Death, Ecstasy, and Other Worldly Journeys

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John J. Collins, Michael Fishbane
State University of New York Press, 09.03.1995 - 441 Seiten
Belief in a spirit world, and a blissful or agonizing afterlife, is one of the most pervasive and deeply-rooted characteristics of religion. This volume offers a wide-ranging exploration of this basic religious theme. Most of the case studies are drawn from Jewish and Christian tradition, providing in-depth coverage of Judaism and Christianity from late Antiquity through the Medieval period. There are also examples from Islamic, Japanese, and Chinese traditions for a comparative perspective with Western traditions.

Several chapters deal with the formative period of Jewish and Christian apocalypticism, which is concerned not only with the end of the physical world but also with the eternal heavenly world. These chapters are also important for illustrating the development of mysticism in Western traditions.

The most distinctive aspect of this book is that it does not deal with antiquity alone, but juxtaposes the historical essays with a survey of modern day, near-death experiences. It raises issues of fundamental importance for the psychology of religion as well as for its history

The most distinctive aspect of this book is that it does not deal with antiquity alone, but juxtaposes the historical essays with a survey of modern day, near-death experiences. It raises issues of fundamental importance for the psychology of religion as well as for its history.
 

Inhalt

EARLY MODERN 317
38
LATE ANTIQUITY
39
The Seven Heavens in Jewish and Christian
57
Paul and the Beginning of Jewish Mysticism
95
The Practice of Ascent in the Ancient
123
Mystical Descents
139
Toward a Redescription
155
Abathur A New Etymology
171
Weeping Death and Spiritual Ascent
209
Observations on
269
The Role of the Anima Mundi as Mediator
285
Death and the Distribution of Sacral Power
323
Death NearDeath
343
Mystical Piety
361
CONTEMPORARY
377
Contributors
409

MEDIEVAL
179

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Autoren-Profil (1995)

John J. Collins is Professor of Hebrew Bible and Post-biblical Judaism at the University of Chicago. His books include Between Athens and Jerusalem: Jewish Identity in the Hellenistic Diaspora; The Apocalyptic Imagination; and The Scepter and the Star: Messianism in the Light of the Dead Sea Scrolls. Michael Fishbane is Nathan Cummings Professor of Jewish Studies at the University of Chicago, where he is also Chair of the programs in Jewish Studies. He is the author or editor of 10 other books.

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