Chapter 2 [II.]—He Asks What the Great Knowledge is that Victor Imparts.

Therefore, brother greatly beloved, I desire to know what you learned of him, in order that, if I have already possessed the knowledge, I may participate in your joy; but if I happen to be ignorant, I may be instructed by you. Did you not then understand that there are two somethings, soul and spirit, according as it is said in Scripture, “Thou wilt separate my soul from my spirit”?55    Job vii. 14. ᾽Απαλλάξεις ἀπὸ πνεύματός μου τὴν ψυχήν μου, Sept. And that both of them pertain to man’s nature, so that the whole man consists of spirit, and soul, and body? Sometimes, however, these two are combined together under the designation of soul; for instance, in the passage, “And man became a living soul.”56    Gen. ii. 7. Now, in this place the spirit is implied. Similarly in sundry passages the two are described under the name of spirit, as when it is written, “And He bowed His head and gave up the spirit;”57    John xix. 30. in which passage it is the soul that must also be understood. And that the two are of one and the same substance? I suppose that you already knew all this. But if you did not, then you may as well know that you have not acquired any great knowledge, the ignorance of which would be attended with much danger. And if there must be any more subtle discussion on such points it would be better to carry on the controversy with himself, whose wordy qualities we have already discovered. The questions we might consider are: whether, when mention is made of the soul, the spirit is also implied in the term in such a way that the two comprise the soul, the spirit being, as it were, some part of it,—whether, in fact (as this person seemed to think), under the designation soul, the whole is so designated from only a part; or else, whether the two together make up the spirit, that which is properly called soul being a part thereof; whether again, in fact, the whole is not called from only a part, when the term spirit is used in such a wide sense as to comprehend the soul also, as this man supposes. These, however, are but subtle distinctions, and ignorance about them certainly is not attended with any great danger.

CAPUT II.

2. Proinde, frater dilectissime, quid ab eo didiceris, nosse cupio, ut si jam id sciebam, gratuler pro te; si autem nesciebam, discam per te. Itane tu ignorabas duo quaedam esse, animam et spiritum, secundum id quod scriptum est, Absolvisti ab spiritu meo animam meam (Job. VII, sec. LXX)? Et utrumque ad naturam hominis pertinere, ut totus homo sit spiritus et anima et corpus: sed aliquando duo ista simul nomine animae nuncupari, quale est illud, Et factus est homo in animam vivam (Gen. II, 7)? Ibi quippe et spiritus intelligitur. Itemque aliquando utrumque nomine spiritus dici, sicuti est, Et inclinato capite tradidit spiritum (Joan. XIX, 30)? ubi et anima necesse est intelligatur. Et utrumque unius esse substantiae? Puto quod ista jam sciebas. Si autem nesciebas, non te aliquid quod magno periculo 0496 nescitur, didicisse scias. Et si quid hinc subtilius disputandum est, melius cum ipso agitur, cujus jam novimus et eloquium: utrum cum dicitur anima, ita ut simul intelligatur et spiritus, utrumque anima sit, spiritus autem aliquid animae sit; an, sicut ei visum est, a parte totum appelletur hoc nomine: sive etiam utrumque spiritus sit, pars vero ejus sit quae proprie dicitur anima; an et hoc a parte totum vocetur, quando ita dicitur spiritus, ut simul intelligatur et anima: sic enim huic placet. Verum ista, ut dixi, et subtiliter disseruntur, et sine ullo vel certe sine magno periculo nesciuntur.