
The Early History of Heaven
J. Edward Wright(Author)
Oxford University Press Inc
Published on 27. January 2000
Book
Hardback
336 pages
978-0-19-513009-6 (ISBN)
Description
This volume traces the backgrounds, origin, and development of early Jewish and Christian speculation about the heavenly realm -- where it is, what it looks like, and who its inhabitants are. Wright begins his study with an examination of the beliefs of ancient Israel's neighbours Egypt and Mesopotamia, reconstructing the intellectual context in which the earliest biblical images of heaven arose. A detailed analysis of the Hebrew biblical texts themselves then reveals that the Israelites were deeply influenced by images drawn from the surrounding cultures. Wright goes on to examine Persian and Greco-Roman beliefs, thus setting the stage for his consideration of early Jewish and Christian images, which he shows to have been formed in the struggle to integrate traditional biblical imagery with the newer Hellenistic ideas about the cosmos. In a final chapter Wright offers a brief survey of how later Jewish, Christian, and Islamic traditions envisioned the heavenly realms.
Reviews / Votes
The breadth of the book is refreshing and his discussion informative ... the importance of this work lies in its broader description of the early models of heaven and should serve as a necessary foil for any serious, future studies on the topic. * The Historian * Clear, wide-ranging, and reasonably priced study of an important topic. * Journal of Early Christian Studies *More details
Language
English
Place of publication
New York
United States
Target group
Professional and scholarly
Illustrations
3 halftones, line illustrations
Dimensions
Height: 235 mm
Width: 157 mm
Thickness: 24 mm
Weight
697 gr
ISBN-13
978-0-19-513009-6 (9780195130096)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Other editions
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J. Edward Wright
The Early History of Heaven
Book
04/2002
Oxford University Press Inc
€97.80
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J. Edward Wright
The Early History of Heaven
E-Book
03/2002
1st Edition
OUP eBook
€27.49
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Person
Author
Associate Professor of Hebrew Bible and Early JudaismAssociate Professor of Hebrew Bible and Early Judaism, University of Arizona
Content
1: Ancient Egyptian Traditions
2: Ancient Mesopotamian Traditions
3: Israelite Traditions
4: Persian, Greek, and Roman Traditions
5: Early Jewish and Christian Traditions I: The Persistence of Biblical or Ancient Near Eastern Models
6:
7: Early Jewish and Christian Traditions III: Common Themes & Motifs
8: Later Developments in Jewish, Christian, and Islamic Images
2: Ancient Mesopotamian Traditions
3: Israelite Traditions
4: Persian, Greek, and Roman Traditions
5: Early Jewish and Christian Traditions I: The Persistence of Biblical or Ancient Near Eastern Models
6:
7: Early Jewish and Christian Traditions III: Common Themes & Motifs
8: Later Developments in Jewish, Christian, and Islamic Images