This research aims to contribute to the discussion on the subject of Abortion by analyzing the concepts of formed and unformed in the Septuagint in Exodus 21:22-23, and the opinions of St. Augustine and St. Thomas Aquinas on the social status of the fetus. The Greek version of the Hebrew Bible, which was translated in stages into Greek between the 3rd century BC and the 1st century BC, presents a different point of view than that found in the Hebrew text of Exodus 21:22-23. It introduces the notions of formed and unformed fetus. In other words, he understood the fetus (embryo) in a perspective of developing reality. Augustine and Aquinas, two important names in Christian theology, seem to have reflected a tradition that granted protection to the unborn child according to the stages of its development. The discussion around the topic of abortion is complex, very sensitive, but it should not be avoided. Bibliographical research was used as methodology. As a result, it will be pointed out that the biblical presentation of human beings does not begin with an explanation of conception or the fetal period. It does not discuss the point at which the embryo attains the full moral status of a human person. Thus, for this research, the discussion about abortion must necessarily take into account issues such as risk to the pregnant woman's life; fetal malformation etc. But, above all, it must be centered on the personality of the pregnant woman.
| Published in | International Journal of Philosophy (Volume 11, Issue 1) |
| DOI | 10.11648/j.ijp.20231101.12 |
| Page(s) | 6-10 |
| Creative Commons |
This is an Open Access article, distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted use, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, provided the original work is properly cited. |
| Copyright |
Copyright © The Author(s), 2023. Published by Science Publishing Group |
Pregnant, Abortion, Fetus, Christian Tradition, Septuagint
| [1] | BBC News. (2022). Roe v Wade: what is US Supreme Court ruling on Abortion? https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-54513499. Consulted on July 04, 2022. |
| [2] | G1. (2021). Papa Francisco volta a dizer que "aborto é homicído" (Pope Francis says again that "abortion is murder"). https://g1.globo.com/mundo/noticia/2021/10/14/papa-francisco-volta-a-dizer-que-aborto-e-homicidio.ghtml. Consulted on 09 July, 2022. |
| [3] | Dunstan. G. R. (1984). The moral status of the human embryo: a tradition recalled. Journal of Medical Ethics, 10 (1): 38–44. |
| [4] | Elliger, K; Rudolph, W. Bíblia Hebraica Stuttgartensia. (1997). Ed. Deutsche Bibelgesellchaft. Germany, Stuttgart. 1574 p. |
| [5] | Bíblia de Jesuralém. (2002). Ed. Paulus. Brazil, São Paulo. 2208 p. |
| [6] | Mcdaniel, Thomas F. (2012). The Septuagint has the correct translation of Exodus 21: 22-23. https://tmcdaniel.palmerseminary.edu/LXX_EXO_%2021_22-23.pdf. Consulted on July 06, 2022. |
| [7] | Fuller, Russel. (1994). Exodus 21: 22-13: The miscarriage interpretation and the personhood of the fetus. Journal of the Evangelical Theological Society, 37/2: 169-184. |
| [8] | Childs, Brevard S. (1974). The book of Exodus: a critical, Theological Commentary. Ed. The Westminster Press, Philadelphia, United States. 688 p. |
| [9] | Noth, Martin. (1962). Exodus: a commentary. Ed. Westminster Press, Philadelphia, United States. 283 p. |
| [10] | Hyatt, J. Philip. (1971). Commentary on Exodus. Ed. Oliphants. London, England. 351 p. |
| [11] | Gorman, Michael J. The use and Abuse of the Bible in the Abortion debate. https://www.uffl.org/vol%205/gorman5.pdf. Consulted on July 04, 2022. |
| [12] | Rahlfs, Alfred; Hanhart, Robert. (2006). Septuaginta. Ed. Deutsche Bibelgesellschaft. Stuttgart, Germany. 941 p. |
| [13] | Muraoka, Takamitsu. (2009). A Greek-English Lexicon of the Septuagint. Ed. Peeters Publishers. Louvain, France. 757 p. |
| [14] | Patrick, Simon. (1704). A Commentary upon Exodus. Ed. Ri. Chiswell. London, England. 738 p. |
| [15] | Elsakkers, M. J. (2010). Reading between the lines: Old Germanic and early Christian views on abortion. https://dare.uva.nl/search?identifier=a91baf95-c442-4d06-9483-421cc305a168. Consulted on April 12, 2022. |
| [16] | Aristotles's Politics. (1905). E. Clarendon Press. Oxford, England. 355 p. |
| [17] | Jones, D. A. (2005). The human embryo in the Christian tradition: a reconsideration. Journal of Medical Ethics, Volume 31: 710-714. |
| [18] | Shannon, Thomas A; Wolter, Allan B. (1990). Reflections on the moral status of the pre-embrayo. Theological Studies, 51: 603- 626. |
| [19] | Bout, MelissaRovigVanden. (2013). Thomas Aquinas and the generation of the embryo: being human before the rational soul. https://dlib.bc.edu/islandora/object/bc-ir:104090/datastream/PDF/view. Consulted on July 07, 2022. |
| [20] | Aquino, Tomas. (2001). Suma de Teología. Ed. Biblioteca de Autores Cristianos. Madrid, Spain. 1032 p. |
| [21] | Eberl, Jason T. (2005). Aquinas's account of human embryogenesis and recent interpretations. Journal of Medicine and Philosophy, 30 (4): 379-394. |
| [22] | Brind'Amour, Katherine. (2007). St. Augustine (354-430). The Embryo Project Encyclopedia. https://embryo.asu.edu/pages/st-augustine-354-430. Consulted on 08 July, 2022. |
