'm not sure.

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is there no differentation between 'soul' and 'spirit'? why does paul the apostle assert a differentiation between 'body', 'soul' and 'spirit' if soul and spirit are the same thing? are the OT and NT definitions and/or contexts of 'soul' different from each other? do the original greek and hebrew words for 'soul' have different meanings than each other entirely?

my personal interpretation of the meaning of the word 'soul' (from the new testament greek word 'psykekos' as relayed to me by a friend many years ago) is that it simply means 'psyche', from where we get our word 'psychological' or psychiatry'. i interpret the 'psyche' ('soul') as being the seat of the mind (thoughts), heart (emotions), will (decisions) and conscience (morality). i also view the 'soul' as fallen, and not always animated by spirit.

i'm not as familiar with the old testament meaning of the word 'soul' from the original hebrew, or even if it's the same as the new testament word 'soul' from the greek.

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i've had about a dozen brief encounters with my mom in her afterlife state after she passed away, continuing for about a year after her passing. she was still very much caught up in the dreamscape of the afterlife realm. therefore, i'm inclined to think that her soul is still sleeping, insofar as she's still going through a myriad of dream cycles after her passing. perhaps at the resurrection, she'll awaken from the dreamscape realm and instead perceive as the angels do.

i sometimes have had vivid dreams of my mom, as if she's actually there communicating with me. they seemed almost like very brief visions, lasting only a few seconds each. i had each of these for about once a month for a full year after she passed away.

my mother passed away about three years ago, and an eastern religionist told me that her soul had ceased to exist. but i really questioned how he could think that he knows something so surely. he really didn't provide a basis for his belief.

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i served ten years ago in the mormon priesthood, but i'm not set that such is necessarily the correct doctrine. i've not attended the mormon church for ten years now.

eternity would seem to have neither beginning nor ending, unless i'm otherwise mistaken. if the souls of angels have no ending, do they also lack a beginning? are the souls of angels eternal (timeless), with neither beginning nor ending? i ask about the souls of angels because it may serve as a framework for understanding human souls.

as a former mormon, i was taught that an eternal soul had neither beginning nor ending, and that all souls 'pre-existed' physical birth, because eternity itself is outside of time without beginning or ending. this was called the doctrine of 'pre-existence', based upon the concept that eternity has neither beginning nor ending (being above and outside of time itself), and therefore an eternal soul has neither beginning nor ending in such a context theoretically.

 

[PROPHECYKID]

The use of the word nephesh in the OT clearly suggest that the soul is the entire individual comprised of Body and Spirit. Gen 2:7 Eccl 12:7

If you research the early greek philosophers, who lived in OT times, view of the soul it would resemble the one that you suggests and would even go further.

The NT gives the same view of the soul as the OT in some places and in some other places presents a seemingly different view. The NT greek word psuche can mean soul, life, heart, mind. That is the reason why the soul can sometimes seem to have a different meaning than in the OT but it is the same.

In my opinion, it is just that word psuche might be translated soul when it should have been translated life or mind. I am supposing here but that makes sense to me.

 

[vnct]

The use of the word nephesh in the OT clearly suggest that the soul is the entire individual comprised of Body and Spirit. Gen 2:7 Eccl 12:7

If you research the early greek philosophers, who lived in OT times, view of the soul it would resemble the one that you suggests and would even go further.

The NT gives the same view of the soul as the OT in some places and in some other places presents a seemingly different view. The NT greek word psuche can mean soul, life, heart, mind. That is the reason why the soul can sometimes seem to have a different meaning than in the OT but it is the same.

In my opinion, it is just that word psuche might be translated soul when it should have been translated life or mind. I am supposing here but that makes sense to me.

okay, thanks. i really don't know greek or hebrew, so i tend to get tripped up a bit.

 

[PROPHECYKID]

okay, thanks. i really don't know greek or hebrew, so i tend to get tripped up a bit.

Neither do I but i have this bible software called e-sword which has all the greek and hebrew words and its meanings. You should get that to help u out. e-Sword - the Sword of the LORD with an electronic edge

 

[Uphill Battle]

You do not have a soul. You ARE a soul. You HAVE a body. - C.S. Lewis.

 

[Mikecpking]

There is no such thing as a seperate soul. The Hebrews si not think in terms of 'parts' (eg soul, body, spirit') but in aspects of totality (eg you don't have a soul, but you are a soul)

For the best description on the web, look no further than

Dr. Tory Hoff

 

[Sphinx777]

In many religions and parts of philosophy, the soul is the immaterial part of a person. It is usually thought to consist of one's thoughts and personality, and can be synonymous with the spirit, mind or self. In theology, the soul is often believed to live on after the person’s death, and some religions posit that God creates souls. In some cultures, non-human living things, and sometimes inanimate objects are said to have souls, a belief known as animism.

The terms soul and spirit are often used interchangeably, although the former may be viewed as a more worldly and less transcendent aspect of a person than the latter. The words soul and psyche can also be treated synonymously, although psyche has relatively more physical connotations, whereas soul is connected more closely to metaphysics and religion.

