Origin of the soul
- T08.1 Open: traducianism (Tertullian) vs creationism (later East and West); Augustine undecided (medium)
Two separate measures, shown side by side; neither is combined with the other (confidence-weighted, out of 4; counts show how many of this doctrine's 1 questions each rests on). This doctrine is third-order (tier weight 1). How scoring works · Scripture and tradition · Glossary · Every score with its citation
Closeness to Scripture
Closeness to the fathers
Charts: closeness to the fathers by question, and timeline
- c. 205 Tertullian T08.1 · fathers varied
- c. 415 Augustine T08.1 · fathers varied
- 1646 Westminster Confession Presbyterian
T8 · Origin of the soul
Traducianism or creationism.
Tier: Third-order (scoring weight 1). How the tiers were set: theological triage. Method: conventions. Traditions’ sources: confessional sources.
In short
Does God create each person’s soul directly, or is it passed on from the parents? Tertullian took the second view; Augustine, writing to Jerome, could not decide. Scripture does not settle it, and most confessions say nothing.
Plan
Question: T08.1: is each soul created directly by God (creationism) or passed on from the parents (traducianism)? Scripture: Gen 2:7; Eccl 12:7; Zech 12:1; Heb 12:9; Ps 51:5. Fathers: Tertullian, On the Soul 27; Augustine, Letter 166.
Questions
- T08.1 Origin of the soul
Verdicts and trace
Weighed under the source-proximity principle: Scripture first, then the father eras I–IV.
T08.1 · Origin of the soul
| Question | Verdict | Confidence | Reasoning | Key sources | Scripture (benchmark) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| T08.1 | Open: traducianism (Tertullian) vs creationism (later East and West); Augustine undecided | Medium | T08.1.1 · T08.1.3 weighing | tertullian-t08-s1 · augustine-t08-s1 | T08.1.4: not a Scripture question |
Post-750 development
Which of this doctrine’s questions each tradition stays closest to, or departs from. Each row links to the tradition’s notes; exact scores and bases are in the reasoning.
| Tradition | Closest to the fathers on | Departs or sharpens on |
|---|---|---|
| Catholic | partly T08.1 | — |
| Orthodox | partly T08.1 | — |
| Oriental Orthodox | — | — |
| Lutheran | partly T08.1 | — |
| Anglican | — | — |
| Presbyterian | — | — |
| Reformed Baptist | — | — |
| General Baptist | — | — |
| Anabaptist | — | — |
Overall verdict
Open in the fathers and in Scripture; most confessions are silent.
Verification status
Catholic, Orthodox and Lutheran positions are to verify.