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EarlyChristianresearcher
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Part 1: 12-30-2013
The Pre-existence of souls, or a pre-mortal life as spirits in a family in heaven, was and still is a belief that can be traced down through the centuries to modern times. If you believe there is a devil and fallen angels, then you will have to admit that you believe in some aspects of the pre-existence. For you might be like Tertullian, 3rd cent., who accepted the Book of Enoch as scriptures, (which is full of pre-existence themes, war in heaven, even names some of the fallen angels), but then believe, like Tertullian, that the soul and body were created at the same time. However, for some Christian writers and preachers, I've heard, say that the doctrine of the pre-existence is "Satanic" is ironic! It's laughable! Why? It's because the very mention of "Satan" or "Satanic" as a catagory, taps into a bit part of the pre-existence themes. For once you start researching & looking into where Satan came from, or the devil, & demons came from, you'll find tons of sources, art works, legends, scriptures, earlier bible illustrations, early Christian writings, etc., that include Satan, the Devil & demons, as being part of the fallen angel dramas of the pre-existence themes. You'll find mystery plays, where biblical themes were acted out in moral or mystery plays, during the middle ages, where the pre-existence was presented before creation dramas. You'll google image, and find earlier Bibles, and bible illustrations, that start with pre-existence themes, before the creation. Genesis A & B, for example, 7th to 10th centuries.
But, as pointed out here in these posts, I've enjoyed reading, different view points were also part of the package deal. Some early Christians accepted some aspects of it, while rejecting others. Some argued about it, what it meant, or were talked out of the beliefs. Later, 4th century onwards, the rejecting of Origen's interpretations of it, became a challenge in later centuries for Origenist monks. Origen's version came under attack during the Council of Constantinople of 553 AD. But, still these beliefs, or different versions of them, lived on, even the ones that black skins reflected the type of pre-mortal sins, just like "blindness" or being born blind, did in Christ's time, (John 9:2). Now these were beliefs, be they ones we reject or might accept, they were beliefs going around in Christ's time, and apparently, were passed down to later generations in Christendom. It was one of the ancients' ways of attempting to explain and justify why there were different classes & grades of the settings & circumstances that different types of people, with different types of bodies, might be born into. They were suppost to be some of the consequences of pre-mortal sins. Am I saying this is what we have to believe? No! I'm just pointing out this is what the historical records show was one of the beliefs in some aspects of the the beliefs in a pre-existence. In later centuries, such as during the 6th century, though the "anathma" threats of Emperor Justinian, might have discouraged these beliefs, that pre-mortal sins could determine the type of body that one might be born into, such as black skins, or the conditions one might be born into, such as a crippled body. Despite this council of 553, & the Emperor's threats, they still didn't prevent these views from being spread all over historic Christianity. Consequently, thousands of artists all over historic Christianity, oftened depicted what happened to the bright angels, (once good, but who sinned, rebelled against God & the pre-born Christ, & Michael the Archangel, & his hosts, during the council in heaven). For what happened, is, that the angels that sinned & rebelled against the others, they were demonified, symbolically represented, but also literally believed to actually have been blackened and turned into monsterous forms, during their fall. Some understood such things to be symbolic, like the dragon is a symbol for the devil, but he's not an actual dragon, anymore than Christ is an actual lamb. So it was known to be symbolic, but unfortunately, amongst the supertitious to be literal. This is what thousands of art works show. Again, am I saying this is official doctrine in any branch of Christendom. No, I'm pointing out what happened in later centuries, when the beliefs passed over into becoming superstitions, legends, traditions, & illustrated in minitures, paintings, illumination manuscripts & earlier bible illustrations. Plus, biblical themed mystery or moral plays, where Tanners, who tan animal skins to black colors, would play the parts of dark skin demons, or fallen angels, during mystery plays of the middle ages. (A.C. Cawley, Everyman and Medieval Miracle Plays, (London & Vermont: J.M. Dent, Charles E. Tuttle, Everyman, 1974, edition).
For me, it's interesting to see how color symbolism became literalized and legendized into Lord of the Rings type imagery, because those are fun movies and books to read and watch. Such as also the Lord of Darkness, in the movie "Legend," starring Tom Cruise. These are cases in point of the later legendizings of these earlier beliefs. But it's also sad to see how the literalization of color symbolism, eventually became racial to justify slavery, during the 17th-19th centuries. Where, because black skins were associated with the devil and demons, black skin races were too. (Marc Aronson, Race, A History Beyond Black and White, (New York: Atheneum Books, 2007).
