On this subject, though, I came across some colloquial language in Fielding's Tom Jones which may give insight into the relation of spirit to soul. A landlady had mistaken a lady for a whore and effusively apologized and the lady responded (when offered something of the landlady's to wear):
"...I will [not] condescend to put on any of your dirty things. I would have you know, creature, I have a spirit above that."Now, pay no attention to the affectation of being 'better' than others here, I am getting at the natural, colloquial language of which Fielding is good at reproducing. "I have a spirit above that."
In this sense spirit is the quality of the soul. Something overly pious, or fake modest Christians object to is any talk of degree of level of being of believers, even though the Word of God speaks explicitly of it. But that is neither here nor there regarding the point of this post.
There is body and soul. That is what we are. Then our spirit is the quality of the soul. Not in the sense of being an abstraction (quality); it is a thing, the Spirit itself, of which Jesus only had/has the full measure (itself a reference to degree of level of being in reference to spirit); so then also our spirit develops, in the fullness of time, by the grace of God.
2 comments:
I've read this a few times. I agree with what you write yet sense the soul is closer to the body than we think. Of course, this whole matter is subject to the language we use. What happens is this: everyone knows what the body is, there is no dispute, it's entirely tangible. Both soul & spirit appear as intangible, even abstract, allowing for varying theories and ideas to arise. As such they are lumped together. There is body and then there is soul/spirit. You can see clearly in the Hebrew word for Soul, 'nephesh' that the very idea of animal vitality and instinct - the bodily tabernacle - is enclosed within that definition. Nefesh is the physical being. Whereas the word for Spirit, 'ruach', often assumed as equivalent to the Greek 'pneuma' and Latin 'spiritus', literally means the spirit or presence of God. 'Ruach' as the divine breath of inspiration - the same Spirit-breath that moved upon the waters in Genesis 1:2. Yet, for me this really suggests that body & soul are one idea, the living breathing bodily animal with appetites, lusts and a sense of self as mortal (even allowing that souls can be very ancient, yet in the time-world ever mortal). Spirit is God given, divine in origin, free moving without anchorage (if temporarily linked to the lower being), with potential infinite extension to its' Creator. Spirit is that part of our Being that expands and grows beyond that which nature has given - the expanding breath of life (in it's fullest possible meaning) enclosing the limited soul/body. I think this is closer to the truth. I go with the Kabbalists who recognise three souls: 'Nefesh' the lower bodily soul, 'Ruach' the spirit soul, and 'Neshama' the higher soul that separates man out from all other creatures, being that part with awareness of the presence/existence of God. This is the important thing in this discussion - it is not that there is body, soul & spirit (because in a sense they are simply parts of one whole, parts operating at different energy levels) - there is a part of our being that is aware of the presence of God. It is this that we need to cultivate and develop if we are to be more than the animals, and if we do not develop this part then maybe by default we become less than animals. As always we arrive at CONSCIENCE. The spirit rides on the lower soul/body and lights her way and feeds her, likewise the higher soul rides on the middle soul/spirit. It is this higher soul that returns to the Eternal God because it is aware of a Holy Presence that draws it Home.
I've been unusually away from the internet lately.
I think what you say and what I wrote are compatible.
It's pretty practical and concrete too to think of spirit as being something that we can have a 'measure' of. Jesus had it 'without measure.'
As for soul and body, the tabernacle can be different, but the soul is eternal (contingent on God's immortality).
It's the switch between tabernacles where mystery resides.
Practically, we can increase the degree of spirit (Spirit) we are able to contain. Increase of level of being increases *capacity* for consciousness, real will, and understanding. And the tabernacle changes accordingly...(?)
Of course it does.
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