Old Ideas, Transformed

 Bernadette Roberts

Centuries before Paul, the world-wide belief was that the male sperm or seed was the father’s own life and soul that he passed on to his offspring. This was not a new soul, but the father’s same one soul passed on generation after generation. While this was a universal belief, what was particularly Jewish, however, was the belief it was the seed of Adam (whose soul was created by God) that was passed down from father to son. It is because Adam fell, however, his offspring inherited his “fallen soul”, and thus Adam’s fallen soul was passed down the generations via the male sperm or seed. This is the origin of the idea that all human beings are fallen souls and come into this world tainted by Adam’s sin. This, at least, is the Judaic genesis of Paul’s view that all men came into this world as sinners.

The Real Christ, Chapter: The Man Jesus

(continued tomorrow)