I’m pleased to introduce my book A Short History of Heaven: Heaven in the Early History of Western Religions and Today.
Heaven has played a central, although often unacknowledged, role in Western culture. But where did our ideas about heaven come from? In fact, the original meaning of the Old English heaven, heofon, was "sky."
Early writings from Egypt, Mesopotamia, Persia, Greece, and Rome are explored, with elements of shamanism, as well as the Hebrew and Christian Bibles and gnostic texts. The nature of the soul, the soul’s journey, and the role of morality are also considered.
The book shows how age-old beliefs about life on earth and about heaven are important today.
Activities are included to encourage readers to explore their own thoughts and feelings about heaven.
Throughout the year, the sacred calendar invites us to contemplate what the pattern of heaven on earth means for us.
I did the research for this book as part of my Master of Arts, University of Wales Trinity Saint David. It was a really journey of discovery for me, and I’m pleased to share it with readers now. I included some activities and questions for readers after each chapter to help focus on the themes.
A Short History of Heaven is available for order in print and electronic versions from major book sellers.
See this website for more information www.joanngreig.com/
For an excerpt from the book see: http://www.joanngreig.com/excerpt/
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