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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DMan IS NOT the person, even if everyday language and the handling of the two completely different designations might suggest it. While the human being is a living and rational life (reality), the person is a subject to the law (legal subject, fiction). Man can have a person, or be the trustee or beneficiary of a person. But man himself is not the person and cannot be this either. Reason enough to look it up in the Bible. In what contexts does a “person” stand in the Holy Scriptures? Of particular interest at these points is the basic text used in Hebrew or Greek and their respective meaning.
“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”
“IHe that deviseth to do evil shall be called a mischievous person.”
Basic text for “person”: “mezimmah” בַּעַל מְזִמֹּות
Meaning: “possessor of lewdness, mischievous, wickedly”
“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”
“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”
“God accepteth no man’s person:”
Basic text for “person”: “prosópon” πρόσωπον
Meaning: “face, surface”
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.
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