[notes on EpDiog §5]

The primary thesis of EpDiog 6 is the first verse:

To put the matter simply, what the soul is in the body, this is what Christians are in the world. (EpDiog 6.1).

The rest of the chapter provides illustrations to back up the author's argument. He writes things such as:

The soul lives in the body, but it does not belong to the body; Christians live in the world but do not belong to the world. (EpDiog 5.3)

and

The soul, which is immortal, dwells in a mortal tent; Christians temporarily dwell in perishable surroundings but await that which is imperishable in the heavens. (EpDiog 5.8)

I'm not sure that I entirely agree with the author's point here. Some of his examples sound good but they seem to assume their corollary, and the parallelism makes for good copy. Rhetorically it's excellent, but more importantly: is it right? The author seems to espouse an almost gnostic seperation of body and soul (or spirit). In this chapter it seems as if he's arguing that the soul will only be free when it breaks from the bondage of the body. It is true that our sin-corrupted flesh needs to be shed, but it is also true that the sin-corrupted flesh is a perversion of the original bodies created by God. It is also true that we can expect new resurrection bodies.* So the emphasis on the soul/body dichotomy seems ill-conceived to me. The problem isn't our bodies, the problem is sin. Now if the author is using “flesh” as a synonym for “sin”, then I suppose that's fine, but I don't think he is. He seems to be using “flesh” (σὰρξ) and “body” (σῶμα) interchangeably in this section, both in opposition to “soul” (ψυχή).

Now, with that said, it is true that Christians are to be light and salt (Mt 5.13-14) working to spread the message of salvation to a world that desperately needs it. We are different than the world, and the world does look upon us differently. So I do buy the gist of what the author is writing here; it just seems that he flirts with (and even may go over) a line that he shouldn't be getting near.

Next up: EpDiog 7. As usual, I'm not sure when.

* My eschatology is the weakest point of my theology (typical Calvinist, huh?). I like to call myself “pro-millenial”. That is, I'm not sure when that glorious day will come, or when the millenium will start, or if we're in it already, or if it is pre-trib/post-trib/no-trib/whatever; I simply say “bring it on!” Yeah, it's a bit of a cop-out. One thing I am sure of, though, is that — whenever whatever is going to happen happens — a new “body”, free from the corruption of sin, is part of it. And I hope it happens soon. Come, Lord Jesus!