Description
Book SynopsisOne of the most profound, deeply affecting questions we face as human beings is the matter of our mortality--and its connection to immortality. Ancient animist ghost cultures, Egyptian mummification, late Jewish hopes of resurrection, Christian eternal salvation, Muslim belief in hell and paradise all spring from a remarkably consistent impulse to tether a triumph over death to our conduct in life.In After Lives, British scholar John Casey provides a rich historical and philosophical exploration of the world beyond, from the ancient Egyptians to St. Thomas Aquinas, from Martin Luther to modern Mormons. In a lively, wide-ranging discussion, he examines such topics as predestination, purgatory, Spiritualism, the Rapture, Armageddon and current Muslim apocalyptics, as well as the impact of such influences as the New Testament, St. Augustine, Dante, and the Second Vatican Council. Ideas of heaven and hell, Casey argues, illuminate how we understand the ultimate nature of sin, justice, puni
Trade ReviewAfter Lives is an elegant and informative literary pilgrimage through heaven, hell, and purgatory -- a rare achievement in humane erudition, graced by sympathy, curiosity, and candor. * Carol Zaleski, author of Otherworld Journeys, The Life of the World to Come, The Book of Heaven, and Prayer: A History *
John Casey gives a magisterial overview of the Western eschatological tradition death, judgement, heaven and hell providing sympathetic and lucid summaries of a vast range of different and at times conflicting sources that is a real pleasure to read. * David Lorimer, Network Review *
Table of ContentsPART 1: DARK FUTURES ; Prologue: STEPHEN DEDALUS'S HELL ; Chapter One: AFTER LIVES ; Chapter Two: EGYPT ; Chapter Three: MESOPOTAMIA AND ISRAEL ; Chapter Four: GREECE AND ROME ; Chapter Five: THE CHRISTIAN BEGINNINGS ; Chapter Six: DANTE: INFERNO ; Chapter Seven: PREDESTINATION: AUGUSTINE TO CALVIN AND BEYOND ; Chapter Eight: THE DECLINE OF HELL ; Part II: PURGATORY ; Chapter Nine: ROME'S HAPPIEST INSPIRATION? ; HEAVEN ; Chapter Ten: HEAVEN: EGYPT, MESOPOTAMIA, ISRAEL ; Chapter Eleven: BODIES FLESHLY AND SPIRITUAL ; Chapter Twelve: DANTE: PARADISO ; Chapter Thirteen: CELESTIAL PLEASURES: RENAISSANCE AND ; REFORMATION HEAVENS ; Chapter Fourteen: HEAVENLY SPECULATIONS ; Chapter Fifteen: HEAVEN SEEN AND HEARD: SWEDENBORG ; Chapter Sixteen: WITH EASY INTERCOURSE PASS TO AND FRO ; Chapter Seventeen: SCORING IN HEAVEN ; Index
