Am I Going to Hell? What the New Testament Says About Death and the Afterlife

Episode Outline:
0:00 Am I going to hell? What the New Testament really says
0:34 New Year’s resolutions, stress, and Megan learning Greek
4:04 Why Christians care so much about heaven and hell
5:58 The Old Testament view of death: no heaven, no hell, just the grave
9:17 Why resurrection developed in Jewish thought
14:26 Bodily resurrection vs. the immortal soul
17:02 Jesus as an apocalyptic teacher of the afterlife
20:30 How do you enter the coming kingdom? Faith, repentance, or good deeds?
24:35 How Christian thought shifted from resurrection to heaven and hell
30:43 Early Christian texts like the Apocalypse of Peter and the rise of eternal torment
34:04 Were visions of heaven and hell meant literally?
36:23 Bart’s Weekly Update: back to teaching at UNC
38:27 Listener Q&A: the third heaven, original sin, and Satan
50:33 Final summary: how Jewish apocalyptic hope became Christian heaven and hell

Episode Description

If there is one thing most people are certain of about the Bible, it is that it describes how after people die they will be rewarded with heaven or tormented in hell. But does it? As it turns out ... well, you'll be surprised by what the Bible actually says. And once your surprise fades, you'll probably want to know: where do the Christian ideas of the afterlife come from?


Also watch these episodes:
Sin, Death, and Salvation: Paul's Mysterious View
Sin, Death, and Salvation: Paul’s Mysterious View

The Coming Apocalypse! Jewish and Christian Views of the End of the World
The Coming Apocalypse! Jewish and Christian Views of the End of the World

Did Jesus Have to Suffer? Trying to Make Sense of a Troubling View
Did Jesus Have to Suffer? Trying to Make Sense of a Troubling View