Description
Book SynopsisThe bestselling historian of early Christianity takes on two of the most gripping questions of human existence where did the ideas of heaven and hell come from, and why do they endure?
Trade Review‘[Ehrman’s] is a vast learning worn wonderfully lightly and he is an engaging but expert guide around how religious ideas were formed and shaped our world.’
* The Times *
‘Many redoubtable volumes have been written about all this, but Ehrman, who already has more than two-dozen books on early Christianity under his belt, merrily blows the dust off the subject.’
* The Economist *
‘This elegant history explores the evolution of the concept of the afterlife in Western thought... Well-trod subjects are presented with engaging clarity, and more contentious theories are laid out carefully.’
* The New Yorker *
‘Ehrman, as always, writes in a very accessible way, and gives the reader plenty to think about.’
* Irish Independent *
‘An impressively readable, clear and wide-ranging study.’
-- Spectator
‘A number of religions and philosophies give detailed accounts of post-mortem existence; in this learned and highly readable book, Bart Ehrman offers a tour of the whole field… There are many nuances possible here; Ehrman presents them all with great clarity and massive scholarship.'
* TLS *
Table of ContentsAcknowledgments
Preface
Chapter One: Guided Tours of Heaven and Hell
Chapter Two: The Fear of Death
Chapter Three: Life After Death Before There Was Life After Death
Chapter Four: Will Justice Be Done? The Rise of Postmortem Rewards and Punishments
Chapter Five: Death After Death in the Hebrew Bible
Chapter Six: Dead Bodies That Return to Life: The Resurrection in Ancient Israel
Chapter Seven: Why Wait for the Resurrection? Life After Death Right After Death
Chapter Eight: Jesus and the Afterlife
Chapter Nine: The Afterlife After Jesus’s Life: Paul the Apostle
Chapter Ten: Altering the Views of Jesus: The Later Gospels
Chapter Eleven: The Afterlife Mysteries of the Book of Revelation
Chapter Twelve: Eternal Life in the Flesh
Chapter Thirteen: Tactile Ecstasy and Torment in the Christian Hereafter
Chapter Fourteen: Who Will Inherit the Blessings? Purgatory, Reincarnation, and Salvation for All
Afterword
Notes
Index
