Biblical Hebrew Forum

["B. M. Rocine" <brocine AT twcny.rr.com>]

Forwarded on behalf of Rodney Duke:

Dear Colleagues,

I am writing in response to Rolf Furuli, who said:

    In Hebrew thought the NP$ dies and and go down to $)WL, to the grave,
    where there is no life. So any "afterlife" in the sense that man
    continues to live after the body dies, is not found in the Tanakh
    (including Daniel).

I lean toward the conclusion that in Hebrew thought there WAS a belief 
in life after bodily death, based on such passages as: Psalm 73:23-28, 
Psalm 49:15-16 (H), and Proverbs 12:28.  I agree with those who have 
said that there is no emphasis on afterlife in the Hebrew Bible, which 
is somewhat true of the NT as well.  The concept appears to be that 
walking with God in the present results in a lasting life, because of 
God's faithfulness, as opposed to the notion that one dies, goes to 
heaven, and begins eternal life as a kind of reward.

blessings,
Rodney

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Dr. Rodney K. Duke
Dept. of Phil. & Rel., Appalachian State Univ., Boone, NC 28608
(O) 828-262-3091, (FAX) 828-262-6619, dukerk AT appstate.edu