Afterlife and Resurrection Beliefs in the Pseudepigrapha

by Jan A. Sigvartsen

Publisher:

T&T Clark

, 2019

Overview

Jan A. Sigvartsen seeks to examine the immense interest in life after death, and speculation about the fates awaiting both the righteous and the wicked, that proliferated in the Second Temple period. In this volume Sigvartsen analyses the texts of the Pseudepigrapha, identifies the numerous afterlife and resurrection beliefs they contain, and presents an analysis of these beliefs and how they functioned in the Second Temple period. A careful reading of these diverse resurrection passages—from testaments to wisdom, philosophical literature, and prayers—reveals that most of these distinct life-after-death views, regardless of their complexity, show little evidence of systematic development relational to one another, and are often supported by several key passages or shared motifs from texts that later became a part of the TaNaKh. This volume examines testaments from Adam to the Twelve Patriarchs, expansions of stories and legends such as Joseph and Aseneth and the ladder of Jacob, and texts such as 4 Maccabees, before finally considering the posthumous body, the nature of the soul, and anthropological implications. Sigvartsen’s study provides a deeper understanding of how texts that later became a part of the TaNaKh were read by different communities during this important period, and the role they played in the development of the resurrection belief—a central article of faith in both Christianity and Rabbinic Judaism. This volume is a companion to Sigvartsen’s work on afterlife and resurrection in the Apocrypha and the apocalyptic literature of the Pseudepigrapha.

Product Details

• Title: Afterlife and Resurrection Beliefs in the Pseudepigrapha
• Author: Jan A. Sigvartsen
• Series: Jewish and Christian Texts in Contexts and Related Studies
• Volume: 30
• Publisher: T&T Clark
• Print Publication Date: 2019
• Logos Release Date: 2019
• Language: English
• Resources: 1
• Format: Digital › Logos Research Edition
• Subjects: Apocryphal books (O.T.) › Criticism, interpretation, etc; Future life › Biblical teaching; Resurrection › Biblical teaching
• ISBNs: 9780567685544, 9780567685551, 0567685543, 0567685551
• Resource ID: LLS:FTRLFRSPSDPGRPH
• Resource Type: Monograph
• Metadata Last Updated: 2022-09-30T00:08:56Z

About Jan A. Sigvartsen

Jan A. Sigvartsen, PhD is a Dozent of Old Testament at the Theologische Hochschule Friedensau, Germany.  He undertook his PhD in Religion at Andrews University, USA and was also a Visiting Research Fellow at Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Israel.  His areas of specialization are Old Testament Exegesis and Theology, Early Judaism, and Archaeology.  He is currently associated with the Balu'a Regional Archaeological Project, one of the largest archaeological sites in the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan.  Prior to his appointment in Germany he taught both undergraduate and graduate levels, was a researcher, and academic editor at Andrews University. 

He is best known as the author of ExegesisPaper.com, a website which teaches students how to undertake exegesis, the primary research methodology of scholarly biblical research.  This online resource has been used by over 100,000 students from more than 180 countries.

Jan speaks English, Norwegian, and is learning German.  He was born in Norway, is a USA citizen, and has lived in England, the United States, Israel, Australia, and Germany.  He loves to travel and, given his Viking heritage, wants to build a Viking ship one day.  He lives with his Australian wife, Leanne (who is also a US and Maltese citizen), and their three young sons in the German university village of Friedensau.