Stopover 6

Stopover 6

A Newborn Child

(Resurrection—a Feature of the Kingdom of God)

our host: Mother & Child

We move on now to another feature of the future Kingdom of God—resurrection.

A Newborn Child. Maria is the mother of a one-month old child. In her arms she cradles her first-born. She is a girl, 7.5 pounds of ruddy humanity, glowing with energy and life. After the barrio fiesta, our next stop is at the side of this mother and child. With them we learn another feature of the Kingdom of God: resurrection. We contemplate this newborn child. With the psalmist, we can exclaim: How splendid is the human being! You have made the human a little less than divine (cf. Ps 8)!

What is the ultimate fate of a newborn child? Shriveled old age and death? Our Faith says: no. A newborn is so beautiful that the Maker will not want to see her go to waste. A mother like Maria knows this in her heart of hearts. We will vanquish death. The radiant flesh and blood that this newborn child is now will explode into another dimension of infinite brilliance. Our signposts:

For since death came through a human being, the resurrection of the dead has also come through a human being; for as all die in Adam, so all will be made alive in Christ. But each in his own order: Christ the first fruits, then at his coming those who belong to Christ. Then comes the end, when he hands over the kingdom to God the Father, after he has destroyed every ruler and every authority and power. For he must reign until he has put all his enemies under his feet. The last enemy to be destroyed is death. (1 Cor 15:21-26)

This is indeed the will of my Father, that all who see the Son and believe in him may have eternal life; and I will raise them up on the last day. (Jn 6:40)

Jesus said to them, "Those who belong to this age marry and are given in marriage; but those who are considered worthy of a place in that age and in the resurrection from the dead neither marry nor are given in marriage. Indeed they cannot die anymore, because they are like angels and are children of God, being children of the resurrection." (Lk 20:34-36)

Victory over Death. The New Testament paints the Kingdom of God at the close of history as victory over death. Biblical religion makes the claim that all enemies will be defeated: hunger, sickness, oppression, tears, pain, sin. And on the last day, the last enemy, death, will be destroyed. Those who have been vanquished by death will one day vanquish death itself. Those who have died will live again.

The ultimate destiny of our newborn child who will sleep in death will be to re-awaken unto life. In the new world (Kingdom of God), life, not death, will triumph. Those who have died will rise to new life.

Resurrection of the Person, Not the Survival of the Soul. In what manner will this happen? Through a bodily resurrection.36 The body-self will live again. This body-self that we are now will experience resurrection. First Look religion is a religion which is not afraid to be physical. Individually and collectively, all of us who were once a newborn child, will experience a physical resurrection.

The human being—that one, indivisible person (not just the soul)—will live again.

This is not the survival of the immortal soul, as in the Greek tradition, but the triumph of the body-self.

Look at our newborn child. The Second Look wants the salvation of her soul. The First Look has a different wish. The First Look wishes that the Lord ‘will transform the body of our humiliation that it may be conformed to the body of his glory’ (Phil 3:21). ‘Body,’ as we shall soon see, refers to the total person, not just to one part of the person. Thus, Jesus and his culture envisage a ‘resurrection of the body’ or better, a ‘resurrection of the person.’

Salvation of Souls: A Mistranslation. At once we encounter a problem. We find ‘souls’ and ‘salvation of souls’ in our Bible translations! The problem should be momentary. We have a simple case of mistranslation. ‘Soul’ (psyche in Greek), if understood to be the non-material part of the person, is a mistranslation. The underlying Hebrew nephesh, means life, person, being, self. It refers to the total person. The practical solution is to mentally substitute ‘self,’ ‘person,’ ‘life’ in place of ‘soul.’ In doing so, we get to the biblical meaning. For ‘salvation of soul,’ read ‘salvation of person.’ Get this insight by distinguishing the more accurate from the faulty translations of the same verse in the following:

1 Pet 1:9

As the outcome of your faith you obtain the salvation of your souls. – Revised Standard Version.

… because you are achieving faith’s goal, your salvation – The New American Bible

Therefore put away all filthiness and rank growth of wickedness and receive with meekness the implanted word, which is able to save your souls.—Revised Standard Version.

Strip away all that is filthy, every vicious excess. Humbly welcome the word that has taken root in you, with its power to save you. – The New American Bible

Away then with all that is sordid, and the malice that hurries to excess, and quietly accept the message planted in your hearts, which can bring you salvation. – The New English Bible

For what does it profit a man, to gain the whole world and suffer the loss of his soul? – Popular version

For what does it profit a man, to gain the whole world and forfeit his life?—Revised Standard Version.

The Risen Person.