In some areas of Christianity, the legends took on interesting folklore, of fairy type creatures, water spirits, creatures, gobblins, gouls, & strange creatures that haunt the forests, streams, rivers and lakes. This was because lore, such as those in places like Russia, said the fallen angels, fell into such areas, or crashed hard & kept going to end up in the deep places of the earth. (Like in Lord of the Rings, where Gandolf the gray, battles, like Michael the arch-angel, an ancient demon from the underworld. He defeats the demon, that reminds us of the illustrations of Dante & Milton's poetries. Gandolf ascends up, like Christ descent into hell, and resurrection, the Anastasis, coming up out of the lower realms. In like manner, Gandolf the gray, then becomes Gandolf the white, (color symbolism again, like in Whitsuntide, or Whitesunday, wearing white baptismal robes, in contrast to Black Sabbath or Black Sunday, the black robes of devil worshippers). In going down under the ground, such things might be where we get the traditional "pointing down to the ground," when we like to warn people were they'll be going, if they don't repent & accept Jesus. Plus, why thousands of depictions of Christ's descent into hell, hades, limbo, purgatory, the underworld, or Anastasis; show Christ lifting up souls out of open cracks, caves, or pits, under the ground. (Anna D. Kartsonis, Anastasis, The Making of An Image, (Princeton, New Jersey: Princeton University Press, 1986); Alice K. Turner, 1993, The History of Hell, (New York, San Diego, U.S.A.; London, England: Harcourt Brace & Company); Darell Thorpe, Upon Them Hath the Light Shined, 1993, Kindle Edition, about 2011; Chandler Rathfon Post, A History of Spanish Painting, (Cambridge, Massachusetts: Harvard University Press, 1930—1958). (New York: Kraus reprint Company, 1970's), etc.)
In earlier centuries, the early Christian apologists, Justin Martyr, Origen, & others, used the pre-existence in response to early anti-Christians, who said that God neglected others, before the time of Christ. Or that Christianity is just a poor copy of Pagan mystery religions. The answers given were: "No!" God wasn't neglectful, Christ pre-existed, and spoke to prophets in other nations. The demons heard these prophets, counterfited what was said of Christ, and came up with counterfeits that the pagans inherited. That's why there are parallels. But, apparently, early anti-Christians, like Celsus, writing AD 170-80, and other later ones, like T. W. Doane, late 19th century, rejected these answers! They then went on to mock the different aspects of the pre-existence that they knew about, as they are presented in early to later Christianity.
Other areas of research, which aren't official doctrine in anyones' churches, are those of pre-birth experiences, where the spirits of children yet to be born, appear or manifest themselves to their parents to be. Or in Near Death Experiences, where those who, say they died, be it on an operation table, or in a car crash, etc., but then come back to life. They tell us that they saw spirits waiting to be born. This is like the "chamber of souls," beliefs in Jewish & Christian writings.
An interesting fictional example of this is Shirly Temple in Blue Bird. With her brother, she goes to a place were spirits, dressed like Roman or Greek kids might, are waiting to be born.
The purpose of this post is not to try to convince anyone in accept these different versions of these beliefs, but to add on to the sources already given here, that acknowledge that the beliefs were around in the historical records.
The Pre-existence of souls, or a pre-mortal life as spirits in a family in heaven, was and still is a belief that can be traced down through the centuries to modern times. If you believe there is a devil and fallen angels, then you will have to admit that you believe in some aspects of the pre-existence. For you might be like Tertullian, 3rd cent., who accepted the Book of Enoch as scriptures, (which is full of pre-existence themes, war in heaven, even names some of the fallen angels), but then believe, like Tertullian, that the soul and body were created at the same time. However, for some Christian writers and preachers, I've heard, say that the doctrine of the pre-existence is "Satanic" is ironic! It's laughable! Why? It's because the very mention of "Satan" or "Satanic" as a catagory, taps into a bit part of the pre-existence themes. For once you start researching & looking into where Satan came from, or the devil, & demons came from, you'll find tons of sources, art works, legends, scriptures, earlier bible illustrations, early Christian writings, etc., that include Satan, the Devil & demons, as being part of the fallen angel dramas of the pre-existence themes. You'll find mystery plays, where biblical themes were acted out in moral or mystery plays, during the middle ages, where the pre-existence was presented before creation dramas. You'll google image, and find earlier Bibles, and bible illustrations, that start with pre-existence themes, before the creation. Genesis A & B, for example, 7th to 10th centuries.
