The Spirit of Life and Death

Spirit of God E2 — The word we translate in English as “spirit” is ruakh in the Hebrew Bible, and it can mean spirit, wind, breath, and mind. In multiple passages where ruakh functions as “breath,” the biblical authors invite us to reflect on God’s life-giving power and also on our own frailty. Why are these two ideas so closely tied together? In this episode, Jon and Tim reflect on God’s divine breath that creates and sustains all living things, including mortal human beings from the dust.

CHAPTERS

1. Recap of the Meaning of Ruakh (0:0-9:16)
2. The Breath of Life for Dust Creatures in Genesis 2 (9:16-20:03)
3. Divine Breath and Human Dust in Job (20:03-29:25)
4. God Giving and Taking Away His Ruakh in Psalm 104 (29:35-41:14)
5. Human Mortality in Ecclesiastes 3 (41:14-52:20)

OFFICIAL EPISODE TRANSCRIPT

View this episode’s official transcript.

REFERENCED RESOURCES

• Check out Tim's extensive collection of recommended books here.

SHOW MUSIC

• “at the pictures” by Lofi Sunday, Cassidy Godwin
• “Coffee Under The Palm Tree” by Lofi Sunday, Zairis TéJion
• “Live and Love” by Lofi Sunday, Tbabz
• “It's Gonna Be Alright” by Lofi Sunday, Marc Vanparla
• BibleProject theme song by TENTS

SHOW CREDITS

Production of today’s episode is by Lindsey Ponder, producer, and Cooper Peltz, managing producer. Tyler Bailey and Aaron Olsen edited today’s episode and provided the sound design and mix. JB Witty writes the show notes. Our host and creative director is Jon Collins, and our lead scholar is Tim Mackie.

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