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Journeys to Heaven and Hell: Tours of the Afterlife in the Early Christian Tradition
A New York Times bestselling scholar’s illuminating exploration of the earliest Christian narrated journeys to heaven and hell
“[An] illuminating deep dive . . . An edifying origin story for contemporary Christian conceptions of the afterlife.”— Publishers Weekly
From classics such as the Odyssey and the Aeneid to fifth-century Christian apocrypha, narratives that described guided tours of the afterlife played a major role in shaping ancient notions of morality and ethics. In this new account, acclaimed author Bart Ehrman contextualizes early Christian narratives of heaven and hell within the broader intellectual and cultural worlds from which they emerged. He examines how fundamental social experiences of the early Christian communities molded the conceptions of the afterlife that eventuated into the accepted doctrines of heaven, hell, and purgatory.
Drawing on Greek and Roman epic poetry, early Jewish writings such as the Book of Watchers, and apocryphal Christian stories including the Acts of Thomas , the Gospel of Nicodemus , and the Apocalypse of Peter , Ehrman demonstrates that ancient tours of the afterlife promoted reflection on matters of ethics, faith, ambition, and life’s meaning, the fruit of which has been codified into Christian belief today.
“[An] illuminating deep dive . . . An edifying origin story for contemporary Christian conceptions of the afterlife.”— Publishers Weekly
From classics such as the Odyssey and the Aeneid to fifth-century Christian apocrypha, narratives that described guided tours of the afterlife played a major role in shaping ancient notions of morality and ethics. In this new account, acclaimed author Bart Ehrman contextualizes early Christian narratives of heaven and hell within the broader intellectual and cultural worlds from which they emerged. He examines how fundamental social experiences of the early Christian communities molded the conceptions of the afterlife that eventuated into the accepted doctrines of heaven, hell, and purgatory.
Drawing on Greek and Roman epic poetry, early Jewish writings such as the Book of Watchers, and apocryphal Christian stories including the Acts of Thomas , the Gospel of Nicodemus , and the Apocalypse of Peter , Ehrman demonstrates that ancient tours of the afterlife promoted reflection on matters of ethics, faith, ambition, and life’s meaning, the fruit of which has been codified into Christian belief today.
344 pages, Hardcover
First published April 5, 2022
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515 people want to read
About the author
Bart D. Ehrman
66 books2,120 followersBart Denton Ehrman is an American New Testament scholar focusing on textual criticism of the New Testament, the historical Jesus, and the origins and development of early Christianity. He has written and edited 30 books, including three college textbooks. He has also authored six New York Times bestsellers. He is the James A. Gray Distinguished Professor of Religious Studies at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 34 reviews
April 6, 2022
There's a good bit of interesting material in Bart Ehrman's Journeys to Heaven and Hell: Tours of the Afterlife in the Early Christian Tradition. He opens with early Greek and Roman depictions of hell (and sometimes paradise), moves on to early Christian texts, then finishes by discussing the issue of several texts' positions on whether salvation will be all-inclusive or by invitation only. Whether one practices a faith or not, there's a lot to chew on here in terms of the best goals and values to govern one's life—and one can spend a good bit of time pondering what the social norms and expectations might have been in societies that embraced different versions of these texts..
The problem I had with the text was that it fell into an odd betwixt and between space in terms of its readership. Much of the first three chapters felt written for a non-scholarly audience, despite Ehrman's tendency to quote texts in Greek or Latin.
Then in chapter four, Ehrman's discussion moves on to minutae that are hard for a lay reader to follow, particularly if that reader doesn't have access to the texts Ehrman is discussing (an Ethiopian apocalypse, two very brief Greek fragments of that text, and later, related texts). At this point he backs up his arguments with detailed charts examining textual similarities and differences in an attempt to determine which is based on the earliest version of that narrative, and which bits are emendations or deliberate omissions. If you're a scholar of early Christianity, you may find his explanation of methodology and his survey of earlier work in the field worthwhile, but it doesn't make compelling reading for the uninitiated, who aren't familiar with the texts and can't place the specific bits of text included in the charts within the larger context of the documents they appear in.
