Heaven and Hell: A History of the Afterlife

Where did the ideas of Heaven and Hell come from?

As strange as it may seem to us now, there was a time when no one thought they would go to heaven or hell after they died. In fact, there is no mention of them in the Old Testament, and Jesus did not believe the souls of the departed were bound for either realm.

In this gripping history of the afterlife, Bart Ehrman reveals how the concepts of heaven and hell developed and took hold, and why they endure to this day. He examines the social, cultural and historical roots of competing views held by Greeks, Jews and Christians, and traces how beliefs changed over time. Ultimately, he shows that many of our ideas about heaven and hell emerged long after Jesus's time, through the struggle to explain the injustices of the world.

"Unexpectedly entertaining... Many redoubtable volumes have been written about all this, but Ehrman ... merrily blows the dust off the subject." - The Economist

"Ehrman, as always, writes in a very accessible way, and gives the reader plenty to think about." - Irish Independent

Format: Paperback, 352 pages
ISBN: 9780861541201
Publisher: Oneworld Publications
Published: 7 OCtober, 2021
Weight: 306g
Dimensions: 196x132x31 mm

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