Jewish eschatology is the field of theology and philosophy associated with events that will take place at the end of the day and related concepts, according to the Hebrew Bible and Jewish thought. These include the gathering of the exiled diaspora, the arrival of a Jewish Messiah, the Hereafter, and the resurrection of the dead Tzadikim. In Judaism, the end times are usually called "the end of the day" (the phrase "arit ha-yamim", ????? ?????), the phrase that appears several times in Tanakh.
Until the late modern era, the standard Jewish belief is that after a person dies, one's immortal soul joins God in the world to come while one's body rots. At the end of the day, God will compose one's body, put in it one's immortal soul, and that person will stand before God in judgment. The idea of ​​a messianic age has a prominent place in Jewish thought, and is included as part of the end of the day. The Jewish philosophers from the Middle Ages to the present day have emphasized the immortality of the soul and did not emphasize the resurrection of the dead.
Video Jewish eschatology
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In Judaism, the main textual source for belief at the end of the day and the accompanying events are the Tanakh or the Hebrew Bible. In the Five Book of Moses (Torah), reference is made in Deuteronomy 28-31, that the Jews would not be able to obey the Mosaic Law in the Land of Israel and then be exiled but eventually redeemed. The books of the Hebrew prophets are described and prophesied about the end times.
In rabbinic literature, Rabbis describes and explains the prophecy found in the Hebrew Bible along with the verbal law and the Rabbinic tradition of its meaning.
The main teachings of Jewish eschatology are as follows, in no particular order, described in the Book of Isaiah, Jeremiah and Ezekiel:
- The end of the world (before everything else follows).
- The Lord redeemed Israel (ie the Jews) from captivity that began during the Babylonian Exile, in the new Exodus
- God restores the Jews to the Land of Israel
- God restored the House of David and the Temple in Jerusalem
- The Lord created a regent from the House of David (ie the Jewish Messiah) to lead the Jews and the world and lead in the days of justice and peace
- All nations acknowledge that God of Israel is the only true God
- God raises the dead
- God created a new paradise and a new earth
It is also believed that history will complement itself and the ultimate goal will be achieved when all mankind returns to the Garden of Eden.
Maps Jewish eschatology
Jewish Messiahism
The Hebrew word mashiach (or moshiach ) refers to the Jewish idea of ​​the messiah. Mashiach means anointed , a preserved meaning in the English word derived from it, messiah . The Messiah must be a human leader, physically descended from the Davidic line, who will rule and unite the people of Israel and will usher in a Messianic Era of global and universal peace. While the name of the Jewish Messiah is considered one of the things that precedes creation, it is not considered divine, in contrast to Christianity where Jesus is both divine and the Messiah.
In Biblical times, the title mashiach is given to a person in high positions of nobility and greatness. For example, Cohen ha-Ma? ÃÆ'a? means the High Priest. In the Talmud era, the title mashiach or ??? ?????, MÃÆ' © le? ha-ma? ÃÆ'a? (in the Tiberian vocalization pronounced MÃÆ' © le? haMM ?? ÃÆ'®Ã,ª?) and literally means "Anointed King". This is a reference to Jewish leaders and kings who will redeem Israel at the end of the day and deliver to the mesianist era of peace and prosperity for the living and the dead.
Interpretation of Tanach (Hebrew Bible)
Most of the textual requirements regarding the Messiah and his government are summarized from the verses of Isaiah, though aspects are mentioned in other prophets as well.
