Appendix A
This index lists every Scripture passage discussed in More Than Dust, organized by biblical book in canonical order. Each entry includes the chapter(s) where the passage receives its primary treatment, a brief note on its significance for the body-soul question, and Fudge’s treatment category in The Fire That Consumes.
Legend:
Discussed — Fudge addressed this passage with at least some exegetical engagement.
Listed — Fudge referenced or listed this passage but provided no substantive exegesis.
Ignored — Fudge did not address this passage anywhere in The Fire That Consumes.
Chapter numbers in parentheses indicate where the passage receives its primary exposition. Additional chapters that reference the passage in cross-references are listed after a semicolon.
Genesis 2:7 — (Ch. 5; also Chs. 1, 2, 4, 18, 19) Discussed
God forms man from the dust and breathes into him the breath of life, making him a nephesh chayyah (living soul). This is the foundational text for biblical anthropology. The two-stage creative act—forming the body, then breathing in the life-giving spirit—establishes the composite nature of the human person from the very first page of Scripture. Fudge discussed this passage but interpreted it as teaching a unified whole-person view rather than a body-soul duality.
Genesis 35:18 — (Ch. 6; also Ch. 12) Ignored
As Rachel dies in childbirth, her nephesh (soul) departs from her. This is among the clearest Old Testament narratives of the soul leaving the body at death. The language assumes that the soul is a separable entity—something that was inside Rachel and went out of her when she died. Fudge never addressed this passage.
1 Samuel 28:8–15 — (Ch. 6; also Ch. 14) Ignored
Samuel appears after death in a conscious state during the witch of Endor episode. He speaks, remembers, and even rebukes Saul—presupposing that Samuel continued to exist as a conscious person after his body was buried. Whether the appearance was brought about by the medium or by God directly, the text treats Samuel as a real, aware, disembodied person. Fudge never addressed this passage.
1 Kings 17:21–22 — (Ch. 6) Ignored
Elijah prays that the child’s nephesh (soul) will return to his body, and it does—the child revives. The narrative assumes the soul left the body at death and returned at resuscitation. This is a departure-and-return account that directly parallels near-death experience reports. Fudge never addressed this passage.
Job 32:8 — (Ch. 5) Ignored
Elihu declares that it is the spirit (ruach) in a person—the breath of the Almighty—that gives understanding. This text attributes the capacity for rational thought and understanding to an inner spirit, distinguishing it from the body. Fudge never addressed this passage.
Psalm 6:3 — (Ch. 8) Ignored
David cries that his nephesh (soul) is greatly troubled. The soul is portrayed as the seat of emotional and spiritual distress, distinct from the body’s experience. This interior life of the soul is a recurring theme in the Psalms. Fudge never addressed this passage.
Psalm 16:10 — (Ch. 7; also Chs. 13, 14) Discussed
David expresses confidence that God will not leave his nephesh (soul) in Sheol or allow His Holy One to see corruption. The passage distinguishes the soul’s location (Sheol) from the body’s fate (decay), presupposing that the soul exists in Sheol apart from the decaying body. Peter cites this passage at Pentecost in Acts 2:27, 31.
Psalm 31:5 — (Ch. 6; also Ch. 12) Discussed
David commits his spirit (ruach) into God’s hand. Jesus echoes these exact words from the cross (Luke 23:46). The act of committing one’s spirit to God presupposes that the spirit is a real entity that can be entrusted to God’s care at the moment of death.
Psalm 31:9 — (Ch. 8) Ignored
David describes grief consuming both his soul (nephesh) and his body. The parallel structure distinguishes the two: soul and body are both affected by distress, but they are named as distinct dimensions of the person. Fudge never addressed this passage.
Psalm 42:1–2 — (Ch. 8; also Ch. 17) Ignored
The psalmist’s soul (nephesh) pants and thirsts for God, as a deer pants for water. The soul is the seat of deep spiritual longing—a desire directed toward God that transcends bodily appetite. Fudge never addressed this passage.
Psalm 44:25 — (Ch. 8) Ignored
The psalmist cries that “our soul is bowed down to the dust; our body clings to the ground.” The parallel structure is striking: soul and body are both in distress, but they are named separately, with the soul bowing down and the body clinging to the ground. This is natural dualist language. Fudge never addressed this passage.
Psalm 63:1 — (Ch. 8) Ignored
David declares, “My soul thirsts for You; my flesh longs for You.” Once again, soul and flesh are paired in parallel but distinguished from each other. David attributes spiritual longing to his soul and physical yearning to his flesh—two dimensions of a single person. Fudge never addressed this passage.
Psalm 139:14 — (Ch. 5) Ignored
David declares he is “fearfully and wonderfully made” and that his soul (nephesh) knows this very well. The soul is the knowing subject—it is the part of David that recognizes the wonder of his own creation. Fudge never addressed this passage.
Proverbs 20:27 — (Ch. 5; also Ch. 8) Ignored
The spirit (neshamah) of a person is called the lamp of the LORD, searching all the inner depths. The human spirit is the means by which God illuminates the inner life—it is not identical with the body but is the locus of God’s searching presence within the person. Fudge never addressed this passage.
Ecclesiastes 3:21 — (Ch. 7) Discussed
The Preacher asks, “Who knows whether the spirit of the sons of men goes upward, and the spirit of the animal goes downward to the earth?” The question itself assumes that the spirit (ruach) is something that goes somewhere at death. The Preacher is uncertain about the destination, not about the spirit’s separability from the body.
Ecclesiastes 12:7 — (Ch. 6; also Chs. 5, 7, 18) Discussed
At death, “the dust returns to the earth as it was, and the spirit returns to God who gave it.” This is the reverse of Genesis 2:7—what God joined at creation separates at death. The body goes to the ground; the spirit goes to God. This passage is among the most explicit Old Testament statements of body-spirit duality at death.
Isaiah 10:18 — (Ch. 9) Ignored
God will consume the glory of Assyria’s forest “both soul and body.” The phrase pairs soul and body as the totality of destruction, presupposing that a complete person has both a soul and a body. This is a natural expression that only makes sense if “soul” and “body” refer to distinct aspects of the person. Fudge never addressed this passage.
Isaiah 26:9 — (Ch. 8) Ignored
The prophet declares, “With my soul I have desired You in the night; yes, by my spirit within me I will seek You early.” Soul and spirit are presented as the inner dimension of the person that seeks God—an interior life distinct from the body. Fudge never addressed this passage.
Isaiah 31:3 — (Ch. 5) Ignored
The Egyptians are “men, and not God; their horses are flesh, and not spirit.” The contrast between flesh and spirit is presented as an ontological distinction—flesh and spirit are fundamentally different kinds of reality. Fudge never addressed this passage.
Ezekiel 18:4 — (Ch. 9; also Ch. 15) Discussed
“The soul who sins shall die.” Fudge cited this as evidence that nephesh means “person” rather than an immaterial soul. While nephesh can mean “person” in some contexts, this does not prove it always means that—and it certainly does not disprove that nephesh can also refer to an immaterial soul in other passages.
Ezekiel 37:5–6 — (Ch. 7; also Ch. 5) Ignored
In the valley of dry bones, God promises to put breath/spirit (ruach) into the bones so they will live. The vision presupposes that life requires the union of physical body and animating spirit. Without the spirit, the bones remain dead. This echoes the two-stage creation of Genesis 2:7. Fudge never addressed this passage.
Daniel 7:15 — (Ch. 9) Ignored
Daniel says, “My spirit within my body was grieved.” The phrasing places the spirit inside the body—a locational distinction that is most naturally read as describing two different things: an immaterial spirit housed within a material body. Fudge never addressed this passage.
Zechariah 12:1 — (Ch. 5) Ignored
The LORD, who stretches out the heavens and lays the foundation of the earth, also “forms the spirit of man within him.” God’s forming of the human spirit is placed alongside His creation of the heavens and the earth—an act of ontological significance. The spirit is something God specifically creates and places within the human body. Fudge never addressed this passage.
Malachi 4:1–3 — (Ch. 2) Discussed
The wicked will be burned to ashes—“stubble” consumed by the coming day. This is one of the key conditionalist proof texts for final destruction. It is referenced in the book’s defense of CI but does not directly bear on the body-soul question.
