That the dead will rise
even Moses made known in the passage about the bush,
when he called 'Lord'
the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob;
and he is not God of the dead, but of the living, for to him all are alive."
Life after death has never been a given, especially in Jewish thought. God's promise to King David was that his sons would rule in Israel forever, and not that he would see them or know of them from some mysterious place in the afterlife. Nor was it promised to Abraham, Moses, or any of the prophets. The only form of eternal life worth hoping for is that one's name might be remembered as a blessing.
As I understand the idea of "life after death" originated in India or Persia, and found a ready reception in Greek philosophy which had postulated that the soul and the body were separate things, and the soul might persist when the body perished. Everyone can see when life has left a corpse, but where did it go? India Hindus believed that it migrated to another body, which might be human but could be something else.
That fanciful notion found no home in Jewish thought. Perhaps they responded, "Why would anyone want to live in this troubled world again? What would God recycle souls when he can create as many descendants of Abraham as there are stars in the sky and grains of sand on the seashore?"
The first two books of Maccabees, found in Catholic versions of the Old Testament, support the notion of life after death as they describe the persecution which faithful Jews suffered for their faith. Suffering prolonged and vicious torture at the hands of pagans, they still refused to eat pork, and recited psalm prayers. Surely the God who can do all things will reward those individuals for their loyalty to him.
Christianity also suffers persecutions as the Gospel spreads from Jerusalem throughout the world. There has never been a century without martyrs, and there is no reason to suppose there ever will be one. When the Age of Martyrs ceases, we'll know that God has abandoned his Church and reneged on his covenant. And that will not happen. God's Holy Spirit will always find willing persons to announce the Gospel.
The promise of eternal life is given to martyrs; the rest of us hope we might be found worthy to join their company.
No comments:
Post a Comment
I love to write. This blog helps me to meditate on the Word of God, and I hope to make some contribution to our contemplations of God's Mighty Works.
Ordinarily, I write these reflections two or three weeks in advance of their publication. I do not intend to comment on current events.
I understand many people prefer gender-neutral references to "God." I don't disagree with them but find that language impersonal, unappealing and tasteless. When I refer to "God" I think of the One whom Jesus called "Abba" and "Father", and I would not attempt to improve on Jesus' language.
You're welcome to add a thought or raise a question.