The Hebrews and the Afterlife

Soul sleep advocates argue that the Hebrew Scriptures (Tanakh) doesn't teach of an afterlife or an immortal soul. However, this is an argument from silence because it assumes that since the Hebrew Bible does not clearly teach an immortal soul, the Hebrews must not have believed in one. It is also not an accurate understanding of what the Hebrews believed about the grave (Sheol).

It shouldn't be presumed that the Hebrews knew it all. In fact, some of their understandings of such things were borrowed from their Mesopotamian neighbors. The Hebrews’ concept of the underworld, Sheol, is very similar to Sumerian (Kur) and Akkadian (Irkalla) cosmology. The Hebrew Bible's primary focus was on earthly matters, specifically, God's dealings with Israel. It did not concern itself with much outside of that.

The reason why much wasn't said of the afterlife was twofold. First, they simply weren't given that revelation (knowledge/understanding) by God. They didn't know, for example, that the Messiah would be born of a virgin, or there would be a church age with the inclusion of the gentiles. Nor did they know about a future resurrection, though it was hinted at (Dan 12:2, Job 19:25–26, Isa 26:19). There is something known as progressive revelation. God doesn't reveal truth to humanity all at once but gradually over time. In that regard, the Hebrews' understanding of the afterlife was incomplete.

One may argue that this is picking and choosing what to believe, but I would object. It just means we have a limited understanding of spiritual truths, and more is revealed as time goes on. It's like putting the pieces of a puzzle together. We don't see the full picture until it's finished. As Paul said, "We see through a glass darkly." Unfortunately, erroneous assumptions are often made based upon incomplete information.

Second, Sheol was all the Hebrews knew about. It's where they all went when they died, as there was no path for them to ascend to the third heaven with God before Christ came to atone for their sins. That’s why they spoke only of the grave (Sheol) in negative or neutral terms with little to no emphasis on the afterlife. They did, however, have the hope that God would provide the means for them (Psa 49:15).

Still, they did have a concept of an afterlife. Sheol was more than just the grave; it was an underworld, the abode of the dead. The dead were not nonexistent but aware, albeit as a weak, diminished version of themselves in the shadowy underworld, just as with their Mesopotamian counterparts. The implication is that while their body went to the grave, their soul went to the underworld. That's why when they died, it says they were gathered to their ancestors. It doesn't mean they were merely gathered in the tomb, but that they were gathered with their people in the afterlife. Ecclesiastes 12:7 says, "And the dust returns to the earth as it was, and the spirit (rûaḥ) returns to God who gave it," demonstrating a distinction and separation between the body and soul after death.

It also should be noted that the Hebrews/Israelites did have a concept of a spiritual realm inhabited with angelic and demonic beings. One notable example is 2 Kings 6. The king of Aram (Syria) had sent an army to capture the prophet Elisha. Elisha’s servant was startled, but then God opened his eyes, and he saw an angelic army on horses and chariots of fire. It wasn't a dream or a vision, but a glimpse into the unseen realm. If angelic beings can exist without non-corporeal bodies, it shouldn't be a stretch to believe that humans can also exist without physical bodies.

Key points:

  • The claim that "because the Hebrew Bible never explicitly teaches that the human soul is immortal or consciously survives death, we must conclude that the Hebrews did not believe in an immortal soul or a conscious afterlife" is an argument from silence fallacy.
  • The Hebrew Bible/Old Testament's focus is primarily on earthly matters.
  • Some of the Hebrews' cosmology was based upon an ancient Near Eastern worldview, not necessarily by divine revelation.
  • The Hebrew Bible presents an early and relatively undeveloped framework of the afterlife centered on Sheol.
  • Sheol is more than just the grave; it is an underworld with inhabitants who are conscious and awake.
  • Progressive revelation explains why the Hebrews had a limited revelation of the afterlife.
  • The Hebrews had no pathway to ascend to heaven before Christ; therefore, it was not their focus or expectation.

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