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Heaven and Hell: A History of the AfterlifeA 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
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.Shipping Notes
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4.1 ★★★★★
Based on 25 reviews
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Product Reviews
★★★★★ 5
Draws You in to the Series
Format: Paperback
The Stonekeeper is the first volume in Kazu Kibuishi's graphic novel series. Although aimed at middle school, it is good for upper elementary school children, and is enjoyable for adults as well. 2 years after the death of Emily and Navin's father in a tragic car crash, Karen moves her children to the family's old house in a dense forest. Built by Karen's grandfather Silas who then disappeared, it has been abandoned for years. During the first night, they hear a strange noise, and Karen is captured by an Arachnopod, a creature from a parallel world, Alledia. Emily and Navin follow their mother into the parallel world where they find their ailing great-grandfather Silas. He tells Emily about the power of the amulet she found in his house. It is the key to ruling Alledia. Silas expires, but not before instructing his robot and animal minions to aid Emily and Navin. This first volume, besides setting the story arc, narrates the rescue of Karen. Unfortunately, she is poisoned setting up the next volume for finding the antidote.
Besides an engaging story with compelling characters, Kibuishi is a fantastic illustrator. As with many exemplar graphic novels the spare text is amplified and much of the story told through his illustrations. The creatures of Alledia are strange enough to pique our imagination, but not so much that they are totally alien in form.
After reading Stonekeeper, I am eager to see what happens next with Emily and Navin, and their company.
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Reviewed in the United States on March 1, 2014
★★★★★ 5
wow
Format: Paperback
I remember when I read in reviews that kids had gotten sucked into this story and had become fans of this series so quickly.... Well, my daughter resisted till page 13 or 14... but since then she's in it... She's very picky when it is about books and even that she's 9, she started to read in English only a few months ago ( we lived abroad,she reads other language) so she still prefers books that is easy to read.
Anyway, get ready, this series is addicted... gooooood :) that is what we need :)
I mean, you can complain that this is a comic book but still, at least the child has the book in his/her hand and not a tablet... and at least he/she reads...
I'm really happy that I got this book for her.
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Reviewed in the United States on November 16, 2023
★★★★★ 5
Wonderful Story, But Small Print
Format: Paperback, Format: Paperback
My son really likes this book. He usually doesn’t enjoy reading much, but this one caught his interest right away. The illustrations are great, and the story is engaging too. He finished the book in just two days! I already bought the second one and am thinking about getting the whole series.
The only thing I didn’t like was the size of the letters. It wasn’t very easy for my 9-year-old to read on his own, and sometimes I had to help him.
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Reviewed in the United States on October 14, 2025
★★★★★ 5
Great story and great quality!
Format: Hardcover
These books are always great! One of my son’s faves. Great story and great quality as usual!
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Reviewed in the United States on May 15, 2026
★★★★★ 5
Shockingly good Little Golden Book
Format: Hardcover
Yeah, this is a Little Golden Book, but in many ways it seems more like something that would be a special addition to a boxed set of the 1980's Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles cartoon series. It's written as if April O'Neil is talking to the reader directly and it gives a pretty good overview of each of the turtles and their personalities/roles, how the turtles and splinter became mutants, who their enemies are, and references a few reoccurring characters from the series. My kids have been watching a lot of the original series lately and they loved this book. It also wasn't tedious for me to read and wasn't overly long as some of these tv books are.
If you have a kid that is a fan of the original series, this is a great pickup. If you know someone who grew up on this series and maybe collects some of the original Turtles stuff, this could be a fun little gift for them to add to their collection
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Reviewed in the United States on October 17, 2024