Dr. Blake Nelson wrote:
> In many areas, good scholarly research points out that
> our current, popular interpretation of Holy Scripture
> might not be what was intended by those who wrote
> those pieces of scripture. For example, you refer to
> the immortal soul. While there is great debate about
> what "soulishness" means, there is a very well
> supported line of scholarly research regarding the
> understanding of the Old and New Testaments that
> contends that an immortal soul, as some independent,
> non-material substance, added to our otherwise
> material makeup is not supported by the Holy
> Scriptures. Yet, these theologians and scholars of
> the Old and New Testament retain their Christian and
> creedal hope in the resurrection of the body. None of
> the creeds say that a belief in an immortal soul is a
> foundational belief of Christianity. Indeed, the
> arguments of these scholars focuse on the fact that
> the immortal soul is a Greek philosophical graft onto
> Christian theology.
Now that is imteresting --- and surprising.. I did a word search for
soul and it sounds like the the OT tends to use it as a synonym for a
person. But the NT definitly seems to speak of a soul as someything
which we posess and which is more important than the body -- like it is
not agood idea to loose it. Also there seems to be a definite connection
to immoprtalirty in some of the verses --- but only as related to Jesus
Christ.
Walt
===================================
Walt Hicks <wallyshoes@mindspring.com>
In any consistent theory, there must
exist true but not provable statements.
(Godel's Theorem)
You can only find the truth with logic
If you have already found the truth
without it. (G.K. Chesterton)
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