TWO SOULS AND A BODY:

Provided clear and consistent Hellenistic review with tangible applications of early church teachings to modern day Christian beliefs. His background in mental health and religious studies shines through with applications of church teaching applicable to modern life.

This books was well thought out and should be an essential reading for Christian studies and general humanities alike. Excellent book.

I found Two Souls and a Body to be an interesting book because it talks about the relationship between the body and the soul and how these ideas developed over time. At first, I thought it would be difficult to understand, and some parts were, but as I continued reading, I understood the main ideas better. The book explains how early Christian thinkers were influenced by Greek philosophy and how this shaped their beliefs about human nature.

What I liked most about the book was that it made me think about questions that I had never really considered before, such as what makes us who we are and how the body and soul are connected. Even though some chapters were quite detailed and used difficult language, I still found the overall message meaningful.

In my opinion, this is not a book that you can read quickly because it requires patience and concentration. However, if someone is interested in philosophy, religion, or history, they will probably enjoy it. Overall, I think Two Souls and a Body is an informative and thought-provoking book that helped me learn something new and see these topics from a different perspective.

Two Souls and a Body is an interesting book that discusses the connection between the body and the soul. It also explains how different ideas and beliefs about human nature developed over time. I found the topic unique because it made me think about things I had never thought about before.

Some parts of the book were a little difficult to understand, but the overall message was meaningful. I liked that the author explained the ideas in a thoughtful way and encouraged readers to look at the subject from different perspectives.

Overall, I think this is a good book for anyone who enjoys learning about philosophy and religion. It is informative, interesting, and gives readers a new way of thinking about the human body and soul.

I found Two Souls and a Body to be an interesting book because it talks about the relationship between the body and the soul and how these ideas developed over time. At first, I thought it would be difficult to understand, and some parts were, but as I continued reading, I understood the main ideas better. The book explains how early Christian thinkers were influenced by Greek philosophy and how this shaped their beliefs about human nature.

What I liked most about the book was that it made me think about questions that I had never really considered before, such as what makes us who we are and how the body and soul are connected. Even though some chapters were quite detailed and used difficult language, I still found the overall message meaningful.

In my opinion, this is not a book that you can read quickly because it requires patience and concentration. However, if someone is interested in philosophy, religion, or history, they will probably enjoy it. Overall, I think Two Souls and a Body is an informative and thought-provoking book that helped me learn something new and see these topics from a different perspective.

Two Souls and a Body is an interesting book that discusses the connection between the body and the soul. It also explains how different ideas and beliefs about human nature developed over time. I found the topic unique because it made me think about things I had never thought about before.

Some parts of the book were a little difficult to understand, but the overall message was meaningful. I liked that the author explained the ideas in a thoughtful way and encouraged readers to look at the subject from different perspectives.

Overall, I think this is a good book for anyone who enjoys learning about philosophy and religion. It is informative, interesting, and gives readers a new way of thinking about the human body and soul.

I found Two Souls and a Body to be an interesting book because it talks about the relationship between the body and the soul and how these ideas developed over time. At first, I thought it would be difficult to understand, and some parts were, but as I continued reading, I understood the main ideas better. The book explains how early Christian thinkers were influenced by Greek philosophy and how this shaped their beliefs about human nature.

What I liked most about the book was that it made me think about questions that I had never really considered before, such as what makes us who we are and how the body and soul are connected. Even though some chapters were quite detailed and used difficult language, I still found the overall message meaningful.

In my opinion, this is not a book that you can read quickly because it requires patience and concentration. However, if someone is interested in philosophy, religion, or history, they will probably enjoy it. Overall, I think Two Souls and a Body is an informative and thought-provoking book that helped me learn something new and see these topics from a different perspective.

Two Souls and a Body is an interesting book that discusses the connection between the body and the soul. It also explains how different ideas and beliefs about human nature developed over time. I found the topic unique because it made me think about things I had never thought about before.

Some parts of the book were a little difficult to understand, but the overall message was meaningful. I liked that the author explained the ideas in a thoughtful way and encouraged readers to look at the subject from different perspectives.

Overall, I think this is a good book for anyone who enjoys learning about philosophy and religion. It is informative, interesting, and gives readers a new way of thinking about the human body and soul.

