[kosta50]

Personally, I don't understand how any of this is "Gnostic"

Then, perhaps, you should read more... :)

[HarleyD]

Gnosticism (from Greek gnosis, knowledge) is a term created by modern scholars to describe a diverse, syncretistic religious movement, especially in the first centuries C.E. Gnostics believed in gnosis, the knowledge of God enabled by secret teachings. - Wikipedia

I fail to see how talking about whether the soul is propagated or created is Gnostic in light of the definition. This has nothing to do with God enabling "secret teachings". Not everything is Gnostic in nature.

You never addressed Ecc 12 nor did you address how God would "propagate" the soul of our Lord Jesus.

[Alamo-Girl]

We’ve been down this road before and I know we will disagree because you lean to the Greek and I lean to the Hebrew. Nevertheless, the Hebrew in Scripture - and Jewish tradition - speaks of the soul/spirit in four levels:

1. nephesh – the will to live, the animal soul, or the soul of all living things (Genesis 1:20) which by Jewish tradition returns to the “earth” after death. In Romans 8, this is seen as a whole, the creation longing for the children of God to be revealed.

2. ruach - the self-will or free will peculiar to man (abstraction, anticipation, intention, etc.) – by Jewish tradition, the pivot wherein a man decides to be Godly minded or earthy minded (also related to Romans 8, choosing)

3. neshama - the breath of God given to Adam (Genesis 2:7) which may also be seen as the “ears to hear” (John 10) - a sense of belonging beyond space/time, a predisposition to seek God and seek answers to the deep questions such as “what is the meaning of life?"

4. ruach Elohim - the Holy Spirit (Genesis 1:2) which indwells Christians (I Cor 2, John 3) – the presently existing in the “beyond” while still in the flesh. (Col 3:3) This is the life in passage : "In him was life, and the life was the light of men..." (John 1)

Paul speaks to these differences in Romans 8 - the one who has heard his Master's call must choose between being carnally minded or Spiritually minded, that if one does not have the Spirit of Christ, he is none of His (Christ's.)