The Immortality of the Soul: From Greek Philosophy to the Western World Term Paper

This paper traces the concept of soul immortality from Greek Philosophy and the Hellenization of Christianity.
# 151818 | 1,371 words | 4 sources | MLA | 2011 | US
Published on Sep 28, 2012 in History (Greek and Roman) , Philosophy (Ancient Greek) , Religion and Theology (Christianity)


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Description:

This paper examines how the doctrine of the immortality of the soul passed on from Greek philosophy to Christianity and consequently the western world. It looks at earliest traces of the doctrine in mythology, Shamanism, and the philosopher Pythagoras. From there, the paper examnies Platonism and how the concept of soul immortality developed in Christianity.

From the Paper:

"According to E. R. Dodds, an Irish scholar, Orphic and Pythagorean doctrines of the immortality of the soul originate from Greek contact with Shaman cultures around the seventh century B.C. (Hatab, 211). Orphic and Pythagorian shamanism began to associate extraconscious experiences such as dreams, visions, and soul flight with an occult power in human nature itself, thus evolving the concept of self-conciousness which gathered around the term "psyche" and created ad distinction between the soul and the external world (Hatab, 212). The psyche became seen as divine in that the duality of God and man became a human duality of soul and body. This mental-physical dichotomy had a direct effect on philosophical developments and was greatly facilitated by what can be called "Greek Shamanism"."

Sample of Sources Used:

  • Barnes, Jonathan. Early Greek Philosophy. London, England: Pinguin Books, 1987.
  • Flew, Antony. Body, Mind, and Death. New York, NY: Macmillan Publishing. 1976
  • Hatab, Lawrence J. Myth and Philosophy. La Salle, IL: Open Court Publshing. 1992.
  • Knauft, Daniel.. Search for the Immortal Soul. Nampa, ID: Torchlight Intel. 2006.

Cite this Term Paper:

APA Format

The Immortality of the Soul: From Greek Philosophy to the Western World (2012, September 28) Retrieved March 29, 2023, from https://www.academon.com/term-paper/the-immortality-of-the-soul-from-greek-philosophy-to-the-western-world-151818/

MLA Format

"The Immortality of the Soul: From Greek Philosophy to the Western World" 28 September 2012. Web. 29 March. 2023. <https://www.academon.com/term-paper/the-immortality-of-the-soul-from-greek-philosophy-to-the-western-world-151818/>

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