Matthew 10:28 — (Ch. 10; also Chs. 1, 2, 4, 9, 15, 17, 22, 27, 31) Discussed
“Do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather fear Him who can destroy both soul and body in hell.” This is the single most important verse for the book’s thesis. Jesus distinguishes body and soul as two things that can have different fates: humans can kill the body but not the soul; God can destroy both. This logic requires that soul and body are distinct realities. It is also CI’s strongest proof text for final destruction—and it only works on a dualist reading. Fudge discussed this passage extensively but attempted to redefine “soul” as “life” rather than as an immaterial substance.
Matthew 26:38 — (Ch. 11; also Ch. 8) Ignored
In Gethsemane, Jesus tells His disciples, “My soul (psyche) is exceedingly sorrowful, even to death.” Jesus attributes deep emotional and spiritual anguish to His soul—not merely to His body or to “Himself” in a general sense. He speaks of His soul as the locus of a specific kind of suffering. Fudge never addressed this passage.
Matthew 26:41 — (Ch. 11) Ignored
Jesus tells His disciples, “The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak.” The contrast between spirit and flesh is not metaphorical here—it describes two dimensions of the disciples’ experience pulling in different directions. The spirit wants to pray; the flesh wants to sleep. Fudge never addressed this passage.
Matthew 27:50 — (Ch. 12; also Ch. 11) Ignored
At the moment of death, Jesus “yielded up His spirit (pneuma).” The language describes the spirit departing from the body—an act of separation. The spirit is something Jesus had and something He released. Fudge never addressed this passage, though he discussed the parallel accounts in Luke and John.
Mark 8:36–37 — (Ch. 9; also Chs. 11, 17) Listed
Jesus asks, “What will it profit a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul (psyche)?” The soul is presented as something of supreme value—more valuable than everything the material world has to offer. If psyche here means merely “life” in the biological sense, the force of Jesus’ warning is greatly diminished. Fudge referenced this passage but offered no substantive exegesis of its anthropological implications.
Luke 1:46–47 — (Ch. 11) Ignored
In the Magnificat, Mary declares, “My soul (psyche) magnifies the Lord, and my spirit (pneuma) has rejoiced in God my Savior.” Mary distinguishes her soul and her spirit as the seat of worship and joy. Whether these are two aspects of one immaterial dimension or two distinct immaterial faculties, they are both clearly distinguished from the body. Fudge never addressed this passage.
Luke 8:55 — (Ch. 12) Ignored
When Jesus raises Jairus’s daughter, “her spirit (pneuma) returned, and she arose immediately.” The spirit had departed and now returned to the body—a departure-and-return narrative that directly parallels 1 Kings 17:21–22 and is consistent with veridical NDE reports. Fudge never addressed this passage.
Luke 12:4–5 — (Ch. 10) Discussed
The Lukan parallel to Matthew 10:28: “Do not fear those who kill the body, and after that have no more that they can do. But I will show you whom you should fear: Fear Him who, after He has killed, has power to cast into hell.” This confirms that the destruction Jesus warns of occurs after bodily death—presupposing that something of the person survives the body’s death and faces further judgment.
Luke 12:19–20 — (Ch. 9) Ignored
In the parable of the rich fool, God says, “This night your soul (psyche) will be required of you.” The soul is what God takes back at death. The language of the soul being “required” implies it is something the person possesses that can be demanded by God—not merely biological life ceasing but an immaterial self being summoned. Fudge never addressed this passage.
Luke 16:19–31 — (Ch. 13) Discussed
The rich man and Lazarus. After death, both exist consciously in distinct locations—Lazarus in Abraham’s bosom and the rich man in Hades. The rich man sees, speaks, feels thirst, remembers his brothers, and reasons about their fate. Whether parable or literal account, Jesus uses the narrative to teach about the conscious intermediate state. Fudge discussed this passage but attempted to minimize its anthropological implications.
Luke 23:43 — (Ch. 13; also Chs. 6, 11) Ignored
Jesus tells the thief on the cross, “Today you will be with Me in Paradise.” “Today”—not at the future resurrection, but on the very day of their deaths. This presupposes that both Jesus and the thief would exist consciously in Paradise that same day, even though their bodies would be dead. Fudge never addressed this passage.
