Conceptual Analysis of Immortality and Resurrection in the Second Temple Scriptures by Wisdom of Solomon - Essay Example

?Introduction There exist diverse arguments with regards to the idea of afterlife portrayed in the second Temple writings – the Wisdom of Solomon. The scholars date the book between mid-first century BC and mid-first century AD and book can be seen as contemporaneous of the period of early Christianity.1 In this essay I am going to explore the notions of ‘resurrection’ and ‘immortality’ in the Wisdom of Solomon. To begin with, I will attempt to discuss on the concepts of ‘immortality’ and ‘resurrection’ where I bring out the meaning of these concepts so as build a grounding for the issue at hand. Following this, I will discuss how he develops his ideas and also to apprehend the intentions that he wishes to put forth. Moreover, the rift between the ‘righteous’ and the ‘wicked’ is a pervasive theme in the book which I would like to examine in detail here so as to understand the story line which leads to the phenomena of ‘immortality’ and ‘resurrection’. Therefore, to achieve this, the wider context in which the book was realized will also be analyzed. The final section will deal with the analysis of these concepts in the light of the Wisdom of Solomon and a conclusion is drawn thereof. ‘Immortality’ and ‘Resurrection’: A Conceptual Analysis There can be different interpretations of the word ‘immortality’ as put forth by Wright – “(a) ongoing physical life without any form of death ever occurring; (b) the innate possession of an immortal part of one’s being, e.g. the soul (which is itself in need of further multiple definitions), which will survive bodily death; (c) the gift from elsewhere, e.g. from Israel’s God to certain human beings, of an ongoing life, not itself innate in the human form, which could then provide continuity of mortal life, across an interim period, between the present bodily life and future resurrection; (d) a way of describing resurrection itself”.2 ‘Immortality’ and ‘resurrection’ are not to be seen as two opposing concepts.3The word ‘immortality’ can refer to ‘a state in which death is not possible’. Unless one is totally held by the Platonic notion of ‘immortality’ (as in point (b) above);4 ‘resurrection’ can also be seen as a variant of immortality, a form in which it is manifested. This point becomes clear when Paul discusses both resurrection and immortality in his first letter to Corinthians – “For this perishable body must put on imperishability, and this mortal body must put on immortality. When this perishable body puts on imperishability, and this mortal body puts on immortality, then the saying that is written will be fulfilled: ‘Death has been swallowed up in victory’”(1 Cor 15: 53-54). Here for Paul ‘resurrection’ is a new form of bodily life which is immortal and imperishable, that is there can be no more death. Hence he presents ‘resurrection’ within the purview of ‘immortality’. This point is stressed by Wright in the fourth meaning of immortality above i.e it being a way of describing resurrection itself. It was widely held by many Jews who believed in resurrection that there existed an ‘intermediate state’ between death and ‘bodily resurrection’. Many of them believed that the body did not go for a resurrection immediately after death. This state can be regarded as a state of immortality when one regards the ‘close ally’ nature of ‘immortality’ and ‘bodily resurrection’5 This state assumes that there is still a continuing state of existence with a unique personal identity until the physical embodiment is attained in ‘bodily resurrection’ which happens at a point of time in future. Many scholars believe that the way ‘Wisdom of Solomon’ teaches clearly about the immortality of the soul, it cannot do the same for the idea of resurrection. Boismard points out that in the Platonic idea there is no scope for resurrection and hence the idea is to be disregarded in the ‘Wisdom of Solomon’.6 In the opinion of Horbury, the ‘Wisdom of Solomon’ teaches the doctrine of immortality to portray a righteous God.7 Many others like Emile Puech, Hans Clemens Cavallin, C. Larcher, Maurice Gilbert, P. Beauchamp and N.T Wright uphold and laud the idea that the Wisdom of Solomon actually teaches the resurrection of the body.8 The main area of discrepancy concerning the argument about the fact that the ‘Wisdom of Solomon’ teaches resurrection as well as immortality, rests on chapter 3. There is a contention observed between verses 1 and 7. Wisdom 3:1 says, “But the souls of the righteous are in God’s hand, and no torture will ever touch them”. And, its reinforcement in 3:7, “And at the time of their visitation they will shine forth, and run about like sparks in the stubble”. There echoes an allusion to the coexistence of two consecutive states (as underlined in the above verses) in the afterlife of the ‘souls of the righteous’. It is on this issue that I would like to explore and expand on in this paper. Furthermore, the argument that some scholars find the notion of resurrection in the ‘Wisdom of Solomon’ to have spiraled from the assumption that it as a standard Jewish belief, does not seem to find its grounding. 