Annual Lecture to Explore Judgment, Afterlife in Judaism
The Annual Philip Markowicz Lecture on Jewish Biblical Studies returns Monday, Oct. 24 with “‘Glorious Seraphim Surround the Throne’: Apocalypse and Afterlife in Jewish Thought from the Second Temple Period toToday."
The lecture, presented by Markowicz Visiting Assistant Professor of Judaism and Jewish Biblical Studies James Waddell, will explore Jewish ideas about the afterlife at 7 p.m. Monday Oct. 24 in the Law Center Auditorium.
Waddell, who is in his second year presenting the lecture, will trace the development of Jewish ideas about judgment and afterlife, beginning with pre-exilic traditions in the Torah, apocalyptic ideations and other traditions during the Second Temple period.
“During the Second Temple Period, there was a type of literature becoming popular called apocalyptic literature that speculated about heaven, hell and the afterlife,” Waddell said. “It gave Jewish people hope for something beyond the difficulties they faced, hope that there was more to life than domination by foreign powers.”
The lecture addresses an issue Waddell describes as one many people ask – what will happen to them when they die – and, though it is not a question unique to Judaism, the religion offers its own unique perspective on the topic.
"We are very fortunate to have Dr. Waddell's impressive expertise on Judaism and Jewish Biblical Studies at our fingertips on campus,” said Dr. Jeanine Diller, director of the Center for Religious Understanding. “Judaism is such an important and spiritually rich religion. It is also the start of the great monotheistic traditions in the West, Christianity and Islam, which now account for more than half of self-identified religious commitment worldwide. You can't really understand those religions without understanding Judaism.”
The Annual Philip Markowicz Lecture on Jewish Biblical Studies is one of six hosted annually by the UT Center for Religious Understanding and is made possible by the generous support of the Markowiczfamily.
Press Release Contact Name: Meghan Cunningham
Press Release Contact Email: [email protected]
Organization Name: University of Toledo