The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1899-11-12
THE RELIGIOUS DEBATE.
lRGr urNTs BY a JEWISH RABBI, \
RLIIONILISr AND 4 CHhJSIIAN
BETJEpER.
A Jewish Rabbi on the Jewish idea of
Immortality.


lavish idea OF immortality must be con-
.d.fed In the three eras into which our
.p.n o! jewish literature 10 naturally divided:
Vi, the b bIical, the Talmudlc. and the post
Ts'mudir erns.
To the soul poetic. as to tho soul that Ia faith
inspired the idea Of i'm ortal " in the first. or
RhIical era, 10 origined In the first verse o'ths
nr.t charrer o' the first book o' the Bible For
nnayhe asked; To what purpose does that
text meatinn tho heaven as being created In
the beginning II heaven did not con-
earn MANI Does 1t not imply that
the heaven as well ss the earth IL
sph, &c Of OK s'ence for mnnI The deduction 10
N sist possible.
re seven h vsrse OF the second chapter
,h'rs that man consists Of the dust OF the
,,rrh and ~ the breath OF lie. brsathed into
him nv the Creator What becomes OF the
breath ~ life wh"n the body returns TO its
.,,gin. the dust7 We hardly need the decera-
lion Of Ece.iast.- that 1t returns to It's origin.
the God who gave II.
That the Hebrews in Bible times believed In
,fu,ure state may vol he argued IRON the fact
,ba, to die" and TO be gathered TO ones
t,bers' or Ito ones pconle" are ANONYMOUS
And thou shalt go to thy fathers In neace,"
s,il Got to Abraham, Gen. xy.. 15l after he
hal EFT his fathers house. As n matter OF
fact, Abraham never returned to his fathers
IN this n'r. They lived and died In Ur and
Hiram h. lyri anil died In Canaan. Aaron was
Gathered to his fathers on Mount Hor. In the
esnd q, Tdum. where his fathers never lived
Moses was gathered to his fathers" on Mount
yeho in the land NJ Mnah, who're his fathers
nayerl.yed. David was buried in the city OF
David. Omri in Samarit. Manasseh In the gar
den ~ hs own house Their fathers were not
buried there
Moreover. what are wa 10 understand by
such EXPRESSIONS o. Moses as God OF the
spirits - all desh." AMI uttered. too. at mo-
nsn,.ot deepest emot on. II not expressive NJ a
condition Of .pritusliy rather than materi-
Atty The Hebrew wor'l used In these texts Is
IN The highest degree suggestive. And what
are We to understand by the declaration OF
Moses In his drath.sOng. wherein God saith.
Fl send death AMI | make alive. ] wound
Ard heal" II not plain statement
that Just a. He wounds ant He heals.
Sole sand. death, but It Is followed by lie
anew. Thi. truth Ia repeated in the creation
hymn. known ~ Palm CIV:
Thou takes, away their breath. they die and
r,,urn to their dust. Tsou send-st forth Thy
tpirtt same worl IN the Hebrew ~ In the
phrases noted above. spirits Of al nesh'i. they
ARE created and Thou renewsst the face OF the
!
n Hannah. The Lord Sillsth and makcth
alive. lie brnseth down 10 the grave and
hrneeth up" II Sam. H.. o. Nought
could David have meant when he said
Of hi. deaf son. Il shall go To him. but
he shall not return 10 me" III Sam. Xii. 23l.
bat belief In reunion 10 a'ter-lt'e.
but when We leave the histor cal and come
20 the emotional book. OF the Bible thrre.
through thinkers words or prophets voice or
p~aimists whisper. We hear the pu sations OF
Immorta ity. the throrbinG. OF Eternity. He
VINO prohe. the human soul, perrlexed with
the trias Of lite. even In the very moment
when In his agony he cries out his PITY me.
rtty me. M trends FOR the hand OF God
hath stricken me"-revrrthelsss eXclal ms as II
rom'orted ~ the thought But I know that
nv Rsiaemsr lyA'h aud without my
Gsh shan behold Col" tJoh xix. 25l'
He vii anninia'e death forever and tn.
Lori Col will wrs away the tear from all
aces" lisa. xxxviiN. Thy dead mon shall
I've my deceased shall arise. Awake and sing
ye that dwell In the dust. and earth
shall cast forth the dead" txxvi. l1l.
- will ransom them from the ROVER OF the
grove | will REDEEM them from death; o
death. | will be thy plaques. o grave. will be
tiv destruction" Hos. xiii IA
so speak the prophets And the harp az the
psaluI-t when attuned 10 imnor atty ofT-rS
sweet comfort also. For Thou wilt not leave
my soul In the grave; Thou wilt not su'rer Thy
p.ous TO -se corruption Pc. NIi., lOj Thou
wilt show me the path ~ life: the fulno.s OF
Joy in Thy presence; the sweet 1919 at Thy
right hand et-rnally."
Oragain. AS for me. / will behold Thy face
In ghteousneSs. / shall De satisfied when
awake with Thy likeness" tKvii.. l5.l How
great is Thy happiness which Thou hast hid
Zen for them that fear Thee. which Thou
hast wrought for them that trust In Thee"
XXI. 49, But God will redeem my soul
rom the power Of the grave. when II. takes
me *. 10 For Thou devsrest my
soul from death" tv. IL 'Thou who hast
.hVSn me great and sore troubles, wilt quicken
~ again. and will bring me m again from the
t'rth. II he earth" nxxi.. 2O.J
WHEN the Temple fires died out. and the
Jewish nation was in gloom, Daniel. who 10
rot ranked among the prophets by the He
hrsws says tIiD And many az them that sleep
IN the dust Of the earth shall awake. some to
everlasting lie and some 10 shame and ever
LASTING contempt: ind thev that are wise shall
'h'n" as the brightness Of the armament, and
thy that turn many to righteousness rs the
Mars FOR ever md ever"
In the Apocryrha the Wisdom NJ Solomon.
1her"Grs passages expressing he b-iief IN i'm
mortality. For God created man to be M
mortal" 49,. 23l. But the righteous live for
.vermore. their reward also ia with tho Lord
and the care Of them 10 with the Most High"
", 10.
In the second book NJ the Maccabees tvi.. 28D
EIenZar ex"laims: Living or dpn |. | cannot
""ap" from the hands Of the Aim iGhty:" VII 10
The martyrs 90 Al tCh vii. ~. The King OF
HE Universe shall raise IN tn everlasting life.
AID IN Oh. xii. +I-ij. we lni tho current be-
Hef IN immortality clearly announced.
We ars nus led 10 the Tamudlc era, wherein
1hs IDEAS OF Immortality are expressed many
time. in many ways,
In the commonly quoted passage. Aboth w..
III. W. read: This world Ia impaired 10 an
an'e-room AMI the world TO come IL likenei to
palhce Prepare thySelf in the ante-room. In
ofoer that thou maycst be gathered into tho
palars." "One hour ~ bliss IN the future
world Ia worth more than the whole OF our
present li.e." tCh. w.. ~.
Hundreds Of Passages in the rOlmud relate
10 O'hm liaha or life in III. world u come Tho
o"Nsi In immortality Was accepted among the
ihsrisees, by whom are to b. underst God the
pest "isest. pure-t and most noble m nded OF