Does the Soul Have a Form?

• His Holiness Pope Shenouda III explains that God created visible and invisible beings, and what is not seen by physical senses does not mean it does not exist.
• The soul by its nature is not seen by the naked eye and does not have a visible material form; it is not seen when it leaves the body nor when it ascends.
• Not seeing the soul does not mean it has no identity or distinction, because souls in eternity must recognize one another.
• When souls appear, they take on a form, and this form is often the same as the body’s form they had on earth.
• His Holiness referred to the appearances of saints after their departure, where they appeared with their known features, allowing others to recognize them.
• Angels, although they are spirits, are not seen unless they take on a form when they appear.
• In the resurrection, humans do not rise as spirits only, but with spiritual bodies, non-material bodies capable of perceiving the spiritual realm.
• This teaching confirms that the soul is not completely without form, but is able to take a form suitable for vision and recognition according to God’s divine economy.

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