The Formation of Hell

The Formation of Hell is a superb book [that] brings clarity to a complex, puzzling, and terrifying subject.-Edward L. Mark, Boston Globe "An absorbing history."-Frances Taliaferro, Washington Post Book World "[Bernstein] draws on sources from Babylonia, Egypt, Greece, Rome, and Israel as well as the early Christian community to reconstruct the story of the various poets, priests, and religious leaders who fashioned concepts of hell based on ideas of death and justice. . . . This book is an outstanding account of a central image of Western thought and should be of interest to students of history, religion, literature, philosophy, and mythology."-Robert G. Clouse, American Historical Review "This book displays the breath and breadth of life in history more than any merely analytical study could do. [It] illuminates and deepens us with its humanity and its rare lucidity of style."- Jeffrey Burton Russell, Journal of Religion "Bernstein's study is captivating, and should certainly become the standard work on the history of . . . an important image in Western civilization."-Tony Gray, Journal of Roman Studies What becomes of the wicked? Hell-exile from God, subjection to fire, worms, and darkness-for centuries the idea has shaped the dread of malefactors, the solace of victims, and the deterrence of believers. Asking just why and how belief in hell arose, Alan E. Bernstein takes us back to those times and offers us a comparative view of the philosophy, poetry, folklore, myth, and theology of that formative age.