Chapter VIII.-On the
Soul (
Anima).
1. The
order of our
arrangement now
requires us, after the
discussion of the
preceding subjects, to
institute a
general inquiry regarding the
soul; and, beginning with
points of
inferior importance, to
ascend to those that are of
greater. Now, that there are
souls in all
living things, even in those which
live in the
waters, is, I
suppose,
doubted by no one. For the
general opinion of all
men maintains this; and
confirmation from the
authority of
holy Scripture is
added, when it is
said that "
God made
great whales, and every
living creature that
moveth which the
waters brought forth after their
kind." It is
confirmed also from the
common intelligence of
reason, by those who
lay down in
certain words a
definition of
soul. For
soul is
defined as
follows: a
substance fantastikh/ and
o9rmhtikh/, which
may be
rendered into
Latin, although not so
appropriately,
sensibilis et mobilis. This
certainly may be
said appropriately of all
living beings, even of those which
abide in the
waters; and of
winged creatures too, this same
definition of
anima may be
shown to
hold good.
Scripture also has
added its
authority to a
second opinion, when it
says, "Ye shall not
eat the
blood, because the
life of all
flesh is its
blood; and ye shall not
eat the
life with the
flesh; " in which it
intimates most
clearly that the
blood of every
animal is its
life. And if any one now were to
ask how it can be
said with
respect to
bees,
wasps, and
ants, and those other
things which are in the
waters,
oysters and
cockles, and all others which are without
blood, and are most
clearly shown to be
living things, that the "
life of all
flesh is the
blood," we must
answer, that in
living things of that
sort the
force which is
exerted in other
animals by the
power of
red blood is
exerted in them by that
liquid which is within them, although it be of a
different colour; for
colour is a
thing of no
importance,
provided the
substance be
endowed with
life. That
beasts of
burden or
cattle of
smaller size are
endowed with
souls, there is, by
general assent, no
doubt whatever. The
opinion of
holy Scripture, however, is
manifest, when
God says, "Let the
earth bring forth the
living creature after its
kind,
four-footed beasts, and
creeping things, and
beasts of the
earth after their
kind." And now with
respect to
man, although no one
entertains any
doubt, or
needs to
inquire, yet
holy Scripture declares that "
God breathed into his
countenance the
breath of
life, and
man became a
living soul." It
remains that we
inquire respecting the
angelic order whether they also have
souls, or are
souls; and also
respecting the other
divine and
celestial powers, as well as those of an
opposite kind. We nowhere, indeed,
find any
authority in
holy Scripture for
asserting that either the
angels, or any other
divine spirits that are
ministers of
God, either
possess souls or are
called souls, and yet they are
felt by very many
persons to be
endowed with
life. But with
regard to
God, we
find it
written as
follows: "And I will
put My
soul upon that
soul which has
eaten blood, and I will
root him out from among his
people; " and also in another
passage, "Your
new moons, and
sabbaths, and
great days, I will not
accept; your
fasts, and
holidays, and
festal days, My
soul hateth." And in the
Psalms 22,
regarding Christ-for it is
certain, as the
Gospel bears witness, that this
Psalm is
spoken of
Him-the following words occur: "
O Lord, be not
far from
helping me;
look to my
defence:
O God,
deliver my
soul from the
sword, and my
beloved one from the
hand of the
dog; " although there are also many other
testimonies respecting the
soul of
Christ when He
tabernacled in the
flesh.
2. But the
nature of the
incarnation will
render unnecessary any
inquiry into the
soul of
Christ. For as He
truly possessed flesh, so also He
truly possessed a
soul. It is
difficult indeed both to
feel and to
state how that which is
called in
Scripture the
soul of
God is to be
understood; for we
acknowledge that
nature to be
simple, and without any
intermixture or
addition. In whatever
way, however, it is to be
understood, it seems, meanwhile, to be
named the
soul of
God; whereas
regarding Christ there is no
doubt. And therefore there seems to me no
absurdity in either
understanding or
asserting some such
thing regarding the
holy angels and the other
heavenly powers, since that
definition of
soul appears applicable also to them. For who can
rationally deny that they are "
sensible and
moveable? "But if that
definition appear to be
correct, according to which a
soul is
said to be a
substance rationally "
sensible and
moveable," the same
definition would seem also to
apply to
angels. For what else is in them than
rational feeling and
motion? Now those
beings who are
comprehended under the same
definition have
undoubtedly the same
substance.
