Definition of Soul Spirit and Heart

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Does anyone know a definition for any of the following terms in the Bible, one that can be documented or referenced to Doctors or Fathers of the Church, perhaps Thomas Aquinas? or any other:

Spirit (the human spirit, not the Holy Spirit)
Soul
Heart
Mind
 
The soul animates the body.

There are two spiritual parts to the soul, intellect and will.

There is a physical part of the soul, passions.

The passions give off or “emote” our feelings.
 
slhansen said:
Does anyone know a definition for any of the following terms in the Bible, one that can be documented or referenced to Doctors or Fathers of the Church, perhaps Thomas Aquinas? or any other:

Spirit (the human spirit, not the Holy Spirit)
Soul
Heart
Mind
Click to expand...
Depends on what specific instances you’re referring to in the Bible, and what language those words are translated from.
 
Thank you for your responses, but I was really wanting to find a documented or referenced definition to these terms, something by one of the Doctors or Fathers of the Church, perhaps Thomas Aquinas? or any other:

Spirit (the human spirit, not the Holy Spirit)
Soul
Heart
Mind
 
slhansen said:
Thank you for your responses, but I was really wanting to find a documented or referenced definition to these terms, something by one of the Doctors or Fathers of the Church, perhaps Thomas Aquinas? or any other:

Spirit (the human spirit, not the Holy Spirit)
Soul
Heart
Mind
Click to expand...
Again, depends on what specific instances you’re referring to in the Bible, and what language those words are translated from.

Are you referring to Hebrew (or Aramaic) words, and if so, which ones?

Or are you referring to Greek words, and if so, which ones?

Or are you referring to a Latin translation of either Greek or Hebrew, and which Latin words?
 
I’m referring to the Hebrew in the Old Testament and the Greek in the New Testament. I found a paper in my files, but I don’t know the source. It gives me the impression that heart, spirit, and soul are used interchangeably throughout the Bible, having in some of the same meanings, and depending on how it is used in the sentence: So I’m kind of discouraged that there is any official definitions that differentiate one word from another. Here’s a summary of part of the paper I found. If anyone wants to correct, add to, or delete, please feel free:

HEART SOUL SPIRIT
“My soul yearns for you in the night; in the morning my spirit longs for you” (Isaiah 26:9).
nephesh – Old Testament Hebrew a living soul, life possessing quality, not used for a spirit (ghost); the seat of spiritual as well as physical needs and cravings, including one’s need for God’s presence (Psalm 42:1; 63:1; 84:2; 119:20); seat of the emotions and experience; stands for the living person as human being in this life.

psuche, - New Testament Greek NIV a living being, soul, person, life; Matt. 10:28 the soul cannot be killed by humans, yet the “soul” can be killed (Matthew 2:20). 1 Thessalonians 5:23, May your whole spirit, soul [psuche] and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ."

ruach OT Hebrew, “wind,” “breath” or “spirit.” Most often refers to the Spirit of God or to the “spirit” of human beings, but not “spirit” as “part” of a human persona. Spirit from Godbreathed into a human which makes a person alive. Seat of emotional expression (Isaiah 19:14); characteristics or traits, such as , evil and good, unfaithfulness, sincerity, and humility, can be broken and crushed, and revived and refreshed; “place” of a person’s innermost thoughts.

pneuma The equivalent word for ruach in the New Testament is pneuma. It appears about 375 times. About 250 of these times, ruach refers to the Spirit of God, the Holy Spirit.
The pneuma represents an individual’s deepest thoughts and emotions (Mark 2:8; John 11:33; 1 Corinthians 2:11).
When pneuma refers to the human “spirit” it is that which makes the human being a living person
 
slhansen said:
I’m referring to the Hebrew in the Old Testament and the Greek in the New Testament. I found a paper in my files, but I don’t know the source. It gives me the impression that heart, spirit, and soul are used interchangeably throughout the Bible, having in some of the same meanings, and depending on how it is used in the sentence: So I’m kind of discouraged that there is any official definitions that differentiate one word from another. Here’s a summary of part of the paper I found. If anyone wants to correct, add to, or delete, please feel free:

HEART SOUL SPIRIT
“My soul yearns for you in the night; in the morning my spirit longs for you” (Isaiah 26:9).
nephesh – Old Testament Hebrew a living soul, life possessing quality, not used for a spirit (ghost); the seat of spiritual as well as physical needs and cravings, including one’s need for God’s presence (Psalm 42:1; 63:1; 84:2; 119:20); seat of the emotions and experience; stands for the living person as human being in this life.

psuche, - New Testament Greek NIV a living being, soul, person, life; Matt. 10:28 the soul cannot be killed by humans, yet the “soul” can be killed (Matthew 2:20). 1 Thessalonians 5:23, May your whole spirit, soul [psuche] and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ."

