Those holding to a tripartite nature of man, or trichotomism, [sometimes point to Hebrews 4:12](https://christianity.stackexchange.com/a/50368/21576) as evidence for their view that soul and spirit are distinct in man: > For the word of God is alive and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart. ([NIV](https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=hebrews+4%3A12&version=NIV)) How do proponents of a dual nature of man (dichotomism), believing that the soul and spirit are two words referring to the same entity, understand this passage?

There are generally two* views of Man - the Dichotomous (Soul & Body) - the Trichotomous (Soul, Spirit, & Body) Notably, [A W Pink](https://christianity.stackexchange.com/q/6870/69) ascribes to the Trichotomous view (or Tripartite). Also notably, [R C Sproul](http://books.google.com/books?id=DC-TRU4tEvsC&lpg=PT156&ots=TvaN8tCFza&dq=r%20c%20sproul%20trichotomous&pg=PT156#v=onepage&q=r%20c%20sproul%20trichotomous&f=false) views the Trichotomy as heretical. Personally, I believe that the [Platonic](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Plato) Tripartite view is dangerous or heretical, but the Bible does seem to indicate at least some type of trinitarian mirroring of the image of God in Man. What is an overview of these two perspectives and how much support is found in the Bible for both? ---- *An argument can be made for a Quadrichotomous view (Body, Soul, Mind, Spirit), but can be covered in another question

A common belief regarding the nature of mankind is that we have a body, a soul and a spirit. This is known as the Tripartite Nature of Man (or [trichotomism](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christian_anthropology#Three_parts_.28Trichotomism.29)) . Some, however, hold to only a Dual nature of man (also known as [dichotomism](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christian_anthropology#Two_parts_.28Dichotomism.29)) . What is the essential argument in favor of the Dual Nature of Man? It would be interesting to see how the evidence for the Tripartite Nature of Man is explained as well, especially a verse like Hebrews 4:12. > For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the **division of soul and of spirit**, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart. Hebrews 4:12 ESV