On Saturday 12 June at 11 am Fr Jeremy Corley, lecturer in Sacred Scripture at St Patrick’s College, Maynooth, will speak on ‘Afterlife hope before the New Testament’, in an event organised by the Catholic Biblical Association.
How did belief in the resurrection arise within Judaism in the two centuries before Christ? Earlier texts (Psalm 88 and Job 3) attest the ancient Jewish belief that the dead have a shadowy existence in the underworld, while Ecclesiastes and Sirach have no belief in any meaningful personal afterlife. However, reflection on the persecution of devout Jews by Antiochus Epiphanes (167-164 BC) led to a growing belief in individual resurrection, especially for martyrs. Such a resurrection belief is evident in Daniel 12 and 2 Maccabees 7, as well as Wisdom 3, before it becomes predominant in the New Testament.
Fr Jeremy Corley
Fr Jeremy, a priest of Portsmouth diocese, previously chaired the Executive Committee of Catholic Biblical Association of Great Britain (2004-2006) and currently teaches Scripture at St Patrick’s College and Pontifical University, Maynooth, Ireland.
Dr Sean Ryan, chair of the CBA, will introduce the day. Questions may be emailed to [email protected].
This event is free of charge and can be accessed by going to www.whatgoodnews.org and following the instructions. No prior booking necessary. The event will be available subsequently on the same website as a recording.