ruach OT Hebrew, “wind,” “breath” or “spirit.” Most often refers to the Spirit of God or to the “spirit” of human beings, but not “spirit” as “part” of a human persona. Spirit from Godbreathed into a human which makes a person alive. Seat of emotional expression (Isaiah 19:14); characteristics or traits, such as , evil and good, unfaithfulness, sincerity, and humility, can be broken and crushed, and revived and refreshed; “place” of a person’s innermost thoughts.

pneuma The equivalent word for ruach in the New Testament is pneuma. It appears about 375 times. About 250 of these times, ruach refers to the Spirit of God, the Holy Spirit.
The pneuma represents an individual’s deepest thoughts and emotions (Mark 2:8; John 11:33; 1 Corinthians 2:11).
When pneuma refers to the human “spirit” it is that which makes the human being a living person
Click to expand...
I think you are correct.

soul = spirit = heart = mind

Is there any logical reason to believe otherwise?
 
slhansen said:
I’m referring to the Hebrew in the Old Testament and the Greek in the New Testament. I found a paper in my files, but I don’t know the source. It gives me the impression that heart, spirit, and soul are used interchangeably throughout the Bible, having in some of the same meanings, and depending on how it is used in the sentence: So I’m kind of discouraged that there is any official definitions that differentiate one word from another. Here’s a summary of part of the paper I found. If anyone wants to correct, add to, or delete, please feel free:

HEART SOUL SPIRIT
“My soul yearns for you in the night; in the morning my spirit longs for you” (Isaiah 26:9).
nephesh – Old Testament Hebrew a living soul, life possessing quality, not used for a spirit (ghost); the seat of spiritual as well as physical needs and cravings, including one’s need for God’s presence (Psalm 42:1; 63:1; 84:2; 119:20); seat of the emotions and experience; stands for the living person as human being in this life.

psuche, - New Testament Greek NIV a living being, soul, person, life; Matt. 10:28 the soul cannot be killed by humans, yet the “soul” can be killed (Matthew 2:20). 1 Thessalonians 5:23, May your whole spirit, soul [psuche] and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ."

ruach OT Hebrew, “wind,” “breath” or “spirit.” Most often refers to the Spirit of God or to the “spirit” of human beings, but not “spirit” as “part” of a human persona. Spirit from Godbreathed into a human which makes a person alive. Seat of emotional expression (Isaiah 19:14); characteristics or traits, such as , evil and good, unfaithfulness, sincerity, and humility, can be broken and crushed, and revived and refreshed; “place” of a person’s innermost thoughts.

pneuma The equivalent word for ruach in the New Testament is pneuma. It appears about 375 times. About 250 of these times, ruach refers to the Spirit of God, the Holy Spirit.
The pneuma represents an individual’s deepest thoughts and emotions (Mark 2:8; John 11:33; 1 Corinthians 2:11).
When pneuma refers to the human “spirit” it is that which makes the human being a living person
Click to expand...
I don’t think they are used interchangeably in the Bible. I think those who know Greek and Hebrew (and Aramaic) would agree.
 
spockrates said:
I think you are correct.

soul = spirit = heart = mind

Is there any logical reason to believe otherwise?
Click to expand...
I think the logical question is important but the Biblical question is equally or more important. How did the Biblical authors, in their own languages and times, understand and use these terms?
 
diggerdomer said:
I think the logical question is important but the Biblical question is equally or more important. How did the Biblical authors, in their own languages and times, understand and use these terms?
Click to expand...
Perhaps soul, spirit, heart and mind are words describing different aspects of the same essence. Consider the virtue love, for example. Some say love is compassion; others say love is action. The truth might be that love is both.

So whatever the invisible and immaterial part of us is, it’s possible it is everything that the words soul and spirit and heart and mind mean.

What does the unseen you think?
 
I guess no one has a handy reference to the Church Fathers on definitions. When I checked out various Bible passages the same things were said of Soul, Spirit, and heart. For example: “My soul longs for you,” and “My spirit longs for you,” and “my heart longs for you.”

To Spockrate—F orgive me for any tone of criticism. I just really do not understand. With all due respect to your opinion, I cannot for the life of me figure out how the quote from Spock could ever be reconciled with all that we know of the Christian faith, the Trinity, etc. The God we know is omnipotent—He can do ANYTHING. Therefore nothing is impossible. But there is much that is false in our world—people, religions, ideologies, etc. So basically, your quote is that ll things are truth.

“If you eliminate the impossible, whatever remains—however improbable—must be the truth.”
—Spock

Perhaps I’m missing something. But is this your quote of all quotes? Is this the one thought you feel is most significant to display on a Christian website?
 
slhansen said:
I guess no one has a handy reference to the Church Fathers on definitions. When I checked out various Bible passages the same things were said of Soul, Spirit, and heart. For example: “My soul longs for you,” and “My spirit longs for you,” and “my heart longs for you.”

To Spockrate—F orgive me for any tone of criticism. I just really do not understand. With all due respect to your opinion, I cannot for the life of me figure out how the quote from Spock could ever be reconciled with all that we know of the Christian faith, the Trinity, etc. The God we know is omnipotent—He can do ANYTHING. Therefore nothing is impossible. But there is much that is false in our world—people, religions, ideologies, etc. So basically, your quote is that ll things are truth.

“If you eliminate the impossible, whatever remains—however improbable—must be the truth.”
—Spock

Perhaps I’m missing something. But is this your quote of all quotes? Is this the one thought you feel is most significant to display on a Christian website?
Click to expand...
No offense taken, Hansen! I welcome correction when I’m wrong, for such helps me get closer to the truth.

👍

Regarding your question, yes, I do believe my signature is appropriate. Please allow me to explain why. Jesus said

“I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.”

(John 14:6)

If I am going to get to Heaven and the Father, I must go through Him, by way of the truth. The most reliable way to discern the truth is to figure out what are lies. What ever is left must be the truth I need to get closer to God and Heaven. Do you think this is wise, or wrong?
 
Soul and spirit is the same thing. We know this because in the bible in hebrew they are translated from two different words

soul is nephesh
and spirit I think is ruah

so since they are two different words it’s clear they are the same thing.

In Genesis it says that Adam came to be a living “nephesh” so, just as a man IS a doctor or comes to be a father, adam was GIVEN an invisible “nephesh” inside him.

The ruah is called the breath of life so it is the same as the nephesh.
 
Cashue said:
Soul and spirit is the same thing. We know this because in the bible in hebrew they are translated from two different words

soul is nephesh
and spirit I think is ruah

so since they are two different words it’s clear they are the same thing.

In Genesis it says that Adam came to be a living “nephesh” so, just as a man IS a doctor or comes to be a father, adam was GIVEN an invisible “nephesh” inside him.

The ruah is called the breath of life so it is the same as the nephesh.
Click to expand...
You might be correct, Cashue. I mean, if you were both soul and spirit, then you would be two persons instead of one. Wouldn’t you?
 
slhansen said:
Does anyone know a definition for any of the following terms in the Bible, one that can be documented or referenced to Doctors or Fathers of the Church, perhaps Thomas Aquinas? or any other:

Spirit (the human spirit, not the Holy Spirit)
Soul
Heart
Mind
Click to expand...
For some interesting reading about soul, spirit, and heart, check out paragraphs 362-368 in the Catechism of the Catholic Church, Second Edition, ISBN: 1-57455-109-4

Use this handy link www.scborromeo.org/ccc.htm Be sure to scroll down to find the search box for the Catechism. Hint: put mind in the search box.

Blessings,
granny

All human life is worthy of profound respect from the moment of conception.
 
To Spockrates:

I am just a sheep, not a pastor or a theologian. But I do not believe that your method of discerning the truth by figuring out what are lies is valid, useful, or orthodox. The most brilliant of us is able to be deceived and has been deceived. And we are cautioned in Proverbs 3 to not lean to our own understanding.

Since Jesus is the way, the truth and the life, the most reliable way, and the one that Christians have followed since the first century is to be part of His body here on earth, which is the Church, in which Jesus is present, and to follow the teachings of that specific Church (Roman Catholic) to which Jesus gave divine authority and which he promised to be with always.
 
slhansen said:
To Spockrates:

I am just a sheep, not a pastor or a theologian. But I do not believe that your method of discerning the truth by figuring out what are lies is valid, useful, or orthodox. The most brilliant of us is able to be deceived and has been deceived. And we are cautioned in Proverbs 3 to not lean to our own understanding.

Since Jesus is the way, the truth and the life, the most reliable way, and the one that Christians have followed since the first century is to be part of His body here on earth, which is the Church, in which Jesus is present, and to follow the teachings of that specific Church (Roman Catholic) to which Jesus gave divine authority and which he promised to be with always.
Click to expand...
slhansen:

It sounds as though you don’t disagree that discerning truth from lies is unnecessary. After all, if you or I don’t know the difference between what is the truth and what is not the truth, then how can you or I hope to know the truth? What I think you are instead saying is that, when it comes to weeding out the weeds of lies from the wheat of truth, I need to trust the authority of Christ and the Catholic Church He gave us to guide us. Do you think this is true?
 
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