Reply To: Anthropology 2024/2025 Discussion Board 1

[Chibuike Onyeogulu]

The theological view of the origin of the human soul have been subjected to three main theories.
The theory of pre-existence
According to this view, every human soul existed before mortal conception and eventually entered or was placed into the body prior to birth. Origen Adamantius, an early Christian scholar, proposed the idea of pre-existence, in that God created each human soul before conception.
Origen referenced Jeremiah 1:5 “Before I formed thee in the belly, I knew thee; and before thou camest forth out of the womb, I sanctified thee, and I ordained thee a prophet unto the nations” as his basis of his argument and then brought forth a question, “How could his soul and its images be formed along with his body, who, before he was created in the womb, is said to be known to God, and was sanctified by Him before his birth?
His argument sounds logical, couple with scriptural backing, however I do not agree to it because further studies on this theory totally contradicts God’s foreknowledge (Omniscience), mosaic account of man’s creation in the image of God and lastly, it shed no light on the origin of sin as well as inherited sensual sin which it holds to have come from Adam or upon God’s justice in dealing with sin.
The theory of traducianism
The term ‘traducianism’ comes from the Latin word ‘tradux’, meaning ‘layer’. According to this notion, all souls are, in some way, descended from Adam’s original soul. Tertullian, a prominent early Christian author, taught that the soul is ‘passed on’ from father to child via the organic process of generation. During procreation, both the soul and the body pass on a portion of themselves to their offspring, resulting in the full person, soul and body, being derived from the progenitors.
Again, his argument sounds logical and had scriptural backing as it gives more explanation to the original sin, inherited sensual sin and the subsequent redemption we have in Christ. Traducianists find support in Romans 5:12, “Therefore, just as through one person sin entered the world, and through sin, death, and thus death came to all, and 1 Corinthians 15:22 “For just as in Adam all die, so too in Christ shall all be brought to life”, However, I do not agree with this theory because it still raises a few insuperable problems about personal identity. Psalm 139: 14 and Romans 12:6 laid emphasis on the fact that every human is created fearfully and wonderfully, and God have given every individual a unique gift for doing thing so well.
The theory of creationism
This theory belief is that God created each soul and individual at the very moment he joins it to the developing organism thus, God creates a soul for each body that is generated. This theory gives support to the marked individuality in a child which cannot be explained as a mere reproduction of the qualities existing in parents (Psalms 139:13).
Furthermore, I partially agree to this theory with relation to the fact God is the creator of the human soul however, my general belief regarding the origin of the soul agrees to Pearlman view as seen in the course content, which suggest a cooperation of both God (creator) and parent as the origin. Man begets man in cooperation with “the father of Spirit” (John 1:1-4 and Genesis 5:1-3)
References
• Yates, J. C. (1989). The origin of the soul: New light on an old question. Evangelical Quarterly, 61(1), 121-140.
• Augustus Hopkins Strong (1908). Outlines of systematic theology. Philadelphia, the Griffith and Rowland press, 1701 Chestnut street.