Luke 23:46 — (Ch. 12; also Ch. 6) Discussed
Jesus cries from the cross, “Father, into Your hands I commit My spirit (pneuma).” Echoing Psalm 31:5, Jesus entrusts His spirit to the Father at the moment of death. The spirit is something real that Jesus commends to God’s keeping as His body dies.
Luke 24:39 — (Ch. 18) Ignored
The risen Jesus says, “Handle Me and see, for a spirit (pneuma) does not have flesh and bones as you see I have.” Jesus Himself draws an ontological distinction between a spirit and a physical body. A spirit is a real kind of entity, but it is not made of flesh and bones. Jesus affirms that He is not merely a spirit—He has a real, physical, resurrected body. But the statement only works if spirits are real things that exist in contrast to physical bodies. Fudge never addressed this passage.
John 3:6 — (Ch. 18) Ignored
Jesus tells Nicodemus, “That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.” Flesh and spirit are presented as two distinct categories of reality. What is produced by each is categorically different from the other. This ontological distinction between flesh and spirit runs throughout Jesus’ teaching. Fudge never addressed this passage.
John 3:16 — (Ch. 2) Discussed
“Whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.” A key conditionalist text: the alternative to everlasting life is perishing, not eternal conscious torment. Referenced in the defense of CI rather than the body-soul argument specifically.
John 5:28–29 — (Theological Commitments; Ch. 18) Discussed
All who are in the graves will hear the Son of Man’s voice and come forth—some to the resurrection of life, others to the resurrection of condemnation. This passage affirms the bodily resurrection of all the dead, which presupposes that the dead exist in some state awaiting that resurrection.
John 12:27 — (Ch. 11; also Ch. 8) Ignored
Jesus says, “Now My soul (psyche) is troubled.” As in Matthew 26:38, Jesus attributes deep distress to His soul. He does not say “I am troubled” in a general sense but specifies that it is His soul that is troubled—pointing to an interior, immaterial dimension of His person. Fudge never addressed this passage.
John 19:30 — (Ch. 12) Discussed
Jesus bows His head and “gave up His spirit (pneuma).” The spirit is something that departs from Jesus at the moment of death. Combined with the Synoptic accounts, all four Gospels describe Jesus’ death as the separation of spirit from body.
Acts 2:27 — (Ch. 7) Discussed
Peter quotes Psalm 16:10 at Pentecost: “You will not leave my soul (psyche) in Hades.” Peter interprets this as a prophecy of Christ’s resurrection. The soul was in Hades; the body was in the tomb. Christ’s resurrection reunited the two. This presupposes that soul and body separated at death and were in different locations.
Acts 2:31 — (Ch. 7) Discussed
Peter explains that David, foreseeing the resurrection, said that Christ’s soul (psyche) was not left in Hades and His flesh did not see corruption. Again, soul and flesh are distinguished: the soul went to Hades; the flesh was in the grave. The resurrection reversed this separation.
Acts 7:59 — (Ch. 12; also Chs. 6, 13) Discussed
As Stephen is stoned to death, he cries, “Lord Jesus, receive my spirit (pneuma).” Stephen entrusts his spirit to Jesus at the moment of death, echoing Jesus’ own words from the cross. The spirit is what Stephen commits to Christ as his body is being destroyed. Fudge discussed this passage but did not explore its dualist implications in depth.
Romans 8:10 — (Ch. 15; also Ch. 16) Ignored
Paul writes, “If Christ is in you, the body is dead because of sin, but the Spirit is life because of righteousness.” The body and the Spirit are contrasted: the body is subject to death, but the Spirit gives life. This presupposes that the Spirit (or the person’s spirit animated by God’s Spirit) is distinct from the mortal body. Fudge never addressed this passage.
Romans 8:16 — (Ch. 15) Ignored
“The Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God.” Paul distinguishes God’s Spirit from the believer’s own spirit—two distinct spirits in communication. The believer’s spirit is an interior dimension capable of receiving testimony from God’s Spirit. Fudge never addressed this passage.
1 Corinthians 2:11 — (Ch. 9; also Ch. 15) Listed
“For what man knows the things of a man except the spirit of the man which is in him?” The human spirit is described as the knowing agent within the person. It is “in” the person—locational language that distinguishes the spirit from the body it inhabits. Fudge referenced this passage but provided no substantive exegesis.
