Sunday, 17. February 2008
Heaven and Hell

From the beginning of recorded history, people all over the world have believed in an afterlife. In the West, the powerful images of Heaven, with its white light, halos and harps, and Hell, marked by torture and pits of fire and brimstone, have shaped thought and culture for thousands of years. But where do these images come from? What does the Bible itself tell us about eternal punishment and eternal happiness? And what do these dramatic symbols tell us about our own hopes and fears, our views of sin and redemption? Search for answers to eternal questions and plumb the mysteries of Heaven and Hell with the world's leading historians, archaeologists and philosophers.

This documantation examines Jewish, Catholic, and Protestant ideas of hell as well as those of Dante--complete with his diagram of the seven circles. A priest and a minister debate the origin and purpose of the concept of purgatory; Irish, Chinese, and Americans share their views on the afterlife; Jean Simmons reads excerpts from the old and new testaments and The Divine Comedy; and narrator Richard Kiley presides over the proceedings. Kiley traces the sparse mentions of hell in the Hebrew Bible, the fallen angel references in the Apocryphal Book of Enoch and frequent references in the New Testament, particularly the Book of Revelation. He concludes that, while there is no scientific evidence of an afterlife, people want to believe that a good life will be rewarded and an evil one punished.

Mysteries of the Bible: Heaven and Hell (1996)
Duration: 45 minutes.


Category: Incarnation & Death | Movies & TV |


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