Sunday, February 25, 2024

Pre-existence of the soul in the theology of Didymus the Blind (c. 313 – 398)

  

Anthropology

 

The influence of Origen can be seen in the doctrine of the human soul. Although quite a few passages seem to imply that man consists of only body and soul (De Spir. S. 54; In Ps. 1520 BC), others show that Didymus, following Origen and Plato, believed in three principles and made a real distinction between the rational soul (νους), the animal soul (ψυχη) and the body (φυσις) (De Spir. S. 54, 55, 59; De Trin. 1,9; 1,15; 3,31).

 

He follows Origen also in his ideas of the origin of the soul. He is convinced that the soul has been created but shares his predecessor’s error that it existed before the body in which it was enclosed in punishment for sins committed (Enarr. in Epist. Petr. I, 1; De Trin. 3,1). (Johannes Quasten, Patrology, 4 vols. [Westminster, Md.: Christian Classics, Inc., 1992], 3:99)