Asteriktos
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I mentioned in the other thread a quote of St. Maximos the Confessor about plants having souls...
"The soul has three powers: first, the power of nourishment and growth; second, that of imagination and instinct; third, that of intelligence and intellect. Plants share only in the first of these powers, animals share in the first and second only, and men share in all three." - St Maximos the Confessor (quoted in: Joanne Stefanatos, Animals and Man: A State of Blessedness, [Light and Life Publishing Company, 1992], p. 51; originally in: The Philokalia, Vol. 2, p. 88)
The only other person I remember mentioning this concept was Met. Kallistos:
"Secondly there is the soul, the life-force that vivifies and animates the body, causing it to be not just a lump of matter, but something that grows and moves, that feels and perceives. Animals also possess a soul, and so perhaps do plants. But in man's case the soul is endowed with consciousness; it is a rational soul, possessing the capacity for abstract thought, and the ability to advance a discursive argument from premises to a conclusion. These powers are present in animals, if at all, only to a very limited degree." - Met. Kallistos (Father Kallistos Ware), The Orthodox Way, (St. Vladimir's Seminary Press, 1986), p. 60
Any thoughts on this? Anyone know of other patristic quotes, or a longer discussion of the topic?
"The soul has three powers: first, the power of nourishment and growth; second, that of imagination and instinct; third, that of intelligence and intellect. Plants share only in the first of these powers, animals share in the first and second only, and men share in all three." - St Maximos the Confessor (quoted in: Joanne Stefanatos, Animals and Man: A State of Blessedness, [Light and Life Publishing Company, 1992], p. 51; originally in: The Philokalia, Vol. 2, p. 88)
The only other person I remember mentioning this concept was Met. Kallistos:
"Secondly there is the soul, the life-force that vivifies and animates the body, causing it to be not just a lump of matter, but something that grows and moves, that feels and perceives. Animals also possess a soul, and so perhaps do plants. But in man's case the soul is endowed with consciousness; it is a rational soul, possessing the capacity for abstract thought, and the ability to advance a discursive argument from premises to a conclusion. These powers are present in animals, if at all, only to a very limited degree." - Met. Kallistos (Father Kallistos Ware), The Orthodox Way, (St. Vladimir's Seminary Press, 1986), p. 60
Any thoughts on this? Anyone know of other patristic quotes, or a longer discussion of the topic?