Blurry Creatures EP: 134 Ghosts with Dr. Michael Heiser
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Oct 31, 2022 
Dr. Michael Heiser, a scholar of ancient Semitic languages and author of 'The Unseen Realm', delves into the biblical perspectives on ghosts. He clarifies the distinctions between ghosts, spirits, and necromancy using Hebrew terms. Discussions include the Rephaim, spirits of giants, and biblical ghost encounters that may be benevolent. Heiser also explores the risks of necromancy, the concept of 'trauma loops', and the ancient understanding of spiritual interactions, emphasizing the thin line between the realms of the living and the dead.
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Multiple Hebrew Categories For Spirits
- Hebrew uses multiple distinct terms for spirits, so 'ghost' and 'demon' are not always the same thing.
- Michael Heiser argues metim, ov/ovot, yidoni and itim can point to different categories in the underworld.
Rephaim As Disembodied Giant Spirits
- The Rephaim are treated as the disembodied spirits of giants and inhabit Sheol distinct from ordinary human dead.
- Second Temple literature often links demons to the dead Nephilim/Rephaim rather than to ordinary human souls.
Personal Ghost Encounters As Comfort
- Michael Heiser shares friends' ghost sightings that brought comfort after funerals rather than harm.
- He describes a woman whose late husband appeared, kissed her cheek, then vanished, giving reassurance.
