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It in no way belongs to this understanding, however, to deny that human beings are essentially "spirit," or "rationality" in this sense. On the contrary, Bultmann is well aware that the traditional affirmation to this effect contains an important truth about human existence not adequately taken in to account in the other biblical tradition. Human beings are "spirit," and not to recognize this is to miss something very important about them. At the same time, he's convinced that the other great tradition stemming from the Bible contains an even more important truth, which, as it happens, has not been adequately recognized in the classical tradition originating in Greek antiquity. For all of its importance in understanding human nature, "reason," or "spirit," is not the most important thing to recognize. Why? Well, because more essential to any adequate understanding o fhuman of human nature is the recognition that we are existing, or historical, beings who are continually being called beyond ourselves by the events of our own individual destinies, and who must either gain or lose ourselves by our decisions in the moment in response to these calls -- or this call.

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