Bridge of Reason

The Witnesses conclude that there is no immortality of the soul, no consciousness after death. To find the truth we must be acquainted with the Greek and Hebrew words. The Hebrew word nephesh literally means 'a breathing' creature but is used widely. Psykhe is the Greek word denoting the breath, the breath of life, then the soul in all its meanings. The literal meaning of the Hebrew word ruach is 'wind' and by resemblance breath. Primarily the Greek word pneuma denotes the wind, but also breath and then especially the spirit which like the wind is invisible, immaterial and powerful. The Society says that the word can mean the person or the life of the person, and take no account of the other different meanings that many Biblical Greek and Hebrew scholars are aware of. They conclude from Joshua 11:11 that the soul cannot be the part of man that survives death because it is struck by the sword. However, the word nephesh is used here as the person and so no evidenc