THE JEWISH AFTERLIFE

I chose to cover the Jewish afterlife for a couple of reasons. One is practicality: I have information from a previous class! The other is because more people are familiar with the Greek and Christian afterlives than they are with the Hebrew concept of life after death.(As I stated elsewhere, I like to use images from the time periods; there are no images concurrent with the time that the Torah and holy books of the Hebrews were being written!)

CHANGE IS THE ONLY CONSTANT?

The Torah

In a video, I mentioned how the concepts of life after death changed over periods of time and how people in the same time periods had different ideas about what “over there” was like; the Hebrews are no different. In tracing beliefs through the Hebrew Scriptures, it is evident that they changed. One influence was very likely the Babylonian captivity, where the Jews would have been exposed to Zoroastrian ideology.We will start with the concept of Sheol!

SHEOL“Sheol” is mentioned in the Hebrew Scriptures as the place where the dead go. The dead of all nations and all walks of life were sent to Sheol. There was no judgment day. All individuals ended up in Sheol after death - both those who had led a righteous and those who were evil while on earth. http://www.religioustolerance.org/aft_bibl1.htm#semites

Sheol is apparently inside the earth. When Jacob, hears of the supposed death of Joseph, exclaims: "I shall go down to my son a mourner unto Sheol" (Gen. 37:36).

Numbers 16:30-33 describes a descent into Sheol 30 But if the LORD make a new thing, and the earth open her mouth, and swallow them up, with all that appertain unto them, and they go down quick into the pit; then ye shall understand that these men have provoked the LORD. 31 And it came to pass, as he had made an end of speaking all these words, that the ground clave asunder that was under them: 32 And the earth opened her mouth, and swallowed them up, and their houses, and all the men that appertained unto Korah, and all their goods. 33 They, and all that appertained to them, went down alive into the pit, and the earth closed upon them: and they perished from among the congregation.

“Perished from the congregation” means, of course, that the wrongdoers ceased to live, but it also has a more figurative meaning. Death also could result in rejoining one's ancestors as patriarchs are often described as "gathered to their people" after death. Genesis 25:8: Then Abraham gave up the ghost, and died in a good old age, an old man, and full of years; and was gathered to his people.”Genesis 25:17: Ishmael lived a hundred and thirty-seven years. He breathed his last and died, and he was gathered to his people.”Evildoers were cut off from the people.Genesis 17:14: Any uncircumcised male who is not circumcised in the flesh of his foreskin shall be cut off from his people; he has broken my covenant.”Genesis 31:14: "'Observe the Sabbath, because it is holy to you. Anyone who desecrates it is to be put to death; those who do any work on that day must be cut off from their people.”

To early societies, to be cut off from the tribe or clan—or to be banished from a town--was tantamount to a death sentence. Individuals depended on the clan for sustenance and emotional support. To not “ be gathered unto his people,” was a “death” sentence even for the dead.Egyptian beliefs were different from this, but still had some of the same aspects. A person lived in the afterlife as long as his/her name was spoken or was written. To be forgotten almost guaranteed death after death. This is why rulers who hated their predecessors eradicated their temples and had inscriptions deface; it is also one reason why literate tomb workers inscribed their names in the pyramids. People, especially nobles, often wrote their names in secret places so that their names would remain. In essence, the nameless ones were cut off from their “congregation.”The Egyptians believed that the word was “the thing” and that something, people included, could not exist without a name. We see this echoed in Genesis when Yahweh speaks the universe into existence—it was also important that all of the animals had a name, which one of Adam’s first tasks.

Also note that the earth is referred to as “she,” a holdover from earlier (and seen in later) mythoi in which the earth is the body, real or figuratively, of a goddess. The land of the dead being located inside the earth is also seen in many other cultures/religions. For centuries, Christianity also placed hell inside the earth.Like the early versions of Kur, Sheol is not a desirable place to be! There is no joy there and apparently, no happy dead.There is no mention of a ruler of the dead, however.—later, Satan or Lucifer is essentially the rule of hell, but the concept of Satan differs from Judaism to Christianity—but that is WHOLE other topic!

Other verses concerning Sheol:. "...my life draws near To Sheol. I am reckoned among those who go down to the Pit; I am a man who has no strength, like one forsaken among the dead, like the slain that lie in the grave, like those whom thou dost remember no more, for they are cutoff from thy hand.“ Psalms 88:3-5 "You [God] restored me to health and let me live...In your love you kept me from the pit of destruction...For...those who go down to the pit cannot hope for your faithfulness." Isaiah 38:16-18. (NIV) Sheol is described as:A "land of gloom and deep shadow... where even the light is like darkness." Job 10:21-22  "...the living know that they will die, but the dead know nothing; they have no further reward..." Ecclesiastes 9:5. "...in the grave [Sheol] where you are going, there is neither working nor planning nor knowledge nor wisdom." Ecclesiastes 9:10.