Paul indeed
intimates that there is a
kind of
animal-man who, he
says, cannot
receive the
things of the
Spirit of
God, but
declares that the
doctrine of the
Holy Spirit seems to him
foolish, and that he cannot
understand what is to be
spiritually discerned. In another
passage he
says it is
sown an
animal body, and
arises a
spiritual body,
pointing out that in the
resurrection of the
just there will be nothing of an
animal nature. And therefore we
inquire whether there
happen to be any
substance which, in
respect of its
being anima, is
imperfect. But whether it be
imperfect because it
falls away from
perfection, or because it was so
created by
God, will
form the
subject of
inquiry when each
individual topic shall begin to be
discussed in
order. For if the
animal man receive not the
things of the
Spirit of
God, and because he is
animal, is
unable to
admit the
understanding of a
better,
i.e., of a
divine nature, it is for this
reason perhaps that
Paul,
wishing to
teach us more
plainly what that is by
means of which we are
able to
comprehend those
things which are of the
Spirit,
i.e.,
spiritual things,
conjoins and
associates with the
Holy Spirit an
understanding rather than a
soul. For this, I
think, he
indicates when he
says, "I will
pray with the
spirit, I will
pray with the
understanding also; I will
sing with the
spirit, I will
sing with the
understanding also. And he does not
say that "I will
pray with the
soul," but with the
spirit and the
understanding. Nor does he
say, "I will
sing with the
soul," but with the
spirit and the
understanding.
3. But perhaps this
question is
asked, If it be the
understanding which
prays and
sings with the
spirit, and if it be the same which
receives both
perfection and
salvation, how is it that
Peter says, "
Receiving the end of your
faith, even the
salvation of your
souls? " If the
soul neither
prays nor
sings with the
spirit, how shall it
hope for
salvation? or when it
attains to
blessedness, shall it be no
longer called a
soul? Let us
see if perhaps an
answer may be
given in this
way, that as the
Saviour came to
save what was
lost, that which formerly was
said to be
lost is not
lost when it is
saved; so also, perhaps, this which is
saved is
called a
soul, and when it has been
placed in a
state of
salvation will
receive a
name from the
Word that
denotes its more
perfect condition. But it
appears to some that this also
may be
added, that as the
thing which was
lost undoubtedly existed before it was
lost, at which
time it was something else than
destroyed, so also will be the
case when it is no
longer in a
ruined condition. In like
manner also, the
soul which is
said to have
perished will
appear to have been something at one
time, when as yet it had not
perished, and on that
account would be
termed soul, and
being again
freed from
destruction, it
may become a
second time what it was before it
perished, and be
called a
soul. But from the very
signification of the
name soul which the
Greek word conveys, it has
appeared to a few
curious inquirers that a
meaning of no
small importance may be
suggested. For in
sacred language God is
called a
fire, as when
Scripture says," Our
God is a
consuming fire."
Respecting the
substance of the
angels also it
speaks as
follows: "Who
maketh His
angels spirits, and His
ministers a
burning fire; " and in another
place, "The
angel of the
Lord appeared in a
flame of
fire in the
bush." We have, moreover,
received a
commandment to be "
fervent in
spirit; " by which
expression undoubtedly the
Word of
God is
shown to be
hot and
fiery. The
prophet Jeremiah also
hears from Him, who
gave him his
answers, "
Behold, I have
given My
words into thy
mouth a
fire." As
God, then, is a
fire, and the
angels a
flame of
fire, and all the
saints are
fervent in
spirit, so, on the
contrary, those who have
fallen away from the
love of
God are
undoubtedly said to have
cooled in their
affection for Him, and to have become
cold. For the
Lord also
says, that, "because
iniquity has
abounded, the
love of many will
grow cold."
Nay, all
things, whatever they are, which in
holy Scripture are
compared with the
hostile power, the
devil is
said to be
perpetually finding cold; and what is found to be
colder than he? In the
sea also the
dragon is
said to
reign. For the
prophet intimates that the
serpent and
dragon, which
certainly is
referred to one of the
wicked spirits, is also in the
sea. And elsewhere the
prophet says, "I will
draw out my
holy sword upon the
dragon the
flying serpent, upon the
dragon the
crooked serpent, and will
slay him." And again he
says: "Even though they
hide from my
eyes, and
descend into the
depths of the
sea, there will I
command the
serpent, and it shall
bite them." In the
book of
Job also, he is
said to be the
king of all
things in the
waters. The
prophet threatens that
evils will be
kindled by the
north wind upon all who
inhabit the
earth. Now the
north wind is
described in
holy Scripture as
cold, according to the
statement in the
book of
Wisdom, "That
cold north wind; " which same
thing also must
undoubtedly be
understood of the
devil. If, then, those
things which are
holy are
named fire, and
light, and
fervent, while those which are of an
opposite nature are
said to be
cold; and if the
love of many is
said to
wax cold; we have to
inquire whether perhaps the
name soul, which in
Greek is
termed yukh/, be so
termed from
growing cold out of a
betterand more
divine condition, and be thence
derived, because it seems to have
cooled from
thatnatural and
divine warmth, and therefore has been
placed in its
present position, and
called by its
present name.
