Alan E. Bernstein. Hell and Its Rivals: Death and Retribution among Christians, Jews, and Muslims in the Early Middle Ages.
Nerina Rustomji
Historians tend to focus on the specificity of a given idea or event and then emphasize change over time. This method faces challenges when addressing realms that are presented as everlasting. The subfield eschatological studies has number works explore these methodological questions how they relate paradise, hell, purgatory. One masterful includes Alan E. Bernstein’s Formation Hell: Death Retribution in Ancient Early Christian Worlds (1993). comparison different time periods, texts, ideas Hell allowed readers understand distinctions between neutral moral death appreciate hell derived from worlds ancient Mediterranean. Bernstein followed with sequel what is meant be three-part series. In Its Rivals: among Christians, Jews, Muslims Middle Ages, he builds his earlier work develops another framework for comparative study addresses later period fourth eighth centuries c.e. allows realize Christianity, Judaism, Islam not just an everlasting realm punishment after literal death. Instead, result negotiations contestations within individual Abrahamic religious communities.
The American Historical Review