Human Being
Archimandrite Nikifor’s Biblical Encyclopedia
(Gen. 1:26-27; 2:7, 18, 21-23; Ps. 8:4-8; Sir. 17:1-12; Acts 17:25-28)—Scripture speaks of humanity’s origin, bodily life, and spiritual nature. The body gathers within itself the ordered complexity of visible creation and may be called a small world within God’s greater world. Yet the human person is not merely bodily. The soul is distinct from the body and surpasses visible nature through its spiritual capacities and calling.