these death-sleep associations “in the air,” as it were, there seems to be a more theological purpose behind Paul’s word-choice. It is almost certain that Paul’s depiction of death as sleep is influenced by teachings from the Jesus tradition.3 There is the well-known story in the Synoptics where Jesus visits the house of a synagogue leader and heals his daughter. According to Matthew, he proclaims, “the girl is not dead but sleeping” (Matt 9:24; cf. Mark 5:39; Luke 8:52). The point is not that the
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