The origins of Western thought: ethics - good & evil; God & man; science & psychology - everything.
Reviewed in the United States on August 10, 2025
Format: Kindle
We take for granted everything we think we know or think about the world. We don't even realize how our thoughts and opinion have been shaped by those who came before us. This is especially true when it comes to the idea of virtue or morality. In Western Civilization, almost everything we think started with Socrates or Plato and then got tweaked during the first 400 years after the birth of Christ by the great Scientific and Philosophical minds of the Mediterranean region. David Elliott's Book gives us a clear analysis of the evolution of the ideas that have completely shaped our understanding of good and evil for the past 2,500 years. It provides the references to the works of the great minds whose ideas shaped our views of the body, the soul, God, the physical world - including energies and elements, all of which were hot topics 2,000 years ago. These ideas framed our conceptions of God, Man, the World, Science, and Psychology. To really understand ourselves, we ought to understand how we came to think the way we do. David Elliott's book gives us an intelligible map to chart our course as we seek to understand what it means to be a member of Western Civilization. I am only half way thorough it, so far, and everything I have been looking for as to the origins of Western ethics are right here at my fingertips.

The origins of Western thought: ethics - good & evil; God & man; science & psychology - everything.
Reviewed in the United States on August 10, 2025
Format: Kindle
We take for granted everything we think we know or think about the world. We don't even realize how our thoughts and opinion have been shaped by those who came before us. This is especially true when it comes to the idea of virtue or morality. In Western Civilization, almost everything we think started with Socrates or Plato and then got tweaked during the first 400 years after the birth of Christ by the great Scientific and Philosophical minds of the Mediterranean region. David Elliott's Book gives us a clear analysis of the evolution of the ideas that have completely shaped our understanding of good and evil for the past 2,500 years. It provides the references to the works of the great minds whose ideas shaped our views of the body, the soul, God, the physical world - including energies and elements, all of which were hot topics 2,000 years ago. These ideas framed our conceptions of God, Man, the World, Science, and Psychology. To really understand ourselves, we ought to understand how we came to think the way we do. David Elliott's book gives us an intelligible map to chart our course as we seek to understand what it means to be a member of Western Civilization. I am only half way thorough it, so far, and everything I have been looking for as to the origins of Western ethics are right here at my fingertips.

This book offers a fresh perspective on the historical development of Christian theology by examining its relationship with Greek philosophy and Hellenistic culture. I appreciated the depth of research and the way the author connects historical events with theological ideas that continue to influence Christianity today. It's not a light read, but for anyone interested in church history, biblical studies, or philosophy, the effort is well worth it. The book encouraged me to reconsider the origins of concepts like free will and human nature in a much broader historical context.

David Elliott's book, Two Souls and a Body, talks about why Christians believe what they believe and where those ideas first came from. The main point is that early Christians didn’t just come up with their beliefs out of thin air. They lived in a world guided by Greek and Roman philosophy for about three hundred years, and it's not surprising that many of those old ideas made their way into Christianity. This explains how early church leaders, like Chrysostom, borrowed from Stoic philosophy that was already existing but also modified some parts of it to fit Christian beliefs. It also covers how ideas about the body, the soul, and sin developed. For example, Chrysostom didn’t view the body or passions, such as sex, as evil. He was convinced that sin arises from our choices, not from the body itself. The book also mentions other early church fathers like Clement of Alexandria and Athanasius and shows how Christian theology is influenced by their thoughts. On top of that, the author made the point that much of what we take for granted today in Western culture actually started with these early debates between philosophy and Christianity.

One thing I really liked is how much research the author clearly put into this. He provided references and quotes from different philosophers and church fathers and really explained how all these ideas are connected. This proves that those aren't merely his opinions. I also liked how the book tried to make complicated ideas a little easier to understand. For example, when it talked about Stoic ideas of free will, it broke it down into simple terms: your choices and habits shape your soul, not just random feelings or events. This showed how ancient people were already thinking about the same things we still deal with today. The parts about Chrysostom were really interesting to me. He talked about sin as something that happens when you fall in love with a bad habit, almost like an addiction. The example of alcoholism being described as a “demon” or disease over 1,500 years ago also showed how some early thinkers were way ahead of their time. Another thing I liked is that the author didn't just stick to one thinker in the book. He provided a big picture by including thoughts from different centuries and comparing how they saw things. To me it seemed like a map of how Western ideas slowly came together.

The only thing I dislike about the book is that some of the explanations were too long. Also, sometimes there were too many names and references included at once. It felt overwhelming at some point. Another thing is that some sections went far too deep into detail. I feel like the book could have been a bit more straightforward in some parts. I also think the great number of big terms used might discourage some readers from continuing the book. I'll rate this book four out of five stars. The deduction is due to the dislikes I mentioned. I would recommend this book for people who are already interested in theology and philosophy.