The One Human Being of Body and Soul:Corporeality in Augustine

WANG Yue, GAO Yuhan

International Journal of Catholic Studies ›› 2026, Vol. 0 ›› Issue (18) : 195-214.

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PDF(1397 KB)
International Journal of Catholic Studies ›› 2026, Vol. 0 ›› Issue (18) : 195-214. DOI: 10.30239/IJCS.202606_(18).0007

The One Human Being of Body and Soul:Corporeality in Augustine

  • Johannes Brachtendorf, trans. by WANG Yue, proofread by GAO Yuhan
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Abstract

This article explores Augustine’s unique perspective on corporeality as con-structed between Neoplatonism and Christian faith, focusing on his reflections on the relationship between body and soul. While Augustine inherits the Neo-platonic emphasis on the soul’s transcendence, he firmly rejects the notion which the Neoplatonic holds that the body is the source of shame or a prison for the soul. Influenced by Christian doctrine, Augustine contends that the body’s mortality originates not from any inherent flaw but from original sin. The body, in his view, is not only a good creation of God but also an necessary condition for the beatitude that human beings are to attain in the eschaton. The human person is constituted by body and soul together, forming a complete unity. From the perspectives of existentialism, ethics, and epistemology, this article analyzes Augustine’s multifaceted understanding of corporeality—as a mark of death, a trigger of desire, yet also a medium for intellectual and divine contemplation. Ultimately, author argues that Augustine’s concept of the spiritual body within the framework of resurrection and eschatology transcends the Platonic tradition of the soul’s superiority, laying a profound foundation for a theological anthro-pology grounded in the unity of body and soul.

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Augustine / Corporeality / Anthropology / Neoplatonism / Eschatology

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WANG Yue, GAO Yuhan. The One Human Being of Body and Soul:Corporeality in Augustine.International Journal of Catholic Studies2026 , 0(18): 195-214. https://doi.org/10.30239/IJCS.202606_(18).0007
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