The Death of Death

Neil Gillman

Description

Does death end life, or is it the passage from one stage of life to another?

In The Death of Death, noted theologian Neil Gillman offers readers an original and compelling argument that Judaism, a religion often thought to pay little attention to the afterlife, not only presents us with rich ideas on this subject—but delivers a deathblow to death itself.

Combining astute scholarship with keen historical, theological and liturgical insights, Gillman outlines the evolution of Jewish thought about bodily resurrection and spiritual immortality. Beginning with the near-silence of the Bible on the afterlife, he traces the development of these two doctrines through Jewish history. He also describes why today, somewhat surprisingly, more contemporary Jewish scholars—including Gillman—have unabashedly reaffirmed the notion of bodily resurrection.

In this innovative and personal synthesis, Gillman creates a strikingly modern statement on resurrection and immortality.

The Death of Death gives new and fascinating life to an ancient debate. This new work is an intellectual and spiritual milestone for all of us interested in the meaning of life, as well as the meaning of death.

FOREWORD 11 I THE ESCHATOLOGICAL IMPULSE 17 II THE ORIGINS OF DEATH 37 III DEATH IN THE BIBLE 59 IV JUDAISM ON THE AFTERLIFE: THE EARLY SOURCES 83 V THE CANONIZATION OF A DOCTRINE 113 VI MAIMONIDES: THE TRIUMPH OF THE SPIRITUAL 143 VII THE MYSTICAL JOURNEY OF THE SOUL 173 VIII THE ENCOUNTER WITH MODERNITY 189 IX THE RETURN TO RESURRECTION 215 X WHAT DO I BELIEVE? 243 Notes 275 For Further Study 307 Index 309

Sujets

• Philosophie et théologie
• Jewish thought
• Jewish history
• Jewish philosophy
• Judaism
• Religion

Informations

• Publié par: Turner Publishing Company
• Date de parution: 16 novembre 2011
• Nombre de lectures: 0
• EAN13: 9781580235426
• Langue: English

Extrait

The Death of Death: Resurrection and Immortality in Jewish Thought
2011 Quality Paperback Edition, Fourth Printing
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publisher.
For information regarding permission to reprint material from this book, please mail or fax your request in writing to Jewish Lights Publishing, Permissions Department, at the address/fax number listed below, or e-mail your request to [e-mail] .
1997 by Neil Gillman
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Gillman, Neil.
The death of death : resurrection and immortality in Jewish thought / by Neil Gillman.
p. cm.
Includes bibliographical references and index.
1. Death-Religious aspects-Judaism-History of doctrines.
2. Future life-Judaism-History of doctrines.
3. Judaism-Doctrines. I. Title.
BM635.4.G55 1997 296.3'3-dc21 96-30048
ISBN 978-1-58023-081-0
10 9 8 7 6 5 4
Manufactured in the United States of America
Cover design: Glenn Suokko
Published by Jewish Lights Publishing
A Division of LongHill Partners Inc.
Sunset Farm Offices, Route 4, P.O. Box 237
Woodstock, VT 05091
Tel: [phone] Fax: [phone]
www.jewishlights.com
Other Jewish Lights Books by Neil Gillman
Traces of God: Seeing God in Torah, History and Everyday Life
The Way Into Encountering God in Judaism
The Jewish Approach to God: A Brief Introduction for Christians
Doing Jewish Theology: God, Torah Israel in Modern Judaism

Sacred Fragments: Recovering Theology for the Modern Jew
(Jewish Publication Society)
In Memory of Ernest and Rebecca Gillman and Harry Fisher
and in Tribute to Rose Fisher
Then came the Blessed Holy One And slaughtered the angel of death .
-H AD G ADYA
(from the Passover Haggadah)
C ONTENTS FOREWORD I THE ESCHATOLOGICAL IMPULSE II THE ORIGINS OF DEATH III DEATH IN THE BIBLE IV JUDAISM ON THE AFTERLIFE: THE EARLY SOURCES V THE CANONIZATION OF A DOCTRINE VI MAIMONIDES: THE TRIUMPH OF THE SPIRITUAL VII THE MYSTICAL JOURNEY OF THE SOUL VIII THE ENCOUNTER WITH MODERNITY IX THE RETURN TO RESURRECTION X WHAT DO I BELIEVE?
N OTES
F OR F URTHER S TUDY
I NDEX

