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Single Idea 7356

[filed under theme 29. Religion / D. Religious Issues / 2. Immortality / d. Heaven ]

Full Idea

Pious Jews saw heaven as a vast library, with the Archangel Metatron as the librarian: the books in the shelves there pressed themselves together to make room for a newcomer.

Gist of Idea

Pious Jews saw heaven as a vast library

Source

Paul Johnson (The History of the Jews [1987], Pt III)

Book Ref

Johnson,Paul: 'A History of the Jews' [Phoenix 1993], p.190


A Reaction

I'm tempted to convert to Judaism.


The 16 ideas from 'The History of the Jews'

In Mosaic legal theory, crimes are sins and sins are crimes [Johnson,P]
Because human life is what is sacred, Mosaic law has no death penalty for property violations [Johnson,P]
Mosaic law was the first to embody the rule of law, and equality before the law [Johnson,P]
Man's life is sacred, because it is made in God's image [Johnson,P]
A key moment is the idea of a single moral God, who imposes his morality on humanity [Johnson,P]
Sampson illustrates the idea that religious heroes often begin as outlaws and semi-criminals [Johnson,P]
Isaiah moved Israelite religion away from the local, onto a more universal plane [Johnson,P]
The Jews sharply distinguish human and divine, but the Greeks pull them closer together [Johnson,P]
The Pharisees undermined slavery, by giving slaves responsibility and status in law courts [Johnson,P]
In exile the Jews became a nomocracy [Johnson,P]
Judaism involves circumcision, Sabbath, Passover, Pentecost, Tabernacles, New Year, and Atonement [Johnson,P]
Zoroastrians believed in one eternal beneficent being, Creator through the holy spirit [Johnson,P]
Immortality based on judgement of merit was developed by the Egyptians (not the Jews) [Johnson,P]
The main doctrine of the Pharisees was belief in resurrection and the afterlife [Johnson,P]
Pious Jews saw heaven as a vast library [Johnson,P]
The Torah pre-existed creation, and was its blueprint [Johnson,P]