9 Hence I attempt to probe in detail the notions of ‘immortality’ and ‘resurrection’ as in the ‘Wisdom of Solomon’. Wisdom of Solomon: Context within the Book and Wider Context The ‘Wisdom of Solomon’ is not a simple philosophical treatise which is or can be broken down into separate sections based on isolated topics; however, the author follows a story line to put forth his ideas and perceptions. Placed in this context the verses form a sequence which unravels meaning as the discourse proceeds. To overlook the depth of this story line10is to disregard the real intentions of the author on diverse issues raised in the book: the afterlife and being one among them. Also the wider context within which the book emerged is also important to understand the teachings and issues raised in the narrative. In this section I attempt to come to a core idea within the book as well as the wider context within which the book evolved so that a good background is developed to analyze the issue at hand. The narrative is brought forth from King Solomon himself, the wise king who sought wisdom, which gave him the unique position and power that all knew about. The book urges other rulers to follow this example and the book acts as advice and warning to the ‘rulers of the earth’. “Love righteousness, you rulers of the earth” (Wis 1:1); “Listen therefore, O kings, and understand; learn, O judges of the ends of the earth” (Wis 6:1); “Therefore if you delight in thrones and scepters, O monarchs over the peoples, honor wisdom, so that you may reign forever.” (Wis 6:21); “Therefore be instructed by my words, and you will profit” (Wis 6:25) With this understanding, the organization of the book is done as Chapters one to five (1-5) which discuss the actions and the respective fates of the ‘righteous’ and the ‘wicked’; Chapters seven to nine (7-9) are based on the praise of Wisdom; Chapters ten to nineteen (10-19) retell the story of Israel from Adam to Exodus.11 The central story-line outlined in Chapters 1-5 can be regarded as a classic Jewish narrative in which the wicked seem to succeed at present but their real fate will be something different. The wicked “reasoned unsoundly saying to themselves, ‘Short and sorrowful is our life and there is no remedy when a life comes to its end, and no one has been known to return from Hades…. For our allotted time is the passing of a shadow, and there is no return from our death, because it is sealed up and no one turns back’” (Wis 2:1, 5) Since the wicked have come to the conclusion that death is the end of everything, they decide to “enjoy the good things that exist, and make use of the creation to the full as in youth” (Wis 2:6) and to “oppress the poor righteous man” (Wis 2:10). They loathe the righteous because he claims “that God is his father” (Wis 2:16) and hence the wicked intend to “test him with insult and torture” (Wis 2:19) to see whether “he will be protected” (Wis 2:20). But in coming to such conclusions the wicked had made an error as they could not come to realize the “secret purposes of God” (Wis 2:22). The real fate of the righteous rests on the opposite of what the wicked have reasoned as is evident from the quote: “God created us for incorruption, and made us in the image of his own eternity, but through the devil’s envy death entered the world, and those who belong to his company experience it.” (Wis 2:23-24). In addition, it is said that the righteous will enjoy ‘eternity’ whereas those who have made a pact with death will experience it even though the author makes it clear that “God did not make death” (Wis 1:13). One can create historical hypotheses which may help us to understand what the author means by the term ‘wicked’. Some have advanced the viewpoint that they are Sadducees, the wealthy and influential people who oppressed the poor as seen through the eyes of Pharisees; some others opine that ‘wicked’ is an attribution to Epicurean philosophers.12 In the viewpoint of Wright the wicked may signal to the Gentiles seen from a Jewish point of view especially when one considers the feeling of the Jewish community under threat or attack. Also the disdainful description of the righteous put into the mouth of the wicked in chapter 2 is what the Jews had felt as the pagan critique of them when one brings to mind the wider context of a place like Alexandria in the first century.13 One can read a political dimension into the book when they consider the intention of warning to ‘rulers of the earth’ as in chapters 1 and 6. Then, it can be seen as a warning to the future pagan oppressors of the Jews and also as an encouragement to the Jews to face such trials with confidence and belief in God though the tribulations.14 Such a reading will not be marginalized when one thinks of “the Maccabean crisis, and the very different ways it was used in subsequent writing; of the Roman takeover in 63 BC, and the reflection of that in various works; of the turbulent events in Palestine, Egypt and elsewhere in the first half of the first century AD; and of the awful catastrophe of AD 70 itself.”15 ‘Immortality’ and ‘Resurrection’ in the Wisdom of Solomon Wis 3:1-4 portrays the image of ‘the souls of the righteous’ as if in a