To ancient writers they only knew that life for humans was defined by breathing, bacteria was an unknown. If you lived before 1600 AD you would never have heard of such. Anton van Leeuwenhoek, the Dutchman first observed bacteria through his single-lens microscope in 1674. So in context of life known to humans it is breathing that defines life. However it is not just existence that defines human life, it is character, behaviour and wisdom that defines humans.

Dear Josephus,

You wrote: "So in context of life known to humans it is breathing that defines life."

"In context of life known to humans at the time" the Bible was written and before Leeuwenhoek, but we know so much more now. We know that breathing does not define life. It did not define life even then. Insects were alive and known in biblical times, and they get their oxygen through spiracles not from breathing. It was only through ignorance that the Bible defined life by breathing. It is an apt metaphor that Adam and Eve were forbidden to eat of the Tree of Knowledge. The Bible keeps humans in a state of ignorance.

A Catholic priest gave a sermon expounding on curiosity which could be a sin.

http://blog.adw.org/2014/07/sinful-curiosity-is-at-the-root-of-many-sins/

"However, as a double-edged sword, curiosity can also wound us very deeply and mire us in serious sin. Indeed, it can be a very sinful drive within us. Eve grew curious of the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil and thus Satan was easily able to turn her curiosity into a deep dagger that has reached every human heart."

Such absolute rubbish! Curiosity is a glory of humankind, but evil Christianity seeks to keep us ignorant. Curiosity becomes sin when humans question the nonsense basic to Christianity.

david f, Stop spouting blind ignorance about the Christian and science, as it was Christians that led scientific discovery. The early Catholic Church supressed science, but independent Christians worked in the field of science that has opened our development of a world view. https://relevantmagazine.com/god/worldview/9-groundbreaking-scientists-who-happened-be-christians Francis Collins helped complete a ground breaking research into human DNA and gene sequences as a leader of the Human Genome Project. Collins, who is currently the Director of the National Institutes of Health, is also passionate about another topic: Exploring the intersections of science and his Christian faith through his idea of “BioLogos.” In his bestselling 2006 book The Language of God, Collins discusses his view of theistic evolution, suggesting God is a master creator and designer, responsible for setting forth the events resulting in life. He’s also an influential voice in modern Christianity: His BioLogos Foundation fosters dialogue in faith an science communities, and he was even recognized by Pope Benedict, receiving an appointment to the Vatican’s Pontifical Academy of Sciences. The Bible 3,000 years ago talks about life being in the blood or body fluid so without blood or body fluid circulating in the cells one was dead.

Eratosthenes measured the circumference of the earth to an accuracy of better than 99% several centuries before Christianity was invented. Christians did not lead scientific discovery. Christians murdered the scientists Hypatia, Servetus and Bruno. The Inquisition put Galileo under house arrest. Christians like Newton and Copernicus have made scientific discoveries, but they feared the wrath of the church because of the fate of other scientists. Newton kept his views on the Trinity secret and did not publish. Copernicus' works were published posthumously. Darwin and Galileo were attacked by various Christian groups because their finding contradicted Scripture. It is true that Collins is a believing Christian, but the rest of your post is rubbish. Christianity is evil.

//To ancient writers they only knew that life for humans was defined by breathing/

Yeah, I'm not sure how true that is... people used to have some seriously wacky ideas about medicine way back when, and breathing isn't a terribly reliable indicator of mortality.

//bacteria was an unknown. If you lived before 1600 AD you would never have heard of such.//

Unless you were favoured by a timeless and omniscient God who could have divinely revealed this information to his chosen prophets.

//So in context of life known to humans it is breathing that defines life.//

No, it really isn't. There is a lot of life out there, Jehosophat, far more than is dreamt of in your philosophy. And indeed, more than is dreamt of in mine because there is so bloody much nobody can possibly fit it all in one head. But I like gardening, and my plants are alive but sans lungs and thus sans breathing. And the yeast that brews my beer and rises my bread is also alive, and it doesn't have lungs either.

Life known to humans that doesn't breathe.... you were saying?

//However it is not just existence that defines human life, it is character, behaviour and wisdom that defines humans.//

And Josefus rolled three's for Wisdom, Intelligence and Charisma... one for all the old D&D players out there.

Dear Josephus, One of the ideas in science is that one must go where evidence leads one. Evidence can be obtained by experiment, observation or rigorous logic applied to facts. God, Satan, virgin birth, resurrection, an afterlife and a tripartite God are ideas which are not supported by experiment, observation or rigorous logic applied to facts. Collins evidently has some or all of these ideas. However, when he does science he must not let these non-scientific ideas influence his scientific work if he wishes to be a scientist.