The Raab Collection is offering for sale a letter written by William Herndon, Abraham Lincoln's best friend, in which Herndon discusses Lincoln's religious beliefs. Lincoln kept his religious views pretty much to himself and evidence on the subject is sparse. The asking price is $35,000, incidentally. Said Herndon:
"At one time in his life, to say the least, he was an elevated Pantheist, doubting the immortality of the soul as the Christian world understands that term. He believed that the soul lost its identity and was immortal as a force. Subsequent to this he rose to the belief of a God, and this is all the change he ever underwent. I speak knowing what I say. He was a noble man – a good great man for all this," he wrote.
"I love Mr. Lincoln dearly, almost worship him, but that can’t blind me. He’s the purest politician I ever saw, and the justest man. I am scribbling – that’s the word – away on a life of Mr. Lincoln – gathering known-authentic – true facts of him."
19th century America was strongly influenced by the "spiritualist" movement which took to the idea of the "immortality of the soul" in a big way--Mrs. Lincoln reportedly hosted a seance herself.
The idea comes from Greek philosophy. Plato believed that only the spiritual world was really real. The physical world we inhabit is but a pale imitation of the spiritual world.
They were body/soul dualists. The body was inferior because it was bound by physicality. The soul was superior because it was immortal. In fact, while inhabiting a body, the soul had to suffer what the Greeks regarded as the indignity of materiality.
The early Hebrews didn't think like this. They could speak of a person's "heart" or "spirit" or even "soul," but they didn't see this as being distinct from the person themselves--that is, the "soul" or, more frequently, "heart" was seen as the essence of the person and not something distinct from the person.
The Apostles' Creed says "resurrection of the body"--not "immortality of the soul." The Nicene Creed says "resurrection of the dead"--not "John Brown's body lies a 'moldren in the grave, but his immortal soul goes marching on!"
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