1 Corinthians 5:3–5 — (Ch. 15) Ignored
Paul describes himself as “absent in body but present in spirit,” and speaks of delivering a man to Satan “for the destruction of the flesh, that his spirit may be saved.” Flesh and spirit have different fates: the flesh can be destroyed while the spirit is saved. This assumes they are distinct realities. Fudge never addressed this passage.
1 Corinthians 6:19–20 — (Ch. 16) Ignored
“Your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you.” The body is the temple; the Holy Spirit dwells in it. Temple imagery requires a distinction between the structure (body) and what inhabits it (spirit). Fudge never addressed this passage.
1 Corinthians 7:34 — (Ch. 16) Ignored
Paul speaks of being “holy both in body and in spirit.” Holiness pertains to both dimensions of the person—body and spirit are distinguished as two spheres that can each be sanctified. Fudge never addressed this passage.
1 Corinthians 15:35–49 — (Ch. 18; also Chs. 5, 13) Discussed
Paul’s great resurrection chapter. The natural body is raised a spiritual body. Paul distinguishes the first Adam (from the earth, made of dust) from the last Adam (from heaven, a life-giving spirit). The resurrection body is transformed, not merely resuscitated. The distinction between “natural body” (soma psychikon) and “spiritual body” (soma pneumatikon) presupposes a framework in which spirit and body, though united, are distinguishable.
2 Corinthians 4:16 — (Ch. 16; also Ch. 13) Ignored
“Even though our outward man is perishing, yet the inward man is being renewed day by day.” Paul describes two dimensions of the person moving in opposite directions: the outer (physical) is decaying while the inner (immaterial) is being renewed. This is classic dualist anthropology—an inner self that is distinct from the dying body. Fudge never addressed this passage.
2 Corinthians 5:1–8 — (Ch. 13; also Chs. 14, 15, 16, 18) Ignored
Paul describes the body as an “earthly tent” that will be dissolved and speaks of being “absent from the body and present with the Lord.” This is one of the most explicit New Testament affirmations of the conscious intermediate state. Paul expects that when his body dies, he—the real Paul—will be present with Christ. The “tent” metaphor implies the body houses something; and being “absent from the body” implies the person can exist apart from it. Fudge never addressed this passage—one of the most striking omissions in the entire book.
2 Corinthians 7:1 — (Ch. 16) Ignored
Paul urges believers to cleanse themselves “from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit.” Flesh and spirit are distinguished as two dimensions that can each be defiled and must each be purified. Fudge never addressed this passage.
Ephesians 3:16 — (Ch. 16; also Ch. 8) Ignored
Paul prays that believers would be “strengthened with might through His Spirit in the inner man.” The Holy Spirit’s strengthening work takes place in the “inner man”—an immaterial dimension of the person that is the recipient of God’s empowering presence. Fudge never addressed this passage.
Philippians 1:21–24 — (Ch. 13; also Chs. 11, 18) Discussed
Paul says, “To live is Christ, and to die is gain,” because to depart (die) is to “be with Christ, which is far better.” Paul expects that dying will bring him immediately into Christ’s presence—not soul sleep, not unconscious waiting, but conscious fellowship with Christ. This is one of the strongest New Testament texts for the conscious intermediate state. Fudge discussed this passage but attempted to minimize its dualist implications.
Philippians 1:27 — (Ch. 17) Ignored
Paul exhorts the Philippians to “stand fast in one spirit, with one mind striving together for the faith of the gospel.” Spirit and mind are presented as the immaterial dimensions of communal Christian life. Fudge never addressed this passage.
Colossians 2:5 — (Ch. 16) Ignored
Paul writes, “Though I am absent in the flesh, yet I am with you in spirit.” Flesh and spirit are distinguished—Paul’s body is in one place, but his spirit is in some sense present with the Colossians. While this may carry metaphorical overtones, the language is built on an underlying assumption that flesh and spirit are distinct dimensions of the person. Fudge never addressed this passage.
