Question: I have tried to find something about "eternal life" in the Old Testament. Did the Old Testament Jews believe in eternal life with the Father? What became of them when they died? If they didn’t know about eternal life, why did they perform the sacrifices?

Marilynne

Answer: Dear Marilynne,

Several issues here – the major one is what interpretation that one accepts of the Old Testament (old covenant). Judaism today, quite apart from Christianity, accepts a variety of views, including Conservative, Orthodox, Reform, Reconstructionist, and Humanistic. All of these views/religions offer different interpretations of your question – and that doesn’t even begin to discuss a variety of ways that Christians view the Old Testament teaching of the afterlife.

In brief, most interpretations agree that the Old Testament speaks of a resurrection – that the Old Testament teaches about a coming Messiah who would usher in a future age to come that would be part of, in some way, the after life. The 13 articles of faith, from the Authorized Prayer Book, used by many Jewish synagogues, includes belief in the coming Messiah and in the resurrection of the dead.

Sacrifices were not tied into eternal life as much as they were the law – for the highest ethic to the Jews, and for the old covenant, is to keep the law – not necessarily or primarily because of rewards in the after life for doing so, but because of the law, which is and was the distinguishing sign of being God’s chosen people.

Big subject, but I have only limited time due to other questions – hope this gives you a little background.

In Christ,

Greg Albrecht