The Sadducees were reputed to deny an
afterlife, and this was in sharp contrast to their Pharisee rivals. The Karaites have generally followed suit,
and dismissed the notion of an afterlife. The Hebrew term Olam Haba refers to
the world to come.
If so, then what is the Karaite Olam
Haba? It can only be based on what the
TNK states about a future life or
existence. There are cryptic references to possible future states of being, and
this post will look at one them.
In the book of Isaiah, we see reference to
something very unusual. In Ch. 25 we
see:
8 He will
swallow up death for ever; and the Lord GOD will wipe away tears from off all
faces; and the reproach of His people will He take away from off all the earth;
for the LORD hath spoken it.
This verse refers to a change of human
nature. It is talking of a time when death itself will be abolished. How, where
and when this will be is not clear. It is also not clear for whom this applies.
Will we all have an opportunity to benefit from this?
The answers to these questions may or may
not be available in the TNK, but this is a matter for further research. However, a look at the following chapter in
Isaiah gives us more detail of an after life.
26:19 Thy
dead shall live, my dead bodies shall arise--awake and sing, ye that dwell in
the dust--for Thy dew is as the dew of light, and the earth shall bring to life
the shades
If the dead will live again, then there is
further possibility that they may even gain eternal life. The location, this planet, or perhaps a more
permanent version (with different laws of physics perhaps?) is a matter of fine
detail.
Since the Karaites accept the Neviim, and
Isaiah discusses a future life, then a
Karaite Olam Haba exists. This may not be the same as the Rabbinic version, but
it is also different from the Sadducee version.
