The Battle Within: Embarking On The Hero’s Journey.

The Battle Within: Embarking On The Hero’s Journey.

By: A. D. Wayman

It is interesting for sure on what sort of situation people find themselves in when they realize they are caught in the metaphor and either wile embarking on a mission or finding themselves in the middle of one. Here we will view such an example from Hindu, Judaism and Christianity. Each responds in a different way and each will count the costs of embarking on the Hero’s journey some will be successful and others will not, but all will in the end learn from the experience. Such a journey can be a fair and foul thing.

One of my favorite lines written in the Juan Mascaro’s english translation of the Bahagavad Gita publish by Penguin Classics starts as follows

“On the field of Truth, on the battle-field of life, what came to pass, Sanjaya, when my sons and their warriors faced those of my brother Pandu.”

It seems that all such battles with-in start in such a way and here even at the start of the first lines of the Gita it takes us directly to the place where conflicts arise. Arjuna, sitting between the two lines of friends and family on both sides and one looks this way and that across the divide and falls into despair. For one realizes that the mission you were consumed by or found yourself on will cause great consequences for everyone who meet on such a field. In 1:28-29 of the text we can feel the distress of Arjuna at being in the center of such a conflict, a conflict that we may have found ourselves in at some point in our lives.

“When Arjuna thus saw his kinsmen face to face in both lines of battle, he was overcome by grief and despair and thus he spoke with a sinking heart. When I see all my Kinsmen, Krishna, who have come here on this field of battle, Life goes from my limbs and they sink, and my mouth is sear and dry: a trembling overcomes my body, and my hair shudders in horror.”1

Jumping across the spectrum of heroes we find a text about one who seems something other then such, but it speaks volumes on the different reaction to the journey and the trials that face us. Unlike Arjuna, who is distressed and finds himself in the middle of a conflict we find one who decides that running might be an option. Even though he runs, he is still consumed and is forced to take the journey. The task at hand was only delayed for a short time. In the account of Jonah, from the Hebrew Tanakh, we read of the distress of Jonah from the belly of the Whale that again many of us have found our selves in at some point in our lives. Whether it is represented as death or a whale in literature, it is a long, hard, dark, and frightening path to walk.

“Jonah prayed to the LORD his God from the belly of the fish. He said: In my trouble I called to the LORD, And He answered me; From the belly of Sheol I cried out, And You heard my voice. You cast me into the depths, Into the heart of the sea, The floods engulfed me; All Your breakers and billows Swept over me. I thought I was driven away Out of Your sight: Would I ever gaze again Upon Your holy Temple? The waters closed in over me, The deep engulfed me. Weeds twined around my head. I sank to the base of the mountains; The bars of the earth closed upon me forever. Yet You brought my life up from the pit, O LORD my God! When my life was ebbing away, I called the LORD to mind; And my prayer came before You, Into Your holy Temple. They who cling to empty folly Forsake their own welfare, But I, with loud thanksgiving, Will sacrifice to You; What I have vowed I will perform. Deliverance is the LORD’s” Jonah 2:1-9 NJPS-TNK

And as we know from this beautiful piece of literature Jonah then completes his mission, although he is unhappy with the results, which in its self might be a great lesson about what, or how we interpret the outcome of our journeys. It may not always make us happy or turn out the way one expects.

Crossing into more modern times we come to the beginning of the text Dante’s Inferno.

“Midway the path of life that men pursue

I found me in a darkling wood astray,

For the direct way had been lost to view.

Ah me, how hard a thing it is to say

What was this thorny wildwood intricate

Whose memory renews the first dismay!

Scarcely in death is bitterness more great:

But as concerns the good discovered there

The other things I saw will I relate.

In the midway of this our mortal life,

I found me in a gloomy wood, astray

Gone from the path direct: and e’en to tell,

It were no easy task, how savage wild

That forest, how robust and rough its growth,

Which to remember only, my dismay

Renews, in bitterness not far from death.

Yet, to discourse of what there good befel,

All else will I relate discover’d there.” 2

Many other texts would qualify for such a place here, the Epic of Baal, the Decent of Ishtar, the Decent of Ra, the Odyssey of Homer and many more. What is interesting about Dante however as he presses on to the lower depths, he seemingly becomes less and less afraid of the horrible sights he encounters. Possibly he is becoming immune to the horrors of the under world and is becoming desensitized to its horrors? We find a moving passage near the end of the epic poem when Dante climes out of the pit, after scaling Satan himself. Which at times is where such a journey might lead us.

