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Soul

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A soul is a concept in many religions, being a divine and immaterial part of a human. In most religions, the soul is strongly connected to the afterlife, but opinions vary wildly on what happens to the soul after death.

The soul in the Tanach (Hebrew Bible, Old Testament)

(To be written)

Jewish beliefs

Jewish beliefs about the soul are discussed in some detail in the entry on Jewish eschatology.

The soul in the Kabbalah (Jewish mysticism)

The Zohar posits that the human soul has three elements, the nefesh, ru'ah, and neshamah. The nefesh is found in all humans, and enters the physical body at birth. It is the source of one's physical and psychological nature. The next two parts of the soul are not impklante dat birth, but are slowly created over time; their development depends on the actions and beliefs of the individual. They are said to only fully exist in people awaken spiritually. A common way of explaining the three parts of the soul is as follows:

  • Nefesh - the lower part, or animal part, of the soul. Is linked to instincts and bodily cravings.
  • Ruach - the middle soul, the spirit. It contains the moral virtues and the ability to distinguish between good and evil.
  • Neshamah - the higher soul, or super-soul. This separates man from all other lifeforms. It is related to the intellect, and allows man to enjoy and benefit from the afterlife. This part of the soul is provided both to Jew and non-Jew alike at birth. It allows one to have some awareness of the existence and presence of God.


The Raaya Meheimna, a later addition to the Zohar by an unknown author, posits that there are two more parts of the human soul, the chayyah and yehidah. Gersom Scholem writess that these "were considered to represent the sublimest levels of intuitive cognition, and to be within the grasp of only a few chosen individuals".

  • Chayyah - The part of the soul that allows one to have an awareness of the divine life force itself.
  • Yehidad - the highest plane of the soul, in which one can achieve as full a union with God as is possible.

Both Rabbinic and kabbalistic works posit that there are also a few additional, non-permanent states to the soul that people can develop on certain occasions. These extra souls, or extra states of the soul, play no part in any afterlife scheme, but are mentioned for completeness.

  • Ruach HaKodesh - a state of the soul that makes prophecy possible. Since the age of classical prophecy passed, no one receives the soul of prophesy any longer.
  • Neshamah Yeseira - The supplemental soul that a Jew experience on Shabbat. It makes possible an enhanced spiritual enjoyment of the day. This is exists only when one is observing Shabbat; it can be lost and gained depending on one's observance.
  • Neshoma Kedosha - Provided to Jews at the age of majority (13 for boys, 12 for girls), and is related to the study and fulfillment of the Torah commandments. It exists only when one studies and follows Torah; it can be lost and gained depending on one's study and observance.


Christian beliefs

Most Christians believe the soul to be the immortal essence of a human, and that after death, the soul is either rewarded or punished. Whether this reward or punishment is contingent upon doing good deeds, or merely upon believing in Jesus, is a heated dispute among different Christian groups.

An at times vexed question in Christianity has been the origin of the soul; the major theories put forward are creationism, traducianism and pre-existence.

A number of less Christian minority beliefs:

  • A few Christian groups do not believe in the soul, and hold that people cease to exist, both mind and body, at death; they claim however that God will recreate the minds and bodies of believers in Jesus Christ at the end of the world.
  • Another minority of Christians believe in the soul, but don't believe it is inherently immortal. This minority also believe the life of Christ brings immortality, but only to believers.
  • The soul sleep theory states that the soul goes to 'sleep' at the time of death, and stays in this quiescent state until the last judgment.
  • The 'absent from the body, present with the Lord' theory states that the soul at the point of death, immediately is present at the end of time, without experiencing any time passing between.
  • The 'purgatory' theory states the soul (if it is imperfect) spends a time of purging or cleansing before being ready for the end of time.

See the discuss on Christian eschatology for more information.

Hindu beliefs

In Hinduism, the soul (atman) is reincarnated, its status modified by karma, until enough wisdom has been gleaned to merge with the Brahma.

Buddhist beliefs

In opposition to the Hindu belief, Buddhists deny the existence of the soul; they call this doctrine anatman. But they do however believe in reincarnation. According to the Buddhist belief, at death the mind disintegrates, but if the disintegrating mind contains any particles of karma, in doing so it will cause the creation of a new mind. Thus Buddhists teach reincarnation without any entity to provide continuity between reincarnations.

Other beliefs

In Egyptian Mythology, a person were in posession of several souls, three of the body and three of the mind. They were called Chet, Ren, Schut, Ka, Ba and Ach.

Atheists generally deny any existence of a soul, though the issues are, strictly speaking, orthogonal.

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