Death Of Body And Soul

Quod dicit Iesus de sua propinquante morte: Ego autem recurro viam, sicut et omnes qui super terram; in ea interpretatione quae est ex hebraeo invenimus, ingredior viam. Ita ergo accipiendum est quod Septuaginta dixerunt, recurro, sicut dictum est homini: Donec revertaris in terram unde sumptus es; ut secundum corpus dictum intellegatur. Secundum animam vero, si voluerimus ita accipere, quemadmodum in Ecclesiaste positum est: Et spiritus revertetur ad Deum qui dedit eum; non arbitror de omnibus posse dici, sed de iis qui sic vixerint, ut ad Deum redire mereantur, tamquam ad auctorem a quo creati sunt. Neque enim hoc et de illis recte intellegi potest, de quibus dicitur: Spiritus ambulans et non revertens. Sanctus Augustinus Hipponensi, Quaestionum In Heptateuchum, Liber VI Source: Migne PL 34.788d-789a

Concerning what Joshua says when he is near to dying, 'But I hurry back on the way like all those who are on the earth,' 1 in the translation made from the Hebrew we find: 'I enter on the way.' Thus the word 'I hurry back' which is used by the Septuagint should be received just as it was said to the man, 'Until you return to the earth from which you were taken,' 2 which is understood to refer to the body. But if we wish to refer to the soul, it is given in Ecclesiastes: 'And the spirit returns to God who gave it.' 3 Which I do not think it is possible to say of all men, but only about those who have lived in such a way that they deserve to return to God, as its owner, who has created them. For this cannot be correctly understood of those of whom it is said: 'A spirit going and not returning.' 4 Saint Augustine of Hippo, Questions on The Heptateuch, Book 6 1 Josh 23.14 2 Gen 3.19 3 Eccl 12.7 4 Ps 77.39