1 Thessalonians 5:23 — (Ch. 15; also Chs. 5, 9) Discussed
Paul prays, “May your whole spirit, soul, and body be preserved blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.” Paul names three dimensions of the human person: spirit, soul, and body. Whether this is a precise tripartite division or a comprehensive way of saying “the whole person in every dimension,” it clearly distinguishes immaterial aspects (spirit, soul) from the material (body). Fudge discussed this passage but argued that Paul was using the terms as overlapping ways of referring to the whole person.
2 Thessalonians 1:9 — (Ch. 2) Discussed
The wicked “shall be punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord.” A key conditionalist text: the punishment is destruction, and it is everlasting in its effect. Referenced in the defense of CI rather than the body-soul argument specifically.
1 Timothy 6:16 — (Theological Commitments; Ch. 2) Discussed
God “alone has immortality.” Immortality belongs inherently only to God. Humans do not possess immortality by nature—it is a gift given conditionally. This text undergirds the conditionalist framework: the soul is not inherently immortal.
2 Timothy 1:10 — (Theological Commitments; Ch. 2) Discussed
Christ “has abolished death and brought life and immortality to light through the gospel.” Immortality is brought through the gospel, not inherent in human nature. This supports CI’s core claim that immortality is conditional.
2 Timothy 4:6 — (Ch. 12) Ignored
Paul writes, “I am already being poured out as a drink offering, and the time of my departure is at hand.” The language of “departure” (analusis) describes death as leaving—going somewhere else. This presupposes that Paul, the real person, will depart from his body, not simply cease to exist. Fudge never addressed this passage.
2 Timothy 4:22 — (Ch. 17) Ignored
Paul closes with, “The Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit.” Paul addresses Timothy’s spirit specifically—not his body, not his whole person in a general sense, but his spirit. This assumes the spirit is a real, addressable dimension of Timothy’s personhood. Fudge never addressed this passage.
Hebrews 4:12 — (Ch. 15) Discussed
The word of God is “piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow.” The parallelism pairs immaterial realities (soul and spirit) with physical ones (joints and marrow). Whether “division” means separating soul from spirit or penetrating to where they meet, the verse treats soul and spirit as real immaterial dimensions of the person alongside the physical body.
Hebrews 12:23 — (Ch. 13; also Ch. 14) Ignored
Believers have come to “the spirits (pneumata) of just men made perfect.” The departed righteous are described as spirits—not bodies, not whole persons in the physicalist sense, but spirits who have been perfected. They exist consciously in God’s presence. This is among the most direct New Testament affirmations of the conscious intermediate state. Fudge never addressed this passage.
James 2:26 — (Ch. 15; also Chs. 9, 12, 18) Ignored
“The body without the spirit is dead.” James defines biological death as the separation of spirit from body. This is the classic dualist definition of death: the body dies when the spirit leaves it. The spirit is what animates the body. Without it, the body is a corpse. Fudge never addressed this passage.
1 Peter 1:9 — (Ch. 17) Discussed
Believers are “receiving the end of your faith—the salvation of your souls.” Salvation is described as something that happens to the soul specifically. If the soul is merely a synonym for “person,” this works grammatically but loses its theological force. Peter singles out the soul as the object of salvation—the thing that is ultimately saved.
1 Peter 2:11 — (Ch. 17; also Ch. 8) Ignored
Peter urges believers to “abstain from fleshly lusts which war against the soul.” The flesh and the soul are in conflict. Fleshly desires attack the soul—two dimensions of the person pulling in opposite directions. This presupposes that the soul is a real entity distinct from the flesh. Fudge never addressed this passage.
1 Peter 3:18–20 — (Ch. 14; also Chs. 7, 17, 29) Ignored
Christ was “put to death in the flesh but made alive by the Spirit, by whom also He went and preached to the spirits in prison.” Between His death and resurrection, Jesus preached to imprisoned spirits—disembodied persons awaiting judgment. This presupposes that spirits (whether human or angelic) exist consciously in a state of imprisonment. It is also a key text for the postmortem opportunity. Fudge never addressed this passage.
1 Peter 4:6 — (Ch. 14; also Ch. 29) Ignored
“The gospel was preached also to those who are dead, that they might be judged according to men in the flesh, but live according to God in the spirit.” The gospel was preached to people who had already died. They are “dead” physically but capable of receiving the gospel and living “in the spirit.” This presupposes conscious existence after death and is a key text for both the intermediate state and the postmortem opportunity. Fudge never addressed this passage.
