Reincarnation arose in northern India between the years 1000 and 600 BC, just at the same time that prophet David and his descendants ruled Israel up until the fall of Jerusalem. The first reference to reincarnation idea is at least 2,600 years old. It appears in the sacred scriptures of Hinduism.
According to the faith, a soul reincarnates again and again on earth until it becomes perfect and reunites with its source. During this process the soul enters into many bodies, assumes many forms and lives many lives. In the Bhagivad Gita, prophet Krishna illustrates this process, saying:
"Just as a man discards worn out clothes and puts on new clothes, the soul discards worn out bodies and wears new ones."
As Hinduism is the great progenitor of religions in the East and the West, the theory that the soul inhabits several different bodies has survived through the centuries and spread to different worlds.
In the 6th century BC, two new religions appeared in India, both had its origins in Hinduism and still exist. The first is Jainism, founded by the Indian prince Nataputa Vardamana. The second is Buddhism, founded by Siddhartha Gautama, known as the Buddha. The biggest concern of Vardamana and Gautama, more or less contemporary to biblical prophets Haggai, Zechariah and Malachi, was how to cross the “river” which separates samsara, the endless cycle of rebirths, from moksha, the final release.
In this same century, the Greek philosopher and mathematician Pythagoras, who was born around the year 580 BC, stated that the soul is immortal. According to Pythagoras, the human soul can migrate from one human body to another, but also to the bodies of other creatures, such as animals or even plants. With each new incarnation, the soul loses the memory of the past. So every time we all live our lives as if we live for the first time. As far as we know, this is the first time that the theory of reincarnation was mentioned in the West. In the following century, Greek philosopher Plato taught that the soul is born many times, even for 10 thousand years, before it finally departs to heavenly bliss. Plato famously stated, “we do not learn, and that what we call learning is only a
process of recollection.”
Belief in the cycle of birth, life, death, and rebirth continued to appear in philosophy and shape belief for centuries. But in today’s world, the soul’s journey is often a controversial topic, particularly when dealing with established religions. The Abrahamic faiths - Judaism, Christianity, and Islam - deny the existence of reincarnation even though the proof for it appears in their holy books.
The Christian church teaches that the whole thrust of the Bible opposes reincarnation. But few people realise that early christians did, in fact, believe in reincarnation. The idea only fell out of favour in the sixth century.
Jesus (pbuh) once clearly stated, “…Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.” John 3:12. And a single sentence in the book of John shows that reincarnation ideas were present among Jesus’ followers. The apostles asked Jesus about a man who was born blind, “Did this man sin or his parents that he was born blind?” John 9:1. The idea that you were punished for your parents’ sins was common in Judaism, but that a man could sin and be born blind as a consequence is more difficult to explain. The only explanation is that he had sinned in a previous incarnation and his deeds in that round caused his affliction. This would indicate that the apostles and Jesus were discussing reincarnation. But this is not the only proof for
transmigration of the soul in Christian doctrine.
The most well-known example of reincarnation in the Bible is a series of passages, which establish that John the Baptist was the reincarnation of the prophet Elijah. It was long prophesied that the soul of prophet Elijah would return. In the Bible, it is written, "See, I will send you the prophet Elijah before that great and dreadful day of the LORD comes." (Malachi 4:5) “But the angel said to him "do not be afraid, Zechariah; your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you are
to give him the name John…And he will go on before the Lord, in the spirit and power of Elijah…to make ready a people prepared for the Lord." (Luke 1:13,17)
According to the faith, a soul reincarnates again and again on earth until it becomes perfect and reunites with its source. During this process the soul enters into many bodies, assumes many forms and lives many lives. In the Bhagivad Gita, prophet Krishna illustrates this process, saying:
"Just as a man discards worn out clothes and puts on new clothes, the soul discards worn out bodies and wears new ones."
As Hinduism is the great progenitor of religions in the East and the West, the theory that the soul inhabits several different bodies has survived through the centuries and spread to different worlds.
In the 6th century BC, two new religions appeared in India, both had its origins in Hinduism and still exist. The first is Jainism, founded by the Indian prince Nataputa Vardamana. The second is Buddhism, founded by Siddhartha Gautama, known as the Buddha. The biggest concern of Vardamana and Gautama, more or less contemporary to biblical prophets Haggai, Zechariah and Malachi, was how to cross the “river” which separates samsara, the endless cycle of rebirths, from moksha, the final release.
In this same century, the Greek philosopher and mathematician Pythagoras, who was born around the year 580 BC, stated that the soul is immortal. According to Pythagoras, the human soul can migrate from one human body to another, but also to the bodies of other creatures, such as animals or even plants. With each new incarnation, the soul loses the memory of the past. So every time we all live our lives as if we live for the first time. As far as we know, this is the first time that the theory of reincarnation was mentioned in the West. In the following century, Greek philosopher Plato taught that the soul is born many times, even for 10 thousand years, before it finally departs to heavenly bliss. Plato famously stated, “we do not learn, and that what we call learning is only a
process of recollection.”
Belief in the cycle of birth, life, death, and rebirth continued to appear in philosophy and shape belief for centuries. But in today’s world, the soul’s journey is often a controversial topic, particularly when dealing with established religions. The Abrahamic faiths - Judaism, Christianity, and Islam - deny the existence of reincarnation even though the proof for it appears in their holy books.
The Christian church teaches that the whole thrust of the Bible opposes reincarnation. But few people realise that early christians did, in fact, believe in reincarnation. The idea only fell out of favour in the sixth century.
Jesus (pbuh) once clearly stated, “…Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.” John 3:12. And a single sentence in the book of John shows that reincarnation ideas were present among Jesus’ followers. The apostles asked Jesus about a man who was born blind, “Did this man sin or his parents that he was born blind?” John 9:1. The idea that you were punished for your parents’ sins was common in Judaism, but that a man could sin and be born blind as a consequence is more difficult to explain. The only explanation is that he had sinned in a previous incarnation and his deeds in that round caused his affliction. This would indicate that the apostles and Jesus were discussing reincarnation. But this is not the only proof for
transmigration of the soul in Christian doctrine.
The most well-known example of reincarnation in the Bible is a series of passages, which establish that John the Baptist was the reincarnation of the prophet Elijah. It was long prophesied that the soul of prophet Elijah would return. In the Bible, it is written, "See, I will send you the prophet Elijah before that great and dreadful day of the LORD comes." (Malachi 4:5) “But the angel said to him "do not be afraid, Zechariah; your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you are
to give him the name John…And he will go on before the Lord, in the spirit and power of Elijah…to make ready a people prepared for the Lord." (Luke 1:13,17)