But some one will ask, ‘How are the dead raised? With what kind of body do they come…?’ What is sown is perishable, what is raised is imperishable. It is sown in dishonor, it is raised in glory. It is sown in weakness, it is raised in power. It is sown a physical body, it is raised a spiritual body. If there is a physical body, there is also a spiritual body. (1 Cor 15:35; 42b-45)

Six days later, Jesus took with him Peter and James and John, and led them up a high mountain apart, by themselves. And he was transfigured before them, and his clothes became dazzling white, such as no one on earth could bleach them. (Mk 9:2-3)

He will transform the body of our humiliation that it may be conformed to the body of his glory, by the power that also enables him to make all things subject to himself. (Phil 3:21)

soul

child

It is totally transformed. It is the same person, but having gone through a complete transmutation. It is the same person but having crossed over to an entirely different and elevated manner of existence.

The total transformation is due to the life-power of God. The risen person is so saturated with the divine Energy, the Spirit of God, that he/she is a ‘spiritual body.’ Can a body be spiritual? Difficult for the Second Look. Possible and desirable for the First Look. Our once beautiful newborn child, now a risen person, is animated and vibrates with the life and beauty of the Divine.

And so the risen person is radiant in glory and power. Peter, James and John get a preview of the dazzling but gracious demeanor of the risen person. It is modeled and anticipated by the transfigured Jesus on the mountain top:

And he said to them, ‘Truly I tell you, there are some standing here who will not taste death until they see that the kingdom of God has come with power.’ Six days later, Jesus took with him Peter and James and John, and led them up a high mountain apart, by themselves. And he was transfigured before them, and his clothes became dazzling white, such as no one on earth could bleach them. (Mk 9:1-3)

Two Cultures. Our Christian Faith has lived, moved and had its being in two major cultures, the Semitic and the Greek. The Semitic is the culture of Jesus and the biblical people. The Greek quickly followed; it is the culture of Europe and the West. Each of these cultures had its own way of answering questions about the human being.

What is the human being?

Semitic: one living being

What gives life to the human being?

Semitic: the breath infused in us by God

the blood that courses through our veins

the energy or strength that a living person experiences

What happens at death?

Semitic: the person gives up his breath; the person sleeps

What is life after death?

Greek: the soul survives; the body corrupts. Semitic: Initially, in the Old Testament, there was no belief in life after death. After death, one is a shadow in Sheol or Hades, the underworld.

Later, 150 years before Christ, the belief was that the person awakes from sleep at the resurrection (Dan 12:2); this happens ‘on the last day,’ that is, at the end of time.

Meanwhile, right after death, the person (not the soul) is somehow with God until he/she is raised from the dead ‘on the last day.’

[Graphic here: The Human Being Seen Through theEyes of the Greek and the Hebrew]

The Human Person: a Unity of One. In the Semitic view then, the human person is always a unity of one, so to speak, a mono-entity. The human person is not a composite, not an aggregate, not a compound—no matter how blended the elements are. In every stage of existence, our newborn child, the human being is one: in life, after death, at the resurrection.

To ‘conceive’ or imagine the after-death state may be difficult. One can certainly see the remains, the corpse, in the coffin. What survives? In the Greek view, the matter seems simpler: the soul-component survives. In the Semitic, it is still the whole person. How? Jesus’ culture does not give an explanation. But it views the person after death as one and whole entity in ‘an other mode’ of existing, ‘an other mode’ of being.

In life, the human person is one. After death, the human person is one. At the resurrection the human person is one.

Two Languages. Jesus’ view of the human person was, of course, Semitic. And we should look for the Semitic meaning when we read the Scripture. Now, this is not so easily done. This is because our New Testament Scripture is not written in a Semitic language but in Greek. In turn, our modern translations are mostly based on the Greek! So, in reading the biblical text, one should remember that the New Testament is written in the Greek language and translated into our modern languages but the underlying culture and meaning are, for the most part, Semitic. (There are, of course, exceptions. They occur when a Greek word has a Greek meaning.) Normally, a Greek word and its modern translation carry, or should carry, a Semitic meaning. When, therefore, the following words refer to the human being, we should look out for the underlying Semitic meaning. Here is a good rule of thumb: when you encounter any of the following English or Pilipino words, mentally read a Semitic meaning:

English Word and Pilipino	Semitic Meaning
‘soul’ or kaluluwa (psyche in Greek)	= the human being, sometimes connoting his/her interiority
‘spirit’ or espsiritu (pneuma in Greek)	= the human being, sometimes connoting his/her interiority
‘body’ or katawan (soma in Greek)	= the human being, connoting his/her exteriority--observable, perceptible, sensory.
‘flesh' or laman (sarx in Greek)	= the human being, connoting his/her exteriority--observable, perceptible, sensory

