When does the soul enter the body of a child? The answer to this question of interest to many people today is debatable. Different religions speak of different dates. But for the most part, they recognize that the personality of a person who is God's creation is not limited to following physical laws, that a person always remains a mystery and cannot be defined, like his soul. Versions regarding when the soul enters the body of a child - in Orthodoxy, Islam and Judaism - will be presented below.
Immortal Essence
In accordance with religious and philosophical teachings, the soul is a kind of intangible entity, an immortal substance. It expresses both divine nature and human essence and personality. It gives rise to and conditions the life of the individual, his capacity for sensations,thinking, consciousness, feelings, will. All this, as a rule, is opposed to the body. The question of when the soul enters the body of a child has troubled the minds of Greek and Christian religious philosophers since ancient times.
Three options
In this regard, three theories of the origin of the human soul have been formed in Christianity:
- Pre-existence of the soul.
- The creation of the soul by God at the very moment of conception.
- The birth of the soul of a child from the souls of parents.
The first theory is the doctrine that the Pythagoreans (6-4 centuries BC) began to preach, and then Plato (5-4 centuries BC) and the Greek Christian theologian Origen (3 c.). It says that initially the Creator created a certain number of individual souls. That is, even before they appeared on Earth. This view was completely rejected by the Christian Church at the Fifth Ecumenical Council. Two other teachings dealing with when a soul enters a child's body will be discussed below.
Proponents of the remaining theories
So, there are two theories left. Supporters of the first, speaking about the creation of the soul by God at the moment of conception, were, in particular, Clement of Alexandria (2-3 centuries) and John Chrysostom (4-5 centuries). The doctrine that the souls of children are born from parental souls was developed, for example, by Tertullian (2nd-3rd centuries) and Gregory of Nyssa (4th century).
However, in both cases, reasonable questions arise: “When and how does the soul move into the body of a child? Is it created or is it born simultaneously with the birth of the body? Or does she appearhis appearance after a certain time?”
Further, the points of view of supporters of both theories on the question of when the soul enters the fetus of a child will be considered in detail.
The opinion of Gregory of Sinai
Proponents of the theory that God created the soul say the following. The question is posed: "What appears first - the body or the soul?" The Orthodox Saint Gregory of Sinai (13th-14th centuries) gave a classic response characteristic of Orthodoxy. Its essence is that it would be wrong to think of the soul as having happened before the body.
As well as it is wrong to consider that the body appeared without a soul. That is, the soul and body develop together, and not in stages and in parallel. To be more precise, a person simultaneously develops in soul and in body. Thus, Orthodoxy interprets the answer to the question of when the soul enters into a child as follows: “At the moment of conception.”
Understanding Clement of Alexandria
Clement of Alexandria says that the soul moves into the mother's womb, which, through purification, is prepared for conception. When the seed is erupted, the Spirit enters into it and contributes to the formation of the fruit. Therefore, the barren are also such until the soul, which creates the foundation of the seed, penetrates into the substance that prevents conception and birth.
As you can see, Clement of Alexandria is of the opinion that the soul is brought in from outside. However, conception itself is evidence that the "embryo" is animate. "Penetration" into the mother's womb of the soul is related precisely tothe moment of conception, and not to another time, later. Without such "penetration" of the soul seed, it would remain dead and give no life.
Adam's mother soul
The opinion of supporters of the theory of the birth of child souls from parents looks like this. If we proceed from the fact that the soul is a corporeal being and is inextricably linked with the body, then it is clearly seen that the origin of the soul and body is the same and at the same time. Since the soul does not have the same nature with God, only his breath is present, then its conception occurs by the power of man along with the body of the child. This is due to the fact that not only bodies, but also souls with their desires take part in the act of conception.
The result of the act is twofold: the result is a seed that is both physical and spiritual at the same time. Such seeds are initially completely mixed with each other, and then gradually from them, through the assistance of God and the angels, a person appears in the womb of the mother. Just as one body comes from another, so one soul comes from another. And the soul of the first man - Adam - is the mother soul of all the others, and the soul of Eve also came from his soul.
In Islam
What does Islam say about when a soul is infused into a child? The interpreters of this religion believe that human life is in his blood. When a person dies, his blood goes to rest. Life is a series of biochemical reactions that take place in each of the cells of the human body. It begins at the time of conception in the embryo. But at the same time there is sucha mysterious element, like the soul, which in Islam is called "ruh", and there is very little knowledge about it.
Life is present even in the spermatozoa and in the egg, when they are still in the male and female body, respectively, that is, even before fertilization. However, they do not contain a soul (ruh). Thus, before the child appears in the mother's womb, he does not have a soul. On what day does the soul enter the child?
According to Muslim scientists, human life begins after the 4th lunar month of conception. It is then that the fetus becomes viable, that is, it is worthy of life. The Islamic theologian Ibn Abbas (7th century) said that the breath is carried out for ten days after the end of the 4-month period.
If the fetus dies before the specified period, then the funeral prayer (Janaza) is not read for it. The process of blowing the soul concerns only humans, animals do not have roc.
Where is the soul?
According to the saying of the Prophet Muhammad, each person is created in the mother's womb for 40 days, looking like a drop of seed. After that, he is there in the form of a blood clot for the same period, and then for the same amount - like a piece of flesh. And only then an angel goes to him, who blows his soul into him. And he is given a command to write down four things, which include: the destiny, the upcoming person, the life span, all his deeds, and whether he will be happy or not.
The Quran records the words of Allah that he gave a person a proportionate appearance,breathed into him the spirit of his spirit, gave him sight, hearing and heart. The answer to the question of whether the soul is in the blood sounds negative, because the blood can be completely drained and replaced. Although it is known that the soul is present in the human body, where exactly it is located is not clear. And looking for this place is most likely a futile exercise. After all, the Qur'an says that Rukh is a divine act, the secret of which is known only to Allah.
In Judaism
When does the soul enter the body of a child, according to Jewish beliefs? Rabbi Eliyahu Essas gives the following explanation on this matter. At that moment, when a drop of male seed enters the female egg, it brings only the energy of a spiritual nature, transferred to it by the Almighty. There are three days during the process of conception during which this energy is stored. These three days are a symbol of three spiritual qualities - intellect, intuition and striving for a higher goal.
After the connection of two eggs, another 37 days are required for the “united” cells to create a spiritual “fog”, “steam”. A kind of suspension of small droplets, which gradually combine and create a vessel necessary for receiving the soul. After 40 days, the vessel is ready to receive the soul.
From now on, we can already talk about the emergence of the human fetus. By the fortieth day, this fruit receives a "task" from the Creator. In the course of nine months, the soul will be fully formed and will receive all that is missing. After that, a person is born.
