Heaven and Hell: Visions of the Afterlife in the Western Poetic Tradition

by Louis Markos

Overview

For thousands of years, philosophers, theologians, and poets have tried to pierce through the veil of death to gaze with wonder, fear, and awe on the final and eternal state of the soul. Indeed, the four great epic poets of the Western tradition (Homer, Virgil, Dante, and Milton) structured their epics in part around a descent into the underworld that is both spiritual and physical, both allegorical and geographical. This book not only considers closely these epic journeys to the "other side," but explores the chain of influences that connects the poets to such writers as Plato, Cicero, St. John, St. Paul, Bunyan, Blake, and C. S. Lewis. Written in a narrative, "man of letters" style and complete with an annotated bibliography, a timeline, a who's who, and an extensive glossary of Jewish, Christian, and mythological terms, this user-friendly book will help readers understand how heaven and hell have been depicted for the last 3,000 years.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781621896852
Publisher:	Wipf & Stock Publishers
Publication date:	05/17/2013
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	244
File size:	2 MB

About the Author

Louis Markos (www.Loumarkos.com), Professor in English and Scholar in Residence at Houston Baptist University, holds the Robert H. Ray Chair in Humanities. He is the author of From Achilles to Christ: Why Christians Should Read the Pagan Classics.

Table of Contents

Acknowledgments ix

Introduction xi

1 Introduction: Piercing the Veil of Death 1

2 Sheol and Hades: Hebrew and Greek Visions of the Underworld 7

3 Odysseus in the Underworld: The First Great Epic Descent 15

4 Plato and the Geography of the Underworld 21

5 Plato and me Theology of the Afterlife 28

6 Aeneas in the Underworld: The Shape of the Journey 36

7 Virgil & Cicero: Roman Visions of the Afterlife 42

8 The Shape of Dante's Universe 49

9 Christian Humanism: Why Dante Chose Virgil as His Guide 57

10 Dante's Inferno I: Yearning for What We Fear 65

11 Dante's Inferno II: Idolatry, Narcissism, and Poetic Justice 73

12 Dante's Inferno III: Violence and Fraud 80

13 Jesus, Paul, and John: New Testament Visions of the Afterlife 89

14 Dante's Purgatorio I: The Search for Freedom 98

15 Dante's Purgatorio II: Eden Restored 106

16 Dante's Paradiso I: Journey into Light 115

17 Dante's Paradiso II: A View from the Stars 123

18 Milton's Paradise Lost I: Better to Reign in Hell 131

19 Milton's Paradise Lost II: Better to Serve in Heaven 139

20 Bunyan and Donne: Death and Beyond 148

21 Satan as Hero: Romanticism and the Inward Turn 157

22 Heaven is a State of Mind: Blake's Marriage of Heaven and Hell 166

23 Heaven is Reality: C. S. Lewis's The Great Divorce 174

24 Science and the Afterlife: From Utopia to Dystopia 182

Bibliography 193

Appendix 1 Timeline 205

Appendix 2 Glossary 207

Appendix 3 Who's Who 223

Index of Names 227

What People are Saying About This

From the Publisher

"The portrayal of heaven and hell is one of the great literary themes of Western literature, and is a subject that should be of high-priority interest to every Christian. . . . Markos writes with his usual insightfulness, and he again does what he does best—serves as an engaging travel guide through this chosen body of literature."
—Leland Ryken, Wheaton College

"We have been given a rich theological, philosophical, and literary overview of the themes of heaven, hell, and the permanent things so often neglected in literary studies. We gladly salute Louis Markos on this marvelous contribution and trust it will receive the wide readership it deserves."
—David S. Dockery, Union University

"Lou Markos has pulled off quite an accomplishment. He has managed to meaningfully explore the perennial (and perennially challenging!) issue of heaven and hell. . . . For readers looking for a contemporary Virgil to guide them through these classic texts—as they touch on an important issue—look no further. Take up and read."
—Brad Green, Union University

"Lou Markos is not only an engaging speaker and a vital educator, but he is also an insightful thinker and writer. Heaven and Hell is an important book on a topic that has been much discussed in Christian circles in the last five years. Markos does the important task of defending orthodoxy with wit and without rancor."
—J. M. N. Reynolds, Houston Baptist University

Editorial Reviews

The portrayal of heaven and hell is one of the great literary themes of Western literature, and is a subject that should be of high-priority interest to every Christian. . . . Markos writes with his usual insightfulness, and he again does what he does best--serves as an engaging travel guide through this chosen body of literature.
--Leland Ryken, Wheaton College

We have been given a rich theological, philosophical, and literary overview of the themes of heaven, hell, and the permanent things so often neglected in literary studies. We gladly salute Louis Markos on this marvelous contribution and trust it will receive the wide readership it deserves.
--David S. Dockery, Union University

Lou Markos has pulled off quite an accomplishment. He has managed to meaningfully explore the perennial (and perennially challenging!) issue of heaven and hell. . . . For readers looking for a contemporary Virgil to guide them through these classic texts--as they touch on an important issue--look no further. Take up and read.
--Brad Green, Union University

Lou Markos is not only an engaging speaker and a vital educator, but he is also an insightful thinker and writer. Heaven and Hell is an important book on a topic that has been much discussed in Christian circles in the last five years. Markos does the important task of defending orthodoxy with wit and without rancor.
--J. M. N. Reynolds, Houston Baptist University

From the Publisher