God created us for incorruption
and made us in the image of his own eternity.
The Book of Wisdom 2:23
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Every soul is immortal but only the soul of the good transmigrates into another body;
but the souls of the wicked will suffer everlasting punishment.
The War Scroll 2:162
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From the June 1, 2025 Kerygma sermon by Rev. Walt Marcum of the Highland Park United Methodist Church
** you do not have permission to see this link **
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Rev. Marcum,
Your Sermon Has a Citation Problem. Please provide a better citation.
From the June 1, 2025 Kerygma sermon by Rev. Walt Marcum of the Highland Park United Methodist Church
** you do not have permission to see this link **
Every soul is immortal but only the soul of the good transmigrates into another body; but the souls of the wicked will suffer everlasting punishment. The War Scroll 2:162
The quote you’ve shared —
“Every soul is immortal but only the soul of the good transmigrates into another body;
but the souls of the wicked will suffer everlasting punishment.”
— The War Scroll 2:162
— does not appear to come from the actual War Scroll (1QM, also known as The War of the Sons of Light Against the Sons of Darkness) among the Dead Sea Scrolls. The War Scroll, discovered at Qumran, is focused on apocalyptic warfare, angelic hosts, and the battle between good and evil, but it does not discuss soul immortality, transmigration (reincarnation), or eternal punishment in this form.
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Breakdown:
• Line Numbers: “2:162” does not correspond to any known scholarly or sectarian numbering of 1QM or related scrolls. Most editions refer to columns and lines, e.g., 1QM Col. I, line 1, etc.
• Content Mismatch: The doctrine of soul transmigration (metempsychosis) is not native to Jewish apocalyptic texts like the War Scroll. That idea is more often found in Greek philosophy (e.g., Plato, Pythagoreanism), Hinduism, and certain strands of Gnosticism or Kabbalah—but not in the War Scroll.
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Possible Sources or Misattribution:
This quote seems like a modern paraphrase or fabrication, possibly reflecting:
• A blend of Platonic or Orphic belief (immortality of the soul, transmigration) and
• A Judeo-Christian eschatological concept (eternal punishment for the wicked).
It could have come from:
• A secondary source trying to summarize ancient or esoteric beliefs.
• A forgery, pseudo-Dead Sea Scroll quote, or even New Age literature referencing the scrolls inaccurately.
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Steve Campbell, author of Historical Accuracy
Former Kerygma member
Jesus is Decius Mundus who sacrificed himself for the world (Josephus, Antiquities of the Jews 18.3.4)
referencing Decius Mus, the son who sacrificed himself for victory, 295 BCE (History of Rome, Books 8-10 by Livy) /
Rev. Marcum
The beliefs in the times of the biblical Jesus are different from the beliefs in the TANAK.
1 Resurrection of the body
2 Immortality of the soul
3 Transmigration of souls from one body to another
4 Angel and stars are the future of the dead
5 God would send a messiah
from Malachi, 500 years earlier, John the Baptist and Jesus appears.
Comment 1
It seems the pastor confused The War Scroll with The Wars of the Jews
Here’s the exact passage:
“They [the Pharisees] believe that souls have power to survive death and that the souls of the good are transferred into other bodies, while the souls of the wicked suffer eternal punishment.”
— Josephus, Jewish War 2.8.14 (or 2.162, depending on numbering)
Comment 2
Rev. Marcum
The beliefs in the times of the biblical Jesus are different from the beliefs in the TANAK.
1 Resurrection of the body
2 Immortality of the soul
3 Transmigration of souls from one body to another
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Steefen:
Resurrection of the body AND? reincarnation.
Google, Did the pharisees believe in reincarnation?
While some interpretations of Pharisaic beliefs suggest a form of reincarnation, the consensus among scholars is that the Pharisees believed in resurrection of the body rather than reincarnation. Josephus, a historian who wrote about the Pharisees, mentions that they believed the souls of the righteous would “pass into another body” after death, but this is generally understood to refer to the resurrection of the body on the last day, not a cycle of rebirth.
Resurrection vs. Reincarnation:
. The Pharisees believed in a bodily resurrection, where the righteous would be resurrected to a new, glorified body. This differs from reincarnation, which typically involves the soul inhabiting a series of different bodies over multiple lifetimes.
Steefen
Then, Rev. Marcum should have explained it that way.
Google,
Which religion first believed in reincarnation?
Answer:
The earliest documented belief in reincarnation is found within the ancient Indian religions of Hinduism, Jainism, and Buddhism. These traditions, originating in the Indian subcontinent, share the concept of samsara, a cycle of birth, death, and rebirth, influenced by karma and the desire for moksha (liberation).
While other belief systems, like some ancient Greek philosophies and certain early Christian groups, also explored reincarnation, it was these Indian religions that formalized and integrated it as a central tenet.
Steefen
Hinduism 4,000 y.a.
Jainism 7th century BCE to 5th century BCE
Buddhism 6th to 5th century BCE
Judaism 4,000 y.a.
Christianity 1st century CE
So, Judaism and Christianity were late–and the god of Judaism and Christianity is the RIGHT god?
BDEhrman
FreedomBen
evgendob
Robert
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