Although the Sadducees did not...
Illustration
Object:
Although the Sadducees did not believe in the afterlife, many ancient peoples did. The
Egyptians provided food, water, and small objects that would aid the dead in their
journey to the next life. Some pharaohs were even buried with boats for their journey
across the heavens. The aboriginal people of North America buried their warriors with
bows and arrows, even horses so that they could continue to hunt in their new world. The
native peoples of the North buried their children with a dog, who would guide them
across the frozen tundra to the next life.
These do not prove the existence of life after death, just that many people believed in it. Jesus goes one step further, interpreting sacred texts to support his belief in the afterlife.
Coming a little closer to our time, how about Benjamin Franklin's epitaph, which he penned himself? It indicates that he believed in life after death:
The body of Benjamin Franklin, printer
(Like the cover of an old book,
Its contents worn out,
And stript of its lettering and gilding)
Lies here, food for worms!
Yet the work itself shall not be lost,
For it will, as he believed, appear once more
In a new
And more beautiful edition,
Corrected and amended
By its Author!
These do not prove the existence of life after death, just that many people believed in it. Jesus goes one step further, interpreting sacred texts to support his belief in the afterlife.
Coming a little closer to our time, how about Benjamin Franklin's epitaph, which he penned himself? It indicates that he believed in life after death:
The body of Benjamin Franklin, printer
(Like the cover of an old book,
Its contents worn out,
And stript of its lettering and gilding)
Lies here, food for worms!
Yet the work itself shall not be lost,
For it will, as he believed, appear once more
In a new
And more beautiful edition,
Corrected and amended
By its Author!