1 Peter 4:19 — (Ch. 17) Discussed
Believers who suffer according to God’s will should “commit their souls to Him as to a faithful Creator.” The soul is something that can be entrusted to God’s care, especially in the face of suffering and death. The language echoes Jesus’ words from the cross and Psalm 31:5.
2 Peter 1:13–14 — (Ch. 14; also Chs. 13, 16) Ignored
Peter describes his body as a “tent” (skenoma) that he will soon “put off.” The body is a temporary dwelling—and the one who puts it off is the real Peter, who is not identical with the tent. This is straightforward dualist language: the person inhabits the body and will one day leave it behind. Fudge never addressed this passage.
1 John 3:2 — (Ch. 18) Ignored
“We know that when He is revealed, we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is.” The eschatological transformation of believers into Christ’s likeness presupposes that there is a continuous “we”—the same persons who now live by faith will then see Christ face to face. Personal identity across the transformation is assumed. Fudge never addressed this passage.
1 John 3:20 — (Ch. 17) Ignored
“God is greater than our heart, and knows all things.” The “heart” (kardia) is the seat of inner awareness and self-evaluation—an interior dimension of the person that God transcends and knows fully. Fudge never addressed this passage.
Revelation 6:9–11 — (Ch. 14; also Chs. 7, 13) Discussed
John sees “the souls (psychai) of those who had been slain” under the altar. These souls cry out, speak, and are told to rest. They are disembodied—their bodies have been killed—yet they are conscious, vocal, and aware of the passage of time. This is among the most vivid depictions of the conscious intermediate state in all of Scripture. Fudge discussed this passage but attempted to read the souls as symbolic rather than literal.
Revelation 20:4 — (Ch. 14) Discussed
John sees “the souls of those who had been beheaded for their witness to Jesus.” Again, disembodied souls are described as existing consciously. They had been beheaded—their bodies are gone—yet they live and reign with Christ. Fudge discussed this passage in the context of the millennium but did not fully engage its dualist implications.
Revelation 20:11–15 — (Theological Commitments; Ch. 2) Discussed
The great white throne judgment. The dead stand before God and are judged. Death and Hades are thrown into the lake of fire, which is the second death. This is the culmination of the eschatological narrative—the final judgment and the final destruction of the unrepentant wicked.
Revelation 20:14 — (Ch. 2; Theological Commitments) Discussed
“Then Death and Hades were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death.” The second death is the final destruction of the wicked—not a continuation of Hades, not an extension of conscious torment, but a definitive end. A key conditionalist text. On the dualist framework, this means the destruction of both soul and body, as Jesus warned in Matthew 10:28.
↑ 1. All Scripture quotations in this index follow the New King James Version (NKJV) unless otherwise noted. The NKJV is used throughout More Than Dust as the primary English translation.
↑ 2. The classification of Fudge’s treatment (“Discussed,” “Listed,” or “Ignored”) is based on a thorough search of Edward Fudge, The Fire That Consumes: A Biblical and Historical Study of the Doctrine of Final Punishment, 3rd ed. (Eugene, OR: Cascade Books, 2011). “Discussed” means Fudge provided at least some exegetical engagement with the passage. “Listed” means Fudge referenced the passage (in a footnote, list, or passing mention) but provided no substantive exegesis. “Ignored” means the passage does not appear in Fudge’s book in any meaningful way.
↑ 3. For a detailed analysis of each category, see Chapter 20 (passages Fudge discussed), Chapter 21 (passages Fudge listed without exegesis), and Chapter 22 (the 48 passages Fudge completely ignored).
↑ 4. The total count of 72+ passages includes both passages that directly address the body-soul question and those that indirectly presuppose a dualist or physicalist anthropology. Several additional passages are referenced in the book’s theological commitments and CI defense (e.g., John 3:16; 2 Thess. 1:9; Rev. 20:14) that bear on conditional immortality rather than the body-soul question specifically.
↑ 5. For the most thorough scholarly treatment of Old Testament and New Testament evidence for the conscious intermediate state and substance dualism, see John W. Cooper, Body, Soul, and Life Everlasting: Biblical Anthropology and the Monism-Dualism Debate (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 2000), especially chapters 2–7.