“I clipp’d him round the neck; for so he bade:

And noting time and place, he, when the wings

Enough were oped, caught fast the shaggy sides,

And down from pile to pile descending stepp’d

Between the thick fell and the jagged ice.

Soon as he reach’d the point, whereat the thigh

Upon the swelling of the haunches turns,

My leader there, with pain and struggling hard,

Turn’d round his head where his feet stood before,

And grappled at the fell as one who mounts;

That into Hell methought we turn’d again.”3

And finally we read of the assent into light, the end of the journey.

“To the fair world: and heedless of repose

We climb’d, he first, I following his steps,

Till on our view the beautiful lights of Heaven

Dawn’d through a circular opening in the cave:

Thence issuing we again beheld the stars.” 4

In other literature some heroes are not so lucky and neither are those heroes in the here and now. Each one of us will have a different outcome; each will have a different wars, whales, or Satans to scale. Some never return and we who are left behind only can say they were brave enough to at least start such an epic journey and be inspired by such acts of heroic deeds. Others after having gone so far to find what we are looking far have it stolen along the way such as in the text of Gilgamesh when the serpent steals the plant of everlasting life. But no matter the outcome we may all be heroes one way or another. But we first have to start the journey.

1. Mascara, Juan. The Bhagavad Gita. Penguin Classics, New York, NY 1962.
2. Cary, Henery F. The Divine Comedy of Dante. Canto I
3. Cary, Henery F. The Divine Comedy of Dante. Canto 34
4. Cary, Henery F. The Divine Comedy of Dante. Canto 34

The Evil Inclination is like Amalek

The Evil Inclination is like Amalek

Currently there are well done posts on the good and evil impulse at Yeshua Quest

To view the posts click here

That which is born of the flesh is flesh.

That which is born of the flesh is flesh

Many times one can get lost in the hedge rows of theology and at time the texts that originally meant one particular view is lost in translation and denominational theology and belief systems.  With little research done on the historical context and few lay-persons understanding Hebrew, Greek, and Aramaic, the texts on Being Born Again and the repentance movements are lost in oversimplified renderings by those less then qualified but are thought to be.  While the qualifications are a matter of opinion it is most frustrating at times to some believers searching for the Jewish view of repentance.  In response to such issues.  Yeshua Quest along with ReligionThink has been posting videos relevant to Jewish beliefs and articles on the topic of repentance movements from a Historical and Jewish Perspective.  I would invite those with an intrest to visit the following links on the articles and videos below.

 Yeshua Quest  “God Birthing”

 Yeshua Quest “Born Again? What does that mean?”

 Yeshua Quest Jewish Videos on Youtube

 Also Visit ReligionThink for essays, videos, and articles on topics of world religion and theologies. 

Psalm 30: O Yahweh, You Lifted me From Sheol

Psalm 30: O Yahweh, You Lifted me From Sheol

By A. D. Wayman

מזמור שׁיר־חנכת הבית לדוד׃

ארוממך יהוה כי דליתני ולא־שׂמחת איבי לי׃

יהוה אלהי שׁועתי אליך ותרפאני׃

יהוה העלית מן־שׁאול נפשׁי חייתני מיורדי־בור׃

זמרו ליהוה חסידיו והודו לזכר קדשׁו׃

כי רגע באפו חיים ברצונו בערב ילין בכי ולבקר רנה׃

ואני אמרתי בשׁלוי בל־אמוט לעולם׃

יהוה ברצונך העמדתה להררי עז הסתרת פניך הייתי נבהל׃

אליך יהוה אקרא ואל־אדני אתחנן׃

מה־בצע בדמי ברדתי אל־שׁחת היודך עפר היגיד אמתך׃

שׁמע־יהוה וחנני יהוה היה־עזר לי׃

הפכת מספדי למחול לי פתחת שׂקי ותאזרני שׂמחה׃

למען יזמרך כבוד ולא ידם יהוה אלהי לעולם אודך׃

The Hebrew text it’s self is given here do to translation issues. It is interesting that some translations leave out the heading of the Psalms while others include it. Still some use the wording of Yhovah 1 while others YHWH. Such terms are loaded with symbolism, along with preconceived notions about the theology of the wording with interpretations all derived from a belief system or underlying denominational motive. For the sake of avoiding confusion the translation in English is given from The Scriptures. 1998 version compiled by the Institute for Scripture Research (ISR).2

