Biblical Hebrew Forum

[Peter Kirk <peter AT qaya.org>]

On 18/03/2006 13:14, Herman Meester wrote:
> ...
> I did, and I read in 15,35-49 exactly that Paul does not consider this
> resurrection of the dead to happen literally to corpses. Paul says
> (44) σπειρεται σωμα ψυχικον, εγειρεται σωμα πνευματικον  "sown a
> physical [="with psyche"] body, raised a spiritual body" And
> immediately following that: "if there's a physical body [again, a
> material, earthly body to which a psyche is added], then there's an
> immaterial/spiritual [pneumatikon] body, too."
>   

But you have misunderstood ψυχικον psuchikon. This adjective does not 
mean "physical", but in fact relates to ψυχη psuche (or psyche) which is 
the Greek word for "soul"! So the contrast is certainly not between 
physical and immaterial, but between "soulish" and spiritual. I'm not 
quite sure what "soulish" means here. One translation has "natural", 
i.e. related to the ordinary human nature. Possibly it is something to 
do with being subject to sin. But it certainly does not mean "physical". 
But the word "body" does imply "physical". Yes, in Paul's teaching there 
is a difference between the old and the new body, but it is not that the 
old is physical and the new is immaterial.

...
> Paul himself is very clear (15,50):
> σαρξ και αιμα βασιλειαν θεου κληρονομησαι ου δυναται ουδε η φθορα την
> αφθαρσιαν κληρονομει: "flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of
> God, nor does the perishable inherit the perishable"; ...
>   

Another aspect of the distinction between the old body and the new, 
related in some way to the "soulish"/spiritual one, is that the old one 
is perishable and corruptible but the new one is imperishable and 
incorruptible. Of course a body can hardly be imperishable and 
incorruptible if it is not a physical body at all.

--
Peter Kirk
peter AT qaya.org (personal)
peterkirk AT qaya.org (work)
http://www.qaya.org/