Hell and its Afterlife

'A wide-ranging collection of essays on hell and the devil that encompasses religious disputes, literary influences, and cultural phenomena from ancient times through to the present. Taken as a whole, these essays demonstrate conclusively that hell has never been a singular or a simple place, but always a conflicted and polysemous discourse whether in a sacred or a secular context.' David Pike, American University, USA 'This is the best collection I've seen of diverse scholarly essays on hell and its history. The authors are eminent, the writing is elegant, the range of periods and places covered is both broad and disciplined. The varied perspectives cohere marvelously and substantially deepen our understanding of hell as a perennial concern and focus for human reflection on justice and mercy, suffering and healing, exclusion and belonging, death and enduring values'. Carol Zaleski, Smith College, USA '... [a] substantial and scholarly volume...' Church Times 'The overall collection's usefulness to ongoing theological debates surrounding the development of ancient percetions of hell is clear in each of the chapters included. In addition, the political and societal implications discussed herein are valuable for further study. While the entire collection would be of interest to a scholar studying the general theme, the individual chapters would be of particular interest to researchers seeking a closer examination of specific topics, as each chapter provides well-written footnotes highlighting experts and allows for easy access to each additional research.' Relegere: Studies in Religion and Reception