perspectivehistorical
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Critical-historical scholars trace the evolution of resurrection belief in Second Temple Judaism. Early Israelites believed everyone went to Sheol, a neutral, shadowy underworld of forgetfulness. The shift toward a physical resurrection divided by reward and punishment emerged during Hellenistic persecution, specifically the Maccabean crisis of the second century BCE. It arose to reconcile divine justice with the unjust deaths of righteous martyrs, promising they would be bodily vindicated on earth.
controversy
Supporting arguments
- Sheol was originally viewed as the final destination for both good and bad.
- The Book of Daniel, containing the first clear double resurrection, dates to the Maccabean period.
- Resurrection was a highly debated political and theological topic between Pharisees and Sadducees.
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