Chapter six, the final chapter, returns to some of the more accessible issues featured in chapters one through three—in this instance the development of explanations for the time Jesus spent between execution and resurrection. Did he visit hell? If he did, did he enter it as teacher or as irresistably godly force? Did he save all hell's residents or just a chosen few? The answers to those questions are significant not just for individual Christians of the time, but also for the faith itself during its early years, when conversions seemed to come more easily when stories of the eternal punishments of hell played a central role, rather than the blessings of heaven.
If you're a scholar of early Christianity, you know better than I do whether this book will interest you. If you're a lay reader who dabbles in the subject, you'll find interesting material here, but I strongly recommend giving yourself permission to skip the sections/chapters that don't speak clearly to you.
I received a free electronic review copy of this title from the publisher via NetGalley; the opinions are my own.
The problem I had with the text was that it fell into an odd betwixt and between space in terms of its readership. Much of the first three chapters felt written for a non-scholarly audience, despite Ehrman's tendency to quote texts in Greek or Latin.
Then in chapter four, Ehrman's discussion moves on to minutae that are hard for a lay reader to follow, particularly if that reader doesn't have access to the texts Ehrman is discussing (an Ethiopian apocalypse, two very brief Greek fragments of that text, and later, related texts). At this point he backs up his arguments with detailed charts examining textual similarities and differences in an attempt to determine which is based on the earliest version of that narrative, and which bits are emendations or deliberate omissions. If you're a scholar of early Christianity, you may find his explanation of methodology and his survey of earlier work in the field worthwhile, but it doesn't make compelling reading for the uninitiated, who aren't familiar with the texts and can't place the specific bits of text included in the charts within the larger context of the documents they appear in.
Chapter six, the final chapter, returns to some of the more accessible issues featured in chapters one through three—in this instance the development of explanations for the time Jesus spent between execution and resurrection. Did he visit hell? If he did, did he enter it as teacher or as irresistably godly force? Did he save all hell's residents or just a chosen few? The answers to those questions are significant not just for individual Christians of the time, but also for the faith itself during its early years, when conversions seemed to come more easily when stories of the eternal punishments of hell played a central role, rather than the blessings of heaven.
If you're a scholar of early Christianity, you know better than I do whether this book will interest you. If you're a lay reader who dabbles in the subject, you'll find interesting material here, but I strongly recommend giving yourself permission to skip the sections/chapters that don't speak clearly to you.
I received a free electronic review copy of this title from the publisher via NetGalley; the opinions are my own.
April 9, 2022
A very thorough comparative take on the different views of heaven and hell, mostly from ancient Christianity. The Jews don’t have a hell. This should not be your first book on early Christianity, read some of the other books by the author first. You will be a bit lost if you’re not familiar with the writings that didn’t make it into the Bible. This book would have a quite narrow, scholarly interest.
From a personal perspective, this book is one of many I’ve read on the theme of how Christianity came to be and is, simply to understand myself and my upbringing better. It’s incredible how few questions I asked as a child and teenager, growing up in a Baptist missionary family. I struggle now, to hold my tongue, when people I know say that God is good. From the Bible he is petty, jealous and vindictive. If you want to read a book by the same author, pick up “God’s problem” that extensively discusses suffering and how this is incompatible with a compassionate god.
From a personal perspective, this book is one of many I’ve read on the theme of how Christianity came to be and is, simply to understand myself and my upbringing better. It’s incredible how few questions I asked as a child and teenager, growing up in a Baptist missionary family. I struggle now, to hold my tongue, when people I know say that God is good. From the Bible he is petty, jealous and vindictive. If you want to read a book by the same author, pick up “God’s problem” that extensively discusses suffering and how this is incompatible with a compassionate god.
November 14, 2024
"Journeys to Heaven and Hell" de Bart Ehrman ofrece una exploración de los relatos y conceptos del más allá en el cristianismo primitivo. Ehrman analiza cómo las ideas de cielo e infierno evolucionaron y cómo los primeros cristianos interpretaban el destino final de las almas. A través de este libro, el autor busca iluminar las raíces históricas y culturales de algunas de las creencias más duraderas del cristianismo.
