Separation of Body and Soul?

[Servant19]

The soul without the body survives, but is not “alive and well.” Such a condition is a hideous disability, as without the body, there is no sight, sound, smell or movement; not even knowing, which needs the head, just as smell needs the nose and movement the limbs.

Distinguishing the mind from the soul is not useful. The soul’s major functions are to keep the body alive and to generate the mind. Both require the body; the soul is the soul of the body!

Neo-Platonism is the extension of the teaching of Plato, who in effect despised the body, and taught that soul and body were in essence separate. Origenism is the teaching of Origen, one of the few Church Fathers who was never named to sainthood.

ICXC NIKA

I wouldn’t say the act of “opening the gates of heaven to all in Hades” is a disability…

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[gazelam]

I’ve talked to some of my friends, Orthodox seminaries, they say that In Orthodox Church is taught today that when man dies, he “sleeps” without consciousness, then when Resurrection comes, man wakes up - resurrects and is judged. This is mostly biased on the research and teachings of saint Maxim the Confessor. (There is no Soul alone time between death and Resurrection)
Orthodox Church is very slow at defining it’s dogmas, since Rome is gone in Orthodox Communion, Orthodox avoid calling for Ecumenical Council until “Rome returns.”
These friends of mine, they say that purgatory and toll houses and any separation of soul from body is neo-platonism and they deny it very strongly.
Now there is this other side in the Orthodox Church (Something like Tomas Hopko School of today) which believes in separation of body and soul and toll houses.
I’ve talked with them about late father Thomas Hopko, they just said “He is Roman-Catholic, his teachings are not Orthodox at all.”
They told me to read works of early Fathers, Fathers who were students of Apostles, they said they never wrote anything about the separation of Soul and Body. They said that if there was separation of soul and body, early Fathers would write about that.

In the west is taught separation of body and soul? Soul is judged for purgatory and then soul waits for it’s body (Resurrection) to join and then is judged once again?

So i must ask, what are Roman-Catholic arguments for separation of body and soul, purgatory and stuff like that? Not only Biblical arguments, any arguments are welcome.

Thanks.

Though I’m not catholic I think scripture is quite clear that deceased beings are conscious of their condition prior to the resurrection.

1 Peter 3:18-20 (KJV)

For Christ also hath once suffered for sins, the just for the unjust, that he might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh, but quickened by the Spirit:
By which also he went and preached unto the spirits in prison;
Which sometime were disobedient, when once the longsuffering of God waited in the days of Noah, while the ark was a preparing, wherein few, that is, eight souls were saved by water.

1 Peter 4:6 (KJV)

For for this cause was the gospel preached also to them that are dead, that they might be judged according to men in the flesh, but live according to God in the spirit.

Why would Christ preach to unconscious deceased beings? That’s my 2 cents worth…

 

[thenobes]

The soul without the body survives, but is not “alive and well.” Such a condition is a hideous disability, as without the body, there is no sight, sound, smell or movement; not even knowing, which needs the head, just as smell needs the nose and movement the limbs.

Distinguishing the mind from the soul is not useful. The soul’s major functions are to keep the body alive and to generate the mind. Both require the body; the soul is the soul of the body!

Neo-Platonism is the extension of the teaching of Plato, who in effect despised the body, and taught that soul and body were in essence separate. Origenism is the teaching of Origen, one of the few Church Fathers who was never named to sainthood.

ICXC NIKA

On the other hand, the soul is spirit, and has a connection with God. Perhaps freed from the demands/distractions of the body, the soul’s awareness of God enables it to partake of great meaning as communicated to it by God. Perhaps in this way Saints are allowed by God to participate in the protection of His Church, being made aware of, and
communicating in a pure way, the Church’s petitions to God.

peace
steve

 

[Servant19]

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If God is Spirit, and He is All-Knowing, All-Seeing, Ominipresent, then surely the more we are closer to our spirit form, then the closer we are to being All-Seeing, All-Knowing and Ominipresent…

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[IgnatianPhilo]

If the saints are sleeping why would Orthodox pray to them as if they could hear us?

Yes the body and soul cannot be separated forever, but for a certain time we will have no body until Christ returns and the resurrection is accomplished. the accusation of neo-platonism seems unwarranted given the emphasis on the body, especially in Christ.