 The
ancient Hebrews imagined the universe as a
three-tiered cosmos of heaven, Earth, and underworld. Heaven was
reserved for God and the angels; living human beings occupied the middle
world; and the spirits of the dead resided beneath the Earth in
"She'ol." The only stories in Hebrew scriptures, besides Daniel, that
refer to afterlife notions are the story of
Elijah's bodily ascent to heaven. Malachi describes the
reincarnation of Elijah as one of the signs of the Messiah's
arrival. Indeed, it is reasonably certain that reincarnation was not an
alien concept to the Hebrews. An orthodox sect of Judaism, called
Hasidic Judaism, professes a belief in reincarnation. Also, ancient
Jewish mysticism taught the reality of reincarnation in the
Kabbalah. In contemporary Judaism, the orthodox embraced the
doctrine of resurrection, while the non-orthodox often accepted the
notion of an immortal soul. Many secular and
Reform Jews view themselves as part of the tradition of Judaism,
without adhering to any sort of afterlife belief.
Besides the Biblical story of
Elijah ascending to heaven, other accounts of heavenly trips and
visions exist. It is written that Enoch was actually taken, by God, to
heaven. Jacob was given a vision of a "stairway" ascending to heaven. In
modern times, Jews continue to ascend to heaven as documented by many
near-death experiences. Below are only a few. |
