Dr. Michael Peppard

I'm going to run my business. I'm going to listen to these philosophers. You know, I'm going to

I'm going to run my business. I'm going to listen to these philosophers. You know, I'm going to

I mean, I would say it's an 8 out of 10 spicy. Okay. That's up there. Yeah, again, I mean, similar to the political revolutionary concept, I would want to define what we mean by that. I mean, there's no doubt that there's belief in an afterlife. And so what do we mean by afterlife? There's a number of options for... Belief in the afterlife in the Mediterranean world, right?

I mean, I would say it's an 8 out of 10 spicy. Okay. That's up there. Yeah, again, I mean, similar to the political revolutionary concept, I would want to define what we mean by that. I mean, there's no doubt that there's belief in an afterlife. And so what do we mean by afterlife? There's a number of options for... Belief in the afterlife in the Mediterranean world, right?

You could be a nihilist. You can believe basically there's nothing, right? And we have a lot of evidence that people had that belief. You can study this through epitaphs, for example. There's a famous epitaph that was repeated a lot, mostly in Latin. It's repeated often enough that it gets abbreviated in Latin, like RIP, right, for us. But spelled out, it's, I was not, I was, I am not, I care not.

You could be a nihilist. You can believe basically there's nothing, right? And we have a lot of evidence that people had that belief. You can study this through epitaphs, for example. There's a famous epitaph that was repeated a lot, mostly in Latin. It's repeated often enough that it gets abbreviated in Latin, like RIP, right, for us. But spelled out, it's, I was not, I was, I am not, I care not.

Like I didn't used to exist. Then I existed. Now I don't exist. I don't care. Wow. They had that even back then.

Like I didn't used to exist. Then I existed. Now I don't exist. I don't care. Wow. They had that even back then.

It's kind of nihilism about life after death, right? So that's very common. You have epitaphs that say things like, take heart, no one is immortal. That's like a stock epitaph you can get on your tombstone. You can hire the guy to carve that. He's carved it a million times. Yeah, 20 this week. Take heart. No one is immortal. It's a reminder to the grieving that, like, no one lives forever.

It's kind of nihilism about life after death, right? So that's very common. You have epitaphs that say things like, take heart, no one is immortal. That's like a stock epitaph you can get on your tombstone. You can hire the guy to carve that. He's carved it a million times. Yeah, 20 this week. Take heart. No one is immortal. It's a reminder to the grieving that, like, no one lives forever.

Exactly. Or one of them will be like, melupes udesathonatos, which is in Greek, don't grieve. Literally, don't grieve. No one is immortal. So these are some of the common beliefs going around. Now, you also have the belief in Hades or Sheol or a kind of shadowy underworld where people are like, I don't really know what happens there.

Exactly. Or one of them will be like, melupes udesathonatos, which is in Greek, don't grieve. Literally, don't grieve. No one is immortal. So these are some of the common beliefs going around. Now, you also have the belief in Hades or Sheol or a kind of shadowy underworld where people are like, I don't really know what happens there.

I think there's some post-mortal existence, but I don't really have dogma about it or doctrine about it. Then you have the kind of Greek mythology world of crossing the river Styx and the Elysian Fields and these kind of things.

I think there's some post-mortal existence, but I don't really have dogma about it or doctrine about it. Then you have the kind of Greek mythology world of crossing the river Styx and the Elysian Fields and these kind of things.

Then you have a little bit of evidence for astral immortality, people who believe that all these things up in the sky, these are souls and these are stars and, you know, holy souls or righteous souls get to become like the stars. And so you'll sometimes see stars on epitaphs or on commemorative items or stories of comets at people's funeral and like this is their soul, right?

Then you have a little bit of evidence for astral immortality, people who believe that all these things up in the sky, these are souls and these are stars and, you know, holy souls or righteous souls get to become like the stars. And so you'll sometimes see stars on epitaphs or on commemorative items or stories of comets at people's funeral and like this is their soul, right?

Going up, Julius Caesar, example of that. So this is kind of your set of like, what are the available beliefs? Now, the Jewish people had a different one, which is the resurrection of the body. Resurrection of the body in the Jewish expectation as a communal event at the end of time. So that's the world into which Jesus is born and Paul is born and Mary Magdalene is born and others.

Going up, Julius Caesar, example of that. So this is kind of your set of like, what are the available beliefs? Now, the Jewish people had a different one, which is the resurrection of the body. Resurrection of the body in the Jewish expectation as a communal event at the end of time. So that's the world into which Jesus is born and Paul is born and Mary Magdalene is born and others.

But what happens in early Christianity is that they come to the faith that this has happened. It only happened to one person so far, but it happened. And so that's where you start. That's where then you get some of the split. From, you know, from Jewish theology, where some people are like, well, no, we don't think that did happen. If that did happen, why isn't everyone else rising from the dead?

But what happens in early Christianity is that they come to the faith that this has happened. It only happened to one person so far, but it happened. And so that's where you start. That's where then you get some of the split. From, you know, from Jewish theology, where some people are like, well, no, we don't think that did happen. If that did happen, why isn't everyone else rising from the dead?