In early Hebrew texts the dead descend to Sheol rather than receive the later Christian heavenly reward.
Imported citation, not independently checked: Psalm 6:5; Ecclesiastes 9:5, 10; B. D. Ehrman, Heaven and Hell
religion · Shared topic · Revision 0
Where did the idea of heaven come from?
Where did the idea of heaven come from?
The current answer
How a shadowy grave became a luminous reward, and what the sources actually show.
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By the Maccabean revolt, martyrs die confident of bodily restoration: "the King of the universe will raise us up to an everlasting renewal of life" (2 Maccabees 7:9).
Imported citation, not independently checked: 2 Maccabees 7:9
Hellenistic thought brought the immortal soul, a divine spark that survives the body's death and ascends on its own.
Imported citation, not independently checked: Plato; B. D. Ehrman, Heaven and Hell (2020)
Most later Christian heaven quietly fuses the two (souls go "up" at death and await a resurrection) a synthesis, not a single inheritance.
Imported citation, not independently checked: B. D. Ehrman, Heaven and Hell (2020)
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