ABSTRACT
The soul is immortal and after death there will be rewards for the righteous soul and punishment for the wicked. Once again, the emphasis is upon the deliverance of the righteous soul and, once again, there is no mention of the resurrection of a physical body. The departure of the righteous soul is also explicated in Genesis Rabba, where such souls are allowed a glimpse of the blessings awaiting them in the age to come. Conversely, the soul is indestructible and everlasting. The body is considered malevolent but yet temporary, holding the soul in some sort of 'bondage' until its demise. The reconstitution of a physical body is only undertaken in the last days as part of God's re-creation or reconstitution of the physical world. In continuity with the Hebrew Bible, the body is made from dust and after death returns to dust; the soul, however, is seen as immortal.
