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THE SOUL AND THE RESURRECTION—THE FAITH OF ANCIENT AND MODERN HEATHENS

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Seventh-day Adventist Publishing Association · Battle Creek, Mich. · Nov 28, 1878

FromReview and Herald, Vol. 52, No. 22.

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THE SOUL AND THE RESURRECTION—THE FAITH OF ANCIENT AND MODERN HEATHENS.

By Dudley Marvin Canright

ANCIENT PERUVIANS.

The Peruvians were among the oldest and most civilized of the nations of South America at the time of its discovery by the Spaniards. A high authority thus states their faith: “They did not understand that the future life was spiritual, but believed it to be corporeal, like this one.” “The Incas believed in a universal resurrection, not for glory or punishment, but for a reward of this temporal life. They took extreme care to preserve the nail-parings and the hairs that were shorn off or torn out with a comb, placing them in holes or niches in the walls; and if they fell out, any other Indian that saw them picked them up and put them in their places again. I very often asked different Indians, at various times, why they did this, in order to see what they would say; and they all replied in the same words, saying, ‘Know that all persons who are born must return to life, and the souls must rise out of their tombs, with all that belonged to their bodies.’”* They believed in the sleep of the dead and the resurrection.

THE CHIBCHAS.

The Chibchas were another nation of South America. They believed the same as the Peruvians on this point. They “acknowledged that there was something immortal in man, but they did not distinguish the soul from the body.”†
“These Indians had the tradition from their ancestors that there would be a universal judgment. They believed that the dead were then to be raised and to live forever in this earth in the same way as they live now.”‡
They received these doctrines from tradition, and how remarkably their views harmonize with the Bible!

THE AFRICANS.

Even among some of the degraded negro tribes of Central Africa, the notion of a resurrection is still held from tradition.
“The negroes in Ardrach carefully preserve nails and hair which have been cut off, in order that souls, which on rising out of their graves have to be united with their former bodies, may not need to search long for them.”¶
The Ashantees “supposed that their friends live over again in the other world the lives which they led on earth.”§
The Bushmen regard death as a sleep. One of their proverbs is, “Death is only a sleep.”¶

THE HAWAIIANS.

These Islanders believe in the resurrection of the dead. Mr. Ellis relates a long conversation with them upon this point, in which he says they told him that “all the people who had died would be restored to life,” and live in Hawaii again.**
Thus it will be seen that traditions of the resurrection of the dead are still to be found in all parts of the world, even among the most barbarous nations. This was the ancient and true doctrine. In many cases this doctrine of the resurrection has been lost sight of, while the idea of a future life by some means has been retained. If we bear this in mind, it will be readily seen that the proof of a universal belief in the immortality of the soul is much less than is generally claimed. Indeed, a careful investigation shows that most barbarous nations have only an undefined idea of a future life of some kind. On this slender foundation is based the bold assumption that all nations believe the soul is immortal.
The custom so universally observed among barbarous nations particularly, of burying with the dead valuables, implements, weapons, food, and money, indicates that they had some indistinct idea that in some way the bodies would live again, and these articles would be used. Even if these practices are kept up simply from custom, as may be the case in some instances, it is still evident that the custom originated in the idea that the dead would need these things. They certainly did not suppose that weapons of war, implements of husbandry, and articles of food, have spirits which could go with their departed friends. Hence it is evident that the sentiment that underlies this practice points to the resurrection.
Thus the Ostyaks, of Africa, bury with their dead a tinder-box, pipe, and tobacco. The Samoieds inter with the dead his dresses, his bows, his arrows, and whatever belongs to him, because they say he will need them in the next world. The Damaras lay the arms and property of the deceased on the grave. The Kaffirs bury household utensils with the dead. The Congo people embalm their dead. The Coast negroes take great care in wrapping up their dead, and a large share of their property is buried with them.
The Australians also bury the property of the deceased with him. The Sandwich Islanders bury provisions with the body. They think the future life is like the present. The Tahitians embalm the bodies of their chiefs, clothe them, and take great care of the body. The Samoans also embalm the body. The Dyaks bury the property of the deceased with him. The Tasmanians bury their spears with the dead, whom they believe to be asleep.
The Ancient Mexicans buried with the corpse slaves and all kinds of property, saying that they were going to keep house in the other world.
The early inhabitants of Britain buried weapons of war, jewelry and food with the deceased. In later times the Saxons buried valuable articles with their dead. The Normans, about the year 1000, embalmed their dead.
It is well known that all the Indian tribes of America bury various articles with the dead bodies of their friends.
Indeed, this universal custom of which we have been speaking is so well known that we need not mention more instances. The great care that has always been bestowed not only upon the dead body, but upon the tomb or grave where it is deposited, points to the same idea, the resurrection of the dead. The world over, without an exception, the notion has always obtained that the ghost, or phantom, of the deceased hovers around the grave. All these facts indicate the universal sentiment of the race that in some way the future life is connected with the dead body.
While searching into the doctrines of the various nations and tribes of the earth concerning the future life, I have been struck with the fact that most of the barbarous nations which are set down by Christians as believers in the immortality of the soul, have only very confused ideas of the future life. They do expect to live hereafter in some way, but that is all that can truthfully be said about it. The advocates of the doctrine that the soul is immortal, seizing upon the slightest notion of a future life held by these people, immediately report them as believers in the immortal soul. But in fact there is no ground for such an assertion. A confused, indistinct idea of a future life by no means proves a faith in the immortality of the soul.
D. M. CANRIGHT.
Bowling Green, Ohio, Nov. 14.