This is the third and final part of the talk that I gave at the recent annual conference of the Conditional Immortality Association, where I addressed the question of what difference it makes if we embrace a biblical portrait of human beings as unified and physical, rejecting a substance dualist view of humanity.Salvation Naturally we can’t truly separate salvation from … [Read more...]
Body and Soul
Articles in this subcategory seek to identify and explain who human beings are by noting what the Bible says about our composition. Key biblical terms discussed in these articles include:
body (בֶּטֶן ) (σῶμα)
flesh (בּשָׂר) (σάρξ)
soul (נֶפֶשׁ) (ψυχη)
spirit (רוּחַ) (πνεῦμα)
heart (לֵב) (καρδία)
mind (כּלְיָה) (νοῦς)
Key theological terms discussed in these articles include: dichotomy, trichotomy, and composite unity and functional unity.
Material salvation, part 2
Here’s part 2 of the talk that I gave recently at the annual conference of the Conditional Immortality Association, about the difference it makes when we grasp a biblical portrait of human nature as unified and material. In part 1 I traced a brief history of the issue, and talked about some pressing social issues that our view of human nature has much to say about, namely sex … [Read more...]
the breath of our nostrils
In “the breath of our nostrils” Jefferson Vann examines how the major prophets of the Old Testament used the word רוּחַ (ruach) – a word that is often translated “spirit.”Translating words from one language into another is a complicated process. The translator has to decide all the shades of meaning that can be conveyed by a particular word. This list of potential … [Read more...]
where did all the spirits go?
In "where did all the spirits go?" Jefferson Vann shows how the authors of the Hebrew historical books in the Old Testament used the word that is most often mistranslated as “spirit.”In our study of the Hebrew word רוּחַ (ruach) in the books of Moses, we found this semantic range for the word:First, רוּחַ is the Breath of God, as the source of life for all … [Read more...]
introducing the breath of God
In “introducing the breath of God” Jefferson Vann shows how Moses used the Hebrew word that is most often mistranslated as “spirit.”Over the past few years, I have had the opportunity to engage in a uniquely productive form of Bible study. I have been translating Scripture! I began with no preconceived notions about the best translation theory, but in the process of … [Read more...]