Chapter 178 — That before the resurrection the souls of some obtain happiness while others live in misery

In keeping with what has been said, it is clear that both happiness and misery are found chiefly in the soul, and in the body secondarily and by a certain derivation. Hence the happiness or misery of the soul will not depend on the well-being or suffering of the body, but rather the other way around. However, souls remain in existence after death before the resumption of the body, some deserving beatitude, others deserving misery. Therefore, we can see that even before the resurrection the souls of some men obtain happiness, as the Apostle indicates in 2 Corinthians 5:1: For we know that if the earthly tent we live in is destroyed, we have a building from God, a house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens. A little below, in verse 8, he adds: We are of good courage, and we would rather be away from the body and at home with the Lord. But the souls of some will live in misery, in accord with Luke 16:22: The rich man also died, and was buried in hell.