I exalt You, O יהוה, for You have drawn me up, And have not let my enemies rejoice over me. (2) יהוה my Elohim, I have cried to You, And You have healed me. (3) יהוה, You brought me up from the grave; You have kept me alive, from going down into the pit. (4) Sing praise to יהוה, You kind ones of His, And give thanks at the remembrance of His Set-apartness. (5) For His displeasure is for a moment, His delight is for life; Weeping might last for the night, But joy comes in the morning. (6) As for me, I have said in my ease, “Never would I be shaken!” (7) יהוה, in Your good pleasure You have made my mountain to stand strong; You hid Your face, and I was troubled. ( I cried out to You, O יהוה ; And to יהוה I prayed: (9) “What gain is there in my blood, When I go down to the pit? Would dust praise You? Would it declare Your truth? (10) “Hear, O יהוה, and show me favour; יהוה, be my helper!” (11) You have turned my mourning into dancing for me; You have torn off my sackcloth and girded me with gladness, (12) So that esteem might praise You and not be silent. O יהוה my Elohim, I thank You forever. Psa 30:1-12.

As we can see above even this translation leaves off the title of the Psalm, which we may find elsewhere:

A Mizmor / a song of David for the dedication of the temple /. 3

Moving along without other distractions we can view from the texts that the write has been spared from death and death in this Psalm is viewed as punishment. While it may be appropriate to bring the mind the text of Job, and his dealings with Yahweh on the issue it may server better to view across the cultural landscape of mythology to broaden our views of such literature. We will now look to other texts that view death in such a way from the East and Ancient Near East to see what role this motif has played. We will first look to the Rig Veda, then to a Sumerian text for comparisons. As we see the similarities, one will note how the same metaphors played the same roles for both the Hebrews and their neighbors.

Turning to the Rig Veda, already in volume one we come to a text suited almost perfect to Psalm 30. In Hymn 25 to Verna we read the following:

1 WHATEVER law of thine, O God, O Varuna, as we are men,
Day after day we violate.
2 give us not as a prey to death, to be destroyed by thee in wrath,
To thy fierce anger when displeased.
3 To gain thy mercy, Varuna, with hymns we bind thy heart, as binds
The charioteer his tethered horse.
4 They flee from me dispirited, bent only on obtaining wealths
As to their nests the birds of air.
5 When shall we bring, to be appeased, the Hero, Lord of warrior might,
Him, the far-seeing Varuna?
6 This, this with joy they both accept in common: never do they fail
The ever-faithful worshipper.
7 He knows the path of birds that fly through heaven, and, Sovran of the sea,
He knows the ships that are thereon.
8 True to his holy law, he knows the twelve moons with their progeny:
He knows the moon of later birth.
9 He knows the pathway of the wind, the spreading, high, and mighty wind:
He knows the Gods who dwell above.
10 Varuna, true to holy law, sits down among his people; he,
Most wise, sits there to govern all.
11 From thence percerving he beholds all wondrous things, both what hath been,
And what hereafter will be done.
12 May that Aditya, very wise, make fair paths for us all our days:
May he prolong our lives for us.
13 Varuna, wearing golden mail, hath clad him in a shining robe.
His spies are seated found about.
14 The God whom enemies threaten not, nor those who tyrannize o’er men,
Nor those whose minds are bent on wrong.
15 He who gives glory to mankind, not glory that is incomplete,
To our own bodies giving it.
16 Yearning for the wide-seeing One, my thoughts move onward unto him,
As kine unto their pastures move.
17 Once more together let us speak, because my meath is brought: priest-like
Thou eatest what is dear to thee.
18 Now saw I him whom all may see, I saw his car above the earth:
He hath accepted these my songs.
19 Varuna, hear this call of mine: be gracious unto us this day
Longing for help I cried to thee.
20 Thou, O wise God, art Lord of all, thou art the King of earth and heaven
Hear, as thou goest on thy way.
21 Release us from the upper bond, untie the bond between, and loose
The bonds below, that I may live..4

Taking note of verse two of this Hymn we can readily see the motif of death playing the functions discussed earlier. Death here is seen as a punishment dealt out by Verna, god of the Sky. 5 Turning now to the Ancient Near East we come to the text of Lugalbanda in the Mountain Cave. Here Lugalbanda is stricken with a fever and being unconscious for some time was feared dead and was taken to a cave. Below we read a portion of the text and the response of the deities. And so lugalbanda is saved from the brink of death by the gods.

