Essay on The Essence Of a Soul - 659 Words

Since the dawn of man, humans have always wanted to seek out the truth. Man has pondered and explored great thoughts and concepts that have caused much confusion. Perhaps the one question that has plagued man the most is what exactly is a soul. During the Roman Era, people believed in many gods, spirits, and life after death. As time progressed, different religious beliefs arose, and new sects of faith were established. The belief in one God replaced the belief in many gods and the belief of ones soul transforming into the after life was established. God was known as a Supreme Being, who gave his creations a soul and free will. But what does this mean? The problem of what exactly ones soul is has been a battle between people throughout†¦show more content†¦Augustine writes, My two wills, one old, one new, one carnal, one spiritual were in conflict and in their conflict wasted my soul (Book 8 Chp.5, pg. 135). Augustine is stating that his soul and his flesh, or will, need to work together; if they dont it will waste his soul away. Thus, with myself as object of the experiment, I came to understand what I had read, how the flesh lust against the spirit and the spirit against the flesh (Book 8 Chp.5, pg. 135). The soul and the will (flesh) need each other in order to exist, they can`t exist separately. Simply stated, one must have inner peace and harmony with their body and soul. Augustine and Hildegard both have different views on the relationship of the will and the soul. Hildegard believes that the soul plays a type of supporting role, the soul is understanding and follows the will`s direction. The will warms the work, the soul supports it... (Vision Four :20 pg. 33). Augustines opinion on the matter is that both the soul and the will are dependant on each other. Without one, the other will waste away. My two wills, one old, one new, one carnal, one spiritual were in conflict and in their conflict wasted my soul (Book 8 Chp.5, pg. 135). Hildegards and Augustines views also take on different aspects when defining a soul. Hildegard mainly uses personal ideas and valid thoughts, while Augustine takes a more spiritual approach. Hildegard envisions that the soul is the life of theShow MoreRelatedGeorg Lukacs : The World Of The Integrated Society And Our World990 Words   |  4 Pagesworld is one where the essence of everything is both within the soul and outside in the world. In our world this is changed and essence is something in which we live without. The ‘good’ is not found within or outside the individual, there will always be an internal debate about what is truly ‘good’. In the Greek world this ‘good’ is found, not created, and acted upon in a way that is instant, there is no debate. 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