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Alan F. Segal
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Life After Death: A History of the Afterlife in Western Religion Hardcover – July 13, 2004

by Alan Segal (Author)
4.7 out of 5 stars 42 ratings
A magisterial work of social history, Life After Death illuminates the many different ways ancient civilizations grappled with the question of what exactly happens to us after we die.

In a masterful exploration of how Western civilizations have defined the afterlife, Alan F. Segal weaves together biblical and literary scholarship, sociology, history, and philosophy. A renowned scholar, Segal examines the maps of the afterlife found in Western religious texts and reveals not only what various cultures believed but how their notions reflected their societies’ realities and ideals, and why those beliefs changed over time. He maintains that the afterlife is the mirror in which a society arranges its concept of the self. The composition process for Judaism, Christianity, and Islam begins in grief and ends in the victory of the self over death.

Arguing that in every religious tradition the afterlife represents the ultimate reward for the good, Segal combines historical and anthropological data with insights gleaned from religious and philosophical writings to explain the following mysteries: why the Egyptians insisted on an afterlife in heaven, while the body was embalmed in a tomb on earth; why the Babylonians viewed the dead as living in underground prisons; why the Hebrews remained silent about life after death during the period of the First Temple, yet embraced itin the Second Temple period (534 B.C.E. –70 C.E.); and why Christianity placed the afterlife in the center of its belief system. He discusses the inner dialogues and arguments within Judaism and Christianity, showing the underlying dynamic behind them, as well as the ideas that mark the differences between the two religions. In a thoughtful examination of the influence of biblical views of heaven and martyrdom on Islamic beliefs, he offers a fascinating perspective on the current troubling rise of Islamic fundamentalism.

In tracing the organic, historical relationships between sacred texts and communities of belief and comparing the visions of life after death that have emerged throughout history, Segal sheds a bright, revealing light on the intimate connections between notions of the afterlife, the societies that produced them, and the individual’s search for the ultimate meaning of life on earth.
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  1. Print length
    880 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Publisher
    Doubleday Religion
  4. Publication date
    July 13, 2004
  5. Dimensions
    6.71 x 2.02 x 9.56 inches
  6. ISBN-10
    0385422997
  7. ISBN-13
    978-0385422994
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Editorial Reviews

Review

Praise for Alan F. Segal’s Paul the Convert

“Bold and imaginative.” —Paula Fredriksen, Books & Religion

“Alan Segal’s new book challenges Jewish and Christian scholars alike to take a fresh look at this well-educated man, arguing not only that it is impossible to understand Paul’s Christian writings without understanding first-century Judaism but that early Hellenistic Judaism is itself illuminated by Paul, since he was one of only two Pharisees to have left any personal writings at all.” —The Washington Post Book World

“This is a thoughtful, demanding book that the serious student of Paul will find well worth the effort.” —Bible Today

“Segal’s work abounds in fresh insights for students of Paul.” —F. F. Bruce, American Historical Review

“A brilliantly argued book. . . . Paul is neither hero nor villain for Segal but a fascinating historical and religious character, from whom we can learn much about both Judaism and Christianity. . . . I found myself thoroughly sympathetic to Segal’s portrayal of Paul. More than that, I found myself convinced.” —J. Christian Wilson, The Christian Century

“Elegantly produced. . . . Segal considers Paul’s Pharisaic education and training as well as the Jewish context of his religious struggle after he became a Christian. He treats Paul as a Jew, a convert, and an apostle, and places his conversion from Pharisaism to Christianity in the context of his society and his mission to the Gentiles.” —America

About the Author

ALAN F. SEGAL is Professor of Religion and Ingeborg Rennert Professor of Jewish Studies at Barnard College, Columbia University. He is the author of Paul the Convert, Rebecca’s Children, and Two Powers in Heaven, as well as numerous scholarly articles.

Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Doubleday Religion
  • Publication date ‏ : ‎ July 13, 2004
  • Edition ‏ : ‎ First Edition
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Print length ‏ : ‎ 880 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0385422997
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0385422994
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 2.94 pounds
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 6.71 x 2.02 x 9.56 inches
  • Best Sellers Rank: #319,165 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.7 out of 5 stars 42 ratings

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Customer reviews

4.7 out of 5 stars
42 global ratings

Customers say

Customers appreciate the book's historical information, with one noting it provides a fascinating post-9/11 social history perspective. The book receives positive feedback for its readability.

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7 customers mention "Information quality"7 positive0 negative

Customers appreciate the book's historical information, with one customer noting it provides a fascinating post-9/11 social history perspective.

"A must read, very good overview of the concepts of death and the afterlife in classical antiquity." Read more

"Book is thorough, detailed and concise, everything as said. Bought used,like new, seller packs it awesome." Read more

"...I have found this book to be a good resource." Read more

"...used for a graduate course on heaven,he'll and afterlife; great text for the class. I received the book in ample enough time for the class." Read more

3 customers mention "Readability"3 positive0 negative

Customers find the book readable and awesome.