“Utu, I greet you! Let me be ill no longer! Hero, Ningal’s son, I greet you! Let me be ill no longer! Utu, you have let me come up into the mountains in the company of my brothers. In the mountain cave, the most dreadful spot on earth, let me be ill no longer! Here where there is no mother, there is no father, there is no acquaintance, no one whom I value, my mother is not here to say “Alas, my child!” My brother is not here to say “Alas, my brother!” My mother’s neighbor who enters our house is not here to weep over me. If the male and female protective deities were standing by, the deity of neighbourliness would say, “A man should not perish”. A lost dog is bad; a lost man is terrible. On the unknown way at the edge of the mountains, Utu, is a lost man, a man in an even more terrible situation. Don’t make me flow away like water in a violent death! Don’t make me eat saltpetre as if it were barley! Don’t make me fall like a throwstick somewhere in the desert unknown to me! Afflicted with a name which excites my brothers’ scorn, let me be ill no longer! Afflicted with the derision of my comrades, let me be ill no longer! Let me not come to an end in the mountains like a weakling!”

Utu accepted his tears. He sent down his divine encouragement to him in the mountain cave.

She who makes …… for the poor, whose game (i.e. battle) is sweet, the prostitute who goes out to the inn, who makes the bedchamber delightful, who is food to the poor man — Inana (i.e. the evening star), the daughter of Suen, arose before him like a bull in the Land. Her brilliance, like that of holy Cara, her stellar brightness illuminated for him the mountain cave. When he lifted his eyes upwards to Inana, he wept as if before his own father. In the mountain cave he raised to her his fair hands:

“Inana, if only this were my home, if only this were my city! If only this were Kulaba, the city in which my mother bore me ……! Even if it were to me as the waste land to a snake! If it were to me as a crack in the ground to a scorpion! My mighty people ……! My great ladies ……! …… to E-ana!”
2 lines unclear
“The little stones of it, the shining stones in their glory, sajkal stones above, …… below, from its crying out in the mountain land Zabu, from its voice …… open — may my limbs not perish in the mountains of the cypresses!”

Inana accepted his tears. With power of life she let him go to sleep just like the sleeping Utu. Inana enveloped him with heart’s joy as if with a woollen garment. Then, just as if ……, she went to brick-built Kulaba.

The bull that eats up the black soup, the astral holy bull-calf (i.e. the moon), came to watch over him. He shines (?) in the heavens like the morning star, he spreads bright light in the night. Suen, who is greeted as the new moon, father Nanna, gives the direction for the rising Utu. The glorious lord whom the crown befits, Suen, the beloved son of Enlil, the god (1 ms. has instead: the lord) reached the zenith splendidly. His brilliance like holy Cara (1 ms. has instead: Utu) (1 ms. has instead: like lapis lazuli), his starry radiance illuminated for him the mountain cave. When Lugalbanda raised his eyes to heaven to Suen, he wept to him as if to his own father. In the mountain cave he raised to him his fair hands:

“King whom one cannot reach in the distant sky! Suen, whom one cannot reach in the distant sky! King who loves justice, who hates evil! Suen, who loves justice, who hates evil! Justice brings joy justly to your heart. A poplar, a great staff, forms a sceptre for you, you who loosen the bonds of justice, who do not loosen the bonds of evil. If you encounter evil before you, it is dragged away behind ……. When your heart becomes angry, you spit your venom at evil like a snake which drools poison.”

Suen accepted his tears and gave him life. He conferred on his feet the power to stand.

A second time (i.e. at the following sunrise), as the bright bull rising up from the horizon, the bull resting among the cypresses, a shield standing on the ground, watched by the assembly, a shield coming out from the treasury, watched by the young men — the youth Utu extended his holy, shining rays down from heaven (1 ms. from Ur adds: …… holy, his brilliance illuminated for him the mountain cave), he bestowed them on holy Lugalbanda in the mountain cave. His good protective god hovered ahead of him, his good protective goddess walked behind him. The god which had smitten him.6

It the comparisons above are able to get a glimpse of how much of the Hebrew metaphors were used elsewhere. This may also server a a way to view such issues across the culture and even the globe. At times our view of sacred texts are limited and one tends to forget that such written forms of human expression were a part everyday life. An as seen above more then one god showed mercy and compassion on the believer that called out in some form of lamentation and was spared from death.

1. For an explanation on how Jehovah was used see article: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jehovah

2. The author tends at times not to agree with the translations of TS98 but the text was used here to show the word usage of YHWEH in the Psalm discussed.

3. ‘The Psalms Project Master Table” http://www.bibal.net/04/proj/proj-pss1.html. Text used is from file: http://www.bibal.net/04/proso/psalms-ii/pdf/dlc_ps030-001-f.pdf

4. English translation by Ralph T.H. Griffith http://www.hinduwebsite.com/sacredscripts/

5. For information on the god Varuna see: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Varuna

6. Black, J.A., Cunningham, G., Robson, E., and Zólyomi, G., The Electronic Text Corpus of Sumerian Literature, Oxford 1998

*This essay was written by the author of religionthink.com

Know That All Lives Are Mine- Thoughts On Original Sin

Know That All Lives Are Mine- Thoughts On Original Sin

By A. D. Wayman

Since the day of Saint Augustine brought forth his view of original sin 1 , and that view was implemented in the Orthodox Christian Church it later spread to become the biblical “world view.” It is with this idea that led Christians to see the whole world, born lost, without hope of redemption, only though the saving power of their Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Distorting the views of the Apostle Paul and misunderstanding what the term “Born Again’ meant from a Jewish perspective, they set out to reap the fields that were white with harvest. It is the intent of this essay to show, in essence, what the victims of that harvest thought, and to point out a few major differences between the Jewish theology of original sin and that of their Christian counterparts.

It is the Jewish view that Man is responsible for his own sin. He is born with the gift of free will (”beḥirah”). However he is also frail and and has evil tendencies. Therefore Yahweh, in his mercy allows him to repent. While some hold that Adam was responsible for passing on sin the majority do not view it in these terms. 2

Below we read the text where such an idea was dispelled and it is this text that is overlooked by many in the camp of original sin descending from Adam. Below we read clearly that Yahweh told Ezekiel to expel this issue from being among Israeli thinking. The whole of Ezekiel 18 discusses the issue, showing alternating generations of righteous and unrighteous. It is within the following verses below that seem to be most relevant.

“The person who sins shall die. A child shall not suffer for the iniquity of a parent, nor a parent suffer for the iniquity of a child; the righteousness of the righteous shall be his own, and the wickedness of the wicked shall be his own. But if the wicked turn away from all their sins that they have committed and keep all my statutes and do what is lawful and right, they shall surely live; they shall not die. None of the transgressions that they have committed shall be remembered against them; for the righteousness that they have done they shall live. Have I any pleasure in the death of the wicked, says the Lord God, and not rather that they should turn from their ways and live? But when the righteous turn away from their righteousness and commit iniquity and do the same abominable things that the wicked do, shall they live? None of the righteous deeds that they have done shall be remembered; for the treachery of which they are guilty and the sin they have committed, they shall die. Yet you say, “The way of the Lord is unfair.” Hear now, O house of Israel: Is my way unfair? Is it not your ways that are unfair? When the righteous turn away from their righteousness and commit iniquity, they shall die for it; for the iniquity that they have committed they shall die. Again, when the wicked turn away from the wickedness they have committed and do what is lawful and right, they shall save their life. Because they considered and turned away from all the transgressions that they had committed, they shall surely live; they shall not die. Yet the house of Israel says, “The way of the Lord is unfair.” O house of Israel, are my ways unfair? Is it not your ways that are unfair? Therefore I will judge you, O house of Israel, all of you according to your ways, says the Lord God. Repent and turn from all your transgressions; otherwise iniquity will be your ruin. Cast away from you all the transgressions that you have committed against me, and get yourselves a new heart and a new spirit! Why will you die, O house of Israel? For I have no pleasure in the death of anyone, says the Lord God. Turn, then, and live.” (Eze 18:20-32 NRSV)

So in light of the text above why would there still be controversy on the issue of sin being passed on. There are many examples that the opposition can list in opposition to the text above. The First is Genesis 8:21 and another is from the Babylonian Talmud Sanhedrin 20. It is also important to note the wandering in the wilderness for the forty year stretch.

The text from Genesis comes to us from the J writer. In the text we read:

“And when the Lord smelled the pleasing odor, the Lord said in his heart, “I will never again curse the ground because of humankind, for the inclination of the human heart is evil from youth; nor will I ever again destroy every living creature as I have done.” (Gen 8:21)

Above it sounds as if the deity admits his issues creating man, and acknowledges his perceived inbred inclination to do evil. This is counter acted by the concept that believe Yahweh suppresses the free will allowing one to transgress until full punishment is met for the sin committed. 3 This also could be an explanation on the reaction of Pharaoh during the competition between the gods of Egypt and Moses’ god Yahweh.

