 From Latin “Humanitas”, the concept of Man

means human nature, general culture of the

mind. It is also “men” in general, the human
race taken as a unit. Most philosophers
defined as any human being endowed with
reason. What man is the ultimate
metaphysical question.
A. Definition of Anthropology
 1. The word “anthropology” comes from
two Greek words, ánthrōpos, which has the
general meaning for man or human being,
and lógia, which infers study or science.
 2. In its most basic meaning, anthropology
means the branch of science, which studies
humankind.
 1. Anthropology can be broken up into two
approaches: the first being a secular
approach, which observes man’s
demographic origin, natural history, and
social development.
 2. The second approach is a theological
approach, which uses the Bible as its
textbook and deduces man’s origin, nature,
and moral condition. It is this second
approach that is pursued in this class.
 1. There are three major views about man’s
origins. Each view is based on an interpretation (or
theory) since no human being was present at the
time of creation. Roger Patterson states, Just as
evolutionists weren’t there to see evolution happen
over several billion years, neither were creationists
there to see the events of the six days of creation.
The difference is that creationists have the
Creator’s eyewitness account of the events of
creation, while evolutionists must create a story to
explain origins without the supernatural (Evolution
Exposed, pg. 27).
 2. The three major views concerning man’s
origin are Evolution, Theistic Evolution, and
Creationism.
 (1) Evolution is a theory based on naturalism
and precludes any supernatural intervention
by God.
 (2) It is the major modern scientific theory
that depends on time and chance. It is based
on mutations and the “survival of the fittest.”
 (1) Theistic Evolution is a theory based on
naturalism and limited supernatural
intervention by God.
 (2) It attempts to bridge the gulf between
Evolution and Creationism by means of divine
sparks of life and divine jumps across
species.
 (1) Creationism is a theory based on biblical
revelation and the sole supernatural creation
of God.
 (2) The Bible clearly states that God created
man in His image from the dust of the ground
(Gen 1:27; 2:7).
 (3) Creation scientists recognize that true
science supports biblical revelation.
 Answer: Anthropology is the study of
humanity. Christian Anthropology is the
study of humanity from a Christian / biblical
perspective. It is primarily focused on the
nature of humanity - how the immaterial and
material aspects of man relate to each other.
Here are some common questions in
Christian Anthropology:
What does it mean that man is made in the image and likeness of God
(Genesis 1:26-27)?
The image of God refers to the immaterial part of man. It is that
which sets man apart from the animal world, fits him for the “dominion”
God intended (Genesis 1:28), and enables him to commune with his
Maker. It is a likeness mentally, morally, and socially.

Do we have two or three parts?

Are we body, soul, and spirit - or - body, soul-spirit? Human
beings were intended to have a relationship with God, and as such, God
created us with both material and immaterial aspects. The material
aspects are obviously those that are tangible and only exist as long as
the person is alive. The immaterial aspects are those which are
intangible: soul, spirit, intellect, will, conscience, etc. These
characteristics exist beyond the physical lifespan of the individual.
What is the difference between the soul and spirit?
It is important to understand that both refer to the immaterial
part of man, but only the "spirit" refers to the man's walk with God. The
"soul" refers to man's walk in the world, both material and immaterial.
 Personalism is any philosophy that considers
personality the supreme value and the key to
the measuring of reality.
 Personalists claim that the person is the key
in the search for self-knowledge, for correct
insight into reality, and for the place of
persons in it.
 Persons have unique value, and only persons
have free will.
 Of all animals, only humans are qualified as being moral
agents. This is evidenced by the fact that only humans are
rational animals . It is their being rational that makes
humans human. It is rationality that makes every human
being a unique class of animal. Being rational, the human
person’s knowledge does not stop in the senses since
his/her perception (sensual knowledge) is further
“processed” by his intellect in the form of abstraction. The
human person’s perceptual knowledge helps his/her draw
judgments as he/she compares ideas so that eventually,
he/she engages in what is called reasoning. The human
person, therefore, does not just perceive things but also
analyzes, assesses, criticizes, or, in a word, intellectualizes
things. (Babor, Ethics, 2007:14)
 The human person is a living paradox . The
personhood of a man or woman is his/her
distinctive personal quality, or the seat of
his/her uniqueness as human being.
 Human act is a deed that proceeds from a
concious mind and deliberate free will of a
person. It is an act or activity that is
knowingly, voluntarily, and intentionally
performed.
3 Essential elements required for an act to be a
human act, namely:
 Knowledge
 Freedom
 Voluntariness
 Is an act or state of awareness or
understanding. When the mind is concious,
the act is deliberate. Deliberateness means
that the performer or doer knows what
he/she has done or is doing. He/she is aware
about the means to employ and the ends to
be achieved.
 It is the power of will to follow the dictates of
its unrestricted choice, and to direct the
external act of the individual without
restraint, coercion, or control from another
person.
 When a person acts without freedom, he/she
is no longer a human being, but a tool or a
brute.
 His/her liability is as much as that of a knife
that wounds, of a drug that poisons, or a dog
that bites.
 Is the quality of being unconstrained by
interference, or unimpelled by another’s
influence.
 A voluntary act is a free, intelligent ,and
intentional act.
1. Its relation to the will
2. Its relation to the reason
 Is a faculty of the mind by which it
distinguishes truth from falsehood, good
from evil, and which enables the possessor to
deduce inferences from facts or propositions.
 Is the faculty of conscious, and especially, of
deliberate actions.
 It is characterized by motive, which applies to
the feeling, desire, or inclination that makes a
person do what he/she does.
  A norm is a standard, a pattern, a measure, or a
rule, which serves as basis or guide for human
acts to be morally good.
• There are two (2) basic norms of human acts ,
namely:
1. Law- is a body of rules of action or conduct
prescribed by controlling authority, and having
binding legal force.
2. Conscience- may be constructed as an act of the
practical judgment of reason that decides upon
an individual action as good and to be
performed, or as evil to be avoided.