"A must read, very good overview of the concepts of death and the afterlife in classical antiquity." Read more

"...Ultimately, it is a good book with many fine features, but it is one that will appeal to secularists and sceptics rather than those with some sense..." Read more

"Book is Awesome Seller top notch..." Read more

Top reviews from the United States

  • Think For Yourself
    5.0 out of 5 stars Packed with historical information
    Reviewed in the United States on September 13, 2022
    Format: HardcoverVerified Purchase
    This book will not tell you if there really is life after death, but it will tell you what just about every philosopher and prophet thought about the topic in antiquity. I read, highlighted, and annotated my copy so much that the cover actually came off. I re-affixed it with book binding glue, but decided to buy a second copy to have on the shelf, just in case.
    5 people found this helpful
    Helpful
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  • L. G. Hancock
    5.0 out of 5 stars A Review of Our Own Beliefs on the Afterlife
    Reviewed in the United States on July 25, 2010
    Format: HardcoverVerified Purchase
    I spotted this book by accident in the library while looking for another book on the afterlife. Then I bought it from Amazon because I could see it was a serious academic treatment of the subject of the afterlife. While studying this subject one must try to separate his own emotions from the academic evidence available on this subject. This book is an excellent place to start that journey. It is clearly written and understandable. It analyzes the religious texts of the Western religions in new and different ways which are probably unfamiliar to readers who are not scholars. The book reminds us of the human element in the composition of the holy scriptures of every religion. The book does not claim to explain the afterlife. It only gives us a history of the attempts of the Western religions to explain the afterlife. And this is all we can expect from any researcher. No one can speak authoritatively about the afterlife. Even a single book such as the Bible presents contradictory views of the afterlife. This book is an excellent place to begin the journey of exploration on this subject.
    4 people found this helpful
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  • David S. Wellhauser
    4.0 out of 5 stars For Those Interested In The History Of Religion
    Reviewed in the United States on January 11, 2015
    Format: KindleVerified Purchase
    Confronting the history of the ‘afterlife’ in the ‘Western’ tradition, Alan Segal’s Life After Death: A History of the Afterlife in the Western Religion is a fascinating post-9/11 social history. In many cases it reads like a great books humanities course with a religious theme. This isn’t to denigrate the book, but, rather, to place it within an intellectual and historical frame.

    Contextualizing books such as Life After Death is crucial to judging whether or not they are worthy of readers’ attention. In this case, Mr. Segal’s book will be very useful for those who can read religion as a socio-historical phenomenon and not at all useful for those coming from a position of faith—or very nearly useless for the latter. Certainly, there are some that will be able to separate their faith from the rational and critical [not in the sense of being negative] interrogation of religion from its early manifestations in Mesopotamia and Egypt to that of the Post-Industrial world.

    Ultimately, it is a good book with many fine features, but it is one that will appeal to secularists and sceptics rather than those with some sense of the transcendent purpose of life.

    Mr. Segal’s book is often bleak and definitely antiseptic in its approach to its topic, but it is also informative and well documented. What comes out of reading this book is a sense of its milieu, post 9/11, and its rational scepticism. This is not to say Life After Death is an anti-religious work, but that it has a definite perspective and this perspective is not one most of a religious persuasion are going to be able to wholeheartedly embrace.

    Still and all, Life After Death is an excellent and comprehensive, though by no means complete, history of the evolution, within religion, of its response to death and the significance of this event for the individual, the group, the culture, and the civilization in which all, more or less, exist and attempt to cohabit with one another…more or less successfully.

    At the moment of writing, early 2015, it feels as though humans are managing to do this less successfully than they have in the past. However, the effort is being made and that, at the very least, is worth something.

    An excellent introduction to the history of the concept of life after death in the religious traditions of the West and Near/Middle East from the earliest civilizations to the early 21st Century. Recommended for those interested in a secularist reading of Western religious history as it intersects with death and post-human existence.

    Rating 4 out of 5 stars.
    8 people found this helpful
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  • Kevin Corn
    5.0 out of 5 stars Trying to sort through the various ideas that Christians, ...
    Reviewed in the United States on September 3, 2015
    Format: KindleVerified Purchase
    Trying to sort through the various ideas that Christians, Muslims, and Jews have about the afterlife has always been complicated and frustrating. And part of the point of Segal's history is to show that it has never been simple. Two main ideas stand out. The Greeks gave us the notion of an eternal soul, and the Persians popularized the idea of bodily resurrection. Then, as these two cultures interacted in both the Middle East and the European West, their ideas about afterlife have mixed and merged in a constantly changing balance that is complicated further by new events and new cultural trends. After he surveys this tangled history, Segal makes a case for the value of such beliefs about afterlife to the quality of this one. He asserts that our discussions of afterlife are an essential feature of the transformative metaphors we use to give the life we actually experience its value, meaning and purpose.
    One person found this helpful
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  • Kindle Customer
    5.0 out of 5 stars Book is Awesome Seller top notch
    Reviewed in the United States on January 21, 2022
    Format: HardcoverVerified Purchase
    Book is thorough, detailed and concise, everything as said. Bought used,like new, seller packs it awesome.
    Helpful
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  • david hinshaw
    5.0 out of 5 stars Dispassionate and full of historical information
    Reviewed in the United States on November 22, 2013
    Format: KindleVerified Purchase
    This book takes the discussion of life after life to a new level, away from the current emotional stage in which it seems to be stuck. It begs the question of not when did we start believing in the afterlife, but when did we start doubting the afterlife.
    2 people found this helpful
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  • Thomas Baynham Jr.
    4.0 out of 5 stars Textbook
    Reviewed in the United States on February 16, 2013
    Verified Purchase
    This book is being used for a graduate course on heaven,he'll and afterlife; great text for the class. I received the book in ample enough time for the class.
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  • Abraxas
    5.0 out of 5 stars very good overview of the concepts of death and the afterlife ...
    Reviewed in the United States on July 27, 2014
    Format: HardcoverVerified Purchase
    A must read, very good overview of the concepts of death and the afterlife in classical antiquity.
    Helpful
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