The text from the Babylonian Talmud also appears to infer that sin is passed on. This text deals with the sin of the golden calf lasted for some time before it was “worked off”. Below we read:

“It reads [Michah, l. 14]: “Therefore shalt thou have to give presents to Moreshe thgath: the houses of Achzib shall become a deception to the kings of Israel.” Said R. Hanina b. Papa: A heavenly voice was heard saying: “To him who has killed Goliath the Philistine and inherited to you the city of Gath, should ye send away his descendants?” Therefore the house of Achzib shall be a deception to the kings of Israel. It reads [II Kings, xvii. 21]: “And Jeroboam misled Israel from following the Lord, and caused them to commit a great sin.” Said R. Hanina: As one throws a stick by means of another stick–i.e., he makes Israel to sin against their will. Said R. Aushia: Until Jeroboam came, Israel had to bear the iniquity of one golden calf, and from that time farther on for two and three. Said R. Itz’hak: Every evil dispensation which came upon Israel contained in it a twenty-fourth part as punishment for the golden calf, as the above cited verse [Ex. xxxii.] states. Said R. Hanina: After twenty-four generations this verse was fulfilled, as it reads [Ezek, ix, i]: “The ‘pkudas’ of the city came already at an end.” 4

The above could be explained that it was not by original sin that they had to work off the burden but by sin after their birth. It is interesting to note the difference. One born unclean is in stark contrast to being born into the world clean, and then committing transgressions out of human frailty and ignorance. For all things that come from the creator, according to the Jewish Mindset is clean. It is man that has the issues. Free will also plays an important role. It is from this view point that possibly is the reason why in the Jewish after life one’s experience in Sheol is not for all eternity. In Jewish thought there is not sin that can not be pardoned.5

In passing some scholars bring up the text of The Zohar. It is the opinion of the author that these text, although being Jewish literature, because they are from the 13th century, cannot be used in this essay. The text, Zohar, for those who are unfamiliar in places refer to the sin of Adam eating the apple and Eve copulating with the serpent. These places are directly influenced by Christian views and don not give us an accurate view of the Jewish thinking and theology on original sin. 6

1. Augustine “On the Grace of Christ, and on Original Sin” Book I http://www.newadvent.org/fathers/15061.htm

2. Jewish Encyclopedia “Sin” http://www.jewishencyclopedia.com/view.jsp…id=812&letter=S

3. Rejoinder to Talmid’s Thoughts on Deuteronomy 30:6. http://www.jewish-history.com/Occident/vol…847/talmid.html

4. Rodkinson, Michael L. Babylonian Talmud. Boston New Talmud Publishing Company, Cincinnati, OH. 1903. pg 325-326.

5. Jewish Encyclopedia “ Atonement” http://www.jewishencyclopedia.com/view.jsp…d=2092&letter=A

6. A good article addressing this topic is: Cooper, Alan. “A medieval Jewish version of original sin: Ephraim of Luntshits on Leviticus 12.” Harvard Theological Review. 10/01/2004

Posted by the author of  Religionthink.com

 

 

The Terror of the Warriors Was in the Land of the Living: Thoughts on Sheol.

The Terror of the Warriors Was in the Land of the Living: Thoughts on Sheol.

Hell to the Jewish mind is altogether different then the views popular among the evangelical Christians. To obtain a better understanding of this most horrible dimension it is important to note that the Jewish “Tofet” lasts not for eternity as the Christian but after a time some of the condemned are brought to the Gates of Eden. Below we will explore some texts and ideas of the underworld. The first examples are those that may have been influence by Greeks, Romans, and later Christianity. The next will be from earlier texts that have not. What we will find is that no specific doctrine exists amoung Jewish theology.

