Bible Question:
Doc, Thanks for the reply. I do know about the 2 views. I was wondering what most here think. I too am of the dichotomy persuasion, but, like you, can also be swung in the other direction if I hear some arguments (Biblically) that make sense to me. That is what I was looking for ... some strong arguments for trichotomy... to see if I am wrong about dichotomy. I have browsed through some of the previous discussions and still did not find any strong arguments for trichotomy and that is why I asked. ... TheNoel2 |
Bible Answer: Dear thenoel2, Here are a couple of articles that might be of interest. http://projectone28.com/two-part/Dichotomy.pdf http://drtimwhite.com/2009/03/28/man-two-or-three-parts/ It is possible that the reason nothing surfaces conclusively is simply because Scripture speaks phenomenologically more frequently than it does ontologically. As an example, recently in our church we have been studying the conscience. We have a working definition, but primarily in terms of its affects rather than its essence. It is possible that the conscience is not a faculty in an essential way, but a sense that operates in the mind making use of knowledge, experience, affections, etc. to yield an emotional response. From a philosophical standpoint, I would be happy to have an ontological definition. However, I really don’t need one to properly handle what Scripture has to teach on the conscience. Thus, we may speak of body, soul, and mind, even though their division – where one starts and another ends – is something we may not be able to perceive. Nonetheless, they are divisions which are useful for a variety of introspective and communicative purposes. Still, all that sounds like a cop out, even to my own ears. But then, where is it written that Doc’s particular desires for better definitions are promised? :-) In Him, Doc |