Heaven: A History
by Colleen McDannell, Bernard Lang (Author)
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What do Christians believe they will experience after a virtuous life? What will an eternity in the hereafter be like? In this copiously illustrated, lively book, Colleen McDannell and Bernhard Lang describe and interpret the ways in which believers--from biblical authors to medieval mystics, from Jesus to present-day religious thinkers--have pictured Heaven, not just in doctrine but also in poetry, art, literature, and popular culture. In so doing, they shed new light on both the private show more and public dimensions of western culture. This second edition includes a substantial new preface relating the book to changing views of life after death in the new century. Praise for the earlier edition: "[A] fascinating new study. . . . It is a rich and provocative subject and the authors use it as a springboard from which to examine shifting attitudes toward man and God, within the Judeo-Christian tradition.+?--Michiko Kakutani, New York Times "The next best thing to going.+?--Carlin Romano, Philadelphia Inquirer " Heaven: A History offers a whistlestop tour, thoroughly researched and engagingly written, of the extraordinary things Christians and others have believed about life after death. . . . A compendium of fascinating finds from the past.+?--John Barton, London Review of Books "A fascinating survey of Western culture and a delightful tour of the histories of art, literature and theology.+?-- Christian Century " Heaven: A History provides a rich opportunity for theological reflection. This book can help in constructing a language for the hereafter that will encourage the best hopes of the living and, heaven knows, perhaps guide the reader to a vision of eternal bliss.+?-- St. Anthony Messenger show lessTags
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Member Reviews
Under the surface of this book is a historical materialist argument that is never fully articulated and because of which it suffers to bring a real understanding of why the concept of heaven changes. Feudal lords want heaven to be feudal. Capitalists want heaven to have work and private property.
Also unexplored are African American, African, and Asian traditions of heaven which I assume must radically be different from the middle class and theological intelligentsia. Also no where was the Slavic or Eastern Orthodox interpretation of heaven or for that matter Tolstoy's The kingdom of heaven is within you.
It is a history of European/American Protestant and Catholic theology so it doesn't really paint a complete picture of Christian show more heaven when 75% of the world's Christians aren't included. show less
Also unexplored are African American, African, and Asian traditions of heaven which I assume must radically be different from the middle class and theological intelligentsia. Also no where was the Slavic or Eastern Orthodox interpretation of heaven or for that matter Tolstoy's The kingdom of heaven is within you.
It is a history of European/American Protestant and Catholic theology so it doesn't really paint a complete picture of Christian show more heaven when 75% of the world's Christians aren't included. show less
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Books in the Bibliography of The History of Hell by Alice K. Turner
155 works; 1 member
Author Information
12+ Works 550 Members
Colleen McDannell is Sterling McMurrin Chair of Religious Studies and associate professor of history at the University of Utah. (Bowker Author Biography)
Common Knowledge
- Important places
- Heaven (Matthew 4:17, 6:19-21, 7:21, 18:3-4, Philippians 3:18-21)
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- Members
- 214
- Popularity
- 149,907
- Reviews
- 1
- Rating
- (3.29)
- Languages
- English
- Media
- Paper, Ebook
- ISBNs
- 6
- ASINs
- 1