We were in all two hundred seventy-six persons [psyche] in the ship. After they had satisfied their hunger, they lightened the ship by throwing the wheat into the sea. (Acts 27:38)

And Mary said, ‘My soul [psyche] magnifies the Lord, and my spirit [pneuma] rejoices in God my Savior.’ (Lk 1:46-7)

Therefore, do not let sin exercise dominion in your mortal bodies [soma] to make you obey their passions. No longer present your members to sin as instruments of wickedness, but present yourselves to God as those who have been brought from death to life, and present your members to God as instruments of righteousness. (Rom 6:12-13)

Note that ‘bodies’ of verse 12 is the same as ‘yourselves’ of verse 13. For no human being [sarx] will be justified in his sight by works of the law, since through the law comes knowledge of sin. (Rom 3:20) A Thorough Going-Over. We have come to another significant crossroad. It is time for a more thoroughgoing look:

English or Pilipino Word …	… should have the following Semitic meaning:
‘soul’ (psyche in Greek) (nephesh is underlying Hebrew)	Concrete person, self, being, ‘I’ (1 Cor 15:45; 1 Pet 3:20; Rev 16:3) Self in its interiority or self as center of feelings, emotions, thoughts (‘heart’), ‘I’ (Mt. 26:38; Col 3:23) Life (Mk 10:45; Mt. 2:20; Mt. 6:25; Lk 6:9; Acts 27:22; Jn 10:11; Phil. 2:30) Usually not ‘soul’ in the Greek sense!
‘Kaluluwa’	Tao, ang sarili, buhay.
Some problematic passages: Mt. 10:28; 1 Thess 5:23; Heb 4:12; 1 Pet 2:11. Solution: (1) to be treated as exceptions to the general rule, or (2) still to be explained semitically.

English or Pilipino Word …	… should have the following Semitic meaning:
‘spirit’ (pneuma in Greek) (ruah is underlying Hebrew)	Wind (Jn 3:8a) Breath (Mt. 27:50; Acts 7:59; Lk 8:55) Self inwardly or self as center of feelings, emotions, thoughts (‘heart’), ‘I,' courage, temper (Mk 2:8; 8:12; Lk 1:47; Acts 17:16; 1 Cor 16:17-18; Mt. 5:3; Phil. 4:23;Gal 6:18;Phlm 25; Mk 14:38 (self as courageous is contrasted with same self as weak/afraid). The following may offer initial problems: 2 Cor 7:1; 1 Cor 7:34; 1 Thess 5:23; 1 Cor 5:3-5a; Col. 2:5) Ghost, shade of the dead (Lk 24:37,39; Acts 23:8-9) (This is not the Greek soul.) God's life, energy and power (Acts 1:8; Rom 5:5; 8:26; 1 Cor 6:19; 12:13; Gal 3:2) Important note: This divine life and power, like the wind, is invisible but need not be immaterial in the Greek sense. The same is true of the ‘evil spirit’ (e.g., Mk 1:23-26) God's life and power itself, or, the human person possessing it (Rom 8:1-17; Gal 5:16-25; 6:8; Jn 3:6; 1 Cor 2:15) Usually not ‘soul,' the non-material substance distinct from the body; ‘soul’ in the Greek sense
‘Espiritu’	Hangin, hininga, kalooban, kaibuturan, multo, espiritu ng Dios
Some problematic exceptions: Heb 4:12; 12:23; James 2:26; Pet. 3:19.

English or Pilipino Word …	… should have the following Semitic meaning:
‘body’ (soma in Greek) (basar is underlying Hebrew)	The human being the self the human person outwardly--observable, perceptible, sensory not the material component of the person, as opposed to the non-material component generally has a positive connotation (e.g. Rom 12:1; Rom 6:12ff.) Examples: Mt. 6: 22, 25; Rom 6:12; 8:23; 12:1; 1 Cor 6:13-15; 18-20; 7:4; 9:27; 10:16-17; 11:24; 12:12; 13:3; 15:44. 2 Cor 4:10; Phil. 3:21; Heb 10:10; 1 Pet 2:24; 1 Cor 7:34.
‘Katawan’	tao, sarili
Expect some problems with these passages. Many of them, though, may still carry a Semitic meaning. Or, they may be exceptions: Mt. 10:28; Rom 8:10; 1 Cor 5:3; 1 Cor 7:34; 12:2; Heb 13:3; James 2:26.

