THE LIFE OF THE WORLD TO COME: Near-Death Experience and Christian Hope

by Carol Zaleski ‧ RELEASE DATE: May 1, 1996

Three sharp, provocative lectures on the origins and restorative values of a belief in ""individual survival after death,"" by the author of Otherworld Journeys: Accounts of Near-Death Experiences in Medieval and Modern Times (not reviewed). Zaleski (World Religions and Philosophy/Smith Coll.) draws on her extensive research into the near-death experience to illuminate how our modern refusal to contemplate mortality (and thus to consider its aftermath) has left us ill equipped to deal with this ultimate reality. ""If we do not permit ourselves to form images of personal and collective existence after death,"" Zaleski argues, ""then we have no way of testing who we are or of sounding our deepest ideals."" Zaleski draws on the theories of ancient and medieval philosophers about the afterlife; offers clear, shrewd interpretations of Christian dogma (demonstrating just how subtle and surprising such dogma is), and uses both ancient and modern accounts of near-death experiences to identify the specific ways in which a belief in survival is nurturing and necessary. The result is a persuasive case for the solace and stimulation to be found in a frank contemplation of death and whatever may follow it.

Pub Date: May 1, 1996

ISBN: N/A

Page Count: 112

Publisher: Oxford Univ.

Review Posted Online: N/A

Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 15, 1996

Categories: NONFICTION