But, as pointed out here in these posts, I've enjoyed reading, different view points were also part of the package deal. Some early Christians accepted some aspects of it, while rejecting others. Some argued about it, what it meant, or were talked out of the beliefs. Later, 4th century onwards, the rejecting of Origen's interpretations of it, became a challenge in later centuries for Origenist monks. Origen's version came under attack during the Council of Constantinople of 553 AD. But, still these beliefs, or different versions of them, lived on, even the ones that black skins reflected the type of pre-mortal sins, just like "blindness" or being born blind, did in Christ's time, (John 9:2). Now these were beliefs, be they ones we reject or might accept, they were beliefs going around in Christ's time, and apparently, were passed down to later generations in Christendom. It was one of the ancients' ways of attempting to explain and justify why there were different classes & grades of the settings & circumstances that different types of people, with different types of bodies, might be born into. They were suppost to be some of the consequences of pre-mortal sins. Am I saying this is what we have to believe? No! I'm just pointing out this is what the historical records show was one of the beliefs in some aspects of the the beliefs in a pre-existence. In later centuries, such as during the 6th century, though the "anathma" threats of Emperor Justinian, might have discouraged these beliefs, that pre-mortal sins could determine the type of body that one might be born into, such as black skins, or the conditions one might be born into, such as a crippled body. Despite this council of 553, & the Emperor's threats, they still didn't prevent these views from being spread all over historic Christianity. Consequently, thousands of artists all over historic Christianity, oftened depicted what happened to the bright angels, (once good, but who sinned, rebelled against God & the pre-born Christ, & Michael the Archangel, & his hosts, during the council in heaven). For what happened, is, that the angels that sinned & rebelled against the others, they were demonified, symbolically represented, but also literally believed to actually have been blackened and turned into monsterous forms, during their fall. Some understood such things to be symbolic, like the dragon is a symbol for the devil, but he's not an actual dragon, anymore than Christ is an actual lamb. So it was known to be symbolic, but unfortunately, amongst the supertitious to be literal. This is what thousands of art works show. Again, am I saying this is official doctrine in any branch of Christendom. No, I'm pointing out what happened in later centuries, when the beliefs passed over into becoming superstitions, legends, traditions, & illustrated in minitures, paintings, illumination manuscripts & earlier bible illustrations. Plus, biblical themed mystery or moral plays, where Tanners, who tan animal skins to black colors, would play the parts of dark skin demons, or fallen angels, during mystery plays of the middle ages. (A.C. Cawley, Everyman and Medieval Miracle Plays, (London & Vermont: J.M. Dent, Charles E. Tuttle, Everyman, 1974, edition).
For me, it's interesting to see how color symbolism became literalized and legendized into Lord of the Rings type imagery, because those are fun movies and books to read and watch. Such as also the Lord of Darkness, in the movie "Legend," starring Tom Cruise. These are cases in point of the later legendizings of these earlier beliefs. But it's also sad to see how the literalization of color symbolism, eventually became racial to justify slavery, during the 17th-19th centuries. Where, because black skins were associated with the devil and demons, black skin races were too. (Marc Aronson, Race, A History Beyond Black and White, (New York: Atheneum Books, 2007).
In some areas of Christianity, the legends took on interesting folklore, of fairy type creatures, water spirits, creatures, gobblins, gouls, & strange creatures that haunt the forests, streams, rivers and lakes. This was because lore, such as those in places like Russia, said the fallen angels, fell into such areas, or crashed hard & kept going to end up in the deep places of the earth. (Like in Lord of the Rings, where Gandolf the gray, battles, like Michael the arch-angel, an ancient demon from the underworld. He defeats the demon, that reminds us of the illustrations of Dante & Milton's poetries. Gandolf ascends up, like Christ descent into hell, and resurrection, the Anastasis, coming up out of the lower realms. In like manner, Gandolf the gray, then becomes Gandolf the white, (color symbolism again, like in Whitsuntide, or Whitesunday, wearing white baptismal robes, in contrast to Black Sabbath or Black Sunday, the black robes of devil worshippers). In going down under the ground, such things might be where we get the traditional "pointing down to the ground," when we like to warn people were they'll be going, if they don't repent & accept Jesus. Plus, why thousands of depictions of Christ's descent into hell, hades, limbo, purgatory, the underworld, or Anastasis; show Christ lifting up souls out of open cracks, caves, or pits, under the ground. (Anna D. Kartsonis, Anastasis, The Making of An Image, (Princeton, New Jersey: Princeton University Press, 1986); Alice K. Turner, 1993, The History of Hell, (New York, San Diego, U.S.A.; London, England: Harcourt Brace & Company); Darell Thorpe, Upon Them Hath the Light Shined, 1993, Kindle Edition, about 2011; Chandler Rathfon Post, A History of Spanish Painting, (Cambridge, Massachusetts: Harvard University Press, 1930—1958). (New York: Kraus reprint Company, 1970's), etc.)
In earlier centuries, the early Christian apologists, Justin Martyr, Origen, & others, used the pre-existence in response to early anti-Christians, who said that God neglected others, before the time of Christ. Or that Christianity is just a poor copy of Pagan mystery religions. The answers given were: "No!" God wasn't neglectful, Christ pre-existed, and spoke to prophets in other nations. The demons heard these prophets, counterfited what was said of Christ, and came up with counterfeits that the pagans inherited. That's why there are parallels. But, apparently, early anti-Christians, like Celsus, writing AD 170-80, and other later ones, like T. W. Doane, late 19th century, rejected these answers! They then went on to mock the different aspects of the pre-existence that they knew about, as they are presented in early to later Christianity.
Other areas of research, which aren't official doctrine in anyones' churches, are those of pre-birth experiences, where the spirits of children yet to be born, appear or manifest themselves to their parents to be. Or in Near Death Experiences, where those who, say they died, be it on an operation table, or in a car crash, etc., but then come back to life. They tell us that they saw spirits waiting to be born. This is like the "chamber of souls," beliefs in Jewish & Christian writings.
An interesting fictional example of this is Shirly Temple in Blue Bird. With her brother, she goes to a place were spirits, dressed like Roman or Greek kids might, are waiting to be born.
The purpose of this post is not to try to convince anyone in accept these different versions of these beliefs, but to add on to the sources already given here, that acknowledge that the beliefs were around in the historical records.
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