state of ‘in the hand of God’. This can be regarded as an intermediate state as discussed in the portion of concepts. The passage is as follows: “But the souls of the righteous are in the hand of God, and no torment will ever touch them. In the eyes of the foolish they seemed to have died, and their departure was sought to be a disaster and their going from us to be their destruction; but they are at peace. For though in the sight of others they were punished, their hope is full of immortality” (Wis 3:1-4) The wicked had inflicted torments upon the righteous out of the vain belief that death is the end of everything. But they did not know what God’s glory had in store for the righteous ones. Even though ‘they seemed to have died’ in the eyes of the wicked, they continue to remain in a state of peace ‘in God’s hand’. Yet, there is some further reward for them in future which is ‘full of immortality’ and they -the righteous - look forward to it with enormous hope while enjoying their standing in ‘God’s hand’. Their tribulations at the hands of the wicked were a short period of disciplining allowed by God who “tested them and found them worthy of himself; like gold in the furnace tried them, and like a sacrificial burnt offering accepted them.” (Wis 3:5-6) This intermediate state can be compared with the Daniel’s rest till the end of the days as explained in Daniel 12:13: “But you, go your way and rest; you shall rise for your reward at the end of the days.” Again an allusion can be made to the rest period of souls seen under the altar in revelation. “When he opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls of those who had been slaughtered for the word of God and for the testimony they had given; they cried out with a loud voice, “Sovereign Lord, holy and true, how long will it be before you judge and avenge our blood on the inhabitants of the earth?” They were each given a white robe and told to rest a little longer…” (Rev 6:9-11) The state of ‘the souls of the righteous’ in Wis 3:1-4 is an overture to what will happen in the future. The following verses speak of the impending event: “In the time of their visitation they will shine forth, and will run like sparks through the stubble. They will govern nations and rule over peoples, and the Lord will reign over them forever. Those who trust in him will understand truth, and the faithful will abide with him in love, because grace and mercy are upon his holy ones, and he watches over his elect.” (Wis 3:7-9) These verses cannot be seen as a mere repetition or description of the Wis 3: 1-4, but in it the occurrence of a further event which is to happen in the destiny of the righteous is clearly stated.16 Even though the fate of the righteous are God’s hand and this ensures they are at ‘peace’,17 but their hope is for immortality (Wis 3:4), a life without death to which they look towards in the future. N.T Wright rightly discusses the usage of the word ‘visitation’ (episkope).18 “Within the book, ‘visitation’ (episkope) is a regular word for a day of judgment on which the creator will condemn the wicked and vindicate the righteous”. Wright mentions the use of the same word in Wis 2:20; 3:13; 4:15; 14:11 and 19:15 where the allusion is to a divine ‘visitation’ where judgment is to be done. In this context, verses 3:7-9 cannot be regarded as a mere interpretation of 3:1-4, but it can point towards a future event which would take place after a period of rest. At the time of visitation, the righteous will ‘shine forth’ and ‘run like sparks in the stubble’. This description is in close alliance with that in Daniel 12:3 which says, “Those who are wise shall shine like the brightness of the sky, and those who lead many to righteousness, like the stars forever and ever” This is not a condition which is attained immediately after the death of the righteous but after a period of peace and ‘reappearing upon the earth, ruling and judging the nations’. Hence at the time of ‘visitation’ they will attain the same kind of glory as that attributed to the ‘wise’, spoken of in Daniel 12:3. Wright adopts the strategy to elaborate the word ‘visitation’ to link it to Daniel 12 and thus to bring in the concept of resurrection. But he fails to explain the bodily life involved in resurrection. But the special sense in which the word ‘immortality’ is predominantly used in connection with wisdom in the book may lead to the idea that ‘immortality’ in the book is not a Platonic idea but a Jewish version of it and hence ‘resurrection’ cannot be ignored from the narrative. Again the usages ‘in God’s hand’ and ‘hope is full of immortality’ can allude to a second process which is described by the word ‘visitation’ in Chapter 3. Moreover, Daniel 7:22 presents the notion of ‘kingdom’ which is to be possessed by the ‘Holy Ones’ in the eschatological future, as is evident from: “Then the judgment was given for the holy ones of the Most High, and the time arrived when holy ones gained possession of the kingdom”. (Daniel 7:22). Again this notion of ‘judgment’ is brought out in the following verse: “Those who obey her will judge the nations” (Sir 4:15). Hence the mention of ‘They will govern nations and rule over peoples’ (Wis 3:8) has parallels in the Jewish perspective. The emphasis is that this is an event which is to come sometime in the future after the time of peace and then the righteous will return as the masters of the world, bringing contempt to those who persecuted them. The author proceeds with his explanation by saying that “the Lord will reign over them forever” (Wis 3:8). This idea of the reigning of God over Israel is a highly prevalent one in Jewish literature. This idea is quite significant when one considers the Exodus motif in the final chapters of the ‘Wisdom of Solomon’. Wis 3:8 parallels closely with Exodus 15:18, “The Lord will reign forever and ever”. This theme can be found in many instances. “The Lord is king forever and ever; the nations shall perish from his land” (Ps 10:16); “The Lord sits enthroned over the flood; the Lord sits enthroned as king forever” (Ps 29:10); “The Lord will reign forever, your God, O Zion, for all generations.”(Ps 146:10); “But the Lord is the true God; he is the living God and the everlasting King” (Jer 10:10). Thus Wis 3:8 alludes to the coming kingdom of the God of Israel where he triumphs over the ‘wicked’ bringing his wrath upon them and rewarding the ‘righteous’ with right to partake in his reigning over the nations. The close allegiance of this passage with the book of Daniel, is firmly upheld by Wright. In his opinion, the passage closely relates with the fate of God’s people as mentioned in Daniel 12: 1-3 and Daniel 7. “The present passage doesn’t mention the word ‘resurrection’- perhaps because the author really does want to address an audience which will include pagans, and he knows full well that ‘resurrection’ denotes something that all pagans deny”.1919 William Horbury in his argument puts forth that the ‘Wisdom of Solomon’ reflects a preference for ‘spiritual immortality- no insubstantial form of life’ as compared to ‘resurrection’ per say. He notices twin usage of the Hellenic term ‘immortality’ (athanasia) and the biblical term ‘resurrection’ (anastasis) as in 1 Cor 15: 52-54 and Ps. Phocylides 102-15 and mentions that in medieval exegesis (for instance, Aquinas) Wisdom’s portrayal of the righteous in the eschatological war and final judgment (Wis 3:7-8 and 5:16) was used to uphold “the agility of the glorified risen body”. He also points to the relating of the word ‘visitation’ to the notion of ‘resurrection’ (as in Puech). Considering all these he puts forth his idea of ‘spiritual immortality’ in Wisdom due to two reasons: (a) Wisdom “speak of immortality without mentioning resurrection, whereas Paul and Ps. Phocylides both combine the two” and (b) Wisdom “avoids the imagery of waking” (as in Dan 12:2-3).20 Having done so, Horbury takes the safer side in his argument that the Wisdom of Solomon teaches ‘spiritual immortality’. He is convinced of the viewpoint that there is no insubstantial form of life in the stage. But he is not clear as to the way in which this stage of ‘spiritual immortality’ is executed and the timing of the happenings mentioned in chapter 3. Winston too holds for the vagueness of the precise timing and location of the post death experiences in the book of Wisdom. For Winston the whole notion of Wisdom 3:1-12 rests round the idea that after a ‘brief period of chastisement’ the ‘sacrificial death’ of the just is accepted; but their physical death is not an end in itself and it is a further step to a better existence. They, led by the divine power, will exercise judgment over the nations in the future. But in his opinion “the author is deliberately vague, however, as to the precise timing and location of these post-mortem events”. He puts forth two possibilities in line with others – “the temporary abode of all souls in Sheol until the Final Judgment” or the taking place of judgment immediately after death.21 It would also be beneficial to discuss the instances other than 3:4 in which the word ‘immortality’ is used. The more frequent usage of the word ‘immortality’ in the book is in connection with ‘wisdom’ where the possession of ‘wisdom’ is seen as the means to ‘immortality’. This idea is echoed in 6: 18, 19; 8: 13, 17. “… Giving heed to her laws is the assurance of immortality, and immortality brings one near to God.”(6: 18, 19) (Here heeding the laws of wisdom gives immortality which in turn leads one to God). “Because of her I shall have immortality, and leave an everlasting remembrance to those who come after me.”(8:13) (Here possession of wisdom is instrumental to attain immortality). 