What is the Relationship between the Afterlife in Ancient Greek Myths, Ancient Egyptian Myths - Assignment Example

The relationship between the afterlife in ancient Greek myths, ancient Egyptian myths, and Christian doctrine Death affects all creatures, but human beings perceive it as a unique when they are its victims. To overcome this fearful feeling, humans consider the possibility of reawakening after death. Ideas of afterlife have been raised by diverse cultures and religions. For ancient people, the afterlife was characterized by shades and ghosts. Ancient Egyptians earlier than 2000 BC proposed a ruling after death, the Greeks relied on Hades, whereas the Hebrews considered Sheol. From this, it is evident that most ancient cultures did not accept the occurrence of an afterlife. Christian Doctrine All the monotheistic religions are known of recognizing the doctrines of an afterlife. Christianity is one of the monotheistic religions in the world; it believes in the resurrection of the dead. Christian doctrines rely on two sources. The first source is believed to have been the Second-Temple Judaism that resulted to the introduction of the idea of resurrection of the dead body. This is evidenced in the New Statement that outlines on how the Pharisees believed in the resurrection of the body (Gray, 2013). The second source of the Christian doctrine is the one that was endorsed and predetermined as a Christian doctrine by Jesus through His resurrection. Christians also believe that there is a place called heaven in which believers will go after resurrection. According to them, the non-believers will inherit a place called hell; a place where judgment and punishment will take place. Egyptian doctrine The Egyptians belief of the afterlife is so elaborate; they believed that humans had a life-force that parted the body after death. In life, the life-force depended entirely on the foods and drinks in order to survive. Thus, after death sacrifices were made in order to keep the ka alive; the Egyptians believed that its spiritual essence could continue to consume their sacrifices. Additionally, the Egyptians believed in the existence of a ba in each person. Unlike the ka, the ba did not part with the body after death. To remove the ba from the dead body so that it can join with the ka to form akh, the Egyptians performed funeral rituals (Budge 67). The Egyptians also believed that the ba occasionally reunited with its body in order to gain new life, and because of this, they preserved the deceased. Originally, the Egyptians believed that the ba was only owned by the pharaoh because he belonged to the royal families. They also believed that the pharaoh had the potential of becoming a god. However, they later associated the pharaoh with rebirth of god Ra and the underworld leader Osiris. The Egyptians also believed in the judgment afterlife; they believed that their souls have to undergo a judgment that constituted weighing of the heart. In this judgment, the Egyptians believed that the sinful soul will be thrown to the underworld whereas the worthy soul will unite with the akh. Additionally, they believed that all the dead bodies dwelt in the same place with the Osiris. The similarity and variation of Egyptian doctrine of afterlife and Christian doctrine of afterlife to that of Greek mythology According to Heilbrunn Timeline of Art History, the conception of the afterlife by the Greeke came into existence very long time ago. Just like the doctrine of the Egyptians and the Christians it had a unique place called underworld. According to the Greeks, the inhabitants of the underworld were the brother of Zeus and Poseidon dwelt (Junehenson, 2011). Just like Christians and the Egyptians who believed that hell and underworld were not good places for living, the Greeks also claimed that the underground was one of the unsafe places for Greeks survival. Additionally, the Greeks also believed in the existence of a spirit after the death of an individual. This belief is in tandem to the one believed by the Christians and the Egyptians. As introduced above, the Christians and the Egyptians believed in the existence of a spirit after death. However, the spirits of the Christians and those of the Greeks were treated differently. For instance, the spirits of the dead Christians were not rewarded through sacrifices for the pains they underwent in earth whereas those of the Greeks were offered sacrifices as a reward for the pains they underwent while in the living body on earth. Unlike the Christians, the Egyptians offered sacrifices to the spirits as the Greeks. They believed that the existence of ba dependent entirely on foods and drinks. Additionally, the rewarding method of the Greeks spirits correlated to that of the Egyptians; it depended entirely on the ability of the living to remember the dead. Just like the Egyptians and the Christians, the Greek had also their own Lord. However, unlike the two, their Lords were the Lord of the dead. Additionally, the afterlife of the Greeks correlated that of the Egyptians and the Christians; the wicked were punished by being thrown into darker pits of Tartarus, a place that was called underworld or hell by the Egyptians and the Christians respectively. Just like the Christians and the Egyptians, the dead Greeks who had lived a good life had also a place to inherit; they enjoyed the pleasures of Elysium (Mark, 2012). According to the Christians and the Egyptians, Elysium was heaven. However, the Greeks also believed that there existed a third place for the dead. They believed that the forgotten wicked souls wondered in the land of Hades. The possession of different lords also played a significant role in contrasting Christian doctrines and Egyptian doctrines from Greeks doctrine. Unlike the other two religions, the Greeks had about ten gods and goddesses. For example, Hades (lord of death) combined with pluto (lord of health) to enhances the success of Greeks underworld. Conclusion In conclusion, the fear of death made humans consider the possibility of reawakening after death. It led to many religions and cultures coming up with ideas of the afterlife. Surprisingly, all the religions believed that there is life afterlife. They all know that the body will be separated from the soul. Additionally, the Greeks, Christians and the Egyptians believe in the existence of worlds. They all believe that the righteous souls will inherit peaceful world. It is also apparent that the Greeks, Christians and the Egyptians believe in the existence of a bad place for the wrong doers. Unlike the Christians and the Egyptians, the Greeks believe in the existence of a third world for the forgotten unrighteous souls. Additionally, it is evident that the Christians did not believe in the occasional coming back of the dead; they do not offer sacrifices to the dead. However, both the Greeks and the Egyptians believed in the occasional coming back of the dead; they offered sacrifices to them to avoid the occurrence of misfortunes. Works Cited Budge, Walis. Egyptian Ideas of the Afterlife. New York: Courier Dover Publications, 1995. Print. Gray, Jason. “Christianity and the Afterlife.” University of Carlifornia Riverside. (2013). Junehenson. “Greek and Roman Mythology.” Live Binders. 2011. http://www.maicar.com/GML/index.html www.perseus.tufts.edu Mark, Joshua. “The After-Life In Ancient Greece.” Ancient History Encyclopedia. 2012. Read More