A History of Heaven: The Singing Silence

by Jeffrey Burton Russell

Well-known for his historical accounts of Satan and hell, Jeffrey Burton Russell here explores the brighter side of heaven. Dispensing with the cliché images of goodness that can make even heaven seem unbearable, the author stimulates our imagination with a history of how the joy of paradise has been conceived by writers, philosophers, and artists for whom heaven was an imminent reality. Russell not only explores concepts found among the ancient Jews, Greeks, and Romans as well as early and medieval Christians, but also addresses the intellectual problems heaven how does time "pass" in eternity? is heaven a place or a state? who is in and who is not? what happens to the body and soul between death and Judgment Day? Russell stresses that the best way to approach the logic-defying concept of a place occupying neither space nor time is through poetry and paradox, and through the visions of such mystics as Bernard, Julian of Norwich, and Eckhart.


After the Revelation of Saint John the Divine, the most sublime and encompassing portrait of heaven to date has come not from a theologian but from a poet--Dante Alighieri in his Divine Comedy . Russell's history of heaven culminates in a lively analysis of how Dante described the glories of the indescribable. The unsurpassed images of light, movement, and community that Dante uses so skillfully to convey the presence of God are rooted in the Jewish picture of heaven as a garden or court and in the Greek picture of the Elysian Fields.


Using current scholarly insights together with a vast store of knowledge gathered from the past, Russell takes the idea of heaven as valid and important in itself--something to be understood from the point of view of those believing in it. His very use of language immerses us in the thoughts of those who have sought heaven and provides rich material for contemplation.

Genres: Religion, History, Nonfiction, Theology, Biblical Studies

220 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1997

About the author

Jeffrey Burton Russell was an American historian of medieval Europe and religious studies scholar.

Reviews

[Brian Griffith · Rating 3 out of 5]

Russell seems to lecture in a rapture of joy on the subject of heaven. While explaining the history of spiritual dreams he remains perfectly scholarly, but thrilled by his subject. We can imagine him before the class, proclaiming humanity's ultimate visions of life:

"Heaven is the state of being in which all are united in love with one another and with God. It is an agapé, a love feast. Whenever less than the whole world is loved, with all the creatures in it, whenever anyone or anything is excluded from love, the result is isolation and retreat from heaven. Heaven is the community of those whom God loves and who love God." (p. 5)

It would be great to watch, but I prefer a heaven of critical analysis.

[Tamra · Rating 2 out of 5]

Page 5: "Heaven is the song that God sings to the world out of his silence. Heaven is the state of being in which all are united in love with one another and with God...Heaven is the community of those whom God loves and who love God..It is like a weaving in which each thread touches every other thread in a spark of loving light, so that the whole web shines like a field of stars."

[James · Rating 3 out of 5]

His assessment of the genius Dante is the best part of this 1997 scholarly work on the intellectual history of Christianity. Much easier for me to recommend is Paradise Mislaid: How We Lost Heaven and How We Can Regain It by Jeffrey Burton Russell (2006).

[Mark Jurgensen · Rating 4 out of 5]

There are a couple reasons I don't usually read books from academic presses. They are expensive and, well, academic (i.e. dry). This book is no exception. In the hardback edition, it currently sells for $46.11. Quite a bit for a book of only 200 pages. Like a lot of books written by university professors, the prose here is fairly scholarly, but still accessible. The title "A History of Heaven" is a bit of an overstatement as the author restricts his scope to the Judeo-Christian concept of heaven from biblical times to the Middle Ages, culminating with a discussion of paradise in Dante's Divine Comedy. All things considered, I am glad I read this book written by an academic who, one may infer, actually believes in the life to come.