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Misquoting Jesus Podcast

Did Jesus Believe in Heaven?

February 25, 2025 · 49 min · Watch on YouTube →

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Show notes

Episode Outline:
– Introducing death, heaven, and what Jesus believed about the afterlife
– Defining “heaven” and Bart’s early assumptions about it
– Jesus as an apocalyptic Jew
– Jewish views of death and the afterlife in Jesus’ time
– Sheol, the grave, and changing ideas about judgment
– Resurrection, rewards, and punishments in apocalyptic Judaism
– Paradise on earth and the resurrection of the body
– Body, soul, and the influence of Greek philosophy
– Did the Gospel writers share Jesus’ view of the afterlife?
– Paul, bodily resurrection, and the soul’s interim state
– How Christianity held together resurrection and heaven

Episode Description
The fear of death is an experience common to most of humanity - in fact, one of the oldest pieces of literature, the Epic of Gilgamesh, shows one man’s struggle with that very fear. Christianity’s promise of heaven provides a safe haven from that fear - but what did Jesus think about life after death? Today on Misquoting Jesus, Dr. Bart Ehrman discusses what the Gospels tell us about Jesus’ thoughts and beliefs surrounding death, and to ask whether he would even have recognized our modern concept of an eternal paradise.

Also watch these episodes:
Am I Going to Hell? What the New Testament Says About Death and the Afterlife
Am I Going to Hell? What the New Testament Says About Death and the Afterlife

Did Jesus Really Go to Hell?
Did Jesus Really Go to Hell?

The Omnipresent Fear of Death
The Omnipresent Fear of Death

Go deeper on this topic

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