World, and look'd for a Carnal Resurrection; they were immers'd in the mean Ambition of defiring to rise to no nobler a Condition,than that of a more complete and full Satisfaction of the fenfual Appetite: So that, tho' they were right in the plain Doctrine of a Refurrection, they were yet extremely mistaken in their Notions concerning the Nature of its Happiness. This wrong Foundation, that they should rife to the Poffeffion of an Earthly Canaan, and the Enjoyment of Worldly Pleasures, made the whole Superftructure of their Reasonings vain. Therefore I shall omit mentioning their Account of the Time, and the Caufe of the Refurrection, as by fome certain Configura. tion of the Heavenly Bodies, by the Plastick Dew, or Bone Luz; and the Manner of rifing, as in the fame Habits in which they were buried; which laft idle Opinion prevailed fo much among them one while, as they grew fo expenfive in their Dreffings for the Dead, that the famous Gamaliel put out an Edi& for restraining these Exceffes. YET, tho' many of the Jews were thus wrong in the Nature and Kind of that Happinefs which was to be the Portion of the Obedient in the World to come; fome, nevertheless, of their more learned Rabbins, (as Maimonides, Nachmanides, David Kimchi, Menaffe Ben Ifrael, Jofephus Albo, and several others) tho' they had a Mixture of Error in their Opinions, as all of them expe &ting a Temporal Messiah, and Carnal Felicity for a Time, as a thousand Years, or more; yet after the Expiration of the Reign of the Meffiah, (for Maimonides fays exprefly he was to die) they all imagined they fhould be tranflated into another State, called the World of Souls. That which was a great Occafion of Difputes, and from whence the Diversity of Opinions about the Nature of the Body raised, and its Happiness proceeded, was, their not always fufficiently explaining their Terms, and diftinguishing between when they spoke of the World to come, and meant the Temporal Reign of the Meffiah, and when they spoke of the Life to come, and meant that Life and State which fucceeded the Reign of the Meffiah; from the Confufion of these two Terms, most of their material Difputes arofe. The World of Souls is fometimes ufed ambiguously, but generally fignifies the State in which the Souls of just Men are, till the general Refurrection. Thus univerfally in the Talmud the Souls of all departed good Men are faid to be in the Garden of Eden, or in Paradife; but never are said to be in the World to come, but prepared for the Life of the World to come. Tho' we now have but one Idea for all, or at least two of thefe Terms, the Life to come, and the World to come; we must observe yet, that the Jews had different Ideas of them. THE learned Menaffe Ben Ifrael obferves the different Import and Signification of these these Phrases, in his Treatife on the Refurrection; but explains them fomething different from what I have done: For, fpeaking of the World, or the Age of the Refurrection, he says: "But to proceed "with Method, let us in the first place con"fider, whether this World (the Reign of "the Meffiah) be the fame with that the "Ancients called Gnolam Aaba, or the World "to come, or whether it is another World. "There was formerly a Difpute between "R. Mofes Egyptius, and R. Mofes Gerundenfis, about this Point. The first thought, t by the World to come was meant the "World of Souls, that State namely, into "which the Souls are received, after their "Separation from the Body." Thus he : No Body can be Partaker of, or inherit the World to come, but the Souls only of just Men Separated from their Body shall enter into it. He declares alfo in other Places, "that the "World to come is not that which fucceeds "this, but that which every one is received "into after Death. Mofes Gerundenfis is of "quite different Sentiments, and thinks the "World to come means that which follows "after the Refurrection of the Dead; into "the which, according to him, all that have "lived foberly, piously and honestly, being ❝raised from the Dead, fhall be introduced, "which they shall inherit both with Body Halacoth Tefhaba, Cap. 8. " and "and Soul, and fo fhall eternally enjoy the "Reward and Recompence of their Acti ons. But R. Jofephus Albo, upon Confide"ration of the Reafons, and especially the "Authorities of the Ancients, with which "each of them endeavoured to make good "their Opinions, thought they might be reconciled; namely, that the Phrase the World to come, might admit of two Acceptations, "the World of Souls, into which the Souls of "Men are received after Death, and the "World, or Age, which immediately follows "the Refurrection of the Dead. Since therefore the Rabbins have differ'd fo much among each other in this Affair, no better Rule can be given, than to observe in what Senfe our Author takes any of those Phrafes: And the Reafon for doing this, is, because they all conceived the Body would be different in those feveral States. If they meant by the World to come the Reign of the Meffiah, they all in general affirm'd, there would be Eating and Drinking, and all the common Offices of Life perform'd: But if they meant by it the State immediately following upon the Refurrection, they all agreed there would be no Eating nor Drinking, Marrying, nor Giving in Marriage. We must only be cautious, left we think they differ'd in their Notions, when they only did fo in their Terms. THE Jews held,that there were three States or Conditions after this Life; a State of in complete complete Happiness, or Mifery, after Death, till the general Refurrection; the Reign of the Meffiah always, thro' a great Mistake, join'd to the Refurrection; and a third, the World of Souls, or a State which fucceeded the Refurrection of the Dead, and the Reign of the Meffiah upon Earth. Juda Zabara declares the Garden of Eden, or Paradife, to be the Place prepared for the Reception of the Souls of good Men immediately after Death, where they were to continue in a State of incomplete Happiness, till the Refurrection and general Judgment. Thus too Rabbi Menachem: "After Death, the Juft "obtain the Kingdom which is called Pa * radise, and enjoy the Beatifick Vision of "GOD: There too all the Souls, each ac"cording to its Works, are kept till the "Refurrection of the Dead, and Day of "Judgment. The Jews exprefs'd this Place by several other Phrases, as, being in the Bundle of Life, the High Place, under the Throne of Glory; which very Manner of delivering themselves, thews they meant only a State of incomplete Happiness. There are several Expreffions in Scripture, which allude to this generally received Opinion. The famous י רק לאחר פטירת הצריק יכנס למלכות הנקרא גן ומקבל פני השכינה ושם העמורנה כל הנשמות כל אחר כפי מעשיו עד תחיית המתים ויום Rab. Menachem. 11777 Promife |