Eva Kovacheva
Abstract
The article discusses two historical events taken from texts from the Holy Scripture – the Old and the New Testaments, and a spiritual view on human soul, as found in the Holy tradition of the Orthodox church: they support the thesis that, according to the method of allegorical interpretation, the three evidences point to three inner stages through which human soul passes in its transition to a holistic spiritual development: from the act of the Holy Baptism to the entry into the Kingdom of God.
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In this research, we have ascertained that there exists an interconnection between the following: a) the Old Testament’s narrative about the Israelites’ exodus from Egypt, their 40-year trials in the desert and the consequent entry into the Promised Land, as this can be found in the books of Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers and Deuteronomy; b) the New Testament’s narratives about the life of Jesus Christ’s (for example, in Matt 3,16-4,17) (The Holy Bible: New International Version 1983, 898-901) and especially His Baptism in the Jordan river, the 40-day temptations in the wilderness and His consequent public preaching, as the Son of God, about the Kingdom of God; and c) the Orthodox church’s view on the trials of the soul (Rose 2009, 66-67), as found in this church’s tradition, where the soul ascends from its earthly existence to the heavenly realms by being trialed for 40 days, and only after such trials the soul can enter the Paradise, or join God.
In connection with the two historical events, and by considering the above mentioned traditional view of the Orthodox church on human soul, a thesis has been proposed to prove that by using the method of allegorical interpretation, the events cannot be viewed as solely historical – they illustrate the journey of the soul from the material to the spiritual life, from the earthly to the heavenly realms, and from the human to the Divine.
In this way, we aim to resolve the following research problem: how biblical interpretation can contribute to the understanding of human soul’s elevation from lower to higher stages of its existence and life. To achieve this, we have posed a number of objectives and tasks to complete: to determine the literary meaning of chosen biblical texts taken from the Old and the New Testaments; to adjust this meaning to an allegorical understanding of the texts; to compare the two meanings with an Orthodox view on the human soul and its ability to ascend to God (the soul’s spiritual journey); to come to a better understanding of the three stages or levels of spiritual life of the soul as compared with the chosen biblical texts. This approach of research inevitably requires consideration of such conceptual-categorical apparatus as human soul and human life, Kingdom of God and its relation to people, Promised Land, Son of God, Holy Scripture, and life experiences.
The study tried to fulfill its goals by employing appropriate methodology of research, hence the use of the comparative method, the biblical-critical method, the method of interpretation and allegorical interpretation of texts and meanings. In addition, the employed historic-linguistic method of research gives a specific literary understanding of biblical texts and so adding the method of interpretation, allegory and comparison makes it possible to grasp biblical texts in a wider context and connect some of them with the Orthodox church’s view on the human soul as able to ascend to Heavenly realms and to God.
Through the Holy Scripture’s symbolic language, an inner process and its stages have been described by which the soul passes from one stage to another in its spiritual development: a) the Israelites’ exodus from Egypt and their miraculous passing through the waters of the Red Sea, the Baptism of Jesus Christ in the Jordan river and the Holy Spirit’s descending on Him point to the soul being chosen by God (accepting the faith and the Baptism) and to its decision to undertake a spiritual journey; b) the Israelites’ 40-year journey through the desert and the trials they experience, Jesus Christ’s 40-day trials in the wilderness while tempted by the devil, and the soul’s 40-day trials preventing its ascension to God, whereby it is being trialed at a number of “toll-houses”, represent the analogy with the second spiritual period of the soul’s journey – the period of temptations, trials, falling and rising, repentance (catharsis), cleansing and sanctification, and the soul’s preparation in acquiring virtues and in expressing and practicing love. This stage of the soul’s development has been described in the New Testament through such expressions as “to put off, with regard to your former way of life, your old self” and “to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness” (Eph 4, 22-24) (The Holy Bible 1091); c) the symbolic meaning of the Israelites’ entering the Promised Land, of Jesus Christ as the Son of God and his public preaching about the Kingdom of God, and of the soul’s ascendance to the highest spiritual realms after it has left the physical body represents the abiding union of the soul with God.
We can also ascertain that the symbolic meaning of the above mentioned two historical events and the Orthodox church’s holy traditional view on the trials of the soul correspond to the three stages of internal acquisitions through which the soul passes in its spiritual journey – the beginning is seen even here on earth, and if a person is able to achieve them, from the state of a “carnal man” (the exodus from Egypt) he or she becomes “soulish” (the passing through the desert) and then “spiritual” (the entry into the Promised Land). These three spiritual stages σαρκίνοις, ψυχικοί and πνευματικοῖς (Nestle-Aland 2012, 522, 733, 522) in the development of Christians are evidenced in the New Testament (for example, 1 Cor 2,14-3,4; 15,44-46; Jude 1,19), as well as in some biblical commentaries to the verses pointing to this view (Teofilakt 2015, 199-200; Barton, Muddiman 2001, 1113-1114, 1132). The transition between “carnal” to “soulish” and “spiritual” is realized only when both body and soul have been submitted to the spirit – this is the spirit through which the Spirit of Christ is realized and through which body and soul are constantly guided by Him, while the will of man becomes one will in God (Luke 22,42; comp. Gal 2,20), and man “unites with the Lord” and becomes “one in Him in spirit” (compare 1Cor 6,17; Gal 2,20), thus man becomes the home of the Holy Trinity (John 14, 20.23).
Бог каза: "Да бъде светлина". И се появи светлина. 