The Depth of the Human Person

This wide-ranging volume features many prominent theologians and philosophers on their understanding of the human person. The four sections deal with introductory questions, scientific and anthropological perspectives, sources of Christian traditions and contemporary theological, ethical and interdisciplinary challenges. For some people, you are your brain, but none of the contributors agree with this proposition. Many categories are dealt with, including the familiar ones of flesh, body, mind, soul and spirit. For John Polkinghorne, the soul is an information pattern that may continue to exist within the divine memory - he insists, like many other commentators, that we are psychosomatic entities, and that dualisms of parts or substances will not do. Malcolm Jeeves lucidly explains advances in neuroscience, psychology and evolutionary biology, quoting Freeman Dyson about the value of literature as a storehouse of human experience. Two essays explore terms in the Old and New Testaments, which enhances the reader's understanding of the ways in which they are used. In particular, the categories of body/soma and flesh/ sarx are examined, both in the work of Paul and the Gnostics. There is an interesting essay on moral inwardness and another at the end on the human person at the edges of life and death, examining how our sense of identity changes with respect to self-determination, corporeality and relationality. Although primarily aimed at scholars, general readers interested in the theme will benefit greatly from these sophisticated discussions.