El libro tiene una base académica sólida, y Ehrman, como es habitual en su obra, presenta una investigación detallada y bien documentada. Su capacidad para explicar textos antiguos y contextualizar creencias religiosas es admirable y será de interés para quienes deseen profundizar en la historia de las doctrinas cristianas. La obra examina textos menos conocidos, como los son los supuestamente llamados "apocrifos", y presenta ideas que revelan el desarrollo temprano de las nociones de recompensa y castigo en el más allá, demostrando asi que estas creencias no siempre existieron de manera consistente y que fueron abandonandose en base a los cambios sociopoliticos de la epoca.
Sin embargo, uno de los principales problemas es que el libro puede resultar demasiado técnico y especializado para el lector promedio. A diferencia de algunos de sus libros más accesibles, este texto exige un conocimiento previo considerable en historia y teología, lo que puede limitar su atractivo para quienes buscan una introducción general al tema. La escritura es densa y la estructura a veces confusa, lo que puede hacer que algunos lectores se pierdan en detalles técnicos y argumentos históricos sin una conexión clara con las implicaciones contemporáneas de estas creencias.
Además, aunque Ehrman ofrece una abundante evidencia histórica, la obra se queda en gran medida en el análisis descriptivo, sin profundizar en el impacto que estas ideas de cielo e infierno han tenido en la moralidad o en la vida cotidiana de los creyentes. Este enfoque puede parecer un tanto limitado para aquellos interesados en cómo estos conceptos afectan a la espiritualidad y ética personal, ya que Ehrman demuestra de manera muy convincente que estas creencias no solo no son objetivas y universales, sino que fueron creadas y adaptadas de acuerdo a la agenda sociopolitica de ciertos grupos religiosos que pretendian influenciar el comportamiento social de los demas.
En conclusión, este libro es un trabajo bien investigado que contribuye al estudio académico de la teología cristiana primitiva, pero su densidad y enfoque limitado hacen que sea menos accesible o práctico para un público general. La falta de un enfoque aplicado o de un análisis más accesible justifica una calificación de dos estrellas, sobre todo por su estructura confusa.
El libro tiene una base académica sólida, y Ehrman, como es habitual en su obra, presenta una investigación detallada y bien documentada. Su capacidad para explicar textos antiguos y contextualizar creencias religiosas es admirable y será de interés para quienes deseen profundizar en la historia de las doctrinas cristianas. La obra examina textos menos conocidos, como los son los supuestamente llamados "apocrifos", y presenta ideas que revelan el desarrollo temprano de las nociones de recompensa y castigo en el más allá, demostrando asi que estas creencias no siempre existieron de manera consistente y que fueron abandonandose en base a los cambios sociopoliticos de la epoca.
Sin embargo, uno de los principales problemas es que el libro puede resultar demasiado técnico y especializado para el lector promedio. A diferencia de algunos de sus libros más accesibles, este texto exige un conocimiento previo considerable en historia y teología, lo que puede limitar su atractivo para quienes buscan una introducción general al tema. La escritura es densa y la estructura a veces confusa, lo que puede hacer que algunos lectores se pierdan en detalles técnicos y argumentos históricos sin una conexión clara con las implicaciones contemporáneas de estas creencias.
Además, aunque Ehrman ofrece una abundante evidencia histórica, la obra se queda en gran medida en el análisis descriptivo, sin profundizar en el impacto que estas ideas de cielo e infierno han tenido en la moralidad o en la vida cotidiana de los creyentes. Este enfoque puede parecer un tanto limitado para aquellos interesados en cómo estos conceptos afectan a la espiritualidad y ética personal, ya que Ehrman demuestra de manera muy convincente que estas creencias no solo no son objetivas y universales, sino que fueron creadas y adaptadas de acuerdo a la agenda sociopolitica de ciertos grupos religiosos que pretendian influenciar el comportamiento social de los demas.
En conclusión, este libro es un trabajo bien investigado que contribuye al estudio académico de la teología cristiana primitiva, pero su densidad y enfoque limitado hacen que sea menos accesible o práctico para un público general. La falta de un enfoque aplicado o de un análisis más accesible justifica una calificación de dos estrellas, sobre todo por su estructura confusa.
April 5, 2022
In 2020 Ehrman released Heaven and Hell: A History of the Afterlife. He examined these concepts, chronicled their development, and pointed toward how a ending gives meaning.
Journeys to Heaven and Hell focuses on these ideas in early Christianity and their development from sources such as the Odyssey, Aeneid, Jewish writings, and Christian apocrypha.
