Death and the End of Life Nr. 3 July 75(2021) Union Presbyterian Seminary creator text 75,H.3 continuing 93 Contributors 194 Editorial Samuel L. Adams 196 “Is there no Balm in Gilead?”: Health, Illness, Death, and Dying in the Hebrew Bible and Today Joel S. Kaminsky This essay argues that the Hebrew Bible contains conceptual resources that can contribute to and enrich the ongoing discussions surrounding healthcare in the U.S. and in other modern Western societies. These biblical ideas may help us reframe our understandings of sickness and health, something urgently needed if we wish individuals and their families to have less medically invasive and less alienating experiences of illness, most especially during end of life care. 207 Resurrecting the nepeš Jim Wright Our culture's approach to dementia typically focuses on preserving the person as they once were. The essay asserts that the emphasis on maintaining the previous person (and the resultant de-emphasis on honoring the new person) often results from a belief in our innate permanence, particularly the belief in our immortal, immutable soul. The author calls for a renewed emphasis on nepeš, ancient Israel’s concept of the mortal, fleeting human life. By acknowledging our impermanence, we may be able to better identify with and value those who live with dementia and design environments that honor and enable people who are becoming someone new. 216 The Christian Funeral as Counter Witness Thomas G. Long The proliferation of unconventional death practices in North America, however innovative, is in part an expression of societal confusion about the nature of death and grief. If the church can recover the theological and liturgical fabric of funerals, reclaiming their main purpose as public confession rather than private pastoral care, Christian funerals can serve as a hopeful counter-witness to an uncertain culture. 227 The Spiritual Tasks of Aging towards Death Dawn DeVries This article presents experiential reflections on the spiritual tasks for the last stage of human life. These tasks— experiencing escalating losses, accepting growing dependence on others, reframing the meaning of one’s life, and finding purpose even as one slowly lets go of life—are challenging, at least in part because they are counter-cultural for twenty-first century Americans. Exploring the spiritual tasks of aging towards death is necessary and important work for both aging elders and those who accompany them on the last stage of their life’s journey Between Text and Sermon 236 Genesis 35:13–26 Amy P. McCullough 239 John 5:24–29 Geoffrey Noel Schoonmaker Major Reviews 242 A History of Death in the Hebrew Bible by Matthew J. Suriano Safwat Marzouk 244 Jesus and the Forces of Death: The Gospels’ Portrayal of Ritual Impurity within First-Century Judaism by Matthew Thiessen Marianne Blickenstaff 247 The End of the Christian Life: How Embracing Our Mortality Frees Us to Truly Live by J. Todd Billings Peter C. Phan 249 Reading Romans Backwards: A Gospel of Peace in the Midst of Empire by Scot McKnight Rafael Rodríguez 252 Shorter Reviews 272 Book Notes 0030026 0020-9643 20260801081215.0 0080027