The term (nefesch) as used in Old Testament literature does not mean "(immortal) soul", but rather "(power of) life, vitality". It describes the human being as striving for certain goals (desire, intention) and comprising a personal center, beside the "heart" (leb/lebab as an organ of feeling, thinking, willingness) and the "spirit" (ruah as an effective, dynamic force) consists of an "individual vitality". After some preliminary remarks on the history of ideas, the article gives an overview of meaningful aspects regarding the term (nefesch) and illustrates them by examining Ps 42/43. The article concludes with an outlook on the history of reception, describing the transition to the translations of (nefesch) present in the Septuagint and in the Book of Wisdom

Enthalten in:
Evangelische Theologie; 2022/3 Zweimonatsschrift (2022)

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Serie / Reihe: Evangelische Theologie

Personen: Janowski, Bernd

Schlagwörter: Altes Testament Seele Anthropologie Begriffsgeschichte