8:17 make it clearer: “…in kinship with wisdom there is immortality”. The two different connections drawn to ‘immortality’ emerge in 4:1 and 15:3 where ‘immortality’ is seen in relation to ‘virtue’ and ‘knowing the power of God’ respectively. Hence it becomes clear that the predominant sense in which the word ‘immortality’ is used in the Wisdom of Solomon is in relation to ‘wisdom’: that is ‘immortality’ is not innate in a soul but is gained through the attainment of wisdom. This analysis is in agreement with Wright’s argument that the ‘Wisdom of Solomon’ teaches ‘immortality’; but it has got two characteristics: ‘immortality ‘ is not innate in a pre-existent soul but is gained through the attainment of wisdom; also ‘immortality’ does not lead to a disembodied soul after death, but a new bodily life .22 Therefore, it becomes clear that Wis 3:1-4 alludes to an intermediate period after death when the soul of the righteous is in the hand of God. And, with further elaboration, the final bodily resurrection is to be attained by the righteous at a future point of time. There cannot be discord between the two doctrines as is apparent from: “To suggest such a thing is simply to fail to see how the story works, and how those who believe in a final resurrection necessarily also believe in an intermediate time when those to be raised in the future are kept alive not by an innate immortality but by the power and love of Israel’s God.”23 A clear distinction between the tenses used in the two chunks is warranted i.e. in Wis 3:1, “But the souls of the righteous are in the hand of God”. And in Wis 3: 7, “In the time of their visitation they will shine forth, and will run like sparks in the stubble…” The present tense is used in the first instance thereby signing to a present event. The future tense in the second instance gives the idea of something which is about to happen at a later date than the first instance. Hence an reference can be made as to the point that it is a period of rest that is mentioned in the first place and resurrection in the second place. There can be a doubt as to how such a portrait of an intermediate period and resurrection emerged in Judaism. Some have opined that the modification of Platonic notion of ‘immortality’ and disembodied existence after death led to a belief in resurrection.24 Such a viewpoint does not prove authentic as seen in the statements “Rather, it seems probable that the emerging belief in resurrection precipitated further reflection on the continuing identity of the people of YHWH in between bodily death and resurrection. For that task, Hellenistic language about the soul lay ready to hand. It was capable of being imported without necessarily bringing all its latent Platonic baggage with it”.25 Conclusion and Summary In this essay, the diverse argument stemming from the conception of the afterlife and in effect, immortality and resurrection, have been explored in the light of the Wisdom of Solomon. An analysis of the book was directed towards bringing out the author’s narrative and consequently, better explain the phenomenon of the afterlife. The conceptual analysis of the two fundamental concepts associated with this brought forth the idea that immortality pertains to the ongoing existence of the soul, beyond bodily death; it is a notion which cannot be torn from that of resurrection. This allowed for more light to be shed on the continuing perception that the body was not resurrected immediately after death, which then means that it will be in a transitory state of immortality. However, several scholars do take the stance that the depth of the idea of ‘immortality’ portrayed in Wisdom of Solomon is not done in the same manner for resurrection. Furthermore, there is a fundamental reinforcement of the idea that the righteous will be ever protected from the wicked as their souls are in the hands of God and they continue to remain in peace. This then is shows an undercurrent of the apprehension that the two states which have been of prime importance here, are in fact co-existent. I would like to conclude that the Wisdom of Solomon is vague with regard to the idea of ‘immortality’. There is mention of ‘immortality’ and it is clear that the Wisdom of Solomon teaches ‘immortality’. But I am also convinced that the idea of ‘immortality’ in Wisdom is not a Platonic one. The vagueness arises in the mode of execution of the stage of ‘immortality’. The close allegiance of chapter 3 of Wisdom to Daniel 12 and the connection of ‘immortality’ to ‘wisdom’ in the book thus bringing it to the Jewish realm, may hint at the existence of the concept of ‘resurrection’ in disguise in the narrative. But it is clear that ‘resurrection’ is nowhere mentioned in the narrative. Works Cited Barr, James. 1992,The Garden of Eden and the Hope of Immortality ,London: SCM Press Boismard, Marie-Emile. 1999, Our Victory over Death: Resurrection? ,Collegeville, Minn.: Liturgical Press Cavallin, Hans Clemens Caesarius. 1974, Life After Death: Paul’s Argument for the Resurrection of the Dead in 1 Cor 15, Part I. An Enquiry into the Jewish Background, Lund: CWK Gleerup Collins, John. J. 1978, The Root of Immortality: Death in the Context of Jewish Wisdom in Harvard Theological Review 71 Collins, John. J. 1998, Jewish Wisdom in the Hellenistic Age, Edinburgh: T. & T. Clark Cohen, Shaye J.D. 1987, From the Maccabees to the Mishnah ,Philadelphia: Westminster Grabbe, Lester. L. 1997, The Wisdom of Solomon ,Sheffield: Sheffield Academic Press Horbury, William. The Wisdom of Solomon in The Oxford Bible Commentary Nickelsburg, George. W.E. 1972, Resurrection, Immortality and Eternal Life in Intertestamental Judaism in Harvard Theological Studies 26 ,Cambridge, Mass.: Harvard University Press Winston, David. 1979, The Wisdom of Solomon ,New York: Doubleday Wright, N.T. 2003, The Resurrection of the Son of God , Bath: CPI- The Bath Press Read More