Heaven Warning: You are not logged in. Your IP address will be publicly visible if you make any edits. If you log in or create an account, your edits will be attributed to your username, along with other benefits.Anti-spam check. Do not fill this in! PreviewAdvancedSpecial charactersHelpHeadingLevel 2Level 3Level 4Level 5FormatInsertLatinLatin extendedIPASymbolsGreekGreek extendedCyrillicArabicArabic extendedHebrewBanglaTamilTeluguSinhalaDevanagariGujaratiThaiLaoKhmerCanadian AboriginalRunesÁáÀàÂâÄäÃãǍǎĀāĂ㥹ÅåĆćĈĉÇçČčĊċĐđĎďÉéÈèÊêËëĚěĒēĔĕĖėĘęĜĝĢģĞğĠġĤĥĦħÍíÌìÎîÏïĨĩǏǐĪīĬĭİıĮįĴĵĶķĹĺĻļĽľŁłŃńÑñŅņŇňÓóÒòÔôÖöÕõǑǒŌōŎŏǪǫŐőŔŕŖŗŘřŚśŜŝŞşŠšȘșȚțŤťÚúÙùÛûÜüŨũŮůǓǔŪūǖǘǚǜŬŭŲųŰűŴŵÝýŶŷŸÿȲȳŹźŽžŻżÆæǢǣØøŒœßÐðÞþƏəFormattingLinksHeadingsListsFilesDiscussionReferencesDescriptionWhat you typeWhat you getItalic''Italic text''Italic textBold'''Bold text'''Bold textBold & italic'''''Bold & italic text'''''Bold & italic textDescriptionWhat you typeWhat you getReferencePage text.<ref>[https://www.example.org/ Link text], additional text.</ref>Page text.[1]Named referencePage text.<ref name="test">[https://www.example.org/ Link text]</ref>Page text.[2]Additional use of the same referencePage text.<ref name="test" />Page text.[2]Display references<references />↑ Link text, additional text.↑ Link text=== Second Temple Judaism === During the period of the [[Second Temple]] ({{circa}} 515 BC – 70 AD), the Hebrew people lived under the rule of first the Persian [[Achaemenid Empire]], then the Greek kingdoms of the [[Diadochi]], and finally the [[Roman Empire]].{{sfn|Wright|2000|pages=98–138}} Their culture was profoundly influenced by those of the peoples who ruled them.{{sfn|Wright|2000|pages=98–138}} Consequently, their views on existence after death were profoundly shaped by the ideas of the Persians, Greeks, and Romans.{{sfn|Wright|2000|pages=115–117}}{{sfn|Sanders|1993|page=170}} The idea of the [[immortality of the soul]] is derived from Greek philosophy{{sfn|Sanders|1993|page=170}} and the idea of the [[resurrection of the dead]] is thought to be derived from Persian cosmology,{{sfn|Sanders|1993|page=170}} although the later claim has been recently questioned.<ref>{{Cite book |title=Heaven and Hell: A History of the Afterlife |last=Ehrman |first=Bart D. |publisher=Simon and Schuster |year=2020 |isbn=978-1-5011-3675-7 |pages=104–105 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=SaOeDwAAQBAJ&pg=PA103 |quote=More recently scholars have questioned a Persian derivation for the Jewish doctrine because of certain problems of dating. Some experts have undercut the entire thesis by pointing out that we actually do not have any Zoroastrian texts that support the idea of resurrection prior to its appearance in early Jewish writings. It is not clear who influenced whom. Even more significant, the timing does not make sense: Judah emerged from Persian rule in the fourth century BCE, when Alexander the Great (356–323 BCE) swept through the eastern Mediterranean and defeated the Persian Empire. But the idea of bodily resurrection does not appear in Jewish texts for well over a century after that.}}</ref> By the early first century AD, these two seemingly incompatible ideas were often conflated by Hebrew thinkers.{{sfn|Sanders|1993|page=170}} The Hebrews also inherited from the Persians, Greeks, and Romans the idea that the human soul originates in the divine realm and seeks to return there.{{sfn|Wright|2000|pages=98–138}} The idea that a human soul belongs in Heaven and that Earth is merely a temporary abode in which the soul is tested to prove its worthiness became increasingly popular during the [[Hellenistic period]] (323–31 BC).{{sfn|Hundley|2015|page=455}} Gradually, some Hebrews began to adopt the idea of Heaven as the eternal home of the righteous dead.{{sfn|Hundley|2015|page=455}} Summary: Please note that all contributions to Christianpedia may be edited, altered, or removed by other contributors. If you do not want your writing to be edited mercilessly, then do not submit it here. You are also promising us that you wrote this yourself, or copied it from a public domain or similar free resource (see Christianpedia:Copyrights for details). Do not submit copyrighted work without permission! Cancel Editing help (opens in new window) Discuss this page