PSALM 88:3-12

The Psalmist Laments:

3 I am overwhelmed with troubles

    and my life draws near to death.

4 I am counted among those who go down to the pit;

    I am like one without strength.

5 I am set apart with the dead,

    like the slain who lie in the grave,

whom you remember no more,

    who are cut off from your care.

   

6 You have put me in the lowest pit,

    in the darkest depths.

7 Your wrath lies heavily on me;

    you have overwhelmed me with all your

waves.

8 You have taken from me my closest friends

    and have made me repulsive to them.

I am confined and cannot escape;

9     my eyes are dim with grief.

I call to you, Lord, every day;

    I spread out my hands to you.

10 Do you show your wonders to the dead?

    Do their spirits rise up and praise you?

11 Is your love declared in the grave,

    your faithfulness in Destruction?

12 Are your wonders known in the place of

darkness,

    or your righteous deeds in the land of

oblivion?

Apparently, the dead could be accessed through necromancy. 1 Samuel 28:7-20 describes how King Saul consulted a medium in Endor to contact the spirit of the deceased Samuel in order to predict the future. Saul did so despite the fact that he had banished mediums and soothsayers from the land; divination was forbidden to the Jews.Note that I used the word “medium” and not “witch” to describe the seer of Endor; “witch” is a mistranslation based on King James I fear of witches!

After the Babylonian captivity (circa 586-516 BCE), the idea of the Jewish afterlife shows some influence from Zoroasterism when Ezekiel speaks of the body being resurrected—echoing Zoroastrian beliefs.

ALAS, BABYLON

After Alexander visited Israel, the beliefs apparently shifted again. Daniel 12:2 says, "many of those who sleep in the dust of the earth will awake, some to everlasting life and some to the reproach of eternal abhorrence."  (REV) Unfortunately, Daniel does not discuss what happens to the third group of individuals -- those who remain asleep. (circa 165 BCE) (http://www.religioustolerance.org/aft_bibl1.htm#semites)An apocryphal Jewish book, The Wisdom of Solomon (circa 50 BCE), states, "...the souls of the just are in God's hand; no torment will touch them...they are at peace...they have a sure hope of immortality; and after a little chastisement they will receive great blessings...They will be judges and rulers over nations and peoples, and the Lord will be their King forever."   Jewish beliefs on attaining the afterlife were based on the works and goodness of individuals.

The Talmud states that all Israel has a share in the Olam Ha-Ba, a concept of heaven or paradise. However, not all "shares" are equal. A particularly righteous person will have a greater share in the Olam Ha-Ba than the average person. In addition, a person can lose his share through wicked actions. (http://www.jewfaq.org/olamhaba.htm)One description of Olam Ha-Ba is: "This world is like a lobby before the Olam Ha-Ba. Prepare yourself in the lobby so that you may enter the banquet hall." The tractate Moed Katan teaches, "This world is only like a hotel. The world to come is like a home.” (http://www.religionfacts.com/judaism/beliefs/afterlife.htm)

The place of spiritual reward for the righteous is often referred to in Hebrew as Gan Eden.Only the very righteous go directly to Gan Eden. The average person descends to a place of punishment and/or purification, generally referred to as Gehenna or She'ol. Souls stay in Sheol for up to 12 months, and then all but the very wicked ascend to take their places on Olam Ha-Ba. (http://www.jewfaq.org/olamhaba.htm)

Image courtesy of http://www.yeshuatyisrael.com/sheol.htm

AND SO ON . . .

Sheol has much in common with Kur, the Sumerian underworld: both are dreary places where hope is futile. The Sumerian concept does seem to soften over time. In Hades, the shades in the Asphodel fields lack hope but there is the possibility of reincarnation. Those in Tartarus lack any hope. Christianity, which “grows” out of Judaism, conceived a different afterlife than did the Hebrews; Sheol becomes hell (from the Norse goddess, Hel) and is an inferno. Heaven is reserved for believers and unlike Judaic beliefs, admittance is not based on good deeds. Early sects of Christianity differed from later, stand canonical beliefs and some included reincarnation. It will be interesting to see how beliefs continue to change in the future!