1. Soul & destiny in the Hebrew Bible, N.T., & early Christianity ~ slide 1 Soul & human destiny in the Hebrew Bible & N.T. zThe Jewish & Christian views on ongoing life (cf. Plato & the Greek view) uThe Hebrew Bible y Israelites believed in some sort of ethereal existence after death in a place called Sheol. yNot a desirable existence -- is one of lethargy & inactivity, & borderline consciousness

2. Soul & destiny in the Hebrew Bible, N.T., & early Christianity ~ slide 2 Soul & human destiny in the Hebrew Bible & N.T. yResurrection in the Hebrew Bible appears late äDaniel 12:2 - ca. 165 B.C. å“Multitudes who sleep in the dust of the earth will awake: some to everlasting life, others to shame and everlasting contempt.”

3. Soul & destiny in the Hebrew Bible, N.T., & early Christianity ~ slide 3 Soul & human destiny in the Hebrew Bible & N.T. äII Maccabees 14:46 - ca. 140 B.C. åA faithful Jew is martyred by the Romans & “invoking him who disposes of life and breath to give them back again, he died.”

4. Soul & destiny in the Hebrew Bible, N.T., & early Christianity ~ slide 4 Soul & human destiny in the Hebrew Bible & N.T. yWhen will the resurrection take place? äAt some unspecified future time. yBut there is only a whisper of resurrection in the Hebrew Bible.

5. Soul & destiny in the Hebrew Bible, N.T., & early Christianity ~ slide 5 Soul & human destiny in the Hebrew Bible & N.T. yThere are other views of afterlife in the late books of the Hebrew Bible äDeath is final -- Ecclesiasticus 17:27-28

6. Soul & destiny in the Hebrew Bible, N.T., & early Christianity ~ slide 6 Soul & human destiny in the Hebrew Bible & N.T. äImmortality -- Wisdom of Solomon 3:1-5 - 1st century B.C., probably written by a Hellenized Jew å“But the souls of the righteous are in the hand of God, and no torment will ever touch them... They are at peace... There is hope in immortality.”

7. Soul & destiny in the Hebrew Bible, N.T., & early Christianity ~ slide 7 Soul & human destiny in the Hebrew Bible & N.T. uResurrection in the N.T. yLocus classicus: I Corinthians 15 & II Corinthians 5:1-10 äI Cor. 15:12-57: “Now if this is what we proclaim, that Christ was raised from the dead, how can some of you say there is no resurrection of the dead?... But the truth is that Christ was raised

8. Soul & destiny in the Hebrew Bible, N.T., & early Christianity ~ slide 8 Soul & human destiny in the Hebrew Bible & N.T. äto life, the first fruits of the harvest of the dead.... But you may ask, how are the dead raised? In what kind of body? What stupid questions!... sown a physical body, it is raised a spiritual body.”

9. Soul & destiny in the Hebrew Bible, N.T., & early Christianity ~ slide 9 Soul & human destiny in the Hebrew Bible & N.T. ä2 Cor. 5:1-10: “We know that if the earthly frame that houses us today is demolished, we possess a building which God has provided--a house not made by human hands, eternal and in heaven. In this present body we groan, yearning to be covered by our heavenly habitation put on over this one...”

10. Soul & destiny in the Hebrew Bible, N.T., & early Christianity ~ slide 10 Soul & human destiny in the Hebrew Bible & N.T. yAre three possible intepretations of N.T. texts ä1. Immediate resurrection ä2. Extinction & then recreation ä3. Intermediate state resurrection -- persons are temporarily spirit without body, but the future resurrection will reincarnate them; seems to require some sort of dualism

11. Soul & destiny in the Hebrew Bible, N.T., & early Christianity ~ slide 11 Soul & human destiny in the Hebrew Bible & N.T. uEarly Christianity -- all accept resurrection but have different interpretations of it yOrigen (c.185-c.254) - resurrected person is entirely spiritual yJerome (c.347-420) - literal bodily resurrection yAugustine (354-430) - resurrection of a transformed earthly body

12. Soul & destiny in the Hebrew Bible, N.T., & early Christianity ~ slide 12 Soul & human destiny in the Hebrew Bible & N.T. uMedieval Christianity yOne representative figure: Aquinas (1225-74) äSoul without the body is emaciated, incomplete (Cf. Plato - soul is complete by itself) äThe complete person is both soul & body äProbably combines resurrection & immortality

13. Soul & destiny in the Hebrew Bible, N.T., & early Christianity ~ slide 13 Soul & human destiny in the Hebrew Bible & N.T. uOscar Cullman’s famous comparison of the death of Socrates & the death of Jesus (“Immortality of the Soul and Resurrection of the Body?” Theologische Zeitschrift (1956)) ySocrates - faces death with peace, even looks forward to it yJesus - faces it with dread ySuggests the difference between immortality & resurrection

14. Soul & destiny in the Hebrew Bible, N.T., & early Christianity ~ slide 14 Soul & human destiny in the Hebrew Bible & N.T. yImmortality -- äGreek in origin äBound to dualism äNatural äSpatial (here/there)

15. Soul & destiny in the Hebrew Bible, N.T., & early Christianity ~ slide 15 Soul & human destiny in the Hebrew Bible & N.T. yResurrection äHebrew & Christian in origin äDoes not require dualism äRequires special intervention of God äFuture event (past/future)