Introduction
For the past three years, I have taught Scripture to our ninth grade religious education classes. Reading the Old Testament, there appeared to be a belief in an afterlife, but what those beliefs are was not clear to me at all. They used terms like “the world to come” and “going to be with our fathers”. There are several passages where people appear to be taken up without dying, like Elijah and Enoch, but it doesn't say where they went. In __________________, it talks about people going to the netherworld. I couldn't help but wonder - if Jewish people believe in an afterlife, why is the Torah so vague and how did their beliefs develop?
The Jewish faith has lacked a central authority that governs doctrine since the disappearance of the Sanhedrin. Therefore, one can not talk about Jewish belief in absolute terms. Jewish theology varies greatly between different groups. For this discussion, the beliefs of the Jewish people will be analyzed through the lens of twenty-first century Catholic doctrine. Thus, it may be prudent to briefly outline the teachings of the Catholic Church with regard to the afterlife.
The Apostle's Creed, which is the oldest profession of Christian belief, declares that Jesus “ascended into heaven and sits at the right hand of God, the Father Almighty. From thence He shall come to judge the living and the dead.” It also states that “I believe in the Holy Spirit, the holy catholic Church, the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body, and life everlasting.” The Niceno-Constantinopolitan Creed, which dates from the fourth century C.E., states these points similarly but with slightly more detail. It states that Jesus “will come again in glory to ju...
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Berenbaum, Michael. "Pittsburgh Platform." Encyclopaedia Judaica. Eds. Michael Berenbaum and Fred Skolnik. Vol. 16. 2nd ed. Detroit: Macmillan Reference USA, 2007. 190-191. 22 vols. Gale Virtual Reference Library. Gale. ST LEO UNIV. 17 Aug. 2010
In his second volume on Jewish apologetics, Michael Brown answers twenty eight Jewish theological objections. Brown summarizes this book in his preface:
Studies have shown that throughout the world, different cultures have similar and dissimilar views concerning a variety of topics. Of the most widely discussed topics, life and death are by far two of the most important and influential for any culture. The ancient Greek Homeric Hymn to Demeter and the Babylonian epic of Gilgamesh are perfect examples of cultures views on life and the afterlife. In this paper, I will attempt to demonstrate the views of both cultures on life and death, as well prove how these views influenced the daily lives and beliefs of the people who followed these ideas. The afterlife has always intrigued and terrified human beings and as a result, has influenced even the earliest of texts.
The religion of Roman Catholicism draws a prominent image of life after death. To begin, the Roman Catholic Church believes in the grant of eternal life among their believers. The death of a person simply puts an end to their mortal life; the soul itself is eternal. Everlasting life is determined by the person, through their acceptance or refusal of the Lord’s divine grace (Catholic Church 1021). Although the Church mainly speaks of the Final Judgment, Christ’s second coming, the...
In the illustration, Death’s Door, published first in 1805 as part of The Grave, William Blake is depicting the transition from this life into the afterlife. (Blake, 2008) Blake represents this transition as going through the door old, sick and feeble and coming out the other side as he was at his prime, a young muscular vibrant man. The illustration is a strong reflection of the Christian idea of life after death or. Blake depicts the move from this life to the next as one which will bring happiness and pleasure to those who pass through it. This illustration depicts death, as something to be welcomed, rather than feared when the time comes. The image represents a positive image of what death can be like and what one can have to look forward to in the afterlife.
this in the Shema, as again God gives an order a whole race of people
The four fundamental claims of the Catholic Intellectual Tradition, Human beings exist in a relation to a triune God, God’s presence in the world is mediated through nature and reality, faith and reason are compatible, the dignity of the human being is inviolable and therefore the commitment to justice for the common good is necessary. However, the great books in the Catholic Intellectual tradition show that they represent these fundamental claims in a broad distinctive way. This essay will show that these readings better represent one of the fundamental claims, human beings exist in a relation with a triune God, from the view point of three great books from the bible, Genesis, Exodus and the Gospel of Matthew. The Bible clearly supports the
Judaism is one of the main religions in the world today along with Christianity and Islam. The three religious beliefs share similar patriarchs and origins that have roots to Abraham. The differences that exist between Islam and Judaism are apparent, however, these are less distinct when a comparison is made between Christianity and Judaism. Regardless of the similarities that exist in the two religions, Judaism has many interesting and sometimes puzzling features. The paper will illustrate the features that I found interesting in Judaism and those that are more difficult to grasp and understand.