| [23] | Wilson-Kastner; B. Blair. (1985). Biblical views on abortion: an Episcopal perspective. Conscience: Nov-Dec; 6 (6): 4-8. |
| [24] | Conselho Federal de Enfermagem. (2018). Uma mulher morre a cada 2 dias por aborto inseguro, diz Ministério da Saúde. (Federal Nursing Council. A woman dies every 2 days from unsafe abortion, says Ministry of Health). http://www.cofen.gov.br/uma-mulher-morre-a-cada-2-dias-por-causa-do-aborto-inseguro-diz-ministerio-da-saude_64714.html. Consulted on 03 July, 2022. |
APA Style
Adriano Da Silva Carvalho. (2023). The Bible and Abortion: Exodus 21:22-23 in the Septuagint and Other Opinions. International Journal of Philosophy, 11(1), 6-10. https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ijp.20231101.12
ACS Style
Adriano Da Silva Carvalho. The Bible and Abortion: Exodus 21:22-23 in the Septuagint and Other Opinions. Int. J. Philos. 2023, 11(1), 6-10. doi: 10.11648/j.ijp.20231101.12
AMA Style
Adriano Da Silva Carvalho. The Bible and Abortion: Exodus 21:22-23 in the Septuagint and Other Opinions. Int J Philos. 2023;11(1):6-10. doi: 10.11648/j.ijp.20231101.12
Share This Article
Twitter
Linked In
Facebook
Copy
Download@article{10.11648/j.ijp.20231101.12,
author = {Adriano Da Silva Carvalho},
title = {The Bible and Abortion: Exodus 21:22-23 in the Septuagint and Other Opinions},
journal = {International Journal of Philosophy},
volume = {11},
number = {1},
pages = {6-10},
doi = {10.11648/j.ijp.20231101.12},
url = {https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ijp.20231101.12},
eprint = {https://article.sciencepublishinggroup.com/pdf/10.11648.j.ijp.20231101.12},
abstract = {This research aims to contribute to the discussion on the subject of Abortion by analyzing the concepts of formed and unformed in the Septuagint in Exodus 21:22-23, and the opinions of St. Augustine and St. Thomas Aquinas on the social status of the fetus. The Greek version of the Hebrew Bible, which was translated in stages into Greek between the 3rd century BC and the 1st century BC, presents a different point of view than that found in the Hebrew text of Exodus 21:22-23. It introduces the notions of formed and unformed fetus. In other words, he understood the fetus (embryo) in a perspective of developing reality. Augustine and Aquinas, two important names in Christian theology, seem to have reflected a tradition that granted protection to the unborn child according to the stages of its development. The discussion around the topic of abortion is complex, very sensitive, but it should not be avoided. Bibliographical research was used as methodology. As a result, it will be pointed out that the biblical presentation of human beings does not begin with an explanation of conception or the fetal period. It does not discuss the point at which the embryo attains the full moral status of a human person. Thus, for this research, the discussion about abortion must necessarily take into account issues such as risk to the pregnant woman's life; fetal malformation etc. But, above all, it must be centered on the personality of the pregnant woman.},
year = {2023}
}
TY - JOUR T1 - The Bible and Abortion: Exodus 21:22-23 in the Septuagint and Other Opinions AU - Adriano Da Silva Carvalho Y1 - 2023/03/21 PY - 2023 N1 - https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ijp.20231101.12 DO - 10.11648/j.ijp.20231101.12 T2 - International Journal of Philosophy JF - International Journal of Philosophy JO - International Journal of Philosophy SP - 6 EP - 10 PB - Science Publishing Group SN - 2330-7455 UR - https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ijp.20231101.12 AB - This research aims to contribute to the discussion on the subject of Abortion by analyzing the concepts of formed and unformed in the Septuagint in Exodus 21:22-23, and the opinions of St. Augustine and St. Thomas Aquinas on the social status of the fetus. The Greek version of the Hebrew Bible, which was translated in stages into Greek between the 3rd century BC and the 1st century BC, presents a different point of view than that found in the Hebrew text of Exodus 21:22-23. It introduces the notions of formed and unformed fetus. In other words, he understood the fetus (embryo) in a perspective of developing reality. Augustine and Aquinas, two important names in Christian theology, seem to have reflected a tradition that granted protection to the unborn child according to the stages of its development. The discussion around the topic of abortion is complex, very sensitive, but it should not be avoided. Bibliographical research was used as methodology. As a result, it will be pointed out that the biblical presentation of human beings does not begin with an explanation of conception or the fetal period. It does not discuss the point at which the embryo attains the full moral status of a human person. Thus, for this research, the discussion about abortion must necessarily take into account issues such as risk to the pregnant woman's life; fetal malformation etc. But, above all, it must be centered on the personality of the pregnant woman. VL - 11 IS - 1 ER -
Information
Email: