Questions concerning biblical theology

It is generally recognized that the notion of sheol or the nether world is not unique to Israel; it is a matter of historical fact that the idea preceded the existence of the people Israel. The curtain on the afterlife invited no little imagination from those who accepted it. What is theology and what is Religionsgeschichte when one examines the way sheol is used in the Old Testament? It is conceived not only as a place, but as a force.

As a place it is localized below, in the earth, and the departed, or "shades," are there. Some name had to be given to those who are there; what better than the mysterious term "shades"? There is no philosophical speculation about "what" is there, only "who." Only the dead go there, and because of the Hebrew emphasis on life, sheol is not welcome, although inevitable. For the rest, imagination/myth take over, as illustrated by the descent of the tyrant king of Babylon and his reception by the inhabitants of sheol (Isaiah 14), and also by the various postures of Assyria, Elam, Tubal and Meshech, et al., in the description of the placement of Egypt (Pharaoh and his men) in sheol by Ezekiel (32:17-32). Sheol is used here to indicate the fall of Egypt from its high place--to the depths, to a place of non-life, where Israel's enemies have been deposited. From a theological point of view one can appreciate the supple use of this curtain on the next life. On the one hand Job can use the motif as a place of escape from this life with its suffering; the pit (a synonym, along with "abaddon") would be a place of respite (Job 3:11-23). But on the other hand, he can use it as a motif in his prayer/argument with God, reminding him that "the eye that now sees me shall no more behold me; as you look at me, I shall be gone (Job 7:8 cf. v 21, "and should you seek me I shall be gone"). It may be that some viewed sheol as a place where a distinction was made beween its denizens (cf. Ps 49:14-15, a doubtful text), but the view of Qoheleth should be taken as a standard understanding: "there will be no work, nor reason, nor knowledge, nor wisdom in sheol" (Eccl 9:10).

Sheol is also personified as a power, a force which pursues human beings. This metaphorical usage is conveyed by its open gullet/maw ready to devour, and by its "hand" which indicates the grip that sheol exerts upon humans Thus, "what mortal can live and not see death? Who can escape the hand of sheol?" (Ps. 89:49). Hence the psalmist can speak of having been brought up "from sheol" (Ps. 30:4). This is not resuscitation, it is a deliverance from adversity, whether it be sickness, or some other lamentable circumstance. The Song of Songs pays a remarkable compliment to human love when it describes human love: "strong as death," "intense as sheol" (Cant. 8:6). Death/Sheol is the most formidable and implacable force that a human can encounter, but the power of love is comparable.

What does this mythical place/state have to do with biblical theology? One answer lies in the use to which it is put in the examples that have just been proposed. One can only conjecture, and it is vain to follow that line, concerning the reality that the biblical writers attributed to such concepts as sheol. The inconsistencies in the descriptions are obvious, but that is not the point. Rather, what use is made of this mythical world? Perhaps the most significant theological aspect of sheol is the fact that the Israelite considered it as an area in which one was no longer in loving contact with God. "In sheol who can praise you?" is an attitude reflected in many psalms (e.g., 6:6; 30:10). This was not because sheol was beyond the control of the Lord (cf. Amos 9:2; Ps 139:8). Simply, a mere mortal could no longer relate to God. True life, in which "praise" could be offered to God, was in the here and now. The deadest of the dead are in sheol, where there is no praise. So when is one most alive? In praise: "to live is to praise."