THE CONCEPT OF DEATH IN THE BIBLE: FROM SEPARATION TO LIBERATION
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Date
2005
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Tangaza University College
Abstract
From time immemorial, the mystery of death has remained subtle to man.
Efforts have been made to understand this reality, but little light shade to the oddity of
the mystery of death and the dread that accompany it. Struck by the same curiosity and
lack of satisfactory answers about the mystery I thought of embarking on trying to grasp
the concept of death in the Bible, as it is a reliable source of Christian faith.
The research the first Chapter starts with the curiosity to understand the concept
of death in the Old Testament. Before I enter in to the core of the study I will first
research on the concept of death in the Ancient Near Eastern cultures, for these cultures
had much influence on the understanding of the concept of death in the Old Testament.
As it will be seen, death in these cultures is something to be feared, that which alienates
one from the joy of living. In these cultures still man is to blame for the fate that begot
humanity of lacking immortality. In the second and third parts of the chapter we shall
focus on the Old Testament understanding of the concept of death. We shall see why
death is said to be separation from God and from his people. We shall see the origin of
death as effect of sin. Elaborate study will be given also to sanctions against dead and
the historical development of the concept of death from creation to the inter-testamental
period. In all these we shall see how death is understood as that which separates or
rather divides people.
Chapter two will give a substantial change of the concept of death from the idea
of separation to means of liberation. We shall see how the understanding of death is
spinned around the victorious death of Christ Jesus. Jesus transformative action of the
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concept of death will be dealt in length. We shall see the mysterious liberation concept
of death which seen contradictory to Old Testament.
In the third chapter we shall endeavor to present how we are to understand death
today. We shall see how we are to conceive of death in a positive and more spiritual
way and how we can apply the concept of death in our lives.
Generally the research will be answering whether concept of death today is still
the same as it was? Is death still the punishment for sin; is it still separation or means to
liberation (way to eternity?
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THE CONCEPT OF DEATH IN THE BIBLE: FROM SEPARATION TO LIBERATION