Heaven
A Traveller’s Guide to the Undiscovered Country (Text Only)
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- $9.99
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- $9.99
Publisher Description
A stimulating inquiry into one of the great religious mysteries – and what theologians, artists, writers, psychologists, priests, historians and people from all religions and walks of life have thought of heaven, where many of us still hope to go one day.
The author writes: ‘While images of hell are firmly fixed in the human psyche, no parallel standard vision exists for heaven either within the Christian Church or more widely in the world’s various religious traditions…it has somehow been judged indecent or presumptuous to contemplate the better end of the post-mortem destination market. This book will break that taboo.’
Heaven’s mysteriousness has leant it a discreet but powerful allure. There are two basic views: first, the afterlife will involve a vaguely defined spiritual peace – eternal solitude with God alone; the second allows for some overlap between heaven and earth, and hence relationships outside the central bond with God. Or is heaven religion’s biggest con-trick but one that is impossible to debunk?
Reviews
‘Engaging and elegant. The main thrust of the book is in effect the history of the concept of life after death…fascinating.’ Antonia Fraser, New Statesman
‘Thoughtful…humble, informative and well read…pleading for the re-establishment of the power of the myth.’ Spectator
‘Through cloudscapes and spirit worlds, Stanford is a well-informed and never less than caring guide.’ Sunday Telegraph
‘A thoughtful and thought-provoking book.’ Sunday Times
‘A wise guide to the entire celestial anthropology [which] does elegant justice to the mental geography of heaven and the travellers’ tales of the elect.’ Guardian
About the author
Peter Stanford’s previous books include biographies of Lord Longford, Cardinal Basil Hume, Bronwen Astor and most recently the Devil. He has also written an investigation of the Pope Joan legend and a polemical book, Catholics and Sex, which accompanied a Channel 4 television series. He contributes regularly to the Guardian and Sunday Telegraph and New Statesman. A regular broadcaster, he is also chairman of the national disability charity ASPIRE.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
The author of The Devil: A Biography and Catholics and Sex explores the idea of the afterworld, considering in this thoroughly researched book how the search for life after death is connected with the desire to fully live. Drawing upon a plethora of literary and historical sources, Stanford engagingly explores how a variety of religions--including Judaism, Christianity and Buddhism--have imagined and described heaven. And he considers the viewpoints of a bevy of artists, writers, psychologists and philosophers as well--among them Signorelli, Dante, Poe, Freud, Jung, Plato and Kant. He takes readers through the gates of heaven at the Orvieto Cathedral in Tuscany to view the Renaissance's"radical new take on heaven" as revealed in Signorelli's masterful fresco in the Cappella di San Brizio. He also describes visiting Chartres, where he reminds readers that the gorgeous stained glass windows depicting Christ's life had a purpose beyond beauty--they educated a largely illiterate population. These historical tours open up the subject of heaven with delightful detail and imagery, making an otherworldly topic (Pope John Paul II called heaven"a blessed community" that was"neither abstraction nor physical space") tangible and accessible. Standford's inclusion of five short"Traveler's Tales," which recount the near-death experiences of living and historical figures, may be another method for making the ethereal more concrete. Rich in history and testimony, this thoughtful tome is a worthy study for anyone who has a curiosity in life beyond death.
