spiritual body, round square?

The resurrection of Jesus was a special case in that he was the first human to be resurrected. He had a "glorified body", which is to say, a body brought back after death, one similar to the angels' bodies.

The soul or spirit is a different issue entirely. I am not sure which one you are talking about. Are you asking about the nature of the soul, or the nature of the glorified bodies?

Use of the words "body", "soul", and "spirit" is often very confused. I, myself, have made some mistakes while trying to pursue semantic arguments regarding these words. If one uses the Bible as a foundation for exploring the topic, one will find that these words are never given the explicit definitions that philosophers like in order to proceed with arguments of minutiae.

If the topic regards a broader theological spectrum, who knows what people mean when they use those words. They would need to be defined.

But, within my wee little mind, body and spirit live in two different realms. Hence, a "spiritual body" contains both. It is not exclusively one or the other.

EDIT: I suppose I should add that a spirit may not have a body, and a body may not have a spirit, but I wouldn't call a disembodied spirit a "spiritual body". It's just a spirit. Then, I see the "soul" as a 3rd thing altogether.

If a soul requires a body, where is the soul stored in said body? Or is the body stored in the soul? Or are they the same?

I'll give you an answer based on how I define the word "soul". My definition of a soul involves an animal that has obtained sentience. Any animal that has a brain has a "mind". The brain is the physical object, and the "mind" is the patterns represented in the brain that direct the animal how to respond to external stimuli. So, a "mind" could consist only of instinctual responses to the environment.

But, along with sentience and a free will comes the higher state of the "soul". It is still patterns represented in the brain, and hence rooted in the physical. The soul never separates from the body.

So, could animals other than humans have souls? By my definition it's possible. Maybe some apes do. I've not studied it enough, and I remain skeptical that it is anything more than sophisticated mimickry. But, still, it's possible.

The spirit, then, is nonphysical. And, as I said earlier, a body may be without a spirit. Apes definitely do not have spirits. People may or may not depending on the situation.

My final disclaimer: Though I'm a Christian, I don't claim that my definitions are "biblical" definitions of the words. It is simply the framework that helped me think through certain issues.

That should be enough fodder for a lively discussion.

So, your soul dies with your body? Using your definition, of course.

I'm having a hard time understanding how this "spirit", in your terms, is nonphysical when it depends upon the physical and is explained by the physical.

Yes, that is correct. (Digression: At one time I tried linking my definitions of these words to the Biblical use of them, but it didn't stick. So, I've wondered if I need to choose new words to avoid confusion. I haven't come up with any as of yet, but I'll take (serious) suggestions.)



I assume you take this from what I said. If so, it is a misunderstanding. The "soul" is physical, and the "spirit" is nonphysical. They are two separate things. So, the "soul" is not "spiritual" in that context.

All I said (or meant to say) is that the spirit is nonphysical. So, I've said (in part) what it is not. I haven't said what I think it is.

My problem is that you explain the nonphysical soul in completely physical terms - expect that, for some reason, you assign the label non-physical to the soul. At least, I do not understand why the soul is somehow nonphysical when the soul is explain in physical terms - could you please explain the soul in completely nonphysical terms?



Don't worry so much about your terminology corresponding to Biblical terminology. The more time you spend with the book, the better able you will be to do so on your own. But really, it's unimportant. As long as you understand what you mean.

Though I do have a question - if the soul dies with the physical body, where is eternal life?

I had a reason for stating this. Namely that I didn't want my definitions to get confused with some of the more colloquial meanings (though that seems to be happening). But, I also wanted to be clear that I don't see this as a deviation from my fundamental Christian beliefs. In fact, this is irrelevant to those beliefs. I've thought about it simply because I'm curious, and I've come up with a scheme that is very satisfying to me. In discussing this with some theologians that I respect, they haven't told me I'm wrong ... yet.



It seems you still misunderstand me. You keep using the word "soul" as a synonym for "spirit" (which is the colloquial meaning to which I referred earlier). As I use them, they are not synonyms. By my definition, the "soul" is 100% physical and 0% spiritual. "Spirit" is something completely different and unrelated to the "soul". I'll need to keep hammering this point until it seems you've gotten it.