This investigation aims to ascertain whether or not the Israelites believed in the supernatural beneficent power of the dead. First, a lexicon of selected mortuary practices and beliefs is outlined. In the Israelite context, those rites most likely to reflect this belief are necromancy and those which fall within the purview of the ancestor cult intended to express veneration or worship of the ancestors (ch. 1). Secondly, an evaluation of the relevant texts from Syria-Palestine of the third to first millennia B.C.E. demonstrates that a longstanding West Semitic or Canaanite origin for Israel's belief in the supernatural beneficent power of the dead cannot be established on the basis of these data (chs. 2 and 3). Thirdly, an examination of the Hebrew Bible demonstrates that while a concern to care for or commemorate the dead might be inferred, neither an ancestor cult nor ancestor veneration or worship in particular can be established on the basis of the available literary (or material) evidence. Moreover, while necromancy is occasionally attested, the relevant passages which polemicize against Israel's embrace of this practice originate either in the last days of the Judahite monarchy or, more likely, during the exile itself. The historical reality which gave rise to this polemical tradition was the threat which Mesopotamian religion and magic beginning with the Neo-Assyrian period posed to later (dtr?) Yahwism (ch. 4). Comparative ethnographic data suggests that the longstanding absence of the belief in the beneficent dead in Israel and Syria-Palestine might be partially explained as a reaction to the pervasive fear of the dead. Nevertheless, once this belief was embraced by late Israelite society, owing to contemporary developments in politics (Mesopotamian hegemony), economics (depletion of resources), and religion (popularity of divination), necromancy, not ancestor veneration or worship, presented itself as the preferred ritual expression of this belief (conclusion).

Bakgrund: Under år 2022 inrapporterades 48,733 dödsfall till Svenska palliativregistret. Stor del av den forskning inom det palliativa fokuserar på anhöriga och vårdares perspektiv. Samtidigt medför den moderna strävan för personcentrering av vården behovet för insikt i hur de döende i sjukdom uppfattar sin situation och tillvaro. Syfte: Att beskriva döende patienters uppfattning om dödens olika aspekter. Metod: En litteratursökning genomfördes med hjälp av databasen MEDLINE via PubMed. Använda söktermer var attitude to death, perception, perceptions, qualitative research, terminally ill, view och views. Tio artiklar baserade på döende personers perspektiv om uppfattningen av döden valdes ut av författarna till litteraturstudien. Artiklarna analyserades sedan genom tematisk analys. Huvudresultat: Två huvudteman identifierades: Att ställas inför nytt perspektiv och Hur döden bemöts är viktigt. Att ställas inför nytt perspektiv som tema berör känsloreaktionen i mötet med döden, kampen om att finna mening, relationen till tillvaron och betydelsen av acceptans. Uppfattningarna kopplade till temat Hur döden bemöts är viktigt behandlar de sätt de döende sjuka hanterar sin situation, vad som hjälper och stjälper, vad som är viktigt och på vilket sätt. Slutsats: Samtidigt som patienternas uppfattning av dödens olika aspekter påvisade individuell variation relaterat till sociokulturella och psykoandliga faktorer; fanns det en övergripande överensstämmelse i uppfattningen om dödens olika aspekter. I patienternas beskrivna uppfattning av dödens aspekter påvisas möjligheten till en förbättrad personcentrerad palliativa vård. / Background: In 2022 there were 48,733 deaths reported to the Swedish register of palliative care. A big part of the palliative research is focused on relatives and care workers perspectives. At the same time the modern pursuit of patient-centered care brings the need for insight on how terminally ill patients perceive their situation and existence. Aim: To describe dying patients' perceptions on the different aspects of death. Method: A literature search was conducted in the database MEDLINE via PubMed. The searchterms used were attitude to death, perception, perceptions, qualitative research, terminally ill, view and views. Ten articles based on the perspective of terminally ill patients' perception of the aspects of death were selected by the authors of this review. The articles were then analyzed using thematic analysis. Findings: Two themes were identified: To be faced with a new perspective and How death is dealt with is important. The theme To be faced with a new perspective touches on the emotional reactions when confronted with death, the struggle to find meaning, connections to one's existence and the significance of acceptance. The perceptions connected to the theme How death is dealt with is important deals with the ways the terminally ill manage their situation, what helps and hinders, what is important and in what way. Conclusion: At the same time the patients' perceptions on the aspect of death showed individual variation related to sociocultural and psychospiritual factors; an overall congruence regarding perceptions of the aspects of death was found. In the patients' described perception of the aspects of death, the possibility for improvement of person-centered palliative care is demonstrated.