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Heaven and Hell: Bart Ehrman's Journey through Early Christian Texts



Did you know Jesus had a twin? His name was Judas, but sometimes also Thomas. Judas Thomas was the first missionary in India—though he didn’t go willingly. In fact, his twin, Jesus the Lord, came back to Earth to trick poor Judas Thomas and sell him into slavery in India. True story! You can read it in the Gospel of Thomas, one of the early Christian writings (though not part of the official Gospels). There were 27 gospels in circulation, but only four made it into the New Testament canon. The question is—why?


Bart Ehrman, in his eloquent and convincing style, argues that this selection had a lot to do with the newly emerging Christian concepts of Heaven and—especially—Hell. Surprisingly, these ideas weren’t prevalent in most of humanity’s early religious thinking.


The book takes you on a whirlwind journey from Christ to Gilgamesh, from Socrates to Constantine. If you're a history nerd, this is your wildest dream come true! Ehrman, being a master of textual analysis, focuses on the texts themselves rather than their interpretations. He shows how the New Testament became one of the first moralizing works. Unlike The Iliad or The Odyssey, which recount events without judgment, the New Testament introduces moral commentary, with its authors dispensing opinions and judgments.


Ehrman also provides a lot of insight into how Christians developed the concept of resurrection. Many believe it’s foretold in Isaiah 53:10-12, but as Ehrman points out, the passage actually refers to the resurrection and deliverance of Israel as a people, not an individual. The shift toward individual salvation came later, as tribal notions gave way to the rise of personal identity. The leap to promising this for each follower was too great—until it was embodied in one person: Jesus. Just like a soccer team represents its fans, Jesus came to represent all who choose to follow him.


But it’s not just about the Savior. Ehrman also explores intriguing historical influences. For instance, how did Alexander the Great shape Christian ideas of hell and resurrection? (Hint: Look at the Revolt of the Maccabees. Jewish resistance to Hellenization and the persecution by Antiochus IV gave rise to new concepts like martyrdom and the resurrection of the righteous.)


Ehrman, a former minister turned scholar after a crisis of faith, never criticizes the Bible. But he does gently observe that many Christians follow the faith largely because they believe in the glorious afterlife awaiting them. Jesus, however, never preached about a fiery Hell. He believed in the coming of a utopian Kingdom of God within the lifetimes of his followers. Gehenna, often mistranslated as "Hell," was actually a literal valley near Jerusalem known for its pagan sacrifices and rotting corpses—a real place used as a metaphor.


Interestingly, the Judeo-Christian tradition sees eternal life as a blessing, contrasting with Buddhist thought, where the goal is to end the cycle of existence altogether.


In every Ehrman book I’ve read this summer (five, to be exact), there’s always a hero and an anti-hero. And no, it’s not the Devil—whom Jesus didn’t seem to know much about. It’s Paul. Jesus didn’t know him either. Paul takes up where Jesus left off, continuing the belief in imminent return (The End is Near!), convinced that Jesus would come back during the lifetime of those around him. This is where the book gets a bit tedious, as Paul struggles to clarify the promise of the afterlife. Ehrman dives into which words are truly Paul’s and which were attributed to him, but does that really matter?


Where does spirituality turn into politics? Ehrman doesn’t dig into this question because, for him, they seem practically synonymous.


The main moral question Ehrman explores is whether God is about Mercy (Christ) or Justice (Paul).


How can you explore these ideas further? Do what the early Christians might have done: take a mushroom and ponder.

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