by James Thomas

Created on: October 12, 2009

The trichotomy of man (body, soul and spirit) is an essential doctrine for believers because in this doctrine lies the work of the Holy Spirit. Without the understanding of the role that the human spirit plays in the life of man, the role the Holy Spirit plays in our overall existence is then diminished. The doctrine of the trichotomy also provides a unique understanding of many scriptures regarding our resurrection. This is why the early Christians held this philosophy and this is a historical truth.

Man's nature and our own history of the world go hand in hand. History teaches us many lessons from those who have lived before us. History also demonstrates to us the methods by which to live our lives and teaches us the dangers of forgetting those lessons. It is however a two-sided coin. On the one side are the lessons that benefit man such as our Biblical history and even the more recent 9/11 bombings. On the other side is the history of the corruption of man such as the Gnostic gospels and other deliberate forgeries. Therefore history is a minefield that must be carefully tread upon considering each step carefully.

Scrutinize the teaching of Josephus for a moment on the nature of man. Some basic questions come to mind such as: What did he believe, what are the meanings of what he wrote, Should I consider what he believed important and if so does it harmonize with the beneficial history of man?

On the nature of man Josephus wrote: That God took dust from the ground, and formed man, and inserted in him a spirit and a soul. (Josephus, Antiquities, 1:1:2). Josephus is writing on the creation of man. He describes the Jewish belief on the creation of the body with some detail such as even the color of the dust that was used and that the dust came from Jerusalem. His description of the bodily creation is so detailed why did he see it necessary to also comment of the soul and spirit if it were not considered important?

Was Josephus influenced by Greek philosophy? Yes. But was he not also a Jew now trying to keep the integrity of his people together? Yes. There is no known contestation of this citation of Josephus in other Jewish history to refute it. In fact a reading of the Jewish Talmud, particularly the book of Shabbath, shows the usage of both soul (neshamah) and spirit (ru'ah). So Josephus was not without precedence in his distinction of the three elements of man's nature.

From a historical perspective Josephus opens up his narrative of antiquities with this

• 1
• 2
• 3
• ...
• 7
• Next Page >>