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Michael Servetus on 'Pneuma' Journal of Psychology & Clinical Psychiatry Michael Servetus on ‘Pneuma’ Abstract Review Article A theory of the mind based on the concept of ‘pneuma’. Reviewing the work of Michael Servetus. Volume 2 Issue 2 - 2015 Joan Torello* IES Santa Margalida, Spain *Corresponding author: Joan Torello, IES Santa Unitary Mysticism and Science Margalida, Conselleria d’Educacio Illes Balears, Servetus’s work is unique in the attempt to unite two spheres Rota des Pinar, 12, Spain, Tel: 971525748; Email: of human reason that are seemingly as far away as beliefs of Christian mysticism on the one hand, and empirical experience Received: October 25, 2014| Published: January 20, 2015 history of science and history of religions has always been consideredand scientific that knowledge there are on two the quite other. distinct In history and ofirreconcilable philosophy, areas of experience. Servetus, exceptionally, unites them. And giving spirit of the deity is in the matter we inhale and exhale, as he did, indeed, from the idea of ​​pneuma, a form of ‘spirit’ that hespirit (God), which with flows his spirit,through holds the in breath: us the “...breath the energyof life and and gives life- enters the body through breathing and blood circulation and breath to the people on the earth and spirit to they who run acts very powerfully on mind. Servetus made an extensive and interesting collection of Christian writings that support this idea. hiding. (...) To get straight to Holy Spirit we started by the spirit He thinks materialistic as the ancient Greeks, but in his case from ofthrough God. Indeed it, it just philosophers, moves the skies;not knowing bringeth this forth energy the ofwind the outdeity, of the core of Christianity and basing it on the Christian dogmas! In have been unable to understand for what purpose the wind spirit is called spirit of God (Genesis 10). And they do not worry if God Christ is in spirit of God and that it is located in the sky, from sends it to us from the deposits he has or if it pours through him. the firstbeginning book ofto Dethe Trinitatis end of times, Erroribus Christian Servetus idea [1]of ​​unanimousstates that Therefore they must know that God, himself, is acting within the actual substance of breath. Here it is: God Himself is so present in your mouth, in your spirit, in and out of you as if you could reach almostacceptance. incomprehensible, But clarifies on especially the concept to thoseof “spirit unfamiliar of God” withor “holy his out and touch (Acts 17). By agitation of his spirit, are shaked usualspirit”: peculiar “...in fact, form Scripture of speak, on as thisHoly subjectSpirit they is surprisingly understood Godand forces of heaven. Orbicularis matter is a dead thing if not agitated himself, now an angel, now the spirit of man, some instinct or divine breath of the mind, a mental boost or breath away. (...) And some by Holy Spirit do not want to understand anything but the by the spirit of God.” (References are from Servetus.) [3]. are the preliminaries to speak now of the Holy Spirit, as the correct intelligence and man’s rational capacity. Among Hebrews modelHe ofcontinues: holiness “Allthat these is applied considerations to the action on the of spiritthe Spirit of God of ‘spirit’ means nothing but breathing or breath, naming either God does not imply anything philosophical: indeed, the spirit of wind or air, and among the Greeks, by ‘pneuma’ any means an air and impulse of the mind; and is not an obstacle that the spirit is Therefore keep in mind the difference between breath (or blow) andGod spirit,works itinside is called and aout, blow but when what it sanctifies comes out, is whatbut when is inside. acts called “holy”, because all the movements of the soul, as concerning the Servetusreligion of matches Christ, are ‘holy rated spirit’ as holy with and ‘spirit’ consecrated and points by God.” as holy spirit. Indeed, with regard to us do not say we received the valid the multiple meanings of it in the different traditions, and blow,inside butand when enlightens comes and this sanctifies blow, we the receive spirit the of spirit,man, is so called that, collected as the same, or referred to different aspects of the same. having blown by mouth, Christ says, ‘receive holy spirit ‘ (John The concept of spirit refers to air, wind or divine breath, while 20). Accordingly, conception of the spirit (with respect to the movement of the soul, instinct or impulse of the mind, while Old Testament) is much more accessible, indeed, the spirit of the intelligence and reason, while alludes to the presence of an angel power of God cannot be known without the instruments which the concept, Servetus maintained, with every intention, a unitary conceptionor God himself. of the All spiritof them as aremain the idea “spirit”. of