The Soul's Identity with the Body.
These elements retain certain signs which testify to their
having belonged to a particular body because the soul imprints them with its own
stamp as if they were wax. Gregory follows Origen in referring to the stamp
which the soul puts on the corporeal elements of the body with which it is
united as their "aspect" or "form," εδος. This
stamp is the internal image or idea of the body and it does not change
even after death. It is the unrepeatable and ideal image of the man and serves
to distinguish the body from all others. It is distorted only under the
influence of extreme passions which "cover it with the mask" of ugliness and
disease. By this "form" the soul at the resurrection will "recognize its own
body as being different from the other garments around it."
The soul is not affected by the decay of the wholeness man
enjoyed during life because it is simple and incomposite and therefore cannot
disintegrate. The soul is immortal and extends into eternity. The only thing
about it that changes at death is its mode of existence. Even then its
connection with the decaying body is not severed and the soul will be able to
find all of its elements by virtue of its "cognitive power." It is like a
watchman and "without any difficulty it will know where to find each of the
elements of the body that once belonged to it."
The soul retains certain "signs of union" and "marks of the
body" which have been sealed in it. It is as if the soul has been imprinted with
a stamp. The new connection between the soul and the body is similar to their
union before death when the "living power" of the soul penetrated all the parts
of the body equally and identically and gave them life. During its earthly life
the soul had a natural affinity and love for its companion, the body, and this
friendly connection and "acquaintance" is mysteriously preserved even after
death. This vital connection is incomprehensible to us. It has nothing to do
with the spatial placement of the soul in the body because the soul has no
physical being and is not located in or limited to any definite part of the
body. "By means of the movements of the intellect the soul spreads freely
throughout the whole of creation" and sometimes even attains the mysteries of
heaven.
"The communion of the intellect with the body," Gregory writes,
"is a form of contact which is inexpressible and unimaginable. It does not occur
internally because that which is in corporeal cannot be contained by a body and
it is not achieved from outside because that which is incorporeal cannot
surround anything with itself." The intellect is not in any particular place or
part of the body. It is neither inside nor outside but it exists "in such a way
that we cannot describe it or even conceive of it." Therefore, the spatial
dispersion of the elements of the body after death does not hinder the soul from
recognizing its connection with them. "A spiritual nature is not defined by
space and therefore it does not feel the effect of distance." The connection
between a soul and a body is absolutely unique and for this reason Gregory
considers that the idea of the transmigration of souls is absurd.
Source:
No comments:
Post a Comment