- The Sanhedrin will be rebuilt (Isaiah 1:26)
- Once he becomes King, other country leaders will see him for guidance (Isaiah 2: 4)
- The whole world will worship the Single God of Israel (Isaiah 2:17)
- He will be revealed from King David (Isaiah 11: 1) through King Solomon (1Chr 22: 8-10)
- The Messiah will become a human in this world, a devout Jew who "fears the Lord" (Isaiah 11: 2)
- Evil and tyranny will not stand before his leadership (Isaiah 11: 4)
- Knowledge of God will fill the world (Isaiah 11: 9)
- He will include and draw people from all cultures and nations (Isaiah 11:10)
- All the Israelites will be returned to their homeland (Isaiah 11:12, Zakaria 10: 6)
- Death will be swallowed forever (Isaiah 25: 8)
- There will be no more hunger or disease, and death will cease (Isaiah 25: 8)
- The dead will rise again (Isaiah 26:19)
- The house of David will be like God (Zechariah 12: 8)
- God will try to destroy all the nations that fight against Jerusalem (Zechariah 12: 9, Isaiah 60:12)
- Israel and Judah will be made a nation again (Zechariah 11: 12-14, Ezekiel 37: 16-22)
- The Jews will experience joy and lasting joy (Isaiah 51:11)
- He will be the peace messenger (Isaiah 53: 7)
- Nations will recognize the mistakes they make Israel (Isaiah 52: 13-53: 5)
- Communities in the world will turn to Jews for spiritual guidance (Zechariah 8:23)
- The ruined cities of Israel will be restored (Ezekiel 16:55)
- War weapons will be destroyed (Ezekiel 39: 9)
- The temple will be rebuilt (Yehezkiel 40) resuming many suspended mitzvot (command)
- He will then perfect the whole world to serve God together (Zephaniah 3: 9)
- He will take barren land and make it abundant and bear fruit (Isaiah 51: 3, Amos 9: 13-15, Yehezkiel 36: 29-30, Isaiah 11: 6-9)
Talmud
The Babylonian Talmud, the Sanhedrin tract, contains a long discussion of the events leading up to the coming of the Messiah, for example:
R. Johanan said: When you see an ever diminishing generation, hope for him [the Messiah], as it is written, and those who suffer that you save. R. Johanan said: When you see a generation overwhelmed by many problems like a river, waiting for it, as it is written, when the enemy will come like a flood, the Spirit of God will raise the standard against it; followed by, and the Redeemer will come to Zion.
R. Johanan also said: The Son of David will come only in one generation entirely true or totally evil. 'In a true generation,' - as it is written, Your people will also be righteous: they will inherit the land for ever. 'Or altogether evil,' - as it is written, And he sees that there is no man, and wondered that there was no intercessor; 31 and that [elsewhere] is written, For my own sake, even for my own sake, I will do it.
Throughout Jewish history, the Jews have compared these (and other) parts with contemporary events to look for signs of the coming Messiah, to this day. For example, many Orthodox Jewish leaders have suggested that the destruction among Jews forged by the Holocaust can represent a sign of hope for the coming of the coming Messiah.
The Talmud tells many stories about the Messiah, some of whom represent the famous Talmud rabbi as receiving personal visits from Elijah the Prophet and Messiah. As an example:
R. Joshua b. Levi met Elijah who was standing near the entrance of R. Simeon b. Tomb of Yohai. He asked, 'Do I have a portion in the world to come?' He replied, 'if this Master wants it.' R. Joshua b. Levi said, 'I saw two, but heard a third voice.' He then asked him, 'When will the Messiah come?' - 'Go and ask yourself,' is the answer. "Where is he sitting?" - 'At the entrance.' And with what sign can I recognize it? '-' He sits among the poor lepers: all of them release everything at once, and confiscate it together, while he releases and rests each separately, [before treating the next one], thinking, if I want , [it's time for my appearance as Messiah. I should not be postponed [because I have to bandage some wounds]. 'So he goes to him and greets him, says,' Peace be upon you, Master and Teacher. ' 'Peace be upon you, O son of Levi,' he answered. 'When will you come?' he asked, 'To-day', is the answer. When he returned to Elijah, the latter asked, 'What did he tell you?' - 'Peace over you, O son of Levi,' he replied. Then he [Elijah] observes, 'He thus assures you and your father of the future [parts of] the world.' "He spoke wrong to me," he joined, "declaring that he will come today, but not yet." He [Elijah] answered, 'This is what he told you, Today, if you will hear his voice (Psalm 95).'
