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 terms. But most of them admit that the personality of a person who is God's creation is not limited to following physical laws, that a person always remains a secret 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 outlined below.
Immortal substance
In accordance with religious and part of philosophical teachings, the soul is a kind of intangible entity, an immortal substance. It expresses both divine nature, and human nature, and personality. It gives rise to and determines the life of the individual, his ability to feel, think, consciousness, feelings, and will. All this, as a rule, is opposed to the body. The question of when the soul is infused into the body of a child, from ancient times worried the minds, in particular, Greek and Christian religious philosophers.
Three options
In this regard, three theories of the emergence of the human soul were formed in Christianity:
- The pre-existence of the soul.
- God's creation of the soul at the very moment of conception.
- Birth of the soul of a child from the souls of parents.
The first theory is the doctrine that the Pythagoreans began to preach (6-4 centuries BC), and then Plato (5-4 centuries BC) and the Greek Christian theologian Origen (3 century). It says that initially a certain number of individual souls was created by the Creator. That is, even before they appeared on Earth. This view was completely rejected by the Christian church at the V Ecumenical Council. The other two teachings, which understand when the soul dwells in the body of a child, will be discussed below.
Supporters of the remaining theories
So, there are two theories. Supporters of the first, talking about God's creation of the soul at the time 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 (2-3 centuries) and Gregory of Nyssa (4 century).
However, in both cases, reasonable questions arise: “When and how does the soul enter the body of a child? Is it happening or is it being born at the same time as the birth of the body? Or does she appear after his appearance after a certain time? ”
Further, the points of view of supporters of both theories on the question of when the soul is instilled in the fetus of a child will be examined in detail.
Opinion of Gregory Sinait
Supporters of the theory that God creates the soul say the following. The question is posed: “What appears earlier - the body or the soul?” The Orthodox saint Gregory of Sinai (13-14 centuries) gave the classical answer characteristic of Orthodoxy. Its essence is that thinking about a soul that happened before the body will be wrong.
It is also wrong to assume that the body appeared without a soul. That is, the soul and body develop together, and not in stages and in parallel. More precisely, a person simultaneously develops in soul and body. Thus, the answer to the question of when the soul is instilled in a child, Orthodoxy interprets this: "At the time of conception."
Understanding Clement of Alexandria
Clement of Alexandria says that the soul dwells in the mother’s womb, which, through cleansing, is prepared for conception. When the seed erupts, the Spirit is infused into it and promotes the formation of the fruit. Therefore, the barren are such until the time when the soul, creating the foundation of the seed, penetrates into the substance that interferes with conception and birth.
As can be seen, Clement of Alexandria is of the opinion that the soul is brought in from without. However, the conception itself is evidence that the "embryo" is animated. “Penetration” into the mother’s womb of the soul relates precisely to the moment of conception, and not to another time, later. Without such “penetration” into the seed of the soul, it would remain dead and not give life.
Adam's mother soul
The opinion of supporters of the theory of the birth of baby souls from parental looks like this. If we proceed from the fact that the soul is a body 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 one nature with God, only his breath is present, 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 consequence of the act is a twofold result: a seed is obtained that is both bodily and mental. Such seeds are initially completely mixed with each other, and then gradually from them, through the assistance of God and angels, a man appears in the womb of the mother. Just as one body comes from another, so does one soul come from another. And the soul of the first man - Adam - is the mother soul of everyone else, and the soul of Eve also came from his soul.
In islam
What is said in Islam about when a soul is instilled in a child? Interpreters of this religion believe that human life is in his blood. When a person dies, his blood comes to rest. Life is a series of biochemical reactions that occur in each of the cells of the human body. It begins during conception in the embryo. But at the same time there is such a mysterious element as the soul, which in Islam is called “ruh,” and there is very little knowledge about it.
Life is present even in sperm 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 souls (ruh). Thus, before the baby appears in the mother’s womb, he has no soul. On what day does the soul inspire a child?
According to Muslim scholars, 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. Islamic theologian Ibn Abbas (7th c.) Said that the blowing of the spirit is carried out for ten days after the end of the 4-month period.
If the fetus dies before the indicated period, then the memorial prayer (Janazah) cannot be read on it. The process of blowing the soul concerns only man; in animals the rukh is absent.
Where is the soul located?
According to the saying of the Prophet Muhammad, each person is created in the mother’s womb for 40 days, having the appearance of a drop of seed. After that, he is there in the form of a blood clot for the same period, and then as much as a piece consisting of flesh. And only then does an angel go to him, which blows his soul into him. And he is ordered to record four things, which include: the inheritance that awaits the person, the duration of his life, all his affairs and whether he will be happy or not.
The words of Allah are written in the Qur'an that he gave a person a proportionate appearance, breathed spirit into him from his spirit, granted him vision, 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, exactly where it is located is not clear. And looking for this place is most likely a futile activity. Indeed, the Qur'an says that ruh is a divine affair, 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 explanations on this subject. At that moment, when a drop of male seed enters the female egg, it brings in only energy of a spiritual property, transmitted to it by the Almighty. The conception process takes three days, during which this energy is stored. These three days are a symbol of three spiritual qualities - intellect, intuition and desire for a higher goal.
After connecting the two eggs, another 37 days are required for the “united” cells to create a spiritual “fog”, “steam”. A kind of suspension of small droplets that gradually connect and create the vessel necessary to receive the soul. After 40 days, the vessel is ready to receive the soul.
From this moment it is already possible to talk about the occurrence of a human fetus. By the fortieth day, this fruit receives a “task” from the Creator. Over the course of nine months, the soul will be completely formed and receive all that is missing. After that, a person is born.