Belief in a Continuation of Existence According to the Bible (13 June 2017, 19 Sivan, 5777)
Adapted from an answer by Yair Davidiy to a Quora Question:
When did the idea of belief in an afterlife enter Judaism?
https://www.quora.com/When-did-the-idea-of-belief-in-an-afterlife-enter-Judaism/answer/Yair-Davidiy
Belief in the After-Life existed from the beginning.
It is suffused throughout the Biblical texts even though a systematic description and explanation of its processes is lacking.
[In Judaism there is quite an extensive literature on this subject. It is not however a matter most Religious Jews are really interested in.
In the following article we have limited ourselves to a few of the sources in Scripture and not more than that.]
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Sheol
We have the Hebrew term "Sheol" which in the Bible is the Place of the Dead.
It seems to indicate a condition of indefinite waiting.
The English word "soul" (Old Saxon seola, Old Norse sala, Old Frisian sele, Middle Dutch siele, Dutch ziel, Old High German seula, German Seele, Gothic saiwala, of uncertain origin) may be related to the Hebrew "sheol," pronounceable as "seol". Its connotation in this case would be that aspect of eternity in all human beings.
We see how Saul tried to speak with Samuel who was in Sheol even though such attempts were strictly forbidden (2-Samuel 28:3-25).
In other words they believed the dead were in Sheol, had some degree of consciousness, and could return to a degree to this world.
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Job speaks of Sheol as a place of waiting.
- Job (TCT Tanakh-Chabad) 14:
13 WOULD THAT YOU HIDE ME IN THE GRAVE, THAT YOU WOULD KEEP ME SECRET, UNTIL YOUR WRATH HAS SUBSIDED; GIVE ME A SET TIME AND REMEMBER ME. - cf.
- Job (NASB) 14:
- 13 OH THAT YOU WOULD HIDE ME IN SHEOL,
THAT YOU WOULD CONCEAL ME UNTIL YOUR WRATH RETURNS TO YOU,
THAT YOU WOULD SET A LIMIT FOR ME AND REMEMBER ME!
Job is saying, "I wish you would put me in Sheol for as long as you are angry with me and after that return me to life."
This, it is implied, is what Sheol was for!
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Jacob speaks of Sheol as equivalent to the grave and a place one goes to but not necessarily forever.
- Genesis (NASB) 37:
35 THEN ALL HIS SONS AND ALL HIS DAUGHTERS GOT UP TO COMFORT HIM, BUT HE REFUSED TO BE COMFORTED. AND HE SAID, "SURELY I WILL GO DOWN TO SHEOL IN MOURNING FOR MY SON." SO HIS FATHER WEPT FOR HIM.
cf. Genesis 42:38, 44:29, etc.
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Numbers 16:30 describes Sheol as being under the ground BUT here the intention may be the equivalent of the burial place and the grave that lead to Sheol.
- Numbers (NASB) 16:
30 BUT IF THE LORD BRINGS ABOUT AN ENTIRELY NEW THING AND THE GROUND OPENS ITS MOUTH AND SWALLOWS THEM WITH EVERYTHING THAT IS THEIRS, AND THEY DESCEND ALIVE INTO SHEOL, THEN YOU WILL KNOW THAT THESE MEN HAVE BEEN DISRESPECTFUL TO THE LORD. - ===============================
Sheol is a place that has power over the soul which still exists.
- Psalm (NASB) 49:
- 15 BUT GOD WILL REDEEM MY SOUL FROM THE POWER OF SHEOL,
FOR HE WILL RECEIVE ME. SELAH.
Here the Psalmist (David) praises God who will redeem his soul from Sheol.
The intention here may be to a future Resurrection of the Dead.
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David also says that he will go to his son who is dead.
The implication is that this dead son still exists in some indeterminate state.
- 2-Samuel (TCT Tanakh-Chabad) 12:
- BUT NOW [THAT] HE IS DEAD, WHY SHOULD I FAST? CAN I BRING HIM BACK AGAIN? I SHALL GO TO HIM, BUT HE WILL NOT RETURN TO ME."
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The Hebrew word that is parallel to the English word "soul" is "Neshamah."
Psalm (TCT Tanakh-Chabad) 150:
6 LET EVERY SOUL PRAISE GOD. HALLELUJAH!cf.
Psalm (NASB) 150:
6 EVERYTHING THAT HAS BREATH SHALL PRAISE THE LORD. PRAISE THE LORD!
# everything that has breath # in Hebrew "col [everything, all] ha-nashama". "ha-nashama" is translated here as "that has breath". This indeed could be one interpretation of the expression. Nevertheless a more acceptable rendition would be "soul". "Nashama" in Hebrew connotes the soul (in the English-language sense) i.e. that potion of the spiritual subconscious that is always aware of the Almighty and that in the Afterlife will render an accounting.
The soul knows the truth always.
Our souls are called upon to praise the ALMIGHTY.
The idea of an afterlife always existed. it was however to be preceded by a sojourn in the Grave, in Sheol.
Later understandings of Life after Death emanated from what the Bible had indicated.
Wikipedia has an article summarizing what the "Later
Understandings" were:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Afterlife#Judaism
The article quotes from the Talmud but the Talmud does not really dwell on these matters. Nor does it generally make Doctrinal Adjudications.
The following notes should be considered as "opinions expressed" rather than "declarative teachings."
Wikipedia. The World to Come.
# The Talmud offers several thoughts relating to the afterlife. After death, the soul is brought for judgment. Those who have led pristine lives enter immediately into the Olam Haba or world to come. Most do not enter the world to come immediately, but experience a period of reflection of their earthly actions and are made aware of what they have done wrong. Some view this period as being a "re-schooling", with the soul gaining wisdom as one's errors are reviewed. Others view this period to include spiritual discomfort for past wrongs. At the end of this period, not longer than one year, the soul then takes its place in the world to come. Although discomforts are made part of certain Jewish conceptions of the afterlife, the concept of eternal damnation is not a tenet of the Jewish afterlife. According to the Talmud, extinction of the soul is reserved for a far smaller group of malicious and evil leaders, either whose very evil deeds go way beyond norms, or who lead large groups of people to utmost evil.[Talmud, Sanhedrin][34]. #
Maimonides in his 13 principles of faith. speaks of a Resurrection of the Dead.
cf.
Maimonides: "I BELIEVE WITH PERFECT FAITH THAT THERE WILL BE A REVIVAL OF THE DEAD AT THE TIME WHEN IT SHALL PLEASE THE CREATOR, BLESSED BE HIS NAME, AND HIS MENTION SHALL BE EXALTED FOR EVER AND EVER.
Elsewhere, in a letter, Maimonides describes the Olam Haba (world to come) in spiritual terms, relegating the prophesied physical resurrection to the status of a future miracle, unrelated to the afterlife or the Messianic era. According to Maimonides, an afterlife continues for the soul of every human being, a soul now separated from the body in which it was "housed" during its earthly existence.
His opinion was not unanimously accepted.
The Zohar describes Gehenna (i.e. Gehinom, i.e. "hell") not as a place of punishment for the wicked but as a place of spiritual purification for souls.
What about Reincarnation?
Reincarnation is spoken of in Mystical Works such as the Zohar. Claims that it is hinted as in the Bible may seem abstruse at first glance. Nevertheless, Reincarnation appears to be an ancient tradition and the concept in principle is now widely accepted.
Rabbi Yirmiyahu Ullman (of Ohr Samaech Yeshivah, Jerusalem), wrote that Reincarnation is an "ancient, mainstream belief in Judaism".
Deuteronomy (TCT Tanakh Chabad) 33:
6 MAY REUBEN LIVE AND NOT DIE, AND MAY HIS PEOPLE BE COUNTED IN THE NUMBER.
The was translated by Onkelos (c. 35 - 120 CE) as saying:
MAY REUBEN LIVE IN ETERNAL LIFE AND A SECOND DEATH NOT DIE...
This has been understood to mean that Reuben should merit the World to Come directly, and not have to die again as a result of being reincarnated.
Nachmanides (Ramban 1195-1270), attributed the suffering of Job to reincarnation, as hinted in him saying "God does all these things twice or three times with a man, to bring back his soul from the pit to... the light of the living' (Job 33:29, 30)."
Nevertheless, there were very revered and authoritative Rabbis who rejected the Concept of Reincarnation.
These included:
Saadia Gaon, David Kimhi, Hasdai Crescas, Yedayah Bedershi (early 1300s), Joseph Albo, Abraham ibn Daud, the Rosh and Leon de Modena.