Rabbinik's comment
The figure of medieval rabbi Maimonides (Rabbi Moshe ben Maimon), also known as Rambam, wrote a commentary for tampering with the Sanhedrin emphasizing a relatively naturalistic interpretation of the Messiah and not emphasizing the miraculous elements. His extensive commentary (though not universally) was accepted in the non-or less-mystical branch of Orthodox Judaism:
The Messianic age is when the Jews will regain their independence and all return to the land of Israel. The Messiah would be a great king, he would achieve great fame, and his reputation among the Gentiles would be greater than that of King Solomon. His great truth and the miracles he will bring will cause everyone to make peace with him and all the land to serve him.... Nothing will change in the Messianic age, however, except that the Jews will regain their independence. Rich and poor, strong and weak, will remain. But it will be very easy for people to earn a living, and with little effort they will be able to achieve very much.... it will be a time when the number of wise men will increase.... war will not exist, and the nation will no longer lift sword against nation.... The Messianic age will be highlighted by the community of the righteous and dominated by goodness and wisdom. This will be ruled by the Messiah, a just and honest king, extraordinary in wisdom, and close to God. Do not think that the way the world or the laws of nature will change, this is not true. The world will continue that way. The prophet Isaiah foretold, "The wolf shall live with the lamb, and the leopard shall lie down with the child." This, however, is merely an allegory, which means that Jews will live safe lives, even with previously evil states. All nations will return to the true religion and will no longer steal or oppress. Notice that all the prophecies about the Messiah are allegorical. Only in Messianic times will we know the meaning of each allegory and what it teaches us. Our sages and prophets do not yearn for the Messianic age so that they can rule the world and dominate the Gentiles, the only thing they want is free for the Jews to engage themselves with the Torah and its wisdom.
According to the Talmud, Midrash, and Kabbalistic work, Zohar, the 'deadline' that the Messiah has to face is 6000 years from creation. Orthodox Jews and Hasidic Jews believe that the Hebrew calendar dates back to the time of creation; the year 2009-2010 (the Hebrew New Year begins during September or October) of the Gregorian calendar corresponds to the year of Hebrew 5770.
There is a kabbalistic tradition which states that the seven days of creation in Genesis 1 relate to the seven millennia of the existence of the creation of nature. Tradition teaches that the seventh day of the week,
Talmud Comments:
- R. Katina says, "Six thousand years of the world will be there and one [thousand, the seventh], it will be silent (haruv), as it is written, 'And God himself will be exalted that day' ( Yes. 2: 11)... R. Katina also teaches, "Just as the seventh year is the year of Shmita, so the world has a thousand years of seven who have no birthright (mushmat), as it is written, 'And God himself will be exalted that day '(Isa. 2:11); and further it is written, 'A psalm and a song for the Sabbath' (Psalm 92: 1) - which means the whole day of Shabbat - and also said, 'For a thousand years in Your sight is like yesterday when it was past '(Ps.90: 4) (Sanhedrin 97a). "
Komentar Midrash:
"Six calves for entry and exit, for war and peace. The seventh Eon is fully Shabbat and rest for eternal life".
Zohar explains:
- "The redemption of Israel will take place through the mystical power of the letters" Vav "[which has six numerical values], that is, in the sixth millennium.... Happy are those who will be left alive by the end of the sixth millennium to enter the Shabbat , which is the seventh millennium, because it is the day appointed for the Holy to influence the union of new souls with the old souls of the world (Zohar, Vayera 119a). "
Elaborating on this theme were many early and late Jewish scholars, including Ramban, Isaac Abrabanel, Abraham Ibn Ezra, Rabbeinu Bachya, Vilna Gaon, Rebbe Lubavitcher, Ramchal, Aryeh Kaplan, and Rebbetzin Esther Jungreis.
Orthodox Judaism
The belief in the personal Messiah of the Davidic lineage is the principle of universal faith among Orthodox Jews and one of the thirteen principles of Maimonides faith.
Some authorities in Orthodox Judaism believe that this era will lead to supernatural events culminating in the resurrection of the bodies of the dead. Maimonides, on the other hand, argues that events in the messianic era are not specifically related to the resurrection. (See the Maimonides article.)
Conservative Judaism
Conservative Judaism varies in its teachings. While maintaining a traditional reference to personal redemption and prayer for the restoration of Davidic lineage in the liturgy, Conservative Jews are more likely to accept the idea of ​​a messianic era:
We do not know when the Messiah will come, or whether he will be a charismatic human figure or a symbol of human redemption from the evils of the world. Through the doctrine of a Messianic figure, Judaism teaches us that every human individual must live as if he, individually, has a responsibility to bring about the messianic age. Beyond that, we echo the words of Maimonides based on the prophet Habakkuk (2: 3) that although he can stay, yet we wait for him every day... ( Emet ve-Emunah: The Conservative Principles of Judaism )
Reform of Judaism
The Reformation of Judaism generally agrees with a more liberal Conservative perspective on the future messianic era rather than as the personal Messiah. Reflecting his philosophical position, Reform Judaism, unlike Conservative Judaism, has transformed traditional prayers to refer to "redemption" rather than "redeemer" and remove petitions for the restoration of the House of David.
Gog and Magog
According to some commentators, the Gog and Magog wars imagined in Ezekiel 38 are expected to occur at the end of the day. It is described as the climax war that is said to have taken place at the end of the Jewish exile. Radak commented on Zechariah 14, that at the end of the day Jerusalem would be the battleground of Gog and Magog.
According to other commentators, the long exile has compensated and it will not happen again.
The world to come
Hereafter known as' olam ha-ba ("the world to come", ?????? in Hebrew), and related to the concept of Gan Eden (Heavenly "The Garden of Eden", or Paradise) and Gehinom . The accepted halakha is that it is impossible for living beings to know what the world is like, although Rav, a rabbi quoted in the Talmud, describes it thus: "In the World-to-Coming there is no food, no drinking, no procreation, no business negotiation, no jealousy, no hatred, no competition, but the righteous sit with their crown on their heads, enjoy the splendor of the Divine Presence. "
The phrase " olam ha-ba " does not appear in the Hebrew Bible.
At the end of the Second Temple period, beliefs about the individual's final fate vary. The Essenes believed in the immortality of the soul, but the Pharisees and Sadducees, it turned out, did not. Dead Sea Scrolls, Jewish Pseudepigrapha, and Jewish magical papyrus reflect this diversity.
According to Maimonides, every non-Jew living according to the Seven Laws of Noah is regarded as a pious Gentile, and confident of somewhere in the world to come, the last reward of the righteous.
Medieval rabbis view
While all classical rabbinical sources discuss the afterlife, classical medieval scholars deny the nature of existence in the "End of Days" after the messianic period. While Maimonides describes the spiritual existence entirely to the soul, which he calls "the intellectless body," Nahmanides discusses the very spiritual existence of the Earth, where spirituality and physicality are combined. Both agree that life after death is what Maimonides describes as "The End of the Day." This existence requires a very high understanding and connection to the Divine Presence. This view is shared by all the classical rabbinic scholars.
There is much rabbinical material about what happens to the souls of the dead after death, what is experienced, and where it goes. At various points in the afterlife journey, the soul may meet: Hibbut ha-kever , the suffering of the grave; Dumah , angel of silence; Satan as the angel of death; Kaf ha-Kela , the slingshot of the soul; Gehinom (purgatory); and Gan Eden (heaven or heaven). All classical rabbinical scholars agree that these concepts are beyond the understanding of ordinary people. Therefore, these ideas are expressed through rabbinic literature through many parables and diverse analogies.
Gehinom is quite clear in rabbinic literature. Sometimes translated as "hell", but much closer to the Catholic view of purgatory than the Christian view of hell, which is different from the classical Jewish view. Rabbinic thought maintains that souls are not tortured in gehinom forever; the longest that can be there is said to be eleven months, with the exception of heresy, and the Jews unobserved. This is the reason that even when mourning for close relatives, the Jews will not read mourning curds more than eleven months. Gehinom is considered a spiritual workshop in which the soul is purified for the final ascent to Gan Eden ("The Garden of Eden").
In contemporary Judaism
In explaining the Orthodox view of the universe, Irving Greenberg, a modern Orthodox rabbi, discusses both "the world to come" and the conviction of punishment and awards in Majalah Moment Magazine "Ask the Rabbis":
"Confidence in the hereafter - an upcoming world where the righteous receive their true reward and the wicked receive their proper rights - is the central teaching of traditional Judaism. This belief begins with the belief that God's compassion will not allow injustice to win.
