Jewish thinking

• in the Old Testament there are two Hebrew works for soul, nephesh and ruach
• they are associated with the principle of life
• the nephesh was said to be given by god to adam
• the word is often linked with the word 'heart', which was thought of as the seat of the will
• in the teaching of Jesus also, the words is often used alongside 'heart' and 'mind', almost in the sense of 'inner self'
• genesis 2:7: 'then the lord god formed a man from the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living being'