 |
| Rev. John M. Kohlenberger (2012) |
|
Everlasting Life - over the Millennia ... by Rev. John M. Kohlenberger
Since most of the Western World is familiar with what has been called Judeo-Christian traditions and values, I will begin there. But I will also take us back in history so you can understand the evolution of this idea of Everlasting Life.
The idea and belief in having a life beyond physical death has been around for thousands of years. Recent archeological evidence now tells us that this may have been a belief, possibly hundreds of thousands of years ago.
A few thousand years ago, the belief in continuing one's existence in an Afterlife, after death, was common in the cultures of ancient Egypt, where Moses came from. So this idea is by no means, "new"!
According to Prof. Bart D. Ehrman, PhD, of The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, though ancient Judaism had the 10 Commandments, they were viewed as ways that the Hebrews of those times could live in harmony. Thus, these ten statements by Moses were mot taken so much as "Undeviating Laws" as they were ways to live your life in celebration and honor of all the wondrous gifts that their God (If you will be my people, OI will be your God) had already bestowed upon them; among these being a guarantee of a continuance of Life after Death.*
Over the centuries, some of the beliefs of the Hebrews changed, as always happens in life; for individuals as well as groups.
Prfessor Ehrman feels, and I concur, that the Apostle Paul thought that following The Jewish Law, The Laws of Moses, would give these Chosen People everlasting life. But, by his time, the original 10 laws had expanded 613 variations, which he thought was too many so that nobody could ever follow all of them. And as he saw people around him dying, he thought that this was proof that this was an unsuccessful idea.
Then, he heard about this man, Jesus, who had apparently been crucified, but then lived afterward, He reasoned that this man had achieved everlasting physical life. So, just believe in him and (as Jesus taught) believe in yourself, to be capable of doing what he did, and you too can have everlasting life, PHYSICALLY.
Now, I wonder what Paul thought after he died and left his physical body and life behind?
When and Where Did "The One (Supreme) God" Start?
Likely, this idea came from Egypt where it died out, but was brought out of Egypt by the Hebrews during their Exodus ... for the Western World to see. Though many of these dates are only "good guesses", there does seem to be an overl;ap of Egyptian and Hebrew cultures during the tome of Moses.
Moses was born in ~ 1592 or 1391 BCE (depending on who did the accounting). But he was a Pharaoh in training and as such may have been associated with the beliefs of these other pharaohs ... Pharaoh Amenhotep IV ~ 1336 to 1334 BCE ... Pharaohs Akenaten ~ 1340-1360 BCE ... Tutankhamun -~ 1340-1320 BCE
* From Lecture 3 in Bart Ehrman's "New Testament" lecture series.
|
