SOUL
692
SOUL-SLEEP
esis, which will shortly be noticed, was rcceiveil with much approLaiioii l)y rrotostniits. Still many distiii- fruishtil LiitlK-ran teachers of t lie 17th century toUoweii Melanctlu.n in his views concerning this doctrine — e. i;. G. Calixtiis. In the Kefornieil Church, the hypothesis which we are now considerinj; has had far more advo- cates than any uther. though even they have not agreed in the manner of exhibiting it. Luther would have this subject left without being determined, and many of his contemiMiraries were of the same opinion.
3. Tilt llypothesU of l/ie J'nipiii/alion of the Soul. — Acconiing to this theory, the souls of children, as well as their bodies, are |)ropagated from their parents. These two suppositions may be made: Kither the souls «>f children exist in their parents as real bciiujs (entia) — like the seed in plants, and so have been propagated from Ailam through successive generations, which is the opinion of Ix'ibnitz, in his Tlieodicee, i, 91— or they exist in their parents merely poleiiliallt/, and come from them /«-/• j>ro/>iii/iiieiii or tniditcem. Hence those who hold this opinion are called Tnuliickiiii. This opinion agrees with what Epicurus says of human seed, that it is Tiu/iarof Tt Kui vI'i'X'/C (nroaTzartfia. This hypothe- sis formerly prevailed in the ancient Western Church. According to Jerome, both TertuUian and Apcillinaris were advocates of this opinion, and even "'maxima pars ( tccidenialium" (see EpUt. ad Miircelliii.). TertuUian entered very minutely into the discussion of this subject in his work De A nima, c. 25 sq., where he often uses the wonl tradux ; but he is verj* obscure in what he has saiil. This is the hypothesis to which the opponents of the Pelagians have been most generally inclined (see No. "2), tliough many who were rigorously orthodox would have nothing definitely settled upon this subject. Even .\ugustine, who in some passages favored the Crealiaiii, atHrmed in his book Be Orujine Atiimre "nullum ( sententiam ) temere afRrmare oportebit." Since the Reformation this theory has been more ap- proved than any other, not only by philosophers and naturalists, but also by the Lutlieran Church. Luther himself ap[»eared much inclined towartls it. although he did not declare himself distinctly in its favor. Hut in the t'onuula Coiicordue it was distinctly taught that the soul, as well as the body, was propagated by parents in ordinary generatum. The reason why this theory is 8o much preferre<l by theologians is that it affords the easiest solution of the doctrine of native depravity. If ill the S4(uls nf our tirst pnigcnitors the souls of all their jvistericy existed poteniially. and the souls of the former were pnlluted antl sinful, those of the latter must be so tiK>. This hypothe>is is not. however, free from objec- tions, and it is very difficult to reconcile it with some philosophical opinions which are universally received. We cannot, for example, easily conceive how genera- tion and propagation can take place without exieimon, but we cannot predicate extension of the soul without making it a material sulistance. TertuUian and other of the fathers affirm, indeed, that the soul of man, and that f/iiiil ill general, is not [lerfectly fiure and simple, but of a rclined material nature, of wliich,conse(|uently, exlitiniiiii may be predicated. With these opinions the theory of the jiropaiiatioii of the soul agrees perfectly well, certniiily far better than with the opinions which we en- lertaiii res|K"cting the nature of spirit, aliliough even with these opinions we cannot lie sure that a spiritual generaiion and propagation are impossible; for we d<i not understand the true nature of s|)irit, and cannot therefore determine with certainty what is or is not |M.(wilile respecting it. There are some psychological phenomena wliicb seem to favor the theory now under coiiMiilcralion; and hence it has always been tlie fav(prile theory of psychologisisaiid physicians. The natural dis- ptmition of children not unfre(|uenily resembles that of their parents, and the mental excellences and imperfec- tions of pnrentjt are inherited nearly as often by their children as nny biMJily attributes. .Again, the powers of the miul, like those of the body, are at lirst weak, and
attain their full development and perfection only by slow degrees. JLmy more phenoniena of the same sort might be mentioned. But after all that may be said, we must remain in uncertainty with regard to the origin of the human soul. Important objections can be urged against these arguments and any others that might be ottered. If the metaphysical theory of the entire sim- plicity of the human .soul be admitted, the whole sub- ject remains involved in total darkness. — Knapp, Christ, Theol. p. 200 sq, SOUL, PKii-ExiSTENCE OF. See Pre-existents.
Soul-bell, the knell tolled on the decease of a per- son. See Passing-bell.
Soul-cakes, a term used for the gifts of sweet- ened bread, anciently distributed at the church-doors on AU-souls'-day (Nov. 2) by the rich to the poor. They were frequently stamped with the impression of a cross, or were triangular in form. They were given away with inscriptions on paper or parchment, soliciting the prayers of the receivers for the souls of certain de- parted persons, whose names were thus put on record. Some of the earliest specimens of block-printing con- sist of "soul-papers," as they were termed. — Lee, Gloss, of Litnr(/icul Terms, s. v.
Soul-chinie, the ringing of the passing or soul bell.