his Instead thesis. of In fragmenting the second insurround his work, their expressed performance.” his desire Servetus to saysquit thatthe habitthe action of always of the speakingspirit of God metaphysically, “implies nothing and philosophical”.regrets that the In Scripturefact, repeatedly never covers everything like an inaccessible blanket of light. Stresses considers nature in its materiality. At the end, the action of the inbook particular [2] clarifies that, that in addition the spirit to is outside,in the sky is and inside all over us also. the world,In the Spirit of God, for him, is a simple physical action of air. Later he same book, reproaches the philosophers who, in their ignorance will discuss in detail the physical (or psychophysical) mechanism of the meaning in Scripture, are wrong to underestimate the spiritual nature of the air, that is God’s holy spirit and also human of action. Here clarifies yet that blow is the outside air, which in itself, but from God, is just air. But when acting within man Submit Manuscript | http://medcraveonline.com J Psychol Clin Psychiatry 2015, 2(2): 00060 Copyright: Michael Servetus on ‘Pneuma’ 2/5 2015 Torello and prove ourselves if we perceive the spirit in us more than ask air,“enlightens but in terms and sanctifies”of the action his of spirit, this breath and then on humanwe have reason, to talk we of must“holy talkspirit”. of a Physically mental or we spiritual have to phenomenon. talk about a blow or breathe of what entity is or what is its nature, as I often have testified that ScriptureThe Mechanism don’t talk of natures.” (Seventh book) With the air receive the spirit. Thus, in its origin (nature, The most recognized contribution of Servetus to science is the “universal spirit”…) and at the “final object” (reason, intellect of will, but the mechanism of action is physical. And we have to first description of minor circulation of blood, which exposes in man…) it can be described as “divine” or “metaphysical”, if you a great value to, totally deserved, since it was not known at thehis worktime thethe firstexistence description of pulmonary of blood circulation. circulation Itof is blood.recognized This of the power of God cannot be known without the instruments by know this mechanism if we aspire to know God truly. “The spirit writing is an excellent lesson in anatomy and physiology of the moment. But to Servetus it was not an exclusive anatomical and which their performance is surrounded” says Servetus literally. physiological matter but much more, as he always expressed. Also refers to the air, as well as a spirit, as an angel, and said: “... An angel is just a breath of God (Psalm 104, 4) and that is exactly What Servetus really intended was to make a “divine philosophy” what Hebrew calls breathing and spirit. (P 266)” At the end of The discovery of the pulmonary circulation of the blood means to because we see the breath, but because we perceive it within us that meets “the complete knowledge of the soul and of the spirit”. Book VI Servetus writes: “... We know it (the spirit), not only him the empirical understanding of the functioning mechanism (John 14). And hearing it almost, as Christ says (John 3).” of “soul”In Latin and “humanspiritus, spirit”. and the Greek pneuma, mean, on the physical plane, air, and also breath or blow, and even what we divineAs isagitation noted in in a the footnote, spirit of Servetus man. Thus, concludes what God the lights“resolution when on the holy spirit” as follows: “Say, then, that Holy Spirit is a now understand as wave or vibration. On a philosophical level shake, also sanctifies when illuminate, and needless quidditative as impulse, impetus and breathe, and because God, while move these terms remain the meaning of “spirit” or “spiritual” in the definition here, so the word spirit is related to movement, such mixes the concept and proposes it as the central thesis of his theory.metaphysical At the beginningsense. Servetus of The firstspecifically description links of bloodthe two circulation planes, them, sanctifies those who believe in Christ: The spirit in man is Servetus resumes De trinitatiserroribus. Refers invariably air as agitation,called holy which and that corresponds, through faith as in noted Christ.” before, According the Servetus,genre of we perceive the spirit within us when illuminated by “divine” material air movement that comes from God. The nature of this the spirit of God, in the two planes of the term: “God gives us his phenomenon of illumination of the spirit of man by stirring the spirit when breathes the soul”, “God holds the breath of life with air, defends Servetus, is purely empirical, and it is not needed his spirit”, “gives us the breath”, “divinity of God fills the air”, therefore neither essentialist nor metaphysical discussions.
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