Quote:
Originally Posted by Basilissa
The verse talks about bodies which arose and appeared to many. Based on the description . . .
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Yes, I see your point. The somatic experience devoid of breath.
And yet, when presented as supporting evidence for the breath of life reanimating Jesus, the idea of personal spirit is at least implied. The witnesses to this event are not named but we could assume that Matthew was one of them and since the cadavers could be identified (as specific saints since otherwise you couldn't tell whether it was a saint or not) something less general that mere "flesh" is suggested. A degree of restriction of action such as applies to individuals, although neutral as regards actual identity, comes through here so as not to exclude Deborah or Habakkuk but not to include them either. Flesh, or tooth and hair, could be anyone: male/female slave/king eagle/pig. Individuals do not have that degree of liberty, humans for example can't choose to be eagles.
Flesh endowed with personality however—and these "bodies" were identifiable as saints—could be male or female. That suggests a portion of the breath vivifying Christ's cadaver was distributed sufficiently for the bodies to resume their authentic personæ.