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Question 109.
Dear Fr Christopher,
I read in Chapter
9 verses 5-8 of Ecclesiastes the following:
For the living know that they will die; but the dead know nothing, and
they have no more reward, For the memory of them is forgotten. Also
their love, their hatred, and their envy have now perished; Nevermore
will they have a share In anything done under the sun. Go, eat your
bread with joy, And drink your wine with a merry heart; For God has
already accepted your works. Let your garments always be white, And let
your head lack no oil.
When Solomon (Son of David, King of Jerusalem) writes "but the dead know
nothing", does he mean that it is the deceased body which is without
life that knows nothing or is it the soul that has departed from the
body that knows nothing? It also seems that in this world it is very
easy to forget those who have departed to the other world since Solomon
also writes: "for the memory of them is forgotten". I know that now we
have memorial prayers/services on the 1st, 3rd, 9th, 40th, and on every
anniversary of a family member's death. Were there any funeral/burial
services/memorials conducted back then at the times of the Old Testament
Prophets, that would help the departed souls on their journey to the
other world? I also know that up until the crucifixion and the
resurrection and Christ's descent into Hades, that all souls would go to
Hades and that the first one to inherit Paradise was the Thief on the
Cross that repented. So even if certain types of burial/memorial
services/prayers were offered for the dead, would they be of any
assistance to them despite these facts. I ask this because I haven't
read all the Old Testament Chapters like I have with the New Testament.
I also read in Chapter 10 verse 20 the following: "Do not curse the
king, even in your thought; Do not curse the rich, even in your bedroom;
For a bird of the air may carry your voice, And a bird in flight may
tell the matter.
Is this bird an actual bird or is it symbolic of something else? Could
it maybe be referring to an angel that is in flight and conveys the
matter to God?
Regards, John
Answer to Question 109.
Dear John
Ecclesiastes is speaking of the knowledge the living
have of this world and that once dead knowledge of this world fades
away. In verse 5 of Ecclesiastes is it saying that the living have
knowledge that some day they will die, but the dead are deprived of this
knowledge because they have passed over to another life and no more have
knowledge of what happens on earth. It is always speaking of earthly
things and when is says that there is no longer any reward to them, it
is not referring to the rewards of the afterlife, but of the fruits of
one's labour in this life, the rewards of earthly achievements. It is
these things that the dead will lose memory off and not that the living
will lose the memory of the dead. This is verified by verse 6. The
earthy passions that are associated with life: love, hatred, envy, are
no longer passions that influence the dead, these things have now
perished for the dead and those in Hades no longer have anything to do
with earthly life and the things done under the sun. Verse 7 and 8 are
like a conclusion to the vanity of earthy things. If once dead there is
no knowledge of earthly things then in reality they are all in vain and
so proceeds to tell man that while he is living to enjoy the fruits of
his labour, to eat his bread and drink his wine, to live life as a
festival by wearing his finest garments and by anointing his head with
perfumed oil, because God is pleased with the work of his hands.
Chapter 10 verse 20 is a warning to be very careful
of what you say about the king and in general of those who had power
because spying was very well organized and even someone you trust might
be a spy and report to the king what you have said. The bird is symbolic
and is similar to what we say today that the walls have ears. In other
words say absolutely nothing and trust no one.
Concerning funerals and memorials for the departed, the
Old Testament does not give us any details how these were performed or
of the beliefs of the Jews at that time. We know from the New Testament
that Jews were divided in their beliefs and that the Pharisees believed
in life after death and the resurrection of the dead whereas the
Sadducees denied that there was life after death. Nevertheless the Jews
in general considered it important to bury the dead and not leave the
carcass to be eaten by wild animals and the fowl of the air. The wealthy
took care to have hewn out caves and we know that great importance was
given that the dead person was laid to rest with his forefathers.
Abraham purchased the field of Ephron with the double cave to bury Sarah
and where he also was buried and subsequent measures were taken by later
patriarchs to ensure that they would be buried there.
Some kind of prayers must have been offered as well
as readings from the Torah and the singing of psalms but there is
nothing to suggest that the ritual was to help the departed soul on his
journey to the other world. Those who believed in the resurrection of
the dead believed that the departed soul slept and was not active and
would remain in this sleep until the coming of the Messiah and the
resurrection of the dead that would follow. This belief would also
account for why Ecclesiastes writes that the dead have no knowledge of
what happens on earth.
A period of
mourning followed the death of a person. This was usually 7 days but
with people of importance like Aaron and Moses the mourning period was
30 days. Thus the person was not simply buried and forgotten, he was
remembered according to his deeds and very possibly remembered annually,
but we have no evidence of memorials or that the Jews believed in
praying for the dead and their deliverance from sin other than in the
Book of 2 Maccabees 12: 39-45 where Judas and his company offered a sin
offering for those who had been slain and made a reconciliation for the
dead, that they might be delivered from sin.
With love in Christ
Fr. Christopher
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