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Heaven and hell
a history of the afterlife
352 pages
A clarifying, historical dismantling of humanity's most enduring and terrifying myths about the afterlife.
What it feels like
Reading this book feels like sitting in on a fascinating, deeply empathetic college lecture that gently dismantles the terrifying architectures of your childhood beliefs. The pace is steady and methodical, guiding you through ancient texts and forgotten cultural shifts with a conversational clarity that never feels dense or overly academic. It is an illuminating, intellectually stimulating experience that replaces the dread of eternal punishment with a profound appreciation for human myth-making. The mood is contemplative and grounded, offering a surprising sense of comfort as it traces how our ancestors wrestled with mortality and the desire for cosmic justice. It will deeply satisfy curious skeptics, history buffs, and anyone seeking intellectual closure on the origins of Western religious anxieties.
- Mood
- contemplative
- illuminating
- intellectually stimulating
- grounded
- Tone
- scholarly
- accessible
- objective
- inquisitive
- empathetic
- Pace
- steady
- Themes
- evolution of belief · human mortality · cultural myth-making · the search for cosmic justice · confronting the unknown
- The writing
- Clear, conversational, and meticulously structured, translating dense theological history into an engaging, accessible narrative.
- The arc
- Moves from a curious questioning of deeply ingrained cultural fears to a comforting, grounded acceptance of historical reality.
- Who it's for
- Curious skeptics, history enthusiasts, and those deconstructing their faith who seek to understand the origins of Western cultural anxieties.
Content notes
- discussions of death and dying
- religious trauma
- historical descriptions of torture and hell
About the book
"A 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?" --
Over half of Americans believe in a literal heaven, in a literal hell. Most people who hold these beliefs are Christian and assume they are the age-old teachings of the Bible. Ehrman shows that eternal rewards and punishments are found nowhere in the Old Testament, and are not what Jesus or his disciples taught. He recounts the long history of the afterlife, ranging from The Epic of Gilgamesh up to the writings of Augustine, focusing especially on the teachings of Jesus and his early followers. Ehrman shows that competing views were intimately connected with the social, cultural, and historical worlds out of which they emerged. -- adapted from jacket
Description from Open Library.
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