Heaven and Hell

A History of the Afterlife

By: Bart D. Ehrman, Bart D. Ehrman - preface

Narrated by: John Bedford Lloyd

A New York Times 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?

What happens when we die? A recent Pew Research poll showed that 72% of Americans believe in a literal heaven and 58% 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.

An excellent study and overview

This book put into simple terms the evolution of the Christian theory of Heaven and Hell. Ehrman does a fantastic job taking the reader on a historical journey that illustrates how Christian ideas on the afterlife have radically changed over the past 2000 years.

Bart is the best

This book is so concise in its presentation and thorough in its research. Ehrman never disappoints.

Eye-opening

One of the things I appreciate most about Bart Erman’s approach to writing is his evenhanded laying out of various opinions without declaring that his own opinion must be the one that is right.

It gave me an opportunity to explore different ideas about heaven, hell, and the afterlife, and everything else from a very measured standpoint so that I can make my own decision on the matter.

And, while his own argument might be persuasive to many, what matters more is that he has laid out a sweeping vista of historical development around the ideas of heaven and hell that demonstrate man to be an inventive, inquisitive, and insatiably curious creature. One who will unendingly craft, tweak, and modify their ideas in order to satisfy their desire to know.

Excellent Read!

This book was great! Very informative, eloquently written, and overall enjoyable. I learned a lot. The narrator was great in his delivery as well. If you're a dedicated Christian listening to this, it may be uncomfortable because of the distinction between what you were taught and what this book presents.

Repetitive and focused only on Christianity

The book focused very little on anything other than Christianity, and goes into great detail discussing minutiae of the Bible. think the title is a little misleading, I was expecting a broader look at other religions as well or at least more than a passing mention of ones whose ideas influenced Christianity.