The most modern view can be found in an essay by Shlomo Yaffe and Yanki Tauber:

“While there are numerous stations in a soul’s journey, these can generally be grouped into four general phases:

i) the wholly spiritual existence of the soul before it enters the body;

ii) physical life;

iii) post-physical life in Gan Eden (the “Garden of Eden,” also called “Heaven” and “Paradise”);

iv) the “World to Come” (Olam HaBa) that follows the resurrection of the dead.”1

The first view we find in the Babyloian Talmud:

“Nay; even Resh Lakish admits that the sinners descend into hell; but our father Abraham, seeing that they are circumcised, rescues them. R. Jeremiah ben Elazar said again. “Hell has three gates: One in the desert, one in the sea, and one in Jerusalem.” “In the desert,” as it is written [Numbers xvi. 33]: “And they went down, they, and all they that appertained to them, alive into the pit (Sheol-Gehenna).” “In the sea,” as it is written [Jonah ii. 3]: “Out of the depth of the grave have I cried, and thou hast heard my voice.” “And one in Jerusalem,” as it is written [Isaiah xxxi. 9]: “Who hath a fire in Zion, and a furnace in Jerusalem.” And the disciples of R. Ishmael taught, that by a fire in Zion is meant Gehenna, and by the furnace in Jerusalem is meant the gate of Gehenna.R. Jehoshua, ben Levi said, that hell has seven names, viz.: Sheol, Abadon, Baar Shachath, Bor Sheon, Tit Hayavon, Tzalmoveth, and Eretz Hathachthith ”2

In short there is said to be three types of transgressions that one would commit to end up in such a dimension. The first one would be the denial of God, second, those who deny the divine authority of the law, and lastly, those who reject the resurrection of the dead. In passing the last, perhaps was to sure up a theological belief. Not all get out for some are consumed eventually altogether. 3

The second, found in the book of Enoch, another description is told:

“I saw the spirits of the children of men who were dead, and their voice went forth to heaven and made suit. Then I asked Raphael the angel who was with me, and I said unto him: ‘This spirit–whose is it whose voice goeth forth and maketh suit?’ Then I asked regarding it, and regarding all the hollow places: ‘Why as one separated from the other?’. And he answered me and said unto me: ‘These three have been made that the spirits of the dead might be separated. And such a division has been made for the spirits of the righteous, in which there as the bright spring of water. And such has been made for sinners when they die and are buried in the earth and judgment has not been executed on them in their lifetime. Here their spirits shall be set apart in this great pain till the great day of judgment and punishment and torment of those who curse for ever, and retribution for their spirits. There He shall bind them for ever. And such a division has been made for the spirits of those who make their suit, who make disclosures concerning their destruction, when they were slain in the days of the sinners. Such has been made for the spirits of men who were not righteous but sinners, who were complete in transgression, and of the transgressors. they shall be companions: but their spirits shall not be slain in the day of judgment nor shall they be raised from thence. Then I blessed the Lord of glory and said: ‘Blessed be my Lord, the Lord of righteousness, who ruleth for ever.”4

A third example come to us from Rabbi Joshua son of Levi. Rabbi Joshua contributed to such views. In a vision, after he was denied by one angel, he found a second angel could not go either. After much hardship he was finally able to observe hell and its different parts.

“He saw compartments ten miles in length and five in width and they were full of mountains of fire and consuming the sinners. And in one compartment he saw ten nations from the heathens, and Absalom, the son of David presides over them…”5

After reading such accounts it would be interesting to note the influences these writings had on Dante.

A different kind of hell was to those of the past. Although it is clear that there is destruction in the grave but is not with great detail.

“This is the portion of the wicked with God, and the heritage that oppressors receive from the Almighty: If their children are multiplied, it is for the sword; and their offspring have not enough to eat. Those who survive them the pestilence buries, and their widows make no lamentation. Though they heap up silver like dust, and pile up clothing like clay— they may pile it up, but the just will wear it, and the innocent will divide the silver. They build their houses like nests, like booths made by sentinels of the vineyard. They go to bed with wealth, but will do so no more; they open their eyes, and it is gone. Terrors overtake them like a flood; in the night a whirlwind carries them off. The east wind lifts them up and they are gone; it sweeps them out of their place. It hurls at them without pity; they flee from its power in headlong flight. It claps its hands at them, and hisses at them from its place.” (Job 27:13-23 NRSV)

The Psalms and laments are filled with images of death and the pit. Ezekiel 32:27 discusses the fate of warriors in Sheol. Below as another example we view one who feels betrayed. Here references to Shoel, the pit, and being forgotten by the deity are used to describe the place of death.