Judaism has most interested me, because of the respect I have for the history of the Jewish people and their ability to beat all odds. The perception of God in Judaism is monotheistic; in 2012 the world's Jewish population was estimated to be 13.75 million-according to Professor Sergio Della Pergola (2012) a Hebrew University demographics expert; that means an estimated 13.75 million Jews followed the tradition/religion of Judaism. The ultimate reality in Judaism is God; The Jews view God as eternal- the ultimate creator of the universe, and the source of righteousness. God has the power to intervene in the lives of the Jews. God has been called upon throughout Hebrew biblical history in many different names (ex. Elohim,YHWH), although all names reference the same God.
First let's examine more specifically the belief of afterlife and how it impacts internalized beliefs of the soul. When people think of death, there is a sense of depression and sadness of this idea of “the end” to their lives. This in turn, causes an imbalance in their internal milieu, leading to anxiety and fear of death. To keep the homeostasis of the internal milieu, there is another force that must counterbalance this fear, by replacing it with comfort. This comfort is founded on the belief in “eternity” of the soul in an afterlife. Whereby, life of the soul continues to live beyond the death of the physical body, thus relieving the anxiety of death, and bringing back the homeostasis of the internal mil...
Judaism is one of the most ancient religions in the world. Abraham, his descendants, and Moses are believed to have been the founders. According to Jewish beliefs until Abraham man worshiped many Gods. The story begins with Abraham and his wife Sarah trying to conceive a child. When Abraham was 99 and Sarah 90 God came to Abraham and told him they would have a son. After the child was born God again came to Abraham and tested his beliefs by asking him to sacrifice his only son Isaac. Isaac willingly went with Abraham to be sacrificed. Before Abraham could sacrifice Isaac God sent an angel down to stop him. As a reward for his faith God made a covenant with Abraham that he and his descendants would be protected as long as they continued to show faith in him and live a life that was wholesome. Also from this it is said God blessed Abraham with many children. His son Isaac had two sons Jacob and Esau, Jacob who changes his name to Israel had twelve sons. Israel’s had twelve sons they are the “12 tribes of Israel” and their descendants are later known as the Israelites also called Hebrews.
Rosen, Jeremy. Understanding Judaism. Edinburgh: Dunedin Academic, 2003. Print. This Book Describes the Theology and Practice from Judaism's Biblical Origins to the Present Day. Rosen Is a Rabbi. The Book Is Written as an Academic Textbook. The Theology Section of the Book Gives a Overview of Jewish Beliefs of Life after Death.
Most cultures generally share a universal belief that there is some form of an afterlife. In the gospel of Matthew, the idea of life after death is shown through the teachings of Jesus. Since Jesus is considered to be the Son of God, he preaches that once the body of a human has died, their soul continues to live on. Although they are physically dead on Earth, the spirit of the person moves on to the next life. Jesus says to his followers “I will not drink from this fruit of the vine from now on until that day when I drink it new with you in my Father’s kingdom” (Matthew 26:29). His Father’s kingdom refers to the notion of heaven, where all souls gather after their death on Earth. The Christian belief in the gospel of where the soul goes after death is very different from the Greek view portrayed by Homer.
It has been observed that Christianity and Judaism have several similarities which come from the fact that they share a common origin. Nevertheless, they differ greatly in their concept of God, salvation, marriage, rules followed, rituals and their belief about final judgment and having one’s name written in the book of life.
Within the Bible it reveals the essentials and key concepts of the Christian faith. There are a few essential principles that most Christians believe, which are as follows; the deity of Christ, belief in the resurrection and the power it gives us over death and sin and, salvation by God’s grace and not by works but salvation is through Jesus. It would s necessarily that we understand these key principles and believe in them if we are truly to be followers of Jesus Christ. In today 's society it is import that the Christian faith values its historical past and be flexible enough to reach the generation today. In this paper I will briefly discuss the essentials of Christian faith