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Heaven, hell, and hades: A historical and theological survey of personal eschatology

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Freeman Barton is a well-trained biblical and historical scholar who nevertheless can write clearly and simply for non-scholars. This book is one of the best introductions available to the subject known as "conditional immortality." From the Middle Ages onward, the doctrine of the unconditional immortality of the human spirit developed and became the prominent view in most Christian denominations. By this doctrine, everybody has eternal life -- most people have an agonizing one in hell forever, while some have a blissful one in heaven forever. However, many scholars have shown that the evidence from the Bible favors the view that the human spirit is not automatically eternal, but has to be granted eternal life by God. Barton examines in rather ample detail (for so compact a book) the evidence for both automatic immortality and conditional immortality, and in the process teaches the reader a great deal about the whole afterlife perspective of the Bible. I think he succeeds admirably in his task, and this book is timely and interesting reading.