“O Lord, God of my salvation, when, at night, I cry out in your presence, let my prayer come before you; incline your ear to my cry. For my soul is full of troubles, and my life draws near to Sheol. I am counted among those who go down to the Pit; I am like those who have no help, like those forsaken among the dead, like the slain that lie in the grave, like those whom you remember no more, for they are cut off from your hand. You have put me in the depths of the Pit, in the regions dark and deep. Your wrath lies heavy upon me, and you overwhelm me with all your waves. (Selah) You have caused my companions to shun me; you have made me a thing of horror to them. I am shut in so that I cannot escape; my eye grows dim through sorrow. Every day I call on you, O Lord; I spread out my hands to you. Do you work wonders for the dead? Do the shades rise up to praise you? (Selah) Is your steadfast love declared in the grave, or your faithfulness in Abaddon? Are your wonders known in the darkness, or your saving help in the land of forgetfulness? But I, O Lord, cry out to you; in the morning my prayer comes before you. O Lord, why do you cast me off? Why do you hide your face from me? Wretched and close to death from my youth up, I suffer your terrors; I am desperate. Your wrath has swept over me; your dread assaults destroy me. They surround me like a flood all day long; from all sides they close in on me. You have caused friend and neighbor to shun me; my companions are in darkness.” (Psa 88:1-18 NRSV)

Thirdly, I would like to use a text that is not Jewish at all but comes from a distant history far removed that at times many forget that it compares with Jewish themes of the underworld and gives us a glimpse of the idea of the after life in the Ancient Near East in general. That text is the epic of Gilgamesh.

In a short summery, for those not so familiar, Gilgamesh was thought to be two thirds God and one third human. He conquers all, and experiences mostly all things then becomes board. That is until Enkidu, Gilgamesh’s soon to be rival, comes out of the forest and is domesticated by a harlot. It is in this text one views the struggles of the nomadic life style with that of the civilized. In the end they become best of friends, so much so that when Enkidu dies Gilgamesh is disillusioned by his death. He sets out to find life everlasting. Below we have the most beautiful description of Gilgamesh travels through the pains of loosing a friend and death.

“The scorpion-being spoke to Gilgamesh, saying:
“Go on, Gilgamesh, fear not!
The Mashu mountains I give to you freely (!),
the mountains, the ranges, you may traverse …
In safety may your feet carry you.
The gate of the mountain …”
As soon as Gilgamesh heard this
he heeded the utterances of the scorpion-being.
Along the Road of the Sun L he journeyed–
one league he traveled …,
dense was the darkness, light there was none.
Neither what lies ahead nor behind does it allow him to see.
Two leagues he traveled …,
dense was the darkness, light there was none,
neither what lies ahead nor behind does it allow him to see.
Four leagues he traveled …,
dense was the darkness, light there was none,
neither what lies ahead nor behind does it allow him to see.
Five leagues he traveled …,
dense was the darkness, light there was none,
neither what lies ahead nor behind does it allow him to see.
Six leagues he traveled …,
dense was the darkness, light there was none,
neither what lies ahead nor behind does it allow him to see.
Seven leagues he traveled ..
dense was the darkness, light there was none,
neither what lies ahead nor behind does it allow him to see.
Eight leagues he traveled and cried out (!),
dense was the darkness, light there was none,
neither what lies ahead nor behind does it allow him to see.
Nine leagues he traveled … the North Wind.
It licked at his face,
dense was the darkness, light there was none,
neither what lies ahead nor behind does it allow him to see.
en leagues he traveled …
… is near,
… four leagues.
Eleven leagues he traveled and came out before the sun(rise).
Twelve leagues he traveled and it grew brilliant.
…it bears lapis lazuli as foliage,
bearing fruit, a delight to look upon.” 6

As we come to a conclusion we can see the stark difference between view that were influenced and those that were not. It seems that after the Babylonian Exile the dimensions of haven and hell, named angels, and other ideas appear in the texts. However before that it appears that one would be as dust in the ground until the day when Yahweh, out of his own will chose to resurrect the bones of dust that lay piled, and forgotten in the earth. It is topic of many writings hoping the deity did not forget our human state in death.

1.” What Happens after we die?” [URL=http://www.chabad.org/library/article.asp?AID=282508]http://www.chabad.org/library/article.asp?AID=282508[/URL]

2. Babyloian Talmud Book 2 Tract Erubin-7

3. Rappoport, Angelo. Ancient Israel Myths and Legends Vol. I. Gresham publishing Company, London 1995. pg. 130-131.

4. Book of Enoch 22:5-14

5. Ancient Israel Myths and Legends Vol. I 130-131.

6. Kovacs, Maureen Gallery. The Epic of Gilgamesh. Tablet 9.

*This essay was written by the author of religionthink.com