Fresh Air - Heaven and Hell Book Interview

Terry Gross is the host and co-executive producer of Fresh Air, an interview format radio show produced by WHYY-FM in Philadelphia and distributed throughