According to a 2015 Pew research poll, a hefty percentage of Americans believe in a traditional Christian afterlife, with 72% of those polled stating they believe in heaven and 58% believing in hell.

But how new are these ideas of eternal bliss and eternal damnation? Biblical scholar Bart D. Ehrman walks us through the history of the Christian notion of heaven and hell, showing how these concepts of the afterlife developed over time, from early pre-Christian texts, through the Gospels (no mention of fluffy clouds there) and up through the centuries.

Bart D. Ehrman’s book is Heaven and Hell: A History of the Afterlife. [IndieBound|Amazon|Audible].