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Sure, but why can't I re-interpret that dichotomy to be a metaphor for my "primal me" and my "higher me" or some such.
there certainly isn't anything stopping you from interpreting it metaphorically. However when you write "the temptation was too great" what does it mean differently in that case?
It seems odd to me to suggest that the dichotomy between flesh and spirit shouldn't be taken seriously. It seems to me that it's quite important in the new testament
- The discussion with Nicodemus about the Spirit
- That God must be worshipped "In Spirit"
- That the Kingdom of Heaven is "not of this world" (and other references to the Kingdom as well, such as it being within us)
- In Gethsemane
- Romans and Galatians explicitly
- It seems important to me towards an understanding of the gift of the Holy Spirit after the resurrection, or at least I don't understand how that could be taken to be metaphorical only, and any understanding of it certainly requires some metaphysical exposition (if only implicit) of the subject
Which is not to say that it has to be interpreted along the lines I've laid out, but it seems fairly serious to me. It's not a metaphor that is thrown out once haphazardly, it's a consistent theme.