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Journeys to Heaven and Hell

Tours of the Afterlife in the Early Christian Tradition

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Journeys to Heaven and Hell

By: Bart D. Ehrman
Narrated by: John Tefler
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About this listen

A New York Times best-selling 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.

©2022 Bart D. Ehrman (P)2022 Yale Press Audio Christianity History Religious Studies
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I adore Bart Ehrman's work, and I have listened, again and again, to the audiobooks, podcasts and Great Courses. In fact, I would probably listen to him read a shopping list. And that is why this audiobook was so very disappointing. The narrator was stupefyingly dull, it felt like sitting through an endless committee meeting, or worse yet, a sermon. Bart is quirky and inspiring, his oddly timed giggles make a fascinating subject even more delightful. Sadly, this narrator turned a fascinating book into a shopping list.

Great book, disappointing narrator

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Parts of this book are dense, an in-depth investigation of texts and interpretation, so it isn't a casual read but it is fascinating. I look forward to reading it again to get the bits I may have missed the first time.

Scholarly not Theological

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