Abstract
The ambition of this book is breathtaking, and on first sight its length is more than a little daunting. It is, therefore, a tribute to Alan Segal’s accomplishment that, on finishing the book, the reader wishes for more. Segal’s basic premise seems to be that afterlife beliefs are not universal but in fact correlate with the worlds in which those who hold them live. Most scholars of religions will not find this to be a very remarkable claim, but to judge from the writing style, Segal aims at a wider public. That audience may find the premise startling, even unsettling. Furthermore, Segal sets afterlife beliefs in a much wider context. As a result, the book can provide general readers with a wonderfully thorough education. It may provide scholars with an opportunity to reconsider a broad range of material. The subtitle is a little misleading. The book does not provide a history of western ideas of the afterlife. It concentrates on the ancient Middle East and Mediterranean region. Segal actually begins “before the beginning” with a brief mention of Neanderthal evidence. Then he gives much fuller treatment to beliefs about the afterlife in ancient Egypt, Mesopotamia, Canaan, First Temple Judaism, Zoroastrianism, ancient Greece, Second Temple Judaism, apocalyptic texts, sectarian groups during “New Testament times,” Paul, the Gospels, the Pseudepigrapha, the Church Fathers, the early Rabbis, and nascent Islam.
Paper version not known (
Free)
Published Version
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a call