 

[vnct]

Neither do I but i have this bible software called e-sword which has all the greek and hebrew words and its meanings. You should get that to help u out.

thanks, e-sword is a very nice program. i've tried it out before, although not for greek/hebrew. i tend to get a bit daunted with all of the thousands of greek/hebrew words and don't always know where to start.

 

[vnct]

You do not have a soul. You ARE a soul. You HAVE a body. - C.S. Lewis.

i have some difficulty with this statement. it has one to do with identity. i tend to believe that i do not have a spirit, but that i am a spirit. and that i, as a spirit, have a soul and a body. am i a soul that has a spirit or am i a spirit that has a soul?

 

[Stryder06]

You honestly don't have to look any further than Genisis 2. God created man out of the dust of the ground, than breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and man became a living soul.

Breath of God + Dusty Mold = Living Soul (Man). When we die our breath goes back to God, and our dust goes back to the earth.

 

[vnct]

(eg you don't have a soul, but you are a soul)

can a person lose their soul if they are a soul?

 

[vnct]

The terms soul and spirit are often used interchangeably, although the former may be viewed as a more worldly and less transcendent aspect of a person than the latter. The words soul and psyche can also be treated synonymously, although psyche has relatively more physical connotations, whereas soul is connected more closely to metaphysics and religion.

is their a higher soul and a lower soul?

 

[PROPHECYKID]

is their a higher soul and a lower soul?

No. You are a soul.
1Co 15:45 And so it is written, The first man Adam was made a living soul; the last Adam was made a quickening spirit.

Gen 2:7 And the LORD God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul.

Man became a living soul and not man contained a living soul. Body + breathe = living soul. The breath is also referred to as the spirit in the bible and the hebrew word for spirit means breath.

Job 27:3 All the while my breath is in me, and the spirit of God is in my nostrils;
Job 33:4 The Spirit of God hath made me, and the breath of the Almighty hath given me life.

Here we see that the spirit that returns to God is really the breath of life which was breathed into him.

Ecc 12:7 Then shall the dust return to the earth as it was: and the spirit shall return unto God who gave it.

When one loses his soul it means that he loses his own life.

Eze 18:20 The soul that sinneth, it shall die. The son shall not bear the iniquity of the father, neither shall the father bear the iniquity of the son: the righteousness of the righteous shall be upon him, and the wickedness of the wicked shall be upon him.

The soul is not the spirit but the spirit is apart of the soul. Look up soul in wikipedia and read about what the greek philosophers believed about it. Most Christians today believe what those greek philosophers believed before contrary to what is taught in the bible.

 

[ebia]

Most Christians today believe what those greek philosophers believed before contrary to what is taught in the bible.

That's true of lots of things, not just the concept of soul.

 

[Mikecpking]

can a person lose their soul if they are a soul?

It all depends what you mean by 'soul'.

The biblical idea about soul contradicts most peoples' ideas about 'soul' when they think it is the immaterial part of a person.
The fundamental idea about 'soul' in a biblical sense fundamentally means 'life' or 'living creature'.

You can lose your 'life' (psuche, Nephesh) in which case it makes sense, but you cannot lose 'the immaterial part of a person', because that does not exist. Your 'spirit' which goes back to God on physical death is the breath of life (Genesis 2:7, Ecclesiates 12:7)

You can find out more from this link:

Dr. Tory Hoff

 

[vnct]

Breath of God + Dusty Mold = Living Soul (Man). When we die our breath goes back to God, and our dust goes back to the earth.

thank you. if the breath goes up (back to God) and the dust goes down (back to the earth), where does the soul go?

 

[vnct]

Most Christians today believe what those greek philosophers believed before contrary to what is taught in the bible.

what are the biggest differences between greek philosophy and the bible concerning the soul?

 

[Sphinx777]

what are the biggest differences between greek philosophy and the bible concerning the soul?

Greek philosophy focused on the role of reason and inquiry. Many philosophers today concede that Greek philosophy has shaped the entire Western thought since its inception. As Alfred Whitehead once noted, with some exaggeration, "Western philosophy is just a series of footnotes to Plato." Clear unbroken lines of influence lead from ancient Greek and Hellenistic philosophers, to medieval Muslim philosophers, to the European Renaissance and Enlightenment.

Early Greek philosophy, in turn, was influenced by the older wisdom literature and mythological cosmogonies of the Near East. As M. L. West points out: "[...]contact with oriental cosmology and theology helped to liberate their [the early Greek philosophers'] imagination; it certainly gave them many suggestive ideas. But they taught themselves to reason. Philosophy as we understand it is a Greek creation."

 

[Mikecpking]

thank you. if the breath goes up (back to God) and the dust goes down (back to the earth), where does the soul go?

It dissappears (dies) draining away with the blood.

Lev 17:11
DT 12:23
Judges 16:30
Numbers 23:10

The nephesh dies at physical death.

 

[Mikecpking]

what are the biggest differences between greek philosophy and the bible concerning the soul?

Basically Sphinx has stated it well.

Just to put another aspect, the Greek idea that the soul is immortal is an extra biblical view that is 'read into' scripture. The Greek idea that your soul survives physical death cannot be found in scripture.