When was the idea of a soul first brought into relgion?

Answer 1

The idea of the soul in the Bible begins in the book of Genesis.The Bible tells us that people are souls (they do not have souls)
What does God's Word say about a soul? We can read these Scriptures to get the answer.
Genesis 2:7--"And the LORD God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul." [ Adam became a living person ]

Leviticus 7:20--"But the soul that eateth of the flesh of the sacrifice of peace offerings, that pertain unto the LORD, having his uncleanness upon him, even that soul shall be cut off from his people." [ A soul can eat ]

Leviticus 22:11--"But if the priest buy any soul with his money, he shall eat of it, and he that is born in his house: they shall eat of his meat." [ Animals are souls too ]

Psalms 22:29--"All they that be fat upon earth shall eat and worship: all they that go down to the dust shall bow before him: and none can keep alive his own soul." Ezekiel 18:20--"The soul that sinneth, it shall die. [ Souls are not immortal--they die]

The concept of the immortality of the soul is a Greek notion formed in ancient mystery cults and elaborated by the philosopher Plato. The pagan Babylonians also believed in an immortal soul.

Answer 2

A very, very long time ago. The Sumerians and Babylonians already believed in an afterlife, although it was a dark and bleak world, in which all the dead went, no matter how they had lived their lives. The ancient Egyptians believed the heart to be the seat of consciousness. But the Book of the Dead and the practice of mummification suggests they believed in some sort of physical afterlife, as opposed to a life of the soul.
The ancient Greek word psyche translates the idea of soul. Souls went to Hades - a kind of limbo state. According to many Greek myths, though, there also seems to be a belief the soul had some sort of tangible physical form. Ancestor worship in ancient China shows these people also believed in some sort of survival of consciousness after death.
The Christian idea of the soul, though, is rather unique. It was shaped by philosophers and theologians throughout the Middle Ages and, to some extent, in late Antiquity.

Answer 3

There's quite a bit more to this question than meets the eye.

If you are talking about Christian ideas of the soul, much of the understanding we have today comes from the Greeks. The Hebrew understanding of the soul in the Old Testament is quite different.

But the Greeks were not the first, so I did some checking to see how far back we can go in tracing the roots of the concept of "soul."

The best approach I found comes from the writings of Otto Rank, who finds that the soul is pretty much a universal understanding throughout world cultures. He sees the idea of soul as a basic belief that all human beings have, but one that has evolved through time, basically in four levels of understanding. See below:

"His analysis of the several stages of this concept begins with the primitive, animistic and collective soul notion which formed totemistic belief structures. The soul-concept, and through it the denial of death, represents the human need for a belief in immortality and, for Rank, that need is an essential aspect of any psychology. The second sexual and matriarchal stage of soul-belief followed the human awareness of the role of sexuality in human reproduction and led to a sense of 'generational immortality' in which the human need for immortality was fulfilled through procreation. The third stage was the Christian 'son stage' which invigorated the notion of the individual soul and led to the development of the concept of the individual. Finally, psychoanalysis 'arrived to save the human in a materialistic era sick with self-consciousness and threatened by the loss of the belief in immortality and in its public expression, religion'"

Not sure that I agree completely with Rank, but I like part of his understanding of the universaility and development of the concept.

Answer 4

I cannot state when the idea of an immortal soul developed, but it was probably in ancient Babylon, as that is the origin of most false religious ideas.

The first mention of "soul" in the Bible is when man BECAME (not, was given) a living soul.

"And Jehovah God proceeded to form the man out of dust from the ground and to blow into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man came to be a living soul."

Answer 5

That's easy.

The soul was actually mentioned in Genesis, when God created adam, and he became "a living soul." Notice, he did not have a soul, he was a soul. (the actual hebrew word used was nephesh - which literally meant - a being. Genesis also mentions animals being "souls."

The concept of a soul being a spiritual entity separate from the body was first known to be introduced by a Philospher named Origen (who died in 254 C.E.) and then expanded on 120 years later by St. Augustine.

Answer 6

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Answer 7

I guess it started with the belief that when you die you continue to live on. The Bible however, clearly states that he dead are sleeping and that they will be resurrected when Jesus comes again - 1 Thessalonians 4.

Answer 8

Read Genesis, it's reffered to as the breath of life:-)

Answer 9

"Know" and "probably" in the same sentence. She is genius.

They thought it up right after someone started shooting holes in the life after death story.

Answer 10

I would imagine when humans first realized that death was forever and going to happen to them.