Theologically, what is a human?

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BornInMarch

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From a theological perspective (i.e. not a scientific perspective), what is a human being?
 
A person of body and immortal soul. Interestingly, when one dies and the spirit/soul continues living, one is not any longer a human being until the resurrection of the body reunited to the soul!
 
It’s a great question! I know the answer, but I’m having difficulty wording it. Maybe later 😉
 
From dust - we are - to dust - we return.

Or the Baltimore Catechism answer -
God made us to know him, to love him and to serve him,
in this world - and thereafter !
 
I think that the theological definition of man should be this: a being comprised of a body and a rational soul, created by God to be one with Him in a life of eternal happiness in Heaven.
Crusader30 said:
A created being comprised of a body and a soul.
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This definition does not distinguish man sufficiently from brute animals, because brute animals are also comprised of body and soul. To be more specific, man should be defined as a created being comprised of a body and a rational soul. That should be sufficient from a philosophical standpoint. But because the OP asked for a theological definition, I added the final cause (or the purpose) of man’s existence, and that is, that man was created by God to be one with Him in a life of eternal happiness in Heaven.

That man is a being comprised of a body and a rational soul is a philosophical definition and can be attained by reason unaided by divine revelation. But that he was also created by God to be one with Him in a life of eternal happiness in Heaven is a revealed truth. Man’s predestination to eternal glory would not have been known to us if it had not been revealed by God Himself. And where in the Bible was this revealed? In 1st Corinthians 2:9 - “That eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither hath it entered into the heart of man, what things God hath prepared for them that love him.” Maybe there are other places in Holy Scripture where you can find it, but that is what I remember as one place.
Xpi22 said:
Interestingly, when one dies and the spirit/soul continues living, one is not any longer a human being until the resurrection of the body reunited to the soul!
Click to expand...
When the soul separates from the body, the soul is still human, but it ceases to be a complete man. A separated soul does not become an angel. It is still a human soul, and it still keeps its transcendental relation to the body. It becomes a complete man again at the resurrection, when the soul reunites with the body.

'hope that helps.🙂
 
Actually, when one’s body dies and his soul is separate, he is still human, though with a defect (inability to animate his flesh) that God in Christ has promised to restore perfectly.
There is no other “species” that we can transform to - “human” is our one and only species, whether whole or defective.
Even now it is defective, for our bodies are sojourning and becoming more and more corrupt here in Babylon until the LORD raises us as our Lord is raised.
John Martin
SoftVocation
 
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Are you referring to the bipedal primate mammal called Homo Sapien?
 
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I think @Xpi22 is referring to the corruptionalism vs survivalism debate between Thomists, with Xpi22 taking the corruptionalist view. Both are in keeping with Church teaching.
 
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