Essay About New Soul And Case Of Infants

Augustine
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In Letter 166, Augustine seems to believe that the soul and the body are separable. In many instances, the body seems to be a vessel that the soul uses. Augustine stated that, “For each individual a new soul is made. Souls already in existence somewhere are sent by divine act into bodies.” If this statement was to hold true, then the assumption made is that the bodies are separable from the soul. If new life was born, then a new soul is created. Those that are already in existent are sent to our bodies by a divine act. This means that the body, at some point, has to exist without the soul until the soul is sent into the body. If this is the case, then let us take a look at infants. In the case of infants who die before baptism, sin is committed only in the sense as the first sin, the sin that was acquired from Adam. Augustine goes to state that, “All other souls are derived from the one which was given to the first man.” If all of our souls were derived from Adam, it would only make sense that we inherit his sins the moment the soul is infused with the body. As such, the infant is sinless upon creation of the new soul but then acquires the previous sin after receiving the soul. I think this would seem more plausible if we look at it through the following analogy: Man owes debt to debt collecting agency. Man dies and leaves behind pregnant wife. Wife gives birth to child. Now, the child inherits the debt his father owed. In this sense, the debt is like the sin that is being inherited. The child was innocent only momentarily until the debt was acquired.