Heaven: A Guide to the Undiscovered Country

The author of The Devil: A Biography and Catholics and Sex explores the idea of the afterworld, considering in this thoroughly researched book how the search for life after death is connected with the desire to fully live. Drawing upon a plethora of literary and historical sources, Stanford engagingly explores how a variety of religions--including Judaism, Christianity and Buddhism--have imagined and described heaven. And he considers the viewpoints of a bevy of artists, writers, psychologists and philosophers as well--among them Signorelli, Dante, Poe, Freud, Jung, Plato and Kant. He takes readers through the gates of heaven at the Orvieto Cathedral in Tuscany to view the Renaissance's""radical new take on heaven"" as revealed in Signorelli's masterful fresco in the Cappella di San Brizio. He also describes visiting Chartres, where he reminds readers that the gorgeous stained glass windows depicting Christ's life had a purpose beyond beauty--they educated a largely illiterate population. These historical tours open up the subject of heaven with delightful detail and imagery, making an otherworldly topic (Pope John Paul II called heaven""a blessed community"" that was""neither abstraction nor physical space"") tangible and accessible. Standford's inclusion of five short""Traveler's Tales,"" which recount the near-death experiences of living and historical figures, may be another method for making the ethereal more concrete. Rich in history and testimony, this thoughtful tome is a worthy study for anyone who has a curiosity in life beyond death.