Finally,
see if you
caneasily find a
place in
holy Scripture where
thesoul is
properly mentioned in
terms of
praise: it
frequently occurs, on the
contrary,
accompanied with
expressions of
censure, as in the
passage, "An
evil soul ruins him who
possesses it; " and, "The
soul which
sinneth, it shall
die." For after it has been
said, "All
souls are
Mine; as the
soul of the
father, so also the
soul of the
son is
Mine," it seemed to
follow that He would
say, "The
soul that
doeth righteousness, it shall be
saved," and "The
soul which
sinneth, it shall
die." But now we
see that He has
associated with the
soul what is
censurable, and has been
silent as to that which was
deserving of
praise. We have therefore to
see if,
perchance, as we have
said is
declared by the
name itself, it was
called yukh/,
i.e.,
anima, because it has
waxed cold from the
fervour of
just things, and from
participation in the
divine fire, and yet has not
lost the
power of
restoring itself to that
condition of
fervour in which it was at the beginning. Whence the
prophet also
appears to
point out some such
state of
things by the
words, "
Return,
O my
soul, unto thy
rest." From all which this
appears to be made out, that the
understanding,
falling away from its
status and
dignity, was made or
named soul; and that, if
repaired and
corrected, it
returns to the
condition of the
understanding.
4. Now, if this be the
case, it seems to me that this very
decay and
falling away of the
understanding is not the same in all, but that this
conversion into a
soul is
carried to a
greater or less
degree in
different instances, and that
certain understandings retain something even of their former
vigour, and others again either nothing or a very
small amount. Whence some are found from the very
commencement of their
lives to be of more
active intellect, others again of a
slower habit of
mind, and some are
born wholly obtuse, and
altogether incapable of
instruction. Our
statement, however, that the
understanding is
converted into a
soul, or whatever else seems to have such a
meaning, the
reader must
carefully consider and
settle for himself, as these
views are not be
regarded as
advanced by us in a
dogmatic manner, but
simply as
opinions,
treated in the
style of
investigation and
discussion. Let the
reader take this also into
consideration, that it is
observed with
regard to the
soul of the
Saviour, that of those
things which are
written in the
Gospel, some are
ascribed to it under the
name of
soul, and others under that of
spirit. For when it
wishes to
indicate any
suffering or
perturbation affecting Him, it
indicates it under the
name of
soul; as when it
says, "Now is My
soul troubled; " and, "My
soul is
sorrowful, even unto
death; " and, "No
man taketh My
soul from Me, but I
lay it down of Myself." Into the
hands of His
Father He
commends not His
soul, but His
spirit; and when He
says that the
flesh is
weak, He does not
say that the
soul is
willing, but the
spirit: whence it
appears that the
soul is something
intermediate between the
weak flesh and the
willing spirit.
5. But perhaps some one
may meet us with one of those
objections which we have ourselves
warned you of in our
statements, and
say, "How then is there
said to be also a
soul of
God? "To which we
answer as
follows: That as with
respect to everything
corporeal which is
spoken of
God, such as
fingers, or
hands, or
arms, or
eyes, or
feet, or
mouth, we
say that these are not to be
understood as
human members, but that
certain of His
powers are
indicated by these
names of
members of the
body; so also we are to
suppose that it is something else which is
pointed out by this
title-soul of
God. And if it is
allowable for us to
venture to
say anything more on such a
subject, the
soul of
God may perhaps be
understood to
mean the
only-begotten Son of
God. For as the
soul, when
implanted in the
body,
moves all
things in it, and
exerts its
force over everything on which it
operates; so also the
only-begotten Son of
God, who is His
Word and
Wisdom,
stretches and
extends to every
power of
God,
being implanted in it; and perhaps to
indicate this
mystery is
God either
called Or
described in
Scripture as a
body. We must, indeed,
take into
consideration whether it is not perhaps on this
account that the
soul of
God may be
understood to
mean His
only-begotten Son, because He Himself
came into this
world of
affliction, and
descended into this
valley of
tears, and into this
place of our
humiliation; as He
says in the
Psalm, "Because Thou hast
humiliated us in the
place of
affliction."
Finally, I am
aware that
certain critics, in
explaining the
words used in the
Gospel by the
Saviour, "My
soul is
sorrowful, even unto
death," have
interpreted them of the
apostles, whom He
termed His
soul, as
being better than the
rest of His
body. For as the
multitude of
believers is
called His
body, they
say that the
apostles, as
being better than the
rest of the
body,
ought to be
understood to
mean His
soul.
We have
brought forward as we
best could these
points regarding the
rational soul, as
topics of
discussion for our
readers, rather than as
dogmatic and
well-defined propositions. And with
respect to the
souls of
animals and other
dumb creatures, let that
suffice which we have
stated above in
general terms.