- Paperback: 256 pages
- Publisher: Princeton University Press; New edition edition (Dec 14 1998)
- Language: English
- ISBN-10: 0691006849
- ISBN-13: 978-0691006840
- Product Dimensions: 23.2 x 15.4 x 1.6 cm
- Shipping Weight: 363 g
- Average Customer Review: 3.5 out of 5 stars See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: #515,071 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- See Complete Table of Contents
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Product Details |
Product Description
From Library Journal
Historian Russell (Inventing the Flat Earth, Praeger, 1991) offers ever deepening insights into the human notion of heaven from its inception around 200 B.C. until Dante's Divine Comedy in 1321 C.E. He takes on such topics as metaphorical ontology and physical cosmology, visions of paradise and images of angels, apocalypticism and gnosticism, resurrection and the immortality of the soul, predestination and free will, and love and justice. Although his book culminates in the medieval conceptions of heaven, its interest in these matters remains in many ways present-day. His work holds plenty of historical information on heaven drawn from early and medieval Christianity, yet its style is clear and readable. It will be of interest to readers of popular religion, informed lay readers, and historians of religion. Highly recommended for all general-interest and theological research libraries.?Robert H. O'Connell, Colorado Christian Univ., Denver
Copyright 1997 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
Copyright 1997 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
From Booklist
Russell's account of the concept of heaven from the second century B.C.E. to the middle of the fourteenth century is rich in historical detail, which will acquaint general readers with the development of a theological concept that has been of central importance in all three "Western" religious traditions--Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. Russell's focus, as he notes in the preface, is Christian theology; but his account is relevant to all three traditions. Apart from theological and historical illumination that includes an excellent bibliography and lucid summary of a formidable range of philosophical and theological literature, this is an eloquent celebration of Dante's literary genius. Russell ends with Dante's fourteenth-century account of paradise because, he says, human language has gone no further than this sublime singing of God's silence. If that inspires readers to attend to Dante, to human language, or to silence, the book will be a contribution of lasting literary and spiritual significance as well as a contribution to historical scholarship; for no matter how involved the discussion is, it never loses the interested layperson. Steve Schroeder
--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
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First Sentence
A NORMAL human being longs for three things that cannot be attained in this life: understanding of self, understanding of others, and understanding of the cosmos. Read the first page
Front Cover | Copyright | Table of Contents | Excerpt | Index | Back Cover
A NORMAL human being longs for three things that cannot be attained in this life: understanding of self, understanding of others, and understanding of the cosmos. Read the first page
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Front Cover | Copyright | Table of Contents | Excerpt | Index | Back Cover
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Most helpful customer reviews
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars
A perfectly rapturous lecture series,
By
This review is from: A History of Heaven (Audio Cassette)
Russell seems to lecture in a rapture of joy on the subject of heaven. While explaining the history of spiritual dreams he remains perfectly scholarly, but thrilled by his subject. We see him before the class, proclaiming humanity's ultimate visions of life:"Heaven is the state of being in which all are united in love with one another and with God. It is an agapé, a love feast. Whenever less than the whole world is loved, with all the creatures in it, whenever anyone or anything is excluded from love, the result is isolation and retreat from heaven. Heaven is the community of those whom God loves and who love God." (p. 5) --author of Correcting Jesus
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
2.0 out of 5 stars
Focuses only on the Christian Account of Heaven,
By "imdateless" (Somewhere in the USA) - See all my reviews
This review is from: A History of Heaven: The Singing Silence (Paperback)
A History of Heaven by Jeffrey Burton Russell, takes a decidedly Christian approach to the idea of heaven, and its evolution through the ages - up until the writing of Dante, where he says, all things consummate were consociated and reworded into the current popular picture of heaven. Buying the book, I was expecting it to be a survey and evolutionary look at heaven and the idea of paradisiacal afterlife from Neanderthal to present societies, but instead it turned out to take a definite Christian approach. The author mentions in passing the ideas of Islam and Judaism, but informs the reader he knowledge of these cultures is limited so he will maintain his focus on the Christian Ideal. It is a great reader for those interested in the early Church and it's ideas on Heaven, including some speculative origins, but it is not a true "history" of heaven, limited only to the Christian Theology as well as the period 200BCE to about 1500CE. A good reader nonetheless.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews on Amazon.com (beta) Amazon.com:
1.5 out of 5 stars (2 customer reviews) 3 of 5 people found the following review helpful
1.0 out of 5 stars
Very slow... boring... scattered thoughts...,
By Jackie Kaulitz "Reformed.Calvinist" - Published on Amazon.com
This review is from: A History of Heaven: The Singing Silence (Paperback)
Chapter 1 was BORING but had a few nice questions (but no answers, but enough to make you read on)...Chapter 2 was terrible and I put the book down PROS: - You might get a few ideas about what SOME PEOPLE think heaven MIGHT be like (if you can get through the entire book, because the goodies are scattered far and few between) CONS: - All those questions you want to know about heaven? Good luck finding them. He asks questions without answers scattered throughout the whole book. - Very scattered writings. Nothing seems to be in one place. Hard to follow any logical order to the book. It just rambles. - Difficult reading, easy to lose track of a thought (and some people think the King James was hard? ha!) Good luck for the average reader. 20 of 40 people found the following review helpful
2.0 out of 5 stars
Focuses only on the Christian Account of Heaven,
By "imdateless" - Published on Amazon.com
This review is from: A History of Heaven: The Singing Silence (Paperback)
A History of Heaven by Jeffrey Burton Russell, takes a decidedly Christian approach to the idea of heaven, and its evolution through the ages - up until the writing of Dante, where he says, all things consummate were consociated and reworded into the current popular picture of heaven. Buying the book, I was expecting it to be a survey and evolutionary look at heaven and the idea of paradisiacal afterlife from Neanderthal to present societies, but instead it turned out to take a definite Christian approach. The author mentions in passing the ideas of Islam and Judaism, but informs the reader he knowledge of these cultures is limited so he will maintain his focus on the Christian Ideal. It is a great reader for those interested in the early Church and it's ideas on Heaven, including some speculative origins, but it is not a true "history" of heaven, limited only to the Christian Theology as well as the period 200BCE to about 1500CE. A good reader nonetheless.
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