The Origin of the Soul
and the Condition of Primitive Man
First God created the human body, and then after
that He breathed "a living soul" into it. With His breath, He created
the soul of man and gave it life. But what did God arrange for the reproduction
of man? Does God directly intervene and create a soul each time someone is
born? If so, at what exact moment does God intervene? At conception? During the
pregnancy? Or at birth? There is no clear answer to the question either in the
Bible or in Holy Tradition. The fact that God made man His co-creator helps us
find some answer. As the infant's body is transplanted from the bodies of the
parents', so is the soul. The creation of the infant is an act of both God and
the parents. And this creation, which takes place with the cooperation of both
God and parents, is for the creation of soul and body together. The soul and
the body are conceived and created at the same time. From the time of its
conception, the embryo is fully human. That is why abortion is murder.
The original condition of man was not the same as it
is today. When God created man, He said. "Let us make man in Our image,
after Our likeness" (Genesis, 1:26). But what does that mean, "image
and likeness"? "Image" does not mean the body of man; as totally
spirit: God is not related to a material body. "Image" means that
which is sovereign, and independent. That is, it is the freedom and the power
of man to choose and do what he wishes. Man's basic element "of supreme
goodness"--meaning his perfection--is his freedom and his power of choice.
Without this freedom and power, man would not have been created whole and
perfect.
"Likeness" is the image in action. That
is, it is the good use of man's free will to improve himself morally so as to
come closer and closer to the Divine, to God. This movement toward holiness and
perfection of the first created man and woman was not a steady and irrevocable
condition. It depended on man's free will and his own authority, which was
designed to have a tendency towards goodness. Man had the possibility of being
perfected. With their fall, the first man and woman "blackened" the
"image" and distorted the "likeness" to such a degree that
they could no longer walk towards justice, holiness and perfection by
themselves.
Part of the original condition of man involved
Paradise, the tree of knowledge and the tree of life, and so a few words about
them should be given.
The Bible tells us that when God created man,
"the Lord God planted a garden in Eden, in the East; and there He put the
man whom He had formed (Genesis, 2:8)." And again, "The Lord God took
the man and put him in the Garden of Eden to till it and keep it. And the Lord
God commanded the man, saying, `You may freely eat of every tree of the garden,
but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat'"
(Genesis, 2:15-16). This is not the same Paradise that we talk about today.
This Paradise was an earthly garden in which were found all material and
spiritual goods. It was a Paradise filled with luxuries. It was a place for
material enjoyment and spiritual fulfilment. It was most delightful and
beautiful.
The "tree of knowledge" was in this
Paradise. It was the "tree of the knowledge of good and evil." God
commanded man not to eat the fruit of this tree, although he was permitted to
eat the fruit of all of the other trees. Why did God do this? What exactly does
"the tree of knowledge" mean? What kind of tree was it? We do not
know. Nor do we know why God gave this command and the punishment of death. God
said "for in the day that you eat of it you shall die" (Genesis,
2:17).
It seems that this command was the first form of
fasting, to strengthen the character of man. This fruit was the fruit of a
tree, and not the sexual relationship of Adam and Eve, as some ingenuously say.
God blessed the reproduction of mankind, and would not punish them for it. Nor
should one think that Adam and Eve had no knowledge of good and evil before
they ate from the fruit of the tree of knowledge. They had knowledge. Their knowledge
was theoretical. With the tasting of the fruit of the tree of knowledge, their
knowledge became practical; their knowledge became empirical. The cause for the
expulsion from Paradise was not the fruit of the tree of knowledge. The real
cause was that they disobeyed and rejected the commandment of God.
The Bible also speaks about the tree of life,
although we do not know anything about it. From one phrase that God spoke after
the fall of Adam and Eve it seems that this tree bestowed eternal life. God took
care lest Adam too should "put forth his hand and take also of the tree of
life, and eat, and live forever" (Genesis, 3:22). We know nothing else
about the tree of life.
Our Father and Creator, we know that our bodies and our souls are Your
creations. We know that we disobeyed Your command. We ate from the forbidden
fruit. We were expelled from Paradise. We blackened the image. We distorted the
likeness. We are condemned. Alone, we are unable to return to You. Thank You
for sending us Your Only-begotten Son, Jesus Christ, to redeem us. To set us
free. To restore us. To raise us up to Heaven. We entreat You, help us to
follow Him, and at His second coming grant us to be found standing at His right
hand. To be steady in holiness and perfection. To live with You forever.