When does the soul enter the body?

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While it is fascinating to read guesses to this question…
I probably missed the real answers…
In that case, please accept my apology.

For those interested in Catholic teaching about the true nature of the human person, my humble suggestion is to start with paragraph 355 of the Catechism of the Catholic, Second Edition. Be sure to read the cross references in the margins and take note of the footnotes and Glossary. Eventually, one will discover the Catechism’s section on the " Body and Soul But Truly One" Be warned. This is not a page turner.

:snowing:
 
zachforn said:
The teachings of St Augustine:

1.That infants who die without baptism have the penalty of fire in hell with the devil.

2.There is no place anywhere, in heaven, hell or anywhere else, where unbaptized infants have rest and happiness.

The teaching of St. Augustine on the fate of unbaptized infants was codified at the XVI Council of Carthage in 418, the Council of Lyons II in 1274, and at the Council of Florence in 1438-1445. The teaching of these councils is considered to be infallible by Catholic theologians because of the degree of authority given to them by popes.
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In Catholic terminology, what is meant by codified? There is a code of Canon Law which provides the norms for good order in the visible society of the Church; but this would not be an infallible doctrine of Faith. Also, not every word out of the mouth of saints becomes automatically a Catholic doctrine. Then of course there are the different proposals presented at various councils such as local ones and ecumenical ones. Discernment is important which is why it can take more than one council to make a truth explicit. And finally, what words did St. Augustine use and what is the context which usually determines the meaning? No cherry picking. And what was the wording of whatever it is that you are referring to?

By the way, there never was a properly defined and duly declared doctrine on the individual planet earth. There were a lot of high-ranking clergy who speculated; however, free speech is not the same as the Catholic Deposit of Faith.

Thank you.
:snowing:
 
grannymh said:
While it is fascinating to read guesses to this question…
I probably missed the real answers…
In that case, please accept my apology.

For those interested in Catholic teaching about the true nature of the human person, my humble suggestion is to start with paragraph 355 of the Catechism of the Catholic, Second Edition. Be sure to read the cross references in the margins and take note of the footnotes and Glossary. Eventually, one will discover the Catechism’s section on the " Body and Soul But Truly One" Be warned. This is not a page turner.

:snowing:
Click to expand...
Apparently, at 4:00 AM, I missed the fact that this is an interesting but old thread. Thus, I do not expect any answer to my questions about St. Augustine’s teachings on the soul. My only point is that when a single sentence “summary” statement is used, we need to find out the actual teaching by exploring its context. Cherry picking can be appropriate in some situations, but more often it is the wrong approach when it comes to Catholic doctrines.

Blessings for your Christmas
granny

“The shepherds sing; and shall I silent be?”
from the poem “Christmas” by George Herbert
 
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