Fwd: SOUL...

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From: b <rrdd3939@aol.com>
To: rrdd3939 <rrdd3939@aol.com>
Sent: Mon, Jan 30, 2012 6:38 pm
Subject: SOUL...

             Plato Man in the Cave Series continues: Soul

             by Richard DePersio and Citizen Journalist

Hopper's Excursion into Philosophy

Hopper Authority Gail Levin: "The open book is Plato. Plato philosopher in search

of real and true, must turn away from this transitory realm and contemplate eternal

Forms and Ideas. Passive man in Hopper's painting positioned between the lure of

the earthly domain figured by the woman and the call to the higher domain

represented by the ethereal lightfall. The pain of thinking about this choice and

its consequences, after reading Plato all night is evident. He is paralyzed by the

fervent inner labor of the melancholic.

The heart of the Jewish Bible - the Torah does not explicitly refer to soul or life

after death.

The Meaning of Jesus - Two Visions by Borg and Wright (Harpar): "There

was a spectrum of belief in first-century Judaism. The Sadducees, the ruling

elite, denied a future life of any sort. This may be because those who

believed strongly in the future life were the more ready to risk death in seeking

political or religious reform. One can well imagine that existing rulers would not

wish to encourage such attitudes." The Sadducees were supported by the Jewish

People and had a good relationship with the Romans just so long as the Jews

weren't encouraged to rebel.

"Many Jews believed in a continuing life after death, but in a disembodied state

that neither need nor expected a future reembodiment. The Alexandrian philosopher

 Philo took this view--hardly surprising, in view of his blending together of Plato's

philosophy and Jewish tradition. So did the book Jubilees, which was popular at

Quman and probably other cities." It is part of the Jewish Old Testament.

"At the other end of the spectrum from the Sadducees we find the Pharisees, with

their well-known belief in the resurrection of the body." It was part of their reform

agenda which might lead to revolution. God would establish justice on earth and

the righteous dead would be raised to life to enjoy that which they had longed.

The Essences prophesied a Messiah who would be crucified.

For Paul, the body will decay. The body is animated by soul. Paul had been a

Pharisee; he felt body and soul would be reunited. The new body being a spiritual body.

 You can see Plato's influence: soul imprisoned in body, soul will return to heaven,

 no reuniting though. Paul contrasts a body animated by soul and later a body

animated by spirit - presumably God's spirit.

What do today's Jews think? Orthodox Jews contend that a personal Messiah in the

line of David will create a new world of peace and justice; no war or hunger or jeolesy or

rivalry; everyone devoted to knowing god better. Conservative Jews think it

unlikely that there will be a Messiah but believe God will cause a Messianic Age.

Reform Jews hold a believe in a Messianic Age. Reconstructionist Jews don't think

that there will be a divinely-inspired Messonic Age but that people can create it. To Jews

life after death isn't as important as what you do with your life now. More developed life

after death concepts came after Torah was written - Hellenistic influence. What happens

when you die? Jews can believe in Heaven and Hell or not since there isn't much

written about it. Reconstructionist least likely to believe in H & H. They are also free to

believe that it has to do with how close or distant your soul is from God after death.

There is mounting evidence that Paul was influenced by Jesus, Plato and Philo. Paul

came from what is now Turkey. It had been part of the Greek Empire. The Hellenistic

Part of the Roman Empire. All wealthy and educated Romans

were familiar with Ancient Greece, especially,  the Hellenists: they still spoke Greek,

as well as Roman. Most Romans didn't speak Greek.