About Jewish Lights
Copyright
FOREWORD
SURELY, I AM not the only writer to realize that issues I dealt with decades ago and believed were safely buried forever have an uncanny power to return and engage my interest once again.
While recently cleaning out some papers, I came upon the essays that I submitted in 1954 as part of my application to the Rabbinical School of The Jewish Theological Seminary of America. To my amazement, those essays, written under the impulse of my first serious involvement with Judaism as an undergraduate at McGill University in Montreal, were permeated with the theme of messianism. It was clear that I believed, even then, that the messianic hope was central to Jewish religion.
Some years later, I wrote a doctoral dissertation for Columbia University on the thought of the French, Christian existentialist, Gabriel Marcel. It was in Marcel s writings that I first came across the issue of my relationship with my body, with the notion that I am my body, with the notion of secondary reflection (the latter, in the work of Marcel s students, came to be called second naivet ), and with the claim that our philosophy should take seriously our intuitive inclination to hope for some form of individual destiny beyond our death.
Like most doctoral students, I was so relieved to have completed my thesis that I was determined never to look at it again, and went on to other concerns. Ironically, all these issues are central to my thinking in the pages of this book.
My initial plan was to write a book on Jewish eschatology as a whole. My original interest in this subject was revived by my many conversations with the late Professor Gerson Cohen, Chancellor of The Jewish Theological Seminary from 1972 to 1985, who insisted that no significant movement in the course of Jewish history had lacked an eschatology. My brief treatment of the subject, in the concluding chapter of my previously published Sacred Fragments , had attracted a good deal of attention, and I felt that the topic demanded a more extensive treatment. I quickly realized, however, that this broad topic was overwhelmingly complex and considerably beyond the scope of one book. I then determined to study only one dimension of that broader subject, the one that intrigued me the most, the eschatology of the individual human being.
Much of the thinking that went into this book was first aired in courses that I have taught at the Seminary. I am convinced that most scholarly research takes place precisely in the classroom, and I am indebted to my students for helping me refine my ideas, forcing me to confront new issues, and, gently but firmly, pointing out the discrepancies and contradictions in my conclusions. Every page of this book reflects their impact on my thinking. I am also grateful to my former students, now colleagues in the rabbinate, who have invited me to share my conclusions with their congregants.
The present Chancellor of the Seminary, Professor Ismar Schorsch, has always been unstinting in his support for my work. Seminary Provost, Professor Menahem Schmelzer, was a constant source of encouragement throughout the period of research and writing.
I am particularly grateful to them for their concern.
My friend and colleague Rabbi Ira Stone was the first to review the preliminary draft of some of my chapters, and to reassure me that my work was worth pursuing. His excitement, at that early stage of writing, meant more to me than I can possibly express. My colleague on the Seminary faculty, Professor David Kraemer, saved me from a number of serious errors in my interpretation of biblical and rabbinic texts, and urged me to do the work of constructive theology reflected in my concluding chapter. Professor Shaul Magid helped me immeasurably by clarifying the elusive teachings of Jewish mysticism, Rabbi Alfredo Borodowski did the same with medieval Jewish philosophy, and Professor Tikva Frymer-Kensky shared with me her understanding of the mysterious events that took place in the Garden of Eden. Professor Robert Pollack of Columbia University introduced me to the mysteries of modern microbiology, and its implications for notions of human immortality. It was reassuring to know that I could always call on Professors Stephen Garfinkle and Burton Visotzky, for help on specific questions as they arose. The Seminary is my Jewish community and I shall be eternally grateful for the opportunity to study and teach within its walls.
A former student of mine, Erwin Cherovsky, kept reminding me that the issue of death and immortality was important to many lay people in the community at large, and helped me focus on the audience that might read a book of this kind. Ms. Annette Muffs Botnick, Seminary Research Librarian, was always available to assist me on bibliographical questions, and Ms. Sharon Liberman Mintz, Assistant Curator of Jewish Art at the Seminary, helped me track down graphic representations of the issues discussed here.
I need not add that whatever errors or inadequacies this book may reflect are my responsibility alone.
Over the years in which the book was being researched and written, a number of my students graciously served as my research assistants. They traced bibliographical references, checked my translations, helped me with the basic research, and saved me from the pitfalls of word-processing. For all of this, I am grateful to Ben Begleiter, Dana Bogatz, Ellen Cahn, Cory Lebson, Amy Levin, Sara O Donnell and Anna Weisberg for their assistance. Lea Gavrieli and Kelly Washburn, in particular, devoted countless hours to the final stages of bringing the manuscript into print.
Some two years ago, during a long stroll on the grounds of the Concord Hotel in the Catskills, I aired the possibility of writing a book on resurrection with Stuart Matlins, founder and publisher of Jewish Lights. Stuart responded generously, as he always does, and added, When you re into it, call me if you wish. I did, he read an early draft, and quickly called to assure me that Jewish Lights would be happy to publish the book. I owe Stuart, his staff, and in particular, my editor, Arthur Magida, a debt of immense gratitude for their patience and support. Arthur was simply a joy to work with and his detailed comments, almost line by line, have made this book much stronger than it would otherwise have been.
One note on translations. Unless explicitly specified, all translations of biblical texts are those of the 1985 edition of Tanakh , published by The Jewish Publication Society of America.
To my family, my wife Sarah, my daughters Abby and Debby, my son-in-law Michael, and my grandson Jacob, I offer my undying affection and gratitude for their constant encouragement and devotion.
Finally, I am grateful that God has blessed me with the health and vigor which have enabled me to bring this project to completion. The creative surge that I experience daily as I pursue my studies and my writing can only be God s gracious gift to me. I pray that I may continue to enjoy God s manifold blessings as I now move on to other work.
Hoshana Rabbah 5757
October 1996
THE DEATH OF DEATH

And death? Where is it?
He searched for his accustomed fear of death and could not find it. Where was death? What death? There was no fear because there was no death.
Instead of death there was light.
So that s it! he exclaimed. What bliss.
All this happened in a single moment, but the significance of that moment was lasting. For those present, his agony continued for another two hours. Something rattled in his chest; his emaciated body twitched. Then the rattling and wheez