The concept of resurrection, or the belief in life after death, is a significant theme within Jewish eschatology and is reflected in various passages of the Hebrew Scriptures. This belief was prevalent among many Jewish sects during the Second Temple period, particularly the Pharisees, and is evident in the teachings and expectations of the Jewish people during the time of Jesus.

Old Testament Foundations

The expectation of resurrection is rooted in several Old Testament passages that suggest a belief in life beyond the grave. One of the clearest references is found in the book of Daniel: "And many who sleep in the dust of the earth will awake, some to everlasting life, but others to shame and everlasting contempt" (Daniel 12:2). This passage indicates a future awakening or resurrection, with a dual outcome of reward and punishment.

Another significant reference is found in the book of Isaiah: "Your dead will live; their bodies will rise. Awake and sing, you who dwell in the dust! For your dew is like the dew of the morning, and the earth will bring forth her dead" (Isaiah 26:19). This verse poetically describes the resurrection as a joyful awakening, emphasizing the hope of life restored.

The book of Job also alludes to a belief in resurrection, as Job expresses hope in seeing God after his death: "Even after my skin has been destroyed, yet in my flesh I will see God" (Job 19:26). This statement reflects an expectation of personal vindication and restoration beyond the grave.

Intertestamental Literature and Jewish Thought

During the intertestamental period, Jewish literature further developed the concept of resurrection. Texts such as 2 Maccabees and the writings of the Dead Sea Scrolls community reflect a belief in bodily resurrection. In 2 Maccabees 7, the martyrdom of the seven brothers and their mother is recounted, with the brothers expressing hope in the resurrection as they face death for their faith.

The Pharisees, a prominent Jewish sect during the time of Jesus, held a firm belief in the resurrection of the dead. This belief is contrasted with the Sadducees, who denied the resurrection, as noted in the New Testament: "The Sadducees say there is no resurrection, nor angels, nor spirits, but the Pharisees acknowledge them all" (Acts 23:8).

New Testament Affirmation

The New Testament affirms the Jewish expectation of resurrection and presents it as fulfilled in the person of Jesus Christ. Jesus Himself speaks of the resurrection, challenging the Sadducees with the Scriptures: "But concerning the resurrection of the dead, have you not read what God said to you: 'I am the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob'? He is not the God of the dead, but of the living" (Matthew 22:31-32).

The apostle Paul, a Pharisee by background, also emphasizes the resurrection as a core tenet of Christian faith, linking it to the hope of Israel: "I have the same hope in God that they themselves cherish, that there will be a resurrection of both the righteous and the wicked" (Acts 24:15).

Conclusion

The expectation of resurrection was a well-established belief among many Jews during the time of Jesus, rooted in the Hebrew Scriptures and further developed in intertestamental literature. This belief provided a foundation for the early Christian proclamation of Jesus' resurrection as the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep (1 Corinthians 15:20), affirming the hope of eternal life promised in the Scriptures.John 11:24
Martha said to him, I know that he shall rise again in the resurrection at the last day.
Torrey's Topical Textbook

Hebrews 11:35
Women received their dead raised to life again: and others were tortured, not accepting deliverance; that they might obtain a better resurrection:
Torrey's Topical Textbook

The Resurrection of Christ; his Last Interview with his Disciples ...
... the gospel was propagated; the opposition which was made to it by Jews and Gentiles ...
It does not appear that they actually expected the resurrection of their ...
/.../dick/lectures on the acts of the apostles/lecture i the resurrection of.htm

That the Christian Miracles are not Recited, or Appealed To, by ...
... circumstantial recitals of miracles as might be expected, I would add ... cure of Aeneas
(Acts 9:34), the resurrection of Dorcas ... both in the land of the Jews and in ...
/.../paley/evidences of christianity/chapter v that the christian.htm

In Jud??a and through Samaria - a Sketch of Samaritan History and ...
... As might be expected, their tendency was Sadducean rather than ... whether they really
denied the Resurrection, as asserted ... by the flood, as the Jews asserted of ...
/.../edersheim/the life and times of jesus the messiah/chapter vii in judaea and.htm

The Doctrine of the Resurrection the Body Will Rise Again. ...
... Just as my Christ is to be expected, [5581] who ... who is believed to have provided
this resurrection of the ... claim to those Scriptures which the Jews endeavour to ...
/.../tertullian/the five books against marcion/chapter ix the doctrine of the.htm

The Resurrection of Christ.
... to proclaim the gospel of the resurrection from Jerusalem ... own views and conduct,
but among Jews and Gentiles ... This illusion, we are expected to believe by these ...
/.../history of the christian church volume i/section 19 the resurrection of.htm

Paul Before Festus and Agrippa.
... Paul, however, was not blamed for simply teaching the resurrection of the dead,
which was expected by all the Jews, with the exception of the Sadducees, but ...
/.../dick/lectures on the acts of the apostles/lecture xxviii paul before festus.htm

Spiritual Resurrection
... IT MIGHT NATURALLY be expected that I should have selected ... some measure connected
with it"the resurrection of lost ... Not so Lazarus; the Jews came to weep at ...
/.../spurgeon/spurgeons sermons volume 3 1857/spiritual resurrection.htm

The Resurrection of Lazarus.
... Some of the Jews were touched by his evidence of ... is just such a story as might be
expected from an ... genuine and faithful account of a real resurrection from the ...
/.../the new testament commentary vol iii john/the resurrection of lazarus.htm

On the Resurrection of Christ from the Dead.
... go a step back - that Jesus Himself expected it. ... of accounting for the narrative
of the Resurrection: by fraud ... years ago, and the first, by the Jews long before ...
/.../the life and times of jesus the messiah/chapter xvi on the resurrection.htm

Apion Book 2 Footnotes
... out of their distresses by prayer to God, and that withal it was owing in part to
this prophetic spirit of Moses that the Jews expected a resurrection from the ...
//christianbookshelf.org/josephus/against apion/apion book 2 footnotes.htm

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