LFU:online

Students acquire knowledge of the development of the idea of punishment in an afterlife from ancient Jewish and Christian sources and are able to reflect critically on the theological and social contexts in which this idea emerged and evolved.

The concept of punishment in an afterlife is by no means universal. What social, political and religious conditions led to the idea that the wicked will be punished in perpetuity? Ancient Jewish and Christian texts reveal various aspects of ‘hell’ and how it was portrayed for theological and ideological purposes. We will examine these texts together to see what differences there are and what they have in common, and ultimately what they tell us about the people who wrote about ‘hell’.

Weekly Podcast Lecture, Weekly Reading Assignments, Weekly Discussion, Final Written Assignments

*** Because the lecture is delivered as a series of podcasts the course can be completed without weekly attendance. ***

Written Assignment

Bart D. Ehrman, Heaven and Hell: A History of the Afterlife (New York: Simon & Schuster, 2020).

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