He shows how early Christianity’s ideas of the afterlife weren’t static, nor were they isolated from the culture around them. The tours Ehrman details touch on many themes that connect the past to the very things society is struggling with today.
Thanks to NetGalley and Yale University Press for an ARC of this book.
Journeys to Heaven and Hell focuses on these ideas in early Christianity and their development from sources such as the Odyssey, Aeneid, Jewish writings, and Christian apocrypha.
He shows how early Christianity’s ideas of the afterlife weren’t static, nor were they isolated from the culture around them. The tours Ehrman details touch on many themes that connect the past to the very things society is struggling with today.
Thanks to NetGalley and Yale University Press for an ARC of this book.
August 18, 2023
When you pick up a Bart Ehrman book you never know if it’s going to be popular pablum or something more scholarly. I wish he would write more scholarly stuff, but he seems to have a burden for explaining stuff to lay people. This book had quite a bit of technical info about manuscript differences and the like which is not likely to interest the casual reader. I’m not a scholar, but I’m a bit more involved in Biblical studies than the average reader, I think. So I enjoyed this book a great deal.
July 11, 2022
This one is a mixed bag for Ehrman. Certainly, the theme (misstated in the subtitle) is intriguing: an exploration of how various cultures, philosophies and religions, have used stories of human’s, god’s, demigod’s, others, journeys down (usually) into Hell, Hades, Tatarus, Sheol, whatever, or upwards (also usually) into Paradise, Heaven, Elysium, or whatever. Ehrman starts off in the introduction and part of the first chapter showing that tales of such travels are a near universal of humanity – using the ”beyond” as an allegorical tool to explore ideas or teach lessons regarding how to human. The problem is, it is too big a topic to cover well in one short volume, which Ehrman himself acknowledges. That being said, I feel he should have added one more opening chapter that delved deeper into other, non-GrecoRoman/JudeoChristian world variations on the theme (again, Erhman does note that his background in this broader field is limited, but I really feel it would have added to his central arguments if he went a little deeper into these aspects). So mostly I dropped a star because I think he could have taken things a little further with the introductory material as well as with his conclusions. Now the good part: once he does get into the Greek (largely via Homer’s Odyssey) and Roman (largely via Virgil’s Aeneid), and further into the Jewish and christian mythologies, he is on stronger ground. Of particular interest is his discussion of the Gospels and Apocalypses of Peter, Paul, Zephaniah, and others. [side note: my complaint about some publications on these topics that are written for a general audience is the lack of good indexing and/or referencing. This is never a problem for Ehrman – his arguments are always well documented – as an academic, Bart E. is always to be respected, even when I disagree with him (at least at first, and usually only with minor points).]
April 14, 2023
Bart explores the origin of the afterlife found in early Pagan Greco-Roman, Jewish and early Christian literature.
Bart starts off with the correlations between Homer's 'Odyssey' accounts with Hades and Virgil's 'Aeneid' Elysium which is explored early in the book was very interesting, being able to see the early connections with the Greek and later Roman importance of living life and the apparent boredom and torturous nature of the afterlife for everyone (not just sinners or the undevout). The afterlifes take on philisophical concepts from platonism, stoicism and Pythagorean world views at the time.
Virgils idea is expanded upon by Christianity, but is flipped to where this life is not important but has requirements to achieve access to the wonders and eternal bliss that awaits (I find this quite an ugly and detrimental concept that has damaging results throughout history on our environment and actions towards others that persists still).
Bart's exploration of the apocryphal texts of Enoch and Zephaniah in Judiasm and the later Apocalypse of Peter and of Paul in Christian circles, are peculiar insights into the transition from universality of the after life for all people to one having specific requirements set out by a given god and the increase in absurdity and terror from earlier ideals.
I would have liked for Bart to have explored far more into the historical origins of Heaven/Hell, Good vs evil. Especially Judiasm's influence by the Persian religion of Zoroastrianism, after the destruction of the first temple and the Babylonian exile.
The book definitely has quite a heavy literary focused targeted potentially for a more scholarly audience, so it lost me at times in the second half where it gets quite descriptive into Christian textual specifics.
