The confusion between “human” and “person” has long been an everyday phenomenon that is no longer questioned. In legal language there is a distinction between man and person, but for the “ordinary mortal” they are one and the same. With Roman law, which is applied as a matter of course, one obtains literal control over the human being.
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The use of “person” in the Bible
The humand being IS NOT the person and cannot be that person. However, everyday language and the use of the two completely different terms may certainly suggest this. While the human being is a living and rational life (reality), the person is a “subject to law” (legal subject, fiction). The person can have a person, or be the trustee or beneficiary of a person. But the humang being himself is not the person and cannot be that person. Reason enough to look in the Bible to see the context in which a “person” appears in the Holy Scriptures. What is particularly interested in these passages is the basic text used in Hebrew or Greek and their respective meaning.
Verses on the topic “person”
Leviticus 19:15
“Ye shall do no unrighteousness in judgment: thou shalt not respect the person of the poor, nor honour the person of the mighty: but in righteousness shalt thou judge thy neighbour.”
Basic text for “person”: “phni” פְנֵי
Meaning: “face of”
Proverbs 24:8
“He that deviseth to do evil shall be called a mischievous person.”
Basic text for “person”: “mezimmah” בַּעַל מְזִמֹּות
Meaning: “possessor of lewdness, mischievous, wickedly”
Deuteronomy 27:25
“Cursed be he that taketh reward to slay an innocent person. And all the people shall say, Amen.”
Basic text for “person”: “nepesh dam” דּנֶפֶ דָּם
Meaning: “soul of blood”
Matthew 27:24
“I am innocent of the blood of this just person: see ye to it.”
Basic text for “person”: “toutou” τουτου
Meaning: “this, he, she, it”
Galatians 2:6
“God accepteth no man’s person:”
Basic text for “person”: “prosópon” πρόσωπον
Meaning: “face, surface”
Example of canon law of the Roman Catholic Church
Roman law is reflected in many statutes. A great “model” for the use of Roman law is the Roman Catholic Church with its laws. A good example of this is Can.96 of the Codex Iuris Canonici:
With his (Catholic) baptism, man has submitted to the legal system of the Church (voluntarily or through parental guardianship) and is henceforth regarded as a “human person”. This is necessary because in the Roman legal system, human beings do not have legal capacity. A person is not capable of acting (because it is a fiction) and man is not capable of committing a crime (because he has no legal capacity). However, if the person is allowed to believe that he “is” the person, then the person consequently assumes the trusteeship (responsibility) over this person and is thus capable of acting AND committing a crime. That’s the whole “trick” to it.
Conclusion: Man is NOT a person in the Bible either
The words and meanings used in the Hebrew and Greek basic text make it clear that the “person” in the Bible is not about the human being, either. Rather, the huge difference is even emphasized and clarifies the true nature of the “person”. A fiction in the local legal system for the literal handling of people because of their indirect voluntary consent, because of their ignorance.
Bible verses from King James Version
