From: Jan de Koning (jan@dekoning.ca)
Date: Wed May 07 2003 - 12:03:45 EDT
Dear Sondra and Allan,
The words in Hebrew and Greek translated into English "soul" is not always
the same word in the original. Indeed, sometimes the original has the same
word elsewhere translated by words like "breath" or "living being" or . . .
Sometimes the same word is translated differently in two chapters following
each other. For example: "nephesh" Gen.1;24 "living being", Gen.2:7
"living soul." Or: "ruach" translated as "breath", "wind", "spirit". In
Gen.1:1 we read it as "the Spirit of God", in other translations as "wind
of God" etc.
I believe, that early (and later) translations the translation was
influenced by the thinking of the translators, whi were almost without
exception, very much influenced by Greek philosophy, which did believe in
Body and Soul. The Bible has however a much more unified description of
man. We are "(wo-)man", not "body and soul."
Part of our trouble is that we do not realize in our thinking, that "time"
is a creation of God as well. When we die we are "out of time" as my
grandfather used to say. Consequently, if there is "time" in the
resurrection, I believe that the "moment" of my death will be the "moment"
of my resurrection as well. But, we do not really know what "time" is, do we?
Jan de Koning
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