The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1914-06-02
PEOPLES FORUM
" hat is The Soul?

Editor Nirginian:
Sir.--Nery few Christian people have any idea
Of the scrIptural meaning of soul, possibly no
word in the Bible has been TRANSLATED to cause
more confusion than soul.
The word soul found in the scriptures
means, senuent being, that Is, a being with
powers OF sense In the Genesis a"aount OF
mans creation, we find that the body was form
cd then The spirit Of life. called breath Of life
breathed into the body. and became
living sotil. Therefore the body OF naH IS not
the soul, and the spirit or breath of llfe IS not
the soul. bat when the spirit or breath and the
body united by God, then the result Is,
living man. a living soul, a sentent being
According to the Bible every living creature Is
soul ali cattle, creeping Things, boasts,
birds of tho air and fishes OF the SCI ara ali
souls" Tho Hebrew word "Neh-phsah' Is
translated in the Old Testament thirty-s.x differ
ent ways, the meaning of this word is ''sentient
heInZ4A few TRANSACTIONS as fe4tt47e7-s
-, soul" Ger 1.21, "a: 2-19: $40 creature"
this word IS also translated life self
mind person" etc In Gen, 1870 the Hebrew
word "neh-phesh'' which means living souls,
is translated life; the same Hebrew word in
translated creature" in Gen 1910, and In both
instances refers to the cattle, and lower animals,
therefore, as long as the breath, spirit Of life.
is in the body Of an animal, 1t Is a lIylrg soul.
In Numbers 312s this Hebrew word il trans
lated soul, and in this text refers to man ard
animals,
The word "syr4rit'' as used In the B.ble re
IefFlNE 10 En30. Always means the spirit 4LLey
spark OF life" breath Of life" which was
Siven to lidam, Gen, -. the spirit d Is
the invisible power which controls the Hfe Tho
Hebrew word "r7Iach" which means spirit Of
life Is translated breath in Cen eli, 7;15,
Job 1910. and IS translated spirit IN Cen.
~ q, Judges 15,19. Psa- 31:5. and Feel Ri,
and in each refers to the "spara Of life"
or breath Of life" We told in Eccl 3;19-
: that man hath no pre-efninence above a beast
Tor that which hefalleth the sons OF men, he
fal1eth beasts, even ono thing befallcsh Them as
the dieth dieth the other, they have all
ono breath Esprit OF lifel, ali is vanity, all so
unto one place, all are Of the dust and all turn
To dust again The above IS the positive state
ment made by Solomon as where men go at
death, there must have been some theoogians
n Solomcns day who were teaching that death
Solomon asking the question, Who knoweth the
spirit OF man that eoeth upward, and that Of
beast that goeth downward "a the eaIth?" Bcel
i , =. The spirit Of man is the power to live.
spark Of life" breath Of life. and when
dies Then shall the dust return 10 the
earth as It was and the spirit shall return unto
God who gave it, Ecci ~, When Il man
dies he returns to dust, and the man is not ia
existence his right live. breath ~ life is then
in the hands OF Cod not taken from
heaven he was taken. created from the dust Of
The earth. his breath spark Of lfe'' came
from God othis did not come from the earth).
therefore, when dies. Ills body returns to
DUST and his breath spark Of lifa,' returns to
{12-7. Tho organism Of man Ia a higher organ
Ism than that Of the hover animals, but al have
ono spark OF life as the bible tells us and ut
death they all go % the same place. turn to dust
again. TIE difference is, man "a promised a
resurrection from tho grave. aua il referred to
as sleeping tn the tuea Of the carth CDanieI
L. -. All Of mankind viii to resurrected
from tho grave. The day Will come when all
who sleep in their graves w}ll hear the voice
of the Son of Man and viii come forth
In the New Testament find the Greek word
'psucho" translated "souF) dfty-six times. and
life fortv-one times Thts word corresponds
~ the Hebrew word "neh-phesh' in the Old
Testament. translated Soul and life" etc A
mans soul and mans life AFRO exactly the
same There is absolutely no Inference. For
instance Matt 10; 39): III" mat fndeth his
lie (psuchc--sonl being) shall lose it.. and
Matt. i6 26}. For what is g. man profited If
he shall gain the whole world and lose his
own soul % (psuche--life. beiag); or, what
shah man give in exchange foc his soul ?"
tpsuchc-hls life, bcing) a mans body or
animal body, when the breath or spark of
1.fo is m II. Is a living soal being living crea-
tate 1t rs life" But when the spirit or
breath leaves the body the soul, or life. ceases
to exist. we find in Isaiah 81 70 that Jesus
poured out his soul unto death Ills soul YVES
out Of existence for three dave Peter and
David tell that the soH of Jesus was in
hell" the grave, but was net left there az
God loosened the bands Of Death and he arose
the third day. (rsa. g: ~. Acts 2: "a 40
Very traly yours,
Richmond, Va. June 1sf c. r c.