As-In synthesis

Which is it?

Both, of course, if the desire is to understand how a complete idea works rather than picking the one best convertible into belief, that matches preconceived notions and provides a measure of reassurance.

Media vita in morte sumus ~ Media morte in vita sumus

from wikipedia http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sequence_(poetry)

One well-known sequence, falsely attributed to Notker during the Middle Ages, is the prose text Media vita in morte sumus ("In the midst of life we are in death"), which was translated by Cranmer and became a part of the burial service in the funeral rites of the Anglican Book of Common Prayer.

from: http://anaginoskon.blogspot.com/2007/06/media-vita-in-morte-kers-umb-media.html

Media vita in morte kers umb media morte in vita sumus

Ja, Leben ist lehrbar. Lehren heisst dann allerdings nichts anderes, als dem Evangelium Raum geben, das sogar mitten im Tode 'eitel Leben' verheisst. 'Media vita in morte kers umb media morte in vita sumus. So glaubt, so spricht der Christ.' So hat es Gerhard Ebeling bei Luther gelernt. (Eberhard Jüngel's obituary for Gerhard Ebeling in the Neue Zürcher Zeitung; http://www.kirchen.ch/pressespiegel/nzz/2001100265.pdf)

Yes, it is possible to teach 'life'. However, teaching, then, means nothing but offering space to the gospel, which promises full life in the midst of death. "In the midst of life, we belong to death; turn it around: in the midst of death, we belong to life. Thus believes, thus speaks the Christian." That is what Gerhard Ebeling learnt from Luther.