Dead. Resurrected. Saved in the Second Temple period (original) (raw)
Related papers
A Comparative Study of Death and the Afterlife in the Abrahamic Faiths
Life after death is as mysterious as it is frightening. This paper is an overview of the beliefs of the three Abrahamic faiths, namely: Judaism, Christianity and Islam, about death and what comes after it. There are many similarities between these traditions but there are quite a few differences also. This is with regards to what has been mentioned in the Judeo-Christian scriptures. Mostly however, we find that Islam offers details that are not found in the earlier traditions and hence no comparison can be made. The dearth of information about the afterlife in the Jewish and Christian teachings has led to many scholars coming up with hypotheses and speculations about what to expect after death. Islam, on the other hand, gives us all the details about what will transpire and this is, after everything is said and done, the greatest difference between the three religious traditions
Out of the Depths: The Development of Jewish Views of the Afterlife in Second Temple Judaism
2016
The concept of an afterlife was not present in the time of Ancient Israel. As understood primarily from their biblical literature, all the dead descend to Sheol—a place quite difficult to define due to the lack of primary documentation, but at the very least can be simply described as the place where all the dead are located. Nothing is known whether the Israelites believed if the souls of the dead remained intact and continued to exist, if they retained consciousness, or if they “lived” there forever. However, as the empires of the Ancient Near East began their conquests of Palestine and the eventual development of early Jewish faith took form, it is primarily Israel’s desire for deliverance from oppression that made its way to the evolution of their credence and understanding of life after death. This paper proposes a three-stage model in mapping out the development of Jewish thought on the afterlife: Restorative, Apocalyptic, and Resurrection. Various issues such as the Jewish hope of liberation from captivity, developing prophetic literature oriented towards a better future, revolt against external cultures incompatible with Jewish practice, and the anticipation of reward for righteousness will be addressed here and will be argued for as strong factors for the development of the Jewish understanding of life after death. This study will concentrate on the Second Temple Period of Judaism (515 BCE-70 CE) while also carefully considering the setting and circumstances before the period. It hopes to provide a definitive guide in future studies that will delve deeper into the history of Jewish afterlife. Highly Commended in the Social Sciences: Anthropology and Cultural Studies Category The Undergraduate Awards 2016 Dublin, Ireland
Resurrection of the Dead: A Jewish Belief
Sefer Press Publishing, 2025
This paper explores the evolution of Jewish beliefs regarding the resurrection of the dead and the immortality of the soul, tracing their roots in ancient scriptures, apocryphal texts, rabbinic discussions, and modern theological interpretations. It examines early biblical references linking resurrection to national restoration and righteousness, as well as apocryphal works that elaborate on afterlife expectations, including final judgment and spiritual transformation. Rabbinic debates are analyzed to illustrate varying perspectives on the scope and nature of resurrection—whether universal, restricted to Israel, or specific to the righteous. The study also considers influences from natural philosophy and the challenges posed to traditional views by modern Jewish thought, especially within the Reform movement. By mapping the theological, liturgical, and philosophical dimensions of resurrection beliefs, this work highlights their centrality to Jewish eschatology and their broader implications for understanding justice, redemption, and the human destiny.
Death and Afterlife in the Old Testament.
The Old Testament has been a significant source of reflection and study regarding death and the afterlife throughout history. There are various theological interpretations on this matter, with different authors presenting distinct definitions and scholars proposing differing approaches. This research paper aims to shed light on ancient Israel's belief that death is the ultimate end for all individuals, regardless of their social status, wisdom, or wealth. It also aims to demonstrate how this subject matter develops over time. The study serves as a poignant reminder that each person will inevitably journey down the same path.
Death in Jewish Life, 2014
Bar-Levav offers a framework for depicting and understanding the varied Jewish attitudes towards death, particularly in the medieval period. The author differentiates between death as an idea and death as a reality, and between the presence and absence of death. He suggests that, by and large, death is marginal in the framework of Jewish culture. Jewish attitudes towards death can be anchored between time, space and texts. There is a time of mourning and remembrance, there is a place for the dead (the cemetery), and there are distinct texts that are used in the contexts of dying and mourning. The paper describes various axes along which ideas about death may be perceived: death as punishment or desideratum; the amalgamation of the personality during life and its disintegration in death; the relationship between this world and the world to come; the connection of the soul and the body; and the burial society as a social and religious organization. Death offers a moral perspective on life, and this is also connected with the comprehension of dying as a life passage, and with the construction of the idea of the proper death.
Death and Its Beyond in Early Judaism and Medieval Jewish Philosophy
2011
Afterlife and the concept of soul in Judaism is one of the main subjects that are discussed in the academia. There are some misassumptions related to hereafter and the fate of the soul after departing the body in Judaism. Since the Hebrew Bible does not talk about the death and afterlife clearly, some average people and some scholars claim that there is nothing relevant to the hereafter. However, in this study I put the Hebrew Bible to conversation with ancient cult of the dead and Medieval Jewish philosophers Saadya Gaon and Yehuda Halevi to proof the existence of afterlife and immortality of the soul in Judaism; even though Judaism is defined as the religion of this world and present time by some Jews and described by some scholars as the religion that does not have an afterlife
’Emet: The Paradox of Death and Afterlife
Socio-Historical Examination of Religion and Ministry, 2021
READ THE FULL ARTICLE BY CLICKING THIS LINK: https://doi.org/10.33929/sherm.2021.vol3.no1.07 This article by Garber represents Jewish thoughts on death and dying that were presented at the 28th Annual Symposium on Jewish Civilization sponsored by the Philip M. and Ethel Klutznick Chair in Jewish Civilization, Creighton University, and other sponsors, and delivered at the University of Nebraska Omaha. Conference title, “`Olam Ha-Zeh v-`Olam Ha-Ba’: This World and the World to Come in Jewish Belief and Practice.” The section on “Jewish Martyrdom” is mainly influenced by thoughts expressed in Chapter 2 in Garber and Zuckerman, Double Takes: Thinking and Rethinking Issues of Modern Judaism in Ancient Contexts.
From Resurrection to Immortality: Theological and Political Implications in Modern Jewish Thought
Harvard Theological Review, 2009
Hans Jonas began his 1961 Ingersoll Lecture by acknowledging the “undeniable fact” “that the modern temper is uncongenial to the idea of immortality.”1 Jonas nonetheless concluded his lecture by affirming that “although the hereafter is not ours … we can have immortality … when in our brief span we serve our threatened mortal affairs and help the suffering immortal God.”2 While he may not have realized it, Jonas's words capture what I shall argue is the dominant view of immortality in modern Jewish thought. Underlying this view is an effort to refute materialist conceptions of human existence without committing to any particularly theological or traditionally metaphysical notion of immortality.