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Philip Johnston
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Shades of Sheol: Death and Afterlife in the Old Testament Paperback – August 14, 2002

by Philip S. Johnston (Author)
4.5 4.5 out of 5 stars 25 ratings
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"For in death there is no remembrance of you; in Sheol who can give you praise?" (Psalm 6:5)

  • Death is a profound and complex subject. How did the Israelites respond to it?
  • The dead apparently went to Sheol. Where and what was it?
  • The inhabitants of Sheol are sometimes called "shades." What does this indicate?
  • Many ancient peoples venerated their ancestors. Did Israelites do this?
  • Did anyone hope for a positive afterlife? If so, in what form?
  • What about resurrection? How and when did this belief emerge?

Philip S. Johnston explores these and other issues. He examines Israelite views on death and afterlife as reflected in the Hebrew Bible and in material remains, and sets them in their cultural, literary and theological contexts. Johnston argues in detail that the Israelites were not as preoccupied with the underworld or the dead as some scholars have recently alleged. Instead, their faith that Yahweh was the God of the living, and that Sheol was cut off from him, led eventually to the hope of a positive afterlife. This important study sheds fresh light on Israelite beliefs in an area central to the later development of the Christian faith.

Previous page
  1. Print length
    288 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Publisher
    IVP Academic
  4. Publication date
    August 14, 2002
  5. Dimensions
    5.5 x 0.9 x 8.25 inches
  6. ISBN-10
    0830826874
  7. ISBN-13
    978-0830826872
  8. See all details
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Editorial Reviews

Review

"This is a competent, comprehensive and accessible study, which makes a valuable contribution to an important topic." -- Richard Harvey, Tutor in Old Testament and Hebrew, All Nations Christian College

"Fresh data and new interpretations ensure that death and the afterlife remain a lively center of debate within Old Testament study. Philip Johnston has analyzed the arguments in masterly fashion, and his study will be a must-read for anyone interested in knowing what the biblical writers actually say on the subject." -- Robert Gordon, Regius Professor of Hebrew, Cambridge University

Review

"Fresh data and new interpretations ensure that death and the afterlife remain a lively center of debate within Old Testament study. Philip Johnston has analyzed the arguments in masterly fashion, and his study will be a must-read for anyone interested in knowing what the biblical writers actually say on the subject."

-- Robert Gordon, Regius Professor of Hebrew, Cambridge University

Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ IVP Academic (August 14, 2002)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Paperback ‏ : ‎ 288 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0830826874
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0830826872
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 12 ounces
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 5.5 x 0.9 x 8.25 inches
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.5 4.5 out of 5 stars 25 ratings

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Philip Johnston

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Customer reviews

4.5 out of 5 stars
4.5 out of 5
25 global ratings

Top reviews from the United States

Tim
5.0 out of 5 stars An Exhaustive Inquiry into Biblical References to Sheol, though negligent of central question
Reviewed in the United States on September 6, 2011
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I originally wanted to give this book 4 stars (see next paragraph), but Philip Johnston did such a thorough job covering and commenting on all the references to Sheol in the Hebrew Bible that I had to give it 5. Much of this book covers Israelite views, reflections and responses to death, while only part of it probes into what Sheol was actually like in terms of practical existence there. Though somewhat disappointing, the Bible itself gives very little information about what Sheol was actually like either. Were the righteous in comfort? Were the wicked in punishment? Or were they equally in silent darkness? This leads me to my contention with the book.

Johnston is hesitant to address the central question we all want to know: were people tormented in Sheol? Johnston devotes a half-sentence to this in the entire body of the book, and then addresses it in a small paragraph in the book's conclusion. He says on p. 208, with regard to whether the wicked dead were punished post-mortem, "And again this is possible, but..." That's it. Then in the conclusion, in response to the "shame and everlasting contempt" unto which people will resurrect in the eschaton according to Daniel 12:2, Johnston says on p. 237 that it "remains unexplained and underdeveloped". I find it very disappointing that Johnston takes such a reluctant stand on this important issue. Nonetheless, I GREATLY enjoyed reading the book otherwise.
8 people found this helpful
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Richard Smith
4.0 out of 5 stars Well done study on the ancient Hebrew view of the afterlife
Reviewed in the United States on April 26, 2008
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Johnson has done an excellent job of reviewing the Old Testament view on death and the afterlife. I have often been puzzled at what seem to be contradictions in the scripture's view of Sheol, and this works seems to prove that my bewilderment was quite appropriate. It seems that the author's conclusion is that writers of the Old Testament weren't all that concerned with death and the afterlife, focusing on their relationship with Yahweh in the current life. It seems that much of the focus on death and the afterlife occurred in the inter-testamental period and quite possibly reflected the Hebrew exposure to Persian and Greek cultures.
Although dry and academic in parts, overall this is a well done and well written work. If you are interested in Sheol, or "The Pit", this is a great place to start.
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Vampirelibby A E Hodges
5.0 out of 5 stars Great Book to help you Understand Sheol.
Reviewed in the United States on January 20, 2015
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A must have for real vampires and donors. There are several types of real vampires: 1. Sanguine-blood drinkers, 2. Prana Vampires- feed off Prana, chi energy, 3. Elemental Vampires feed off elements: (earth, wind, fire, water, Akasha/Spirit/Soul, 4. Hybrid vampires feed off a combination of above listed energies. Real Vampires believe in reincarnation; and that the soul rest in Sheol/Bardo until the next reincarnation. This book helps to give a clear distinction of: heaven, hell, Sheol as separate, spiritual realms as all prominent scriptures (Bible, Torah, Koran/Quran. It was only at the Counsel of Nicea that Spiritual leaders decided to merge the Spiritual Realm Of Hell and Sheol in order to not confuse New Christians: who came from a Pagan background that Believed in the King of Hell called Hades/Satan.
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Debbie Gregory
5.0 out of 5 stars Great book
Reviewed in the United States on January 1, 2020
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husband loves - good book and arrived on time
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Amazon Customer
4.0 out of 5 stars Great study.
Reviewed in the United States on August 16, 2018
Verified Purchase
Very informative. Great study.
One person found this helpful
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michael
5.0 out of 5 stars Five Stars
Reviewed in the United States on December 7, 2015
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great read
2 people found this helpful
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David A. Baer
5.0 out of 5 stars an encyclopedia of information and discerning interpretation
Reviewed in the United States on July 24, 2005
The author organises this encyclopaedic study under four parts: Death, the Underworld, the Dead, and the Afterlife. An introductory apology for the study confronts the reader with a paradox: death and the underworld are fascinating topics for Judaism, Christianity, and modern scholarship, yet 'Israel's religious writers were not particularly concerned with the underworld or with the dead. The related to Yahweh in this life, and were relatively uninterested in the life hereafter.'

In Part A, the manifold figures under which death appears in the Old Testament are exhaustively surveyed, noting that death is sometimes seen as natural while at other moments is viewed as a contradiction and adversary of the life which Yahweh has created. A second chapter reviews practices surrounding death and burial in ancient Israel, concluding that 'religious rites either did not occur or were of such minimal importance that they have left no trace in any of the varied literary strands of the Old Testament. Little continued interest in the remains of the dead is evident.

In his consideration of the underworld (Part B), Johnston finds an Israelite distinctive in its relative disregard for Sheol, which when it is mentioned is an unwelcome fate, sparsely described, and always in first-person accounts rather than reportage. The argument for late editorial extraction of the theme is discussed, then dismissed.

Arguing that most underworld language is metaphorical, Johnston criticizes studies by Pedersen and Barth that suggested that the Israelite sufferer actually experienced Sheol in this life. Under the questioning heading 'The Pervasive Underworld?', Johnston examines uses of earth, water, and similar words which the Dahood school has understood as references to the underworld. He answers the title's query in the negative, concluding that water and earth are physically associated with the underworld, but never used as names for it. The probability of accidental or intentional minimization of a pervasive underworld by the tradents of the biblical text is dismissed.

In Part C, Johnston turns to the dead themselves, noting biblical texts that show people naming, consulting, and honouring them. Again, his emphasis falls on how unimportant the dead were to living Israelites. Part of his effort is dedicated to deconstructing scholarly reconstructions of practices that involved the dead, usually by observing their tenuous basis.

Unlike related ANE literatures, the Old Testament is largely uninterested in the consultation of the dead. There exist a few prohibitions of necromancy and scattered references to the practice, but just one account. Johnston claims that all literary layers of the witch of Endor story at 1 Sam 28 show the practice to be both effective and illegal.

Johnston find reconstructions of a cult of the dead textually dubious and methodologically spurious. Further, the paucity of censure of such cult speaks for its scarcity or absence. The biblical record and, Johnston judges, Israelites themselves were largely unconcerned with rites that honoured the dead.

In Part D, Johnston discusses the afterlife under the headings of 'Communion Beyond Death' (ch. 9, pp. 199-217) and 'Resurrection from Death' (ch. 10., pp. 218-239). Some biblical characters escaped death, but they did not become paradigms of subsequent experience. Johnston cautiously analyses possible intimations of hope beyond death in the Psalms, Proverbs, and the crux at Job 19.25-27. While the Proverbs and the Job passage are found not to affirm communion after death, the psalmists do. However, they provide no details beyond the hope of further communion with God. Johnston's final chapter argues that a `distinctively Israelite' notion of individual resurrection was not significantly influenced by other faiths.

Rather, this idea-absent in Old Testament witness but present in Second Temple speculation and New Testament assumptions-emerged from 'Yahweh's proclaimed power to renew life, its occasional experience in life and in vision, his authority over the underworld, and the desire for unending communion with (Yahweh).'

This book takes its place as an indispensable-because encyclopaedic-guide to the Old Testament discussion of the themes it treats, a feature that is complemented by a welcome layer of sober interpretation.
21 people found this helpful
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Top reviews from other countries

A. M. Henderson
2.0 out of 5 stars Uneven style of writing.
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on November 13, 2011
Verified Purchase
The author couldn't decide if he is writing a popular or scientific work.
The chapters are vary enormously in the style of writing, which makes reading very tedious. Overall, the book was not providing a convincing or comprehensive enough argument, to support the author's original theory. I was left disappointed.
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