Studies on funerary customs and idea of the other world in Ancient Israel

2016 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 25300022
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (B)
• Allocation Type: Partial Multi-year Fund
• Section: 海外学術
• Research Field: Religious studies
• Research Institution: Sophia University (2014-2016); Rikkyo University (2013)
• Principal Investigator: TSUKIMOTO Akio 上智大学, 神学部, 教授 (10147928)
• Co-Investigator(Kenkyū-buntansha): 津本 英利 (財)古代オリエント博物館, 研究部, 研究員 (40553045) ; 小野塚 拓造 独立行政法人国立文化財機構東京国立博物館, アソシエートフェロー, 研究員 (90736167) ; 日野 宏 天理大学, 附属天理参考館, 学芸員 (20421290) ; 魯 恩碩 国際基督教大学, 教養学部, 准教授 (70527142) ; 山内 紀嗣 天理大学, 附属天理参考館, 学芸員 (80441426) ; 長谷川 修一 盛岡大学, 文学部, 准教授 (70624609) ; 山我 哲雄 北星学園大学, 経済学部, 教授 (80230332) ; 橋本 英将 独立行政法人国立文化財機構東京国立博物館, 学芸研究部, 研究員 (80372168)
• Research Collaborator: MIYAZAKI Shuuji 立教大学, 文学部, 兼任講師
• Project Period (FY): 2013-04-01 – 2017-03-31
• Keywords: 古代イスラエル宗教 / 他界観 / 墓制 / 家族墓

Outline of Final Research Achievements

The purpose of this study is to clarify the funerary system in the ancient Israel and the idea of the Other World. The Israelites settled down in the central hill region of Palestine in the Early Iron Age and used to bury the dead in the rock cave family grave in underground, while the Philistines and others who lived on the sea shore plain buried each one of their family members individually in a simple grave such as a cist grave or in a jar coffin. Such kind of the burial system in ancient Israel explains why the Hebrew bible usually uses the expression “be gathered to his people” in its burial stories. The archaeological findings, on the other hand, make it clear that the ancient Israelite people believed in the life after death, although the Hebrew bible keeps quiet about the world after death.

Free Research Field

宗教史学