The Literal Meaning of Genesis
of the earth. What, therefore, need I say now about the statement, God breathed, except that He did not breathe with mouth and lips any more than He formed man with bodily hands?
3. Nevertheless, by this word I think Scripture gives us considerable help in dealing with a difficult question.
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The breathing of the soul into man does not imply that God gave man something of His substance.
Some interpreters, basing their theory on the word "breathed," have thought that the soul is something from the very substance of God, that is, something of the nature which is His. They hold this opinion because when man breathes he casts forth something of himself in his breath. But for this very reason we should be cautioned to reject this opinion as opposed to the Catholic faith. For we believe that the nature and substance of God, which is in the Trinity, as many believe but few understand, is absolutely unchangeable. But who doubts that the soul can be changed for better or worse? Hence, it is sacrilegious to suppose that the soul and God are of one substance. For this simply amounts to believing that He is changeable.
Hence, we must believe and understand without any shadow of a doubt what the true faith teaches, namely, that the soul is from God as a thing which He made, not as something from His own nature whether generated by Him or proceeding from Him in any way whatsoever.
Further reasons to prove that the soul is not part of God's substance.
4. How then, our adversaries object, is it written, God breathed into bis face, and man was made a living being, if the soul is not part of God, or in fact the substance of God? Indeed, from the