Bart starts off with the correlations between Homer's 'Odyssey' accounts with Hades and Virgil's 'Aeneid' Elysium which is explored early in the book was very interesting, being able to see the early connections with the Greek and later Roman importance of living life and the apparent boredom and torturous nature of the afterlife for everyone (not just sinners or the undevout). The afterlifes take on philisophical concepts from platonism, stoicism and Pythagorean world views at the time.
Virgils idea is expanded upon by Christianity, but is flipped to where this life is not important but has requirements to achieve access to the wonders and eternal bliss that awaits (I find this quite an ugly and detrimental concept that has damaging results throughout history on our environment and actions towards others that persists still).
Bart's exploration of the apocryphal texts of Enoch and Zephaniah in Judiasm and the later Apocalypse of Peter and of Paul in Christian circles, are peculiar insights into the transition from universality of the after life for all people to one having specific requirements set out by a given god and the increase in absurdity and terror from earlier ideals.
I would have liked for Bart to have explored far more into the historical origins of Heaven/Hell, Good vs evil. Especially Judiasm's influence by the Persian religion of Zoroastrianism, after the destruction of the first temple and the Babylonian exile.
The book definitely has quite a heavy literary focused targeted potentially for a more scholarly audience, so it lost me at times in the second half where it gets quite descriptive into Christian textual specifics.
March 15, 2023
Fascinating and incredibly well researched. I’ve been so interested in religion lately, and this also fits in quite well with my Greek and Roman foray recently. I liked hearing about canonically accepted writings, and also ones that are refuted, but I do understand if this is pigeonholed into an expertise, in the best way though. I should have been more informed prior just for my own understanding.
April 6, 2022
I've struggled with finishing this book as well as writing a review for it. Firstly, I wanted to read this because the first couple of chapters are essentially a thesis I wanted to write at University (comparing journeys to hell in Homer and Virgil). These chapters are amazing and so much fun to read for that reason.
Where I was slightly turned off from this title was that for the Christian and Jewish texts I didn't feel like there was enough excerpts from the original language, which - granted - is probably a niche preference and won't hinder anyone elses enjoyment of this. But as these texts are less known I would have wanted a richer textual background for readers themselves to compare and consider the linguistic aspect of these texts. That would probably have made it less reader friendly however, so I can understand why this wasn't an option.
That said, I do think the text is quite accessible to readers who are interested in these texts but are less interested, or not versed in, classical languages.
At chapter 3 the book passes into the Christian tradition which, fine is in the title, but when the main point is a large "Journeys to Heaven and Hell", I wanted a longer discussion on these journeys before getting more to the tradition and effects on ethics part of it. I felt a bit cheated when it seemed over too soon. Again, this is a personal preference and may not be a problem for other readers.
Chapters 1-2 were still five-stars for me, the rest... not terribly interesting. Possibly I have something of a bias against Ehrman, having read several of his books already and feeling like I know his style and where his points and conclusions are going already, so I just couldn't invest myself in the portions on the early Christian tradition. I don't feel like I trust him as a source there, based on other material.
All in all, this is interesting but beyond the first couple of chapters it just wasn't for me. I do kind of want to read it again and just consider the portions I liked, and those I disliked, but realistically I know I probably won't.
Very thankful for Yale University Press and Netgalley for providing an ARC of this title, all opinions are mine.
Where I was slightly turned off from this title was that for the Christian and Jewish texts I didn't feel like there was enough excerpts from the original language, which - granted - is probably a niche preference and won't hinder anyone elses enjoyment of this. But as these texts are less known I would have wanted a richer textual background for readers themselves to compare and consider the linguistic aspect of these texts. That would probably have made it less reader friendly however, so I can understand why this wasn't an option.
That said, I do think the text is quite accessible to readers who are interested in these texts but are less interested, or not versed in, classical languages.
At chapter 3 the book passes into the Christian tradition which, fine is in the title, but when the main point is a large "Journeys to Heaven and Hell", I wanted a longer discussion on these journeys before getting more to the tradition and effects on ethics part of it. I felt a bit cheated when it seemed over too soon. Again, this is a personal preference and may not be a problem for other readers.
Chapters 1-2 were still five-stars for me, the rest... not terribly interesting. Possibly I have something of a bias against Ehrman, having read several of his books already and feeling like I know his style and where his points and conclusions are going already, so I just couldn't invest myself in the portions on the early Christian tradition. I don't feel like I trust him as a source there, based on other material.
