Death, Burial and Rebirth in the Religions of Antiquity

by Jon Davies

In Death, Burial and Rebirth in the Religions of Antiquity , Jon Davies charts the significance of death to the emerging religious cults in the pre-Christian and early Christian world. He analyses the varied burial rituals and examines the different notions of the afterlife. Among the areas covered
* Osiris and the life theology of Ancient Egypt
* burying the Jewish dead
* Roman religion and Roman funerals
* Early Christian burial
* the nature of martyrdom.
Jon Davies also draws on the sociological theory of Max Weber to present a comprehensive introduction to and overview of death, burial and the afterlife in the first Christian centuries which offers insights into the relationship between social change and attitudes to death and dying.

Genres: Nonfiction, Religion

272 pages, Paperback

First published June 24, 1999

Reviews

[hh · Rating 4 out of 5]

for my death & the afterlife in the ancient world class. davies has written a rich, informative, readable survey of death. he covers a lot of ground - from ancient egypt to early christianity - but never does the text seem rushed or incomplete. his epilogue provides a powerful modern perspective on threads that run through much of western cultural history: the hero- and martyr-cults that influence even modern perceptions of death. it is the best kind of nonfiction book, the sort that satisfies the reader while encouraging further study.