When the facts of life are incompatible with the biblical emphasis on reward and punishment here and now, faith in the hereafter is emphasized. In the Middle Ages, when the Jews suffered greatly while the enemy controlled the world, the pressures on the coming world grew stronger. Some religious teachers teach that life is "unimportant," and that one must live only to be worthy of eternal happiness. This view is spilled into the hermitage and lacks respect for body and material activity.
The early modernization reversed course. They validated Judaism and dismissed Christianity by insisting that Judaism is only interested in doing good in worldly life. Christianity is criticized as another world, repressive and dreaming only of entering heaven. It is portrayed as cruel because it condemns people for eternal damnation. This one-sided modern emphasis on mortal life robs the Jews of a profound consolation of eternal life and justice for all who suffer unjustly and innocently.
All it takes is the classical Jewish ability to hold both sides of tension. Such Judaism will inspire people to find God in a secular world, to unite body and soul, to work for the earth and the world here and now. At the same time, it will support the spirit reality and the immortality of the soul. This faith offers the reunion of the last reunion - with those we love and lose with El Maleh Rachamim , the God of Unlimited Love. "
Conservative Judaism both affirms belief in the outside world (as referenced in the Amidah and Third Faith Maimonides) while acknowledging that human understanding is limited and we can not know exactly what the outside world have. Reformation and Reconstructionism Judaism confirms belief in the afterlife, although they downplay the supportive theological implications emphasizing the importance of "here and now," as opposed to rewards and punishments.
Resurrection of the dead
The Book of the Prophet Ezekiel presents the first perception of the resurrection. Under the Babylonian Empire in 539 BC, Ezekiel described the will of God to raise the flesh above the bones of the dead Judah. However, Ezekiel's narrative of the resurrection is meant only as a metaphor for national rebirth, promising the Jews to return to Israel and the reconstruction of the Temple.
Daniel's eschatological prophecy, which occurred in the 6th century BC, promised a literal revival of the Jews, in concrete detail. Daniel writes that with the coming of Archangel Michael, misery will come upon the world, and only those whose names are in the divine book will be resurrected. In addition, Daniel's resurrection promise is only for the righteous and the most sinful because the hereafter is a place for virtuous people to be rewarded and sinners to receive eternal punishment.
Greek and Persian cultures are influenced by the Jewish sect to believe in the hereafter between the 6th and 4th centuries BC too.
The Hebrew Bible, at least as seen through the interpretation of the Bavli Sanhedrin, contains frequent references to the resurrection of the dead. Misnah (c 200) lists the beliefs in the resurrection of the dead as one of the three essential beliefs necessary for a Jew to participate in it:
"All Israel has a share in the world to come, for it is written: 'Verily all men are righteous: they shall inherit the land forever, my branch of planting, the work of my hands, that I may be glorified.' But the next one has no part in it: the person who defends the resurrection is not the doctrine of the Bible, the Torah is not divinely revealed, and Apikoros ('pervert'). "
At the end of the Second Temple period, the Pharisees believed in the resurrection, while the Essents and Sadducees did not. During the Rabbinic period, beginning at the end of the first century and continuing until now, Daniel's works are incorporated into the Hebrew Bible, signifying the adoption of the Jewish revival into the official sacred texts.
The Jewish Liturgy, the most famous of which is Amidah , contains the reference to the principle of the resurrection of the bodily body of the dead. In contemporary Judaism, both Orthodox Judaism and Conservative Judaism retain a traditional reference to it in their liturgy. However, many Conservative Jews interpret the teachings metaphorically rather than literally. Reform and Reconstructionism Judaism has changed the traditional references to the resurrection of the dead in the liturgy ("who give life to the dead") to refer to "who gives life to all."
