Breath And Prayer In Ancient And Modern Times

Extract

And the Lord God formed man of the slime of the earth: and breathed into his face the breath of life, and man became a living soul’ (Gen. 2, 7). Since that moment of creation when God raised Adam above all mere animal life by the communication of his own divine life, breath has helped to build a bridge between two worlds, the seen and the unseen, the world within and the world without. Breath—ruach, animus, spiritus— the life-giving medium, creates unity between body and soul, matter and spirit. It is that breath of God which moves and inspires, man: Spiritus est qui vivificat. The opening chapters of Genesis are perfectly paralleled and reach perfect fulfilment in the closing chapters of St John's Gospel.