Heaven and Hell : A History of the Afterlife Paperback Bart D. Ehrman ALL OF OUR ITEMS SHIP FROM THE USA -- Some of our Pictures are from stock photos, so please read bullets below for what is included in this sale and any Special Notes for more details on the condition of the item. 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. Heaven and Hell : A History of the Afterlife Paperback Bart D. Ehrman The Condition of this item is : New Detailed Condition Notes: Special Note: Great Condition Retail Packaging Included? : No Retail Price : 29.99 Item is Complete? : Yes This Item comes with instructions or manual? : No This Item has been tested? : Yes This item is a Customer Return or Liquidation Item. We do our very best to test these items and make sure they are described properly, but we do occasionally miss things. If you have an issue with any of our products, please allow us a chance to correct the situation. In most cases, we will cover your return shipping or even try to ship you a replacement if one is available. We want our customers to enjoy our products at well below retail value and be 100% satisfied. Items listed with Free Shipping are available for shipping within the Continental United States and Internationally with the global Shipping Program. Bid with confidence! Feel free to submit any questions or suggestions about this or any of our other items. Big Blue Wholesale takes the liquidation or returns item, tests the item and creates a detailed description of it, photographs it or provides a stock photo, lists it , answers questions about it, ships it to the winning bidder ASAP. We only respond to messages sent through the "My Messages" systems due to fraud and spam so that is the best way to contact us Payment Options: Paypal Payment is REQUIRED within 7 days after the auction has ended. If payment has not been received after 7 days will automatically file an unpaid item case and if no payment the sale will be canceled. Please use the Checkout system in order to pay for your item. If you pay for an item it is difficult for us to cancel orders as we ship very fast . We only respond to messages sent through the "My Messages" systems due to fraud and spam so that is the best way to contact us. Shipping Address: If payment is received through PayPal, we only ship to PayPal Confirmed Addresses, so please be sure you select the right address when checking out! Also, we prefer physical street addresses instead of P.O. Boxes when possible. We only respond to messages sent through the "My Messages" systems do to fraud and spam so that is the best way to contact us. If you purchase items that have the same ship out day those items may be combined into one shipment. If those items need to be sent to different address you will need to contact us or items will all be sent to the same address. Shipping Cost: The winning bidder will pay calculated shipping costs for this item based on its weight. Please use the Shipping Calculator at the bottom of this sale to receive a shipping total. Shipping Services: Based on the weight and size of this item, it will be shipped using Fedex Ground, USPS Priority Mail, USPS First Class Mail or Freight. We will select the best carrier for the item. The shipping calculator may not always reflect the shipping service that we use but it will be one of these. We ship within 1 business days of auction purchase Where We Ship: We are currently only shipping within the Continental United States (for items listed with Free Shipping), and the United States and Canada for items listed with shipping. We only respond to messages sent through the "My Messages" systems due to fraud and spam so that is the best way to contact us Returns: We photograph each item individually unless otherwise stated in the auction and describe it to the best of our ability. We will always try and work out any issues because we strive to have only satisfied customers! Our feedback rating supports that! 201.13405.138-PK