In 1937, American neuroanatomist James W. Papez proposed a groundbreaking biological theory of emotion in his paper “A proposed mechanism of emotion,” arguing that feelings are not merely psychological but arise from a specific neural circuit linking cognition, bodily states, and subjective experience; this Papez circuit traced emotion through the hippocampal formation, fornix, mammillary bodies, mammillothalamic tract, anterior thalamic nuclei, and cingulate gyrus, integrating memory, physiological arousal, and conscious appraisal into a coherent emotional life (Papez, 1937). His work built on earlier anatomical insights such as Paul Broca’s 19th-century description of the grand lobe limbique (1878) and was later expanded by Paul D. MacLean in the mid-20th century, who reframed the circuit within the broader limbic system and emphasised its role in emotion, motivation, and social bonding (MacLean, 1949, 1952). From a Christian perspective, Papez’s model resonates with the Biblical understanding of the heart as an integrated centre of thought, emotion, and moral action: “as a man thinks in his heart, so is he” (Proverbs 23:7), and with Jesus’ teaching that love of God involves the whole heart, soul, mind, and strength (Mark 12:30). Neuroscience here does not diminish the soul but illuminates the embodied means through which humans experience God’s gifts of emotion, relationship, and moral responsibility (Psalm 139:13–14; Romans 12:2). Practically, the Papez circuit has enduring value for personal wellbeing, helping individuals understand how memory, stress, trauma, and reflection shape emotional health, and for societal health, informing compassionate approaches to mental illness, education, pastoral care, and justice systems that recognise emotions as biologically grounded yet meaningfully shaped by relationships, values, and spiritual formation, an integration of brain, mind, and moral life that supports human flourishing both individually and collectively