Heaven and Hell

A History of the Afterlife

By: Bart D. Ehrman

Narrated by: John Bedford Lloyd, Bart D. Ehrman - preface

Length: 12 hrs and 24 mins

Publisher's summary

A New York Times best-selling 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?

What happens when we die? A recent Pew Research poll showed that 72 percent of Americans believe in a literal heaven and 58 percent believe in a literal hell. Most people who hold these beliefs are Christian and assume they are the age-old teachings of the Bible. But eternal rewards and punishments are found nowhere in the Old Testament and are not what Jesus or his disciples taught.

So where did these ideas come from?

In this “eloquent understanding of how death is viewed through many spiritual traditions” (Publishers Weekly, starred review), Bart Ehrman 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. He discusses ancient guided tours of heaven and hell, in which a living person observes the sublime blessings of heaven for those who are saved and the horrifying torments of hell for those who are damned. Some of these accounts take the form of near death experiences, the oldest on record, with intriguing similarities to those reported today.

One of Ehrman’s startling conclusions is that there never was a single Greek, Jewish, or Christian understanding of the afterlife, but numerous competing views. Moreover, these views did not come from nowhere; they were intimately connected with the social, cultural, and historical worlds out of which they emerged. Only later, in the early Christian centuries, did they develop into notions of eternal bliss or damnation widely accepted today.

In this “elegant history” (The New Yorker), Ehrman helps us reflect on where our ideas of the afterlife come from. With his “richly layered-narrative” (The Boston Globe) he assures us that even if there may be something to hope for when we die, there certainly is nothing to fear.

©2020 Bart D. Ehrman (P)2020 Simon & Schuster Audio

Tweaking our reality

The topic was thoroughly analyzed. I am reading it at the same time as I am retreading The Prophet, and it makes for very interesting comparisons. A good topic for personal reflection on the beliefs we were raised with.

absolutely incredible

this is Ehrman's best work! I'd listen to it again. such a great scholarly work

Very good historical view of the subject

One reviewer said this is all just the author's opinion, but must have been reading another book. This is an excellent, detailed look at the concepts of heaven and hell in the Western tradition, mostly through the lens of Christianity. It also contains comparisons of differing scholarly views of the subject matter. No, this is not a comprehensive, worldwide discussion, the author sticks to his area of expertise. It's very interesting and a good listen. I didn't give it five stars because I think it gets too detailed for some readers. It's mostly a scholarly work and some may find it overwhelming and dry at times, but it definitely does what it sets out to do. The final chapter is where the scholarly veil drops and Ehrman focuses on his own opinion of the subject, which I very much appreciated.

fabulous!

This is a sane and scholarly historical study liberating those paralyzed by fear of hell. highly recommended.

Learned A Lot

The author takes you through all the key points and perspectives in history in chronological order, from more or less Homer’s Odyssey to the invention of Purgatory (1300’s/1400’s). The first half, say, through Jesus, was great. Really enjoyed it. But the second half was really hard to not get bored by it because it starts feeling extremely repetitive. While it doesn’t actually repeat itself, there are just sooooo many ever-so-slight changes of philosophy that it’s hard to not glaze over/become numb to it. It’s not the author’s fault that more people wrote about this as time goes or and that their records survive better, but I just wish he had boiled them down to a bit more Cliffs Notes.

Great

I have been a agnostic for many years. This is the greatest defense of intelligence I have ever read.

Ehrman at his best!

I do believe that this is one of Professor Ehrman’s best works yet for the general non professional public - thank you sir!

Aperture expanding to one’s view of personal philosophy

Time well spent. The content of the book is very interesting. I would have preferred hearing Bart read his entire book and not just the preface. My only criticism is not hearing vocal feeling and philosophical passion Bart brings when he speaks about his work. The narrator, JBL, sounds almost like HAL9000 with no emotional investment in the message.

I found a new friend

I was a fan of Bruce Metzger’s work when I was curious about canonization and Orthodoxy as a Fundamentalist many years ago. This work is equal quality.
In my opinion this is one of the best theological books out there because of the scholarship of the author (he truly is an authority on the subject), because of the emotional concerns, because of the central bullseye need of good scholarship on the topic, and because of how well the book flows (finished in 4 days)
What doctrine is most important to Christianity? Again, my opinion not necessarily this authors, but it’s that of the afterlife, without which Christ and salvation must take on an entire different meaning to us.
Thank you professor! I look forward to joining your website.

everything evolves

a very good study on a subject. everyone thinks they know and text for granted