Reincarnation
The idea of ​​reincarnation, while held as a mystical belief by some, is not an important principle of traditional Judaism. This is not mentioned in traditional classical sources such as the Tanakh ("Hebrew Bible"), classic rabbinic (Mishnah and Talmud), or Maimonides 13 Principles of Faith. Although one might argue the idea of ​​reincarnation is not described in Tanakh, there is a reference to the resurrection throughout Isaiah. However, Kabbalah's books - Jewish mysticism - teach belief in gilgul , transmigration of the soul, and hence the belief is universal in Hasid Judaism, which considers Kabbalah as sacred and authoritative.
Among the famous Rabbis who rejected the idea of ​​reincarnation were Saadia Gaon, David Kimhi, Hasdai Crescas, Yedayah Bedershi (early 14th century), Joseph Albo, Abraham ibn Daud and Leon de Modena. Between Geonim, Hai Gaon argued with Saadia Gaon in favor of Gilgulim.
The rabbis who accepted the idea of ​​reincarnation included, from the Middle Ages: the mystical leaders of Nahmanides (Ramban) and Rabbenu Bahya ben Asher; from the 16th century: Levi ibn Habib (Ralbah), and from the mystical school of Safed Shelomoh Alkabez, Isaac Luria (Ari) and its exponent Hayyim Vital; and from the 18th century: the founder of Hasidism Yisrael Baal Shem Tov, then Hasidic Masters, and Jewish Orthodox Jewish leaders and Kabbalist Vilna Gaon.
With the 16th century rationalization system of Cordoveran Kabbalah by Ramak, and the subsequent new paradigm of Lurianic Kabbalah by Ari, the Kabbalah replaced "Hakirah" (Jewish Medieval Rationalistic Philosophy) as a mainstream traditional Jewish theology, both in scientific circles and in popular imagination. Isaac Luria taught a new explanation of the gilgul process, and the identification of the reincarnation of the historical Jewish figure, composed by Haim Vital in his Shaar HaGilgulim.
In Kabbalistic understanding of gilgul , which is different from many Eastern-religious views, reincarnation is neither fatalistic nor automatic nor is it essentially a punishment of sin, or a merit of virtue. In Judaism, Heavenly realms can fulfill the Maimonides Imagination Principle in Rewards and Punishments. Rather, it relates to the individual Tikkun (Rectification) process of the soul. In Kabbalistic interpretation, each Jewish soul is sufficiently reincarnated just to satisfy each of the 613 Mitzvot. The soul of the righteous among the Nations can be helped through Gilgulim to fulfill the Seven Laws of their Noah. Thus gilgul is an expression of Divine compassion, and is seen as a Heavenly deal with the individual soul to descend again. This pressure on the physical performance and perfection of each Mitzvah is bound to the Lurianic doctrine of Cosmic Tikkun of Creation. In this new teaching, cosmic catastrophes occurred at the beginning of the creation called "Shattering of the Vessels" from Sephirot in "World of Tohu (Chaos)". Sephirot fragments break and fall through the spiritual realm until they are embedded in our physical nature as "sparks of sanctity" (Nitzutzot). The reason in Lurianic Kabbalah that almost all Mitzvot involves physical action is that through their performance they increase every spark of certain sanctity associated with that command. After all the sparks were redeemed to their spiritual source, the Messianic Era began. This metaphysical theology gives a cosmic meaning to everyone's life, because every individual has special tasks that they can only fulfill. Therefore, gilgulim helps the individual soul in this cosmic plan. It also explains the Kabbalistic reason why the future eschatological Utopia will exist in this world, for only in the lowest physical realm is the goal of the fulfilled creation.
The idea of ​​ gilgul became popular in the people's beliefs, and was found in many of the Yiddish literature of Ashkenazi Jews.
Final Judgment
In Judaism, the day of judgment occurs every year to Rosh Hashanah; Therefore, belief on the last day of judgment for all mankind is debated. Some rabbis argue that there will be such a day after the resurrection of the dead. Others argue that there is no need for it because of Rosh Hashanah. Others, however, think that these calculations and judgments occur when a person dies. Other rabbis argue that the final judgment applies only to Gentiles and not Jews.
References
External links
- The Origin of Jewish Eschatology, by Nathaniel Schmidt
- THE KINGDOM OF GOD IN LITERATURE APOCRYPHAL JEW, by George Ladd, Gordon College
Source of the article : Wikipedia
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