Soul

The word ‘soul’ is used in older translations of the Bible with a variety of meanings, some of which are translated nowadays as ‘life’ or ‘mind’. However, the most significant meaning of the word refers to the immortal and spiritual part of human beings.

Soul and body

In medieval and early modern times, writers often described the body as a container for the soul, seeing the body as made of earth and the soul as a spirit trapped within it. This idea was partly derived from the Greek philosopher Plato, but also reflected the words of Genesis, the first book of the Bible, which describes how ‘the Lord God formed the man from the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life’ (Genesis 2:7). In the Bible, God’s people are advised to love him with all their ‘soul’ (Deuteronomy 6:5).

The soul and eternity

Christians believe that all human beings have a soul. Though born into a world which is affected by the ‘fall of humankind’, every person is offered forgiveness of sins and the redemption of the soul through the sacrifice made by Christ when he died on the cross (see Big ideas: Judgement; Forgiveness, Mercy and grace; Redemption, salvation; Cross, crucifixion). Acceptance of this offer brings the gift of eternal life, a new quality of life which begins on earth and is fulfilled after death in heaven. However, it is also possible to reject God’s mercy, which many Christians believe results in condemning the soul to hell, an eternal separation from God.

The soul in literature

Shakespeare’s The Merchant of Venice

In Shakespeare’s play The Merchant of Venice, Lorenzo describes to Jessica that there is heavenly music around them which is inaudible to the human, bodily ear:

Such harmony is in immortal souls,
But whilst this muddy vesture of decay
Doth grossly close it in, we cannot hear it

Christopher Marlowe’s Doctor Faustus

In Christopher Marlowe’s play Doctor Faustus, Marlowe shows Faustus selling his soul to the devil (see Big ideas: Serpent, Devil, Satan, Beast) in exchange for twenty-four years of earthly power.

Graham Green’s Brighton Rock

Graham Greene, in his novel Brighton Rock explores the character of Pinkie, a vicious young murderer who challenges God; Pinkie believes only in hell, not heaven, and commits acts of atrocity for which, he is convinced, God will not be able to forgive him. Nevertheless, the novel ends with the suggestion that, even in its final moments of life on earth, the soul may, ‘between the stirrup and the ground’, seek and find God’s grace.

Other cultural references

Shakespeare’s The Merchant of Venice

Marlowe’s Doctor Faustus

Green’s Brighton Rock

Today's New International Version: ⁷Then the LORD God formed a man from the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living being.
King James Version: ⁷And the LORD God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul.

Today's New International Version: ⁵Love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength.
King James Version: ⁵And thou shalt love the LORD thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy might.

The Christian Bible consists of the Old Testament scriptures inherited from Judaism, together with the New Testament, drawn from writings produced from c.40-125CE, which describe the life of Jesus and the establishment of the Christian church.

A being who is not mortal ' that is, who will never die; living forever.

1. Consisting of or relating to (the) spirit(s), rather than material or bodily form. 2. Relating to matters of the soul, faith, religion, or the supernatural.

A title of respect. Used in the Old Testament as a title for God. Also used of Jesus Christ.

The Bible describes God as the unique supreme being, creator and ruler of the universe.

Name originally given to disciples of Jesus by outsiders and gradually adopted by the Early Church.

Adam and Eve's act of disobedience in the Garden of Eden described in the Old Testament Book of Genesis which led to estrangement from God for them and their descendants.

1. The action of forgiving; pardon of a fault, remission of a debt. 2. Being freed from the burden of guilt, after committing a sin or crime, through being pardoned by the one hurt or offended.

Disobedience to the known will of God. According to Christian theology human beings have displayed a pre-disposition to sin since the Fall of Humankind.

In Christian belief, the redemption of humanity was achieved by Jesus who in his death on the cross made a complete sacrifice sufficient to pay for the sins of the world.

1. The giving up of something deeply valued 2. Offerings a worshipper gives to God to express devotion, gratitude, or the need for forgiveness. 3. In the Bible, the sacrifice is seen to take away guilt and blame.

Title (eventually used as name) given to Jesus, refering to an anointed person set apart for a special task such as a king.

1. Instrument of execution used in the Roman Empire. 2. The means by which Jesus Christ was put to death and therefore the primary symbol of the Christian faith, representing the way in which he is believed to have won forgiveness for humankind.

A new quality of life, beginning in the present but continuing after death, which Jesus is said to offer to those who believe in him.

1. Genesis indicates that death was not part of the orginal plan for human beings but is one of the consequences of the Fall. 2. The death of Jesus is presented as opening up the possibility of reconciliation with God.

In many religions, the place where God dwells, and to which believers aspire after their death. Sometimes known as Paradise.

The showing of pity and compassion; in particular, the grace and forgiveness offered by God to sinful humans if they repent of their wrong-doings.

Jesus describes hell as the place where Satan and his demons reside and the realm where unrepentant souls will go after the Last Judgement.

Also known as Satan or Lucifer, the Bible depicts him as the chief of the fallen angels and demons, the arch enemy of God who mounts a significant, but ultimately futile, challenge to God's authority.

Undeserved favour. The Bible uses this term to describe God's gifts to human beings.

The Creation; Fall of humankind and universal or original sin; Noah and the Flood; the call of Abraham (start of salvation history), followed by the stories of the other patriarchs, Isaac, Jacob and Joseph.

crossref-it.info - AS/A2 English Literature Study Guides - texts in context.