The Book of Heaven: An Anthology of Writings from Ancient to Modern Times - Couverture rigide

In every culture, in every epoch, human beings have yearned for heaven--the kingdom of God, abode of the elect, fount of enlightenment, mirror of hopes and desires. Now, in The Book of Heaven, Carol and Philip Zaleski provide the first wide-ranging anthology of writings about heaven, drawing from scriptures, myths, epics, poems, prayers, sermons, novels, hymns and spells, to illuminate a vast spectrum of beliefs about the world beyond. The Zaleskis present a fascinating array of ancient and modern, solemn and comic meditations, as they explore such topics as the often treacherous journey to heaven, heaven's colorful inhabitants, its topographic features, and its moral architecture. The emphasis is on great literature, with substantial excerpts taken from classic works such as The Iliad, St. Augustine's Confessions, The Prose Edda, The Divine Comedy, Paradise Lost, and The Pilgrim's Progress; from sacred texts such as the Bible, the Upanishads, the Qu'ran, the Tibetan Book of the Dead, and the Bhagavata Purana; and from diverse writers such as Plato, Cicero, Thomas Traherne, Henry Fielding, Emanuel Swedenborg, Percy Bysshe Shelley, John Henry Cardinal Newman, Hans Christian Andersen, William James, G. K. Chesterton, C. G. Jung, Rupert Brooke, and Arthur Conan Doyle. Selections highlight both the diversity and the universality of reflection on heaven: the sacred chants of the Buddhist Pure Land sutras reverberate alongside John Donne's holy sonnets, and Shaker songs complement Jewish mystical hymns. From the words of Sioux holy man Black Elk, to a sermon by Jonathan Edwards, to humorous musings by Mark Twain and fantastical passages from The Chronicles of Narnia, this rich anthology will deepen our understanding of the myriad ways in which human beings have envisioned heaven.

"fascinating anthology";"This is an engrossing, stimulating and surprisingly funny anthology" (Michael Arditti, The Independent 23/12/2000)

"Everything Philip and Carol Zaleski touch turns to gold. Scholarly, witty, and wise, they know the field well and have keen eyes for what's interesting."--Annie Dillard, author of Pilgrim at Tinker Creek and Holy the Firm

"With the greatest sensitivity and with skillful critical judgment, Carol and Philip Zaleski have collected a variety of texts relating to the nearly universal human hope for an existence of joy unlimited by the pains and pangs of our earthly existence. From the sublime to the sentimental, the heartfelt to the comic, from Judaism and Christianity through depth psychology through Native American, Muslim, and Hindu religions to modern satire, this book offers a shining selection."--Jeffrey B. Russell, Professor of History, University of California, Santa Barbara, author of A History of Heaven

"The passages contained here--from the pious to the satirical--are rich enough to help us rethink what has to be the most significant question every human being faces: the point of it all."--Thomas Moore, author of Care of the Soul and Original Self

"Carol and Phillip Zaleski have invited us to make a journey through the world to come. Even though Jesus says that eyes have not seen, nor ears have heard, nor has it entered into our minds what that world might be like. Still we humans have tried our best to guess what it's like. The Zaleski's have collected the best of those best tries and enlightened and entertained us and perhaps stirred up our hopes and expectiations."-Andrew M. Greeley, Professor of Social Science, The University of Chicago