The History of Hell
by Alice K. Turner, Donadio & Olson
List Price:
Our Price: $12.49
You Save: $9.51 (43%)
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Buy Used: from $4.57 (click here)
Category: Book
See more book details and other editions
Book Summary Information
Author: Alice K. Turner, Donadio & OlsonEdition: Paperback
Audio: English (Unknown); English (Original Language); English (Published)
Published: 1995-10-13
ISBN: 0156001373
Number of pages: 288
Publisher: Mariner Books
Book Reviews of The History of Hell
Book Review: A Dubious Disciple Book Review
Summary: 5 Stars
This is not a new book; I dug it from my shelves just to write this review. It's not a scholarly-looking book; the oversize cover, glossy pages, and color pictures on every other page make it look more like a children's book than a theological treatise. It's not the work of a notable scholar; Ms. Turner is better known for her fiction and as an editor for Playboy. So what is this review doing on my blog today?
Against all odds, this is an important book about an important topic. Is it Alice's fault that she manages to turn it into a fun read as well?
The History of Hell begins at the beginning, with the earliest religious beliefs of an underworld. You'll explore the Egyptian Book of the Dead and Zoroastrianism. You'll move forward in time to the Greek understanding of Hades, the Platonic description of Hell, and the Hebrew teachings of Sheol. As these ideas merge into one, you begin to see glimpses of today's Christian version of Hell emerging.
In time, Purgatory arrives. Christian ideas continue to evolve through the centuries, giving birth to artwork and stories like Dante's Inferno, as imaginations let loose. Satan, once destined to chains in a dark netherworld transforms before your eyes into an evil taskmaster. Now, trident in hand, he gleefully tortures lost souls in a lake of fire forever and ever, amen.
You continue to travel through the Middle Ages, the Reformation, the Enlightenment, through the 19th century, and on into today's time, as Hell continues to evolve. Why is this journey important? Why put yourself through Hell? Because, as Christians, it's vitally important to our spiritual well-being to understand that we have made our own version of Hell. Ideas have evolved from the beginning of religion, and understanding this, knowing the "history of Hell," can set you free from the undertow of today's spiritually-damaging teachings.
And if you're going to take this frightful journey, you may as well make it an entertaining one. Pick up Alice's book.
Schools, Periods & Styles Books
Book Subjects
- Arts & Photography
- Biographies & Memoirs
- Business & Investing
- Children's Books
- Comics & Graphic Novels
- Computers & Internet
- Cooking, Food & Wine
- Entertainment
- Gay & Lesbian
- Health, Mind & Body
- History
- Home & Garden
- Horror
- Law
- Literature & Fiction
- Mystery & Thrillers
- Nonfiction
- Outdoors & Nature
- Parenting & Families
- Professional & Technical
- Reference
- Religion & Spirituality
- Romance
- Science
- Science Fiction & Fantasy
- Sports
- Teens
- Travel
Most talked about in Schools, Periods & Styles Books
Avant-Garde and After: Rethinking Art Nowby Brandon Taylor
Prentice Hall; Published: 1995-10-02; Paperback; Book
Best price: $17.80
Nineteenth Century European Art, 2nd Editionby Petra ten-Doesschate Chu
Prentice Hall Art; Published: 2006-10-19; Hardcover; Book
Best price: $90.00
Price in other shops:
History of Modern Designby DAVID RAIZMAN
Prentice Hall Art; Published: 2003-12-29; Hardcover; Book
Best price: $99.96
Price in other shops:
Art Since 1940: Strategies of Beingby Jonathan Fineberg
Prentice Hall; Published: 1994-11-03; Paperback; Book
Price in other shops:
Sketches by John Constable in the Victoria and Albert Museumby C. M. Kauffmann
Stationery Office Books; Published: 1981-09; Paperback; Book
Best price: $55.35
Renaissanceby Stefano Zuffi
Harper Collins; Published: 2003-10-06; Hardcover; Book
Between Law and Custom: 'High' and 'Low' Legal Cultures in the Lands of the British Diaspora - The United States, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand, 1600-1900by Peter Karsten
Cambridge University Press; Published: 2002-03-18; Hardcover; Book
Best price: $151.82
Price in other shops:
Sargent's Veniceby Richard Ormond, Warren Adelson
Yale University Press; Published: 2006-12-10; Hardcover; Book
Best price: $383.98
Farewell to an Idea: Episodes from a History of Modernismby Timothy J. Clark
Yale University Press; Published: 1999-03-11; Hardcover; Book
Best price: $35.10
Price in other shops:
Basquiat: A Quick Killing in Artby Phoebe Hoban
Penguin (Non-Classics); Published: 1999-09-01; Mass Market Paperback; Book
Best price: $3.94
Price in other shops:
Similar books summaries and other product reviews
Primal Myths: Creation Myths Around the Worldby Barbara C. Sproul
HarperOne; Published: 1979-12-12; Paperback; Book
Best price: $12.68
Price in other shops:
The Encyclopedia of Demons and Demonologyby Rosemary Ellen Guiley
Checkmark Books; Published: 2009-08; Paperback; Book
Best price: $16.37
Price in other shops:
Little Red Riding Hood Uncloaked: Sex, Morality, And The Evolution Of A Fairy Taleby Catherine Orenstein
Basic Books; Published: 2003-07; Paperback; Book
Best price: $9.62
Price in other shops:
No Exitby Jean-Paul Sarte
Samuel French, Inc.; Published: 1958; Paperback; Book
Best price: $6.90
Price in other shops:
The Divine Comedy of Dante Alighieri: Volume 1: Infernoby Dante Alighieri
Oxford University Press, USA; Published: 1997-03-06; Paperback; Book
Best price: $11.33
Price in other shops:
The Encyclopedia of Hellby Miriam Van Scott
St. Martin's Griffin; Published: 1999-11-30; Paperback; Book
Best price: $3.99
Price in other shops:
Formation of Hell: Death and Retribution in the Ancient and Early Christian Worldsby Alan E. Bernstein
Cornell University Press; Published: 1996-10; Paperback; Book
Best price: $21.38
Price in other shops:
A History of the Devilby Gerald Messadiï¿1/2
Kodansha USA; Published: 1997-11-17; Paperback; Book
Best price: $8.69
Price in other shops:
The Birth of Satan: Tracing the Devil's Biblical Rootsby T. J. Wray, Gregory Mobley
Palgrave Macmillan; Published: 2005-10-01; Hardcover; Book
Best price: $17.99
Price in other shops:
The Origin of Satan: How Christians Demonized Jews, Pagans, and Hereticsby Elaine Pagels
Vintage; Published: 1996-04-30; Paperback; Book
Best price: $5.99
Price in other shops: