THE BODY AND THE BIBLE

VIEWS IN CHRISTIAN ANTHROPOLOGY

DEFINITION OF CHRISTIAN ANTHROPOLOGY

Refers to the study of Man as it relates God
Deals with the comparative study of the physical and social characteristics of humanity across times and places.

Concepts based on Christian Writings

Gregory of Nyssa
Man is a material creation, and thus limited but infinite in that his immortal soul has an indefinite capacity to grow closer to the divine. He beloved that the sour is created simultaneous to the creation of the body. Humanity is theomorphic both having awareness and free will.

Augustine of Hippo Man has a perfect unity of twosubstance: soul and body, and that body is essential part of the human person,. It is like marriage: caro tua, coniux tua your body is your wife.

The body is a threedimensional object composed of the four elements,

The Body/ flesh;

The Soul;
and the Spirit

The body (Greek soma) is the corporeal or physical aspect of a human being.

THE BODY/ FLESH

THE SOUL

The semantic domain of Biblical soul is based on the Hebrew word nepes, which presumably means breath or breathing being. This word means an immortal soul or an incorporeal part of the human being that can survive death of the body as the spirit of dead. This word usually designates the person as a whole or its physical life. In the Septuagint nepes is mostly translated as psyche () and, exceptionally, in the Book of Joshua as empneon (), that is "breathing being".

The spirit (Hebrew ruach, Greek , pneuma, which can also mean "breath") is likewise an immaterial component. It also refers to the Spirit of God residing and dwells in every person. It is also He who silently speaks and guide us. It is He who gives wisdom and understanding. It is the Spirit that descend on every Apostles in Pentecost in a form of a tongue of fire.

SPIRIT

THE ORIGIN OF HUMANITY The Bible teaches in the book of Genesis the humans were created by God. Some Christians believe that this must have involved a miraculous creative act, while others are comfortable with the idea that God worked through the evolutionary process. The book of Genesis also teaches that human beings, male and female, were created in the image of God. The exact meaning of this has been debated throughout church history. "Created in the image of God" means that there is an equivalency of concepts in human anthropology to that of our Creator, see above under Word. Origin/transmission of the soul There are two opposing views about how the soul originates in each human being. Creationism teaches that God creates a "fresh" soul within each human embryo at or some time shortly after conception. The Roman Catholic Church officially teaches the soul is created at the very moment of conception.[35] Note: This is not to be confused with creationism as a view of the origins of life and the universe. Traducianism, by contrast, teaches that the soul is inherited from the individual's parents, along with his or her biological material.

SINFUL NATURE
Christian theology traditionally teaches the corruption of human nature. However, there have been a range of views held throughout church history.
Pelagius taught that human nature is not so corrupt that we cannot overcome sin. Arminians believe that our nature is corrupt, but that free will can still operate. Saint Augustine believed that all humans are born into the sin and guilt of Adam, and are powerless to do good without grace.

CATHOLIC VIEWS
Image of god
Since man is said to be the image of God by reason of his intellectual nature, he is the most perfectly like God according to that in which he can best imitate God in his intellectual nature. Now the intellectual nature imitates God chiefly in this, that God understands and loves Himself. Wherefore we see that the image of God is in man in three ways. This means according to Thomas, that man has a natural aptitude for recognizing, understanding and loving God, for which however, he requires His grace. -Thomas Aquinas

Augustine is the father of many contemporary theological views on the body. He dwelled at length on the condition of the human body before and after the fall. He was convinced that the heavenly state consisted in complete control of mind over body, especially in the area of sexuality. To illustrate this point, he notes, that some people can wiggle with their ears, nose or even hair, completely at their will. This condition of complete freedom and absence of lust existed for human sexuality too before the fall. The body must be controlled, and therefore Augustine like his teacher Ambrose considered virginity of the human body the superior way of Christ.
He considered matrimony a triple blessing in light of its offspring, conjugal faith and being a sacrament: "In conjugal faith it is provided that there should be no carnal intercourse outside the marriage bond with another man or woman; with regard to offspring, that children should be begotten of love, tenderly cared for and educated in a religious atmosphere; finally, in its sacramental aspect that the marriage bond should not be broken and that a husband or wife, if separated, should not be joined to another even for the sake of offspring. This we regard as the law of marriage by which the fruitfulness of nature is adorned and the evil of incontinence is restrained."[

Mind over body

Mary, the model of Virginity

To Ambrose of Milan, the body lives in a duality with the soul and must be subjugated. Control of the body is essential for Christian life. Total control is virginity. Virginity and perfect chastity consecrated to the service of God allows the body to become the image of God. It is to Ambrose one of the most precious treasures which Christ has left as his heritage to the Church. He asserted that perpetual virginity is a noble gift which the Christian religion has bestowed on the world. Virginity is not new or even Christian. Pagans imposed this way of life on the Vestals for a certain time. Ambrose writes, "We read that also in the temple of Jerusalem there were virgins. But what does the Apostle say? 'Now all these things happened to them in figure', that this might be a foreshadowing of what was to come. "Mary is the model of virginity: No wonder that the Lord, wishing to rescue the world, began his work with Mary. Thus she, through whom salvation was being prepared for all people, would be the first to receive the promised fruit of salvation." "To sow the seeds of perfect purity and to arouse a desire for virginity has always belonged to the function of the priesthood."

The Body and word of Christ

Our body is created not only for us but for Christ in His love. As the Bible says I am with you, He means that we in Him and for Him because He is love and united by it. The Bible teaches us to love one another for He dwells and resides in every people. As we love one another, we are been commanded to love and respect our body for we cannot love and respect others without applying first in ourselves. Christ wants us to fully submit ourselves in His will and to imitate Him in chastity, purity, sanctity and love. He do not want us to love become attached in this world, what He want is to love and respect our body for the sake of His name.

The body and the Priest

It is very important to all of His servant to understand the nature of body in order that they may use their body in accordance of His will. They are to imitate Christ in purity and chastity. Even though they have their human nature, it is a great opportunity to glorify God as they mortify themselves to control their bodies. Many priest falls in hell because they did not succeed. Temptations are always in this world. One cannot remain pure without resisting it. But such priest who suffers and mortify his body in order to offer himself to be an instrument of God is a true servant of Him. Great fortitude and perseverance is required to do it, but it cannot succeed without the grace and help of their Master and God.