Exploring Early Christian Narratives of Heaven & Hell w/ Dr. Bart Ehrman

A conversation with Dr. Bart Ehrman about his new book "Journeys to Heaven and Hell: Tours of the Afterlife in Early Christian Tradition," which is published by Yale University Press: https://yalebooks.yale.edu/book/9780300257007/journeys-to-heaven-and-hell/ Dr. Bart Ehrman contextualizes early Christian narratives of heaven and hell within the broader intellectual and cultural worlds from which they emerged. He examines how fundamental social experiences of the early Christian communities molded the conceptions of the afterlife that eventuated into the accepted doctrines of heaven, hell, and purgatory. Dr. Bart Ehrman is the James A. Gray Distinguished Professor of Religious Studies at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, where he has taught thousands of students and won numerous awards.  Bart's work has been featured in The New York Times, the Washington Post, the Times Literary Supplement, the New Yorker, Time, and Newsweek; he has appeared on National Geographic, CNN, the BBC, NBC's Dateline, the Discovery Channel, Fresh Air with Terry Gross, the Daily Show with Jon Stewart, the Sam Harris Podcast, and many other top media outlets. Subscribe to his blog here: https://ehrmanblog.org/ Outline of discussion: 00:00 Intro 00:32 Genre of Guided Tour’s Heaven & Hell 02:02 Apocalypse of Peter 03:38 Realms of the Damned 04:39 Authorship of “Apocalypse of Peter” 06:13 How to read ancient literature (and understand context) 07:30 Concepts of Hell & Gehenna 09:22 Importance of reading academic scholarship on the Bible 11:06 Ancient Hebrew ideas about the body & soul (and annihilation after death) 15:50 Where does Jesus go after he died on the cross? 15:59 Sheol, Tartarus, Gehenna, Hades 17:20 Harrowing of Hell 18:41 The Gospel of Nicodemus 19:22 Annihilation & Kingdom of Heaven on Earth 22:29 Universalism: A Sovereign God will Save All 24:01 Ancient texts 24:48 The Apocalypse of Paul, The Acts of Thomas, The Gospel of Nicodemus, 26:00 Purgatory History & Origins 28:07 Abraham’s Bosom: Rich Man & Lazarus 30:21 Where did ancient people think heaven and hell were? 32:11 Tower of Babel 33:00 How to be critical readers of the Bible 35:42 Academic study tools and resources for Biblical interpretation * * * * * * * * * * Delgado Podcast features discussions with academics, authors, artists and people who challenge our thinking and help us grow in more compassion. This season is focused on the ways our spirituality, faith, and/or religious identities impact our understanding of justice, race, gender, sexuality, mental health, and religious texts. You can also get the podcast here: Spotify: http://bit.ly/delgadopod iTunes: https://bit.ly/delgadoitunes Google: http://bit.ly/delgadogoogle Stitcher: http://bit.ly/delgadostitcher TuneIn: http://bit.ly/delgadotune Fireside: https://delgado.fireside.fm/ Please reach out to let us know what topics and guests you’d like to see featured: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/delgadopodc... Twitter: https://twitter.com/delgadopodcast TikTok: https://tiktok.com/@delgadopodcast/ Blog: http://mikedelgado.org/podcast