Year: 2015
Type: article
Abstract: While there are only a few typical expressions used in the Bible for describing death and dying (Hebrew: mut, mavet, halak, sakab, asap; Greek: thanatos), many biblical texts employ imagery of life and death for rhetorical ends. The first part of this study presents six such distinct categories: death as life’s natural end, death as (legal) punishment, death as ultimate threat, death as wisdom alternative of life, death as part of the prophetic judgment speeches, oft en called as “aversion therapy”, and finally death as a welcomed way out from misery and suff ering. The second part of the study discusses the realm of death, the imagery of the underworld, while the third part presents the biblical traditions around burial, mourning and especially around the practices and laws concerning the burial of the dead. Th e final part of the study discusses the early development of the hope of an afterlife in the Biblical tradition.
Source: Transival Digital Database
Language: English
Subfield: Religious studies
Field: Arts and Humanities
Domain: Social Sciences
Open Access status: green
OpenAlex ID: W7048962073