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In Psalm 103, the psalmist praises God for renewing his youth like an eagle’s. Exegesis on the Soul, a Nag Hammadi text, uses this image to describe the soul’s rebirth before her return to heaven.
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2500 BCE
1000+ CE

Psalm 103:5

Hebrew Bible
1 By David. Praise the Lord, O my soul. With all that is within me, praise his holy name. 2 Praise the Lord, O my soul. Do not forget all his kind deeds. 3 He is the one who forgives all your sins, who heals all your diseases, 4 who delivers your life from the Pit, who crowns you with his loyal love and compassion, 5 who satisfies your life with good things, so your youth is renewed like an eagle’s.
Date: 6th-3rd Centuries B.C.E. (based on scholarly estimates)

Exegesis on the Soul 4:28

Nag Hammadi
The prophet, therefore, said: “Praise the Lord, O my soul, and all that is within me, praise his holy name. My soul, praise God, who forgives all your iniquity, who heals all your diseases, who ransoms your life from death, who crowns you with mercy, who satisfies your longing with good things. Your youth will be renewed like the eagle’s.” ‒ (Psalm 103:1-5) After she is young again, she will ascend, praising the Father and her brother who saved her. In this way, by being born again, the soul is saved.
Date: 200-230 C.E. (based on scholarly estimates)
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Notes and References

#6474
“... Now it is fitting that the soul regenerate herself and become again as she formerly was. The soul then moves of her own accord. And she received the divine nature from the father for her rejuvenation, so that she might be restored to the place where originally she had been. This is the resurrection that is from the dead. This is the ransom from captivity. This is the upward journey of ascent to heaven. This is the way of ascent to the father. Therefore the prophet said (Ps 103:1-5), Praise the lord, O my soul, and, all that is within me, (praise) his holy name. My soul, praise God, who forgave all your sins, who healed all your sicknesses, who ransomed your life from death, who crowned you with mercy, who satisfies your longing with good things. Your youth will be renewed like an eagle’s. ...”
Robinson, William C., Jr.; Scopello, Maddalena "The Exegesis on the Soul (II,6)" in Robinson, James M. (ed.) The Nag Hammadi Library in English (p. 196) HarperCollins, 1990

* The use of references are not endorsements of their contents. Please read the entirety of the provided reference(s) to understand the author's full intentions regarding the use of these texts.

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