Theology of the Body — 2012/03/15

Sorry for the long time between posts on this topic.


"Through the ages, many philosophers have spoken of man as if he were divided into two distinct parts: soul and body. This isn't the biblical view, though. In Genesis, the fundamental distinction is … between dust and breath (life) — between unformed matter and living beings.

[According to Genesis 2:7] "Adam entered the world as a unified being, a 'living soul' brought to life by the breath of God.

" … The human body allows man to perform distinctly human activities …. And even though the body is physical, it is almost transparent — it reveals man's identity, giving physical form to his inner life.

" … Making a covenant with Adam, God says, 'You are free to eat from any tree in  the garden, but you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for when you eat of it you will surely die' (Gen 2:16-17).

" …Adam  had known only life; how could he understand the concept of death. The word 'die' … is presented as the total opposite of all that Adam has been given. Adam realizes that his life is entirely dependent on God. God breathed life into man, but that breath still belongs to God. When it is taken away, man returns to dust. In this way, the choice between life and death was set before Adam.

"At that moment, the choice between death and immortality became part of what it means to be human. As a living soul called to communion with God, man faced this choice from the beginning."