All in all, this is interesting but beyond the first couple of chapters it just wasn't for me. I do kind of want to read it again and just consider the portions I liked, and those I disliked, but realistically I know I probably won't.
Very thankful for Yale University Press and Netgalley for providing an ARC of this title, all opinions are mine.
June 12, 2022
Journeys to Heaven and Hell by Bart D. Ehrman is a study about heaven and hell and how our views of heaven and hell were influenced by classics like the Odyssey and the Aeneid. This book also includes the views of heaven and hell from early Jewish writings and apocryphal Christian stories. I found this book to be extremely thorough and very well-researched and annotated, but it was a little too deep for me. I especially enjoyed this passage towards the end of the book: "Delving into the ancient Christian afterlife journeys means exploring this imagination in the minds, or at least the words, of others--other authors, editors, scribes, and even, before all that, oral storytellers. But these imaginations never come in or out of a vacuum. They come in relation to the world and lived experience. They come in relation to history and culture. They come in connection with other people, their thoughts, views, perspectives, commitments, priorities, beliefs, practices, and histories." Thanks to NetGalley for the free digital review copy. All opinions are my own.
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June 27, 20233,5 stars for now
This was so interesting, but choosing the audiobook was a mistake. The narrator was really good, but the subject matter was just too dense for me to comprehend in this format (plus, my app kept jumping back or forward which made me severely confused because I kept repeating or missing certain parts of the text). I definitely want to get a physical copy and reread it which will most likely lift this to 4 stars or more because I love when religion and (mis)translations cross, which this book had quite a bit of. Isn't it wild that so many of the political and social decisions we make in the (western) world would have been extremely different intuitively had certain passages/translations/word choices been omitted or changed?
This was so interesting, but choosing the audiobook was a mistake. The narrator was really good, but the subject matter was just too dense for me to comprehend in this format (plus, my app kept jumping back or forward which made me severely confused because I kept repeating or missing certain parts of the text). I definitely want to get a physical copy and reread it which will most likely lift this to 4 stars or more because I love when religion and (mis)translations cross, which this book had quite a bit of. Isn't it wild that so many of the political and social decisions we make in the (western) world would have been extremely different intuitively had certain passages/translations/word choices been omitted or changed?
July 30, 2022
thank you to NetGalley and Yale University Press for providing me with an ARC of this book.
This was the first book I've read from Ehrman and overall, I thoroughly enjoyed it. He comprehensively explains the influence that various ancient and religious texts have on Christian beliefs in Hell/the afterlife and offers his own analysis on what led to the most basic belief that there are two versions of the afterlife; spoiler alert, it's probably because scribes needed their God to be “just” so they made some editing to reflect their narrative.
Overall, I enjoyed the thought provoking nature of the book and am excited to seek out more of this authors work!
This was the first book I've read from Ehrman and overall, I thoroughly enjoyed it. He comprehensively explains the influence that various ancient and religious texts have on Christian beliefs in Hell/the afterlife and offers his own analysis on what led to the most basic belief that there are two versions of the afterlife; spoiler alert, it's probably because scribes needed their God to be “just” so they made some editing to reflect their narrative.
Overall, I enjoyed the thought provoking nature of the book and am excited to seek out more of this authors work!
August 7, 2022
This book is for academically oriented people who already have some knowledge about katabasis analyses. I initially thought this would be more of a historical tour of how the concepts of heaven and hell came to be and how different periods incorporated these concepts into religious teachings of the time.
It's more of a (really good and thorough) analysis of very specific descriptions of hell in Greek, Roman, Jewish, and later, Christian literary examples. The critique and analysis is veryyyy academic and required a dictionary by my side. The topic is very interesting and I recommend it to the nerds!
It's more of a (really good and thorough) analysis of very specific descriptions of hell in Greek, Roman, Jewish, and later, Christian literary examples. The critique and analysis is veryyyy academic and required a dictionary by my side. The topic is very interesting and I recommend it to the nerds!