English or Pilipino Word …	… should have the following Semitic meaning:
‘flesh’ (sarx in Greek) (basar is underlying Hebrew)	Human being (Mk 10:8; 13:20; 1 Pet 1:24; 3:20; Rom 3:20; 1 Cor 1:29; Gal 2:16; Jn 6:51-56) humankind (Lk 3:6; Acts 2:17) human (Eph 6:5; Heb 12:9a; Jn 1:13-14) human nature (Jn 8:15; Rom 1:3; 4:1; Rom 8:3; 2 Cor 5:16; Jn 3:6 human condition (1 Tim 3:16; Phlm 16; Heb 5:7; Mt. 16:17; 1 Cor 15:50) old self without God, weak, sin-prone, or sinful (Rom 8:3; Rom 8:4-9; Rom 8:12-13; Rom 7:5; 18; 25; 8:3; 1 Cor 3:1, 3; Gal 3:3; 5:16-25; Mk 14:38 (perhaps) Generally sarx has a negative connotation in Paul. It refers to the human being or human nature minus the Spirit of God. human person outwardly--observable, perceptible, sensory (cf. above examples) not ‘flesh’ in the sense of one component of the person, as opposed to the non-material component Other examples 1 Cor 15:39; 1 Cor 5:5; 2 Cor 12:7
‘Laman’	tao, sangkatauhan, buhay-tao, kalagayang-tao, karupukan ng tao

Not Wrong; Different. We are not saying that the Greek anthropology is wrong. We are saying that it is different from the Semitic. The Semitic is concretist. The Greek is metaphysical. We are also saying that the Semitic is closer to our Third World perspective and concerns. The original biblical meanings and our pastoral commitments today mandate us to read the Semitic meaning behind many of our contemporary translations.

‘Spiritual’: The Aroma of God

‘Spiritual’. In much of our journey, I am using the word ‘spiritual’ somewhat loosely. It is time to make some precisions. The meaning of ‘spiritual’ in the Greek culture is ‘for or pertaining to the soul.’ This is normally the meaning that the Second Look adopts. The sacraments, prayers, novenas, speaking in tongues, holy water, incense – are spiritual. Food, land, wages are—according to the Second Look—not spiritual matters.

For the First Look, on the other hand, any entity that is in God or with God or through God or from God is spiritual. Anything or anybody that has the aroma or the taste or the touch of God’s Spirit is spiritual. The holy water blessed by the Holy Father is indeed spiritual. So is a cup of water given to a thirsty beggar. Treating your housemaid humanely or giving decent wages to your driver is generally spiritual whereas going to mass everyday need not be. The value of our mass is generally measured by what we do outside the church. A whiff of God’s breath on any creature – that is the Spirit that makes our commonplace existence spiritual.

I appeal to you therefore, brothers and sisters, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. (Rom 12:1)

It is sown a physical body, it is raised a spiritual body. If there is a physical body, there is also a spiritual body. (1 Cor 15:44)

The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. (Gal 5:22-23)

Not Only for the End-Time. Is the biblical concern for the whole person only for the ‘last day’? These signposts will help: Rom 12:1; 1 Cor 6:19-20; Gal 5:25; 2 Cor 3:18; Rom 8:11; 2 Cor 1:22; Mk 12:25. Even in the now, the Bible is concerned for the human person as a bodily self, not as a ‘soul’ struggling to escape from the ‘body.’ It speaks of presenting our bodies (read: whole person or living being) as a living sacrifice to God (Rom 12:1). The bodily self should be the temple of the Spirit (1 Cor 6:19-20); walk according to the Spirit (Gal 5:25); be transformed by the Spirit (2 Cor 3:18) and on the last day, in radiance and power, this same bodily self will be raised by the Spirit (Rom 8:11; 2 Cor 1:22; Mk 12:25).

Pastoral Work. Here in the biblical belief in the resurrection, I found some teasers for pastoral work. First Look salvation is oriented to a bodily resurrection, not to salvation of souls. If ‘soul’ refers to that non-material part of the person, distinct from, imprisoned in, and devoutly wishing to be liberated from, the body, then the New Testament never speaks of salvation of souls. One problem is that our preaching and catechism still do – if not always in word, often in thought and deed.

Social Causes. The New Testament inspires us today, as we help to remove the social causes of disease and death, to move a step forward to that transformed life where malnutrition, TB and death will have given way to health and life, and where God’s life-giving breath will give splendor to our frames of clay.

From Beauty to Beauty. Before we depart we contemplate once more our newborn child. Maria, our mother-host, has shown us how frames of clay have their own beauty. The New Testament tells us that such beauty will not evaporate into a soul-salvation. Rather it will go from beauty to transcendent beauty. When that happens, we will have arrived. It is the Kingdom of God.

Be Still and Know …