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Flashcards in Chapter 3 Midterm Deck (13)
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1
Q

Sheol in the bible

A

o those who go down to Sheol do not come up
o place where one is cut off from God
• God is the god of the living, not the God of the dead

2
Q

Jewish idea of death

A

o when the body dies it returns to dust and the breath returns to God, the person who gave it and the soul goes to the place of the dead – gloomy etc called the Sheol (the underworld)
o Very similar to Mesapotaniam afterlife
- earliest biblicical idea of death

3
Q

Shiva

A
  • 7 days
    • Mourners remain at home, stay in clothes, no sexual relations, no showers or shaving, no public parties, no leather etc.
    • People bring food etc. so those in mourning can allow themselves to mourn without worrying about daily necessities of life
    o Read mourning rituals from textbook*
4
Q

one should not long for death - why?

A

o Corpse is buried asap, they are not beautified, and no open casket viewing
o Corpse is buried so body can return to God – if casket is used, a plain wooden coffin is used but traditionally they would be placed on a wooden board and covered with a cloth and lowered into the ground to not interrupt the returning of the body to God

5
Q

Ideas of resurrection - 2 views

A

2 Features:
• The apocalyptic view – belief that a great apocalypse will take place in human history when the wicked are destroyed and the good inherit the earth
• The eschatological view – belief that divine reward or punishment will come at the end of time, at the end of human history
• Eschatology is the study of the end times

6
Q

Apocalyptic Eschatology

A

o Belief that there will be a great apocalypse at the end of time when God’s justice will be revealed – when all the dead will be raised to face God’s judgement and all souls assigned to an eternity in heaven or hell
o First clear Biblical reference to resurrection comes from the book of Daniel c.165 BCE
• At this time in Jewish history, Antiochus IV (215-164 BCE) was a Syrian-Greek ruler who desecrated the temple in Jerusalem and outlawed Jewish religious practice on pain of death.
• Hannukah – commemoration of the Maccabean revolt and the re-taking of the Jerusalem temple
• Suffering was punishment for sin but in this case, where is the sin? They are being persecuted for believing in God

7
Q

What happens to the Soul

A

• Alexander conquers Palestine in 332 PEC
o Belief in the immortal soul and its destiny in an eternal world
• Development of ideas of soul
o Early biblical view – the human person is a holistic combination of body and God’s life-givng breath. Upon death, the breath returns to God and the dead soul goes to Sheol
o Greek philosophical view – body and soul are entirely different. The material body is the prison of the soul. Upon death, the souls of the good depart for a pleasant heavenly world called the Elysian fields – the wicked go to the dark underworld
• Maimonides and the doctrine of “double dying”
o First death – body returns to earth and the soul departs
o When the Messiah comes, then the resurrected body is joined with the soul to face judgement and the good live for a long time in a perfect earth. At the end of that time
o Second death when the soul goes on to a spiritual immortality in the Age to Come

8
Q

Jewish Views on Death & Afterlife

A
  • Religion doesn’t stand or fall on specific beliefs of the afterlife
  • Belief in the immortal soul, resurrection, God’s Judgement and the Age to Come are all part of Jewish religious thought
  • But, there are various beliefs regarding the details and no systematized dogmatic scheme that applies to everyone
  • Life and how to live it well in preparation for death is our business
9
Q

Maurice Lamm on Jewish Views of Death and Afterlife

A
  • To care for the body is a religious command – it came from God and will be revived by God
  • Ordinary life is valuable in God’s eyes, not dismissed as illusion but brought to fulfilment
  • God is just – those who do evil will be punished and those who do good will be rewarded
  • God is merciful – we rely on His mercy for resurrection
  • The concept of resurrection is a crucial aspect of Jewish faith – the details are up to God – and anything we can say is speculation
10
Q

Kabbalistic version of creation

A
  • Before creation, there is nothing but God
  • To make space for creation, God contracts himself, limits himself
  • God emanates 10 “vessels” that transmit the light of His divine qualities – they are the creative forces of wisdom, mercy, beauty, justice etc.
  • God’s light is so intense that some of the vessels accidentally shatter and the pieces are scattered through the cosmos
11
Q

Exile from God

A
  • Therefore, an element of brokenness and disorder enters creation
  • God and creation are alienated from each other due to this accident
  • The symbol of this brokenness and disharmony in the universe is exile
  • The task of the mystic is to restore harmony, gather all the broke parts, and redeem the world by following God’s commandments and cleaving to God
12
Q

The Journey of the Soul

A
  • Kabbalistic Judaism accepts the idea of the reincarnation of souls, called Gilgul (revolving)
  • As the soul incarnates, life after life, it becomes connected to all the bodies that it has inhabited
  • Mystic union with God is called “D’vekut” – clinging or cleaving to God
  • In that mystic union, al those who have shared in your bodily reincarnations also share in that perfection
13
Q

Ideas in Tension

A

• Resurrection of the body
• Disembodies soul
o If body and soul are two separate entities, how will they be judged when they come before God? Is it the soul that sins or the body?
• Answer to this is in a Rabbinic example from your textbook