August 29, 2023
This is an incredible historical narrative of heaven and hell placed into a historical context beyond Christianity. The description of ancient texts outside of the Biblical canon brings a rich history to how people began developing the story of salvation and what it meant to those who had already died. The tendency of humans to want to fill in the gaps and explain events that could not possibly understand is apparent in texts such as the Gospel of Nicodemus. This is an excellent study into concepts of heave and hell in Greek and Roman literature and how these influenced Christianity's early development of these concepts and ideas.
September 2, 2025
It got a little heady for me.... I should have expected some big words. Considering it's a review of literary classics on the complexities of the afterlife. But sheesh! I just felt like the author was intentionally trying to lose the readers with large words that didn't sound like they were real words.
I listened to this audiobook, and I felt like the narrator was a little sarcastic, which took away from the content of the heaviness of Heaven and Hell. But that perception could be on me.
Overall, it was interesting, but I was excited for it to be over. Really seems like the author missed the mark, skimming over the oldest book in the world, the Bible.
I listened to this audiobook, and I felt like the narrator was a little sarcastic, which took away from the content of the heaviness of Heaven and Hell. But that perception could be on me.
Overall, it was interesting, but I was excited for it to be over. Really seems like the author missed the mark, skimming over the oldest book in the world, the Bible.
July 5, 2022
An interesting topic, but the book doesn't have as clear a throughline as his previous books, and at its worst reads more like reworked material from the blog. The analysis of the apocryphal material and its influence is interesting especially in relation to the hellenistic cultural heritage, but it stumbles a bit on cementing the influence of why this matters; in that respect the earlier book Heaven and Hell: A History of the Afterlife - which shares some of these sources - makes a clearer case and is the better read.
March 31, 2024
I love Bart Ehrman's books and his work on MythVision and his own channel. I am giving this book 5 stars, though I admit I had some problems with it--but only due to my lack of background in the more denser aspects of Biblical scholarship and textual analysis.
I agree with other reviewers that the first 3 chapters were geared to a more general audience while the next 3 to a more specialized reader. But I don't expect popular scholarship in all scholarly work. Anyway, Bart opened new pathways of interest for me, and there is no way I won't miss any of his corpus or work.
I agree with other reviewers that the first 3 chapters were geared to a more general audience while the next 3 to a more specialized reader. But I don't expect popular scholarship in all scholarly work. Anyway, Bart opened new pathways of interest for me, and there is no way I won't miss any of his corpus or work.
July 5, 2024
A well written, well researched, and fundamentally compassionate review of underlife journeys over the course of more than 1000 years.
It does, however have a few minor issues. The text probably needed to be looked over by an editor for minor mistakes, along with someone who can read Ethiopic. Seriously, if your work is advanced enough to include the original greek/latin of every ancient quotation, you need to be using the original Ethiopic instead of only relying on an english translation. Even if Ehrman doesn't read Ethiopic, surely he could have collaborated with someone who does. It might fly in an undergrad paper, but it's sloppy scholarship.
It does, however have a few minor issues. The text probably needed to be looked over by an editor for minor mistakes, along with someone who can read Ethiopic. Seriously, if your work is advanced enough to include the original greek/latin of every ancient quotation, you need to be using the original Ethiopic instead of only relying on an english translation. Even if Ehrman doesn't read Ethiopic, surely he could have collaborated with someone who does. It might fly in an undergrad paper, but it's sloppy scholarship.
July 12, 2024
I enjoyed this book but enjoyed his other book on heaven and hell more. This is an area of study that fascinates me as a Christian and a human overall. Ehrman is well versed on the topic and I love hearing his perspective and research.
In this work he dives into more Greek tales and sources outside of scripture. It was a good but dense read. I appreciated to learn the sources outside of the Bible, but it is definitely more of a book that helps with understanding sources outside of the Bible that may have reflected some of Paul’s thoughts.
In this work he dives into more Greek tales and sources outside of scripture. It was a good but dense read. I appreciated to learn the sources outside of the Bible, but it is definitely more of a book that helps with understanding sources outside of the Bible that may have reflected some of Paul’s thoughts.
May 25, 2022
Heavens!
This is an elaborate, extensive, and thorough discussion, dissection and description of Hell. It is not for the faint of heart or the casual reader. A tad on the dry side at times and freaking frightening on others. I personally experienced that nasty realm during a Near-Death Experience and had a tough time getting to the end of this book. For anyone wanting to find material that blows a lot of the authenticity of the Bible out of the water, this is your book.
This is an elaborate, extensive, and thorough discussion, dissection and description of Hell. It is not for the faint of heart or the casual reader. A tad on the dry side at times and freaking frightening on others. I personally experienced that nasty realm during a Near-Death Experience and had a tough time getting to the end of this book. For anyone wanting to find material that blows a lot of the authenticity of the Bible out of the water, this is your book.
July 15, 2023
Interesting book by Ehrman contextualizing views of the afterlife from Greek, Roman, and Hebrew sources, and how each drew on the previous, and how each shaped Early Christian (and later Christian) views of the Afterlife. There's a slight change in tone when discussing Enoch and afterwards - my hunch is that this is because this is Ehrman's wheelhouse and Greco-Roman religious beliefs aren't. The people that need to read this book the most probably won't.
August 23, 2024
primarily Ehrman's analysis of earliest Christian Writings:
Apocalypse of Peter, Acts of Thomas, Apocalypse of Paul,
Gospel of Nicodemus
These are literary portrayals of an otherworldly journeys that deliver advise, exhortation, & instruction.
Yale Univ. Press is publisher (2022) -- I had hoped the telling of Prof. Ehrman's conclusion would be as engaging as Princeton Prof. Elaine Pagels' THE GNOSTIC GOSPELS & ADAM, EVE, & THE SERPENT but found it to be uninteresting.
Apocalypse of Peter, Acts of Thomas, Apocalypse of Paul,
Gospel of Nicodemus
These are literary portrayals of an otherworldly journeys that deliver advise, exhortation, & instruction.
Yale Univ. Press is publisher (2022) -- I had hoped the telling of Prof. Ehrman's conclusion would be as engaging as Princeton Prof. Elaine Pagels' THE GNOSTIC GOSPELS & ADAM, EVE, & THE SERPENT but found it to be uninteresting.
September 14, 2024
Comments form a reader
This is a great look into how Christianity evolved over time and how this in turn helps you to see religion for what it is. I will criticize the use of an excessive number and lengthy footnotes in the text that significantly prolonged the reading of the book. I think given how much was in the footnotes the author should have included them in the main body of the text.
This is a great look into how Christianity evolved over time and how this in turn helps you to see religion for what it is. I will criticize the use of an excessive number and lengthy footnotes in the text that significantly prolonged the reading of the book. I think given how much was in the footnotes the author should have included them in the main body of the text.
July 18, 2022
Very stereotypical Ehrman book. This was a deep dive into the early Christian worlds view on Heaven and hell, where those views came from, and how different sources viewed it (spoiler alert, there are a lot of contradictions). I can't really put my finger on something that was incredibly fascinating or thought provoking, hence the three stars.
October 9, 2022
Super interesting examination of the evolution of thought about the afterlife in the early years of Christianity. If you've ever thought, "this god of theirs sounds like a real dick," than you may be interested to know that there were some trains of thought in early Christianity where he wasn't quite so dick-ish. Not the trains of thought that ultimately won out, but still interesting.
February 10, 2023
The first half is a fascinating look at Aenid, the Odyssey & other pre-Christian texts regarding visits to Hades. The second half is a deeper comparison of the Apocolypse of Peter, the Gosphel of Peter, Nicodemus & other descents into hell. Who descended, why, who was saved and why the differences matter were all explored.
An upcoming book looks at Revelation & the apocolpyse (March 2023).
An upcoming book looks at Revelation & the apocolpyse (March 2023).
February 9, 2024
Interesting delve into the early katabases of early Christian writers. Most are from lesser known, uncanonical works, and the imagery is reminiscent of the preceding pagan katabases.
Informative and illuminating, this work gives a sense of what early Christians and their writings divulge regarding the afterlife.
Informative and illuminating, this work gives a sense of what early Christians and their writings divulge regarding the afterlife.
September 8, 2023
A study of journeys to the afterlife from multicultural narratives. I wanted to stay with this but for a layman the minutiae bogged me down. Many of Ehrman’s other books are more concise and easier to read.
August 10, 2025
Interesting and academic. If you like Bart Erhman books, just know that this one is significantly more academic and less conversational than some of his others works. That doesn’t make it bad, but a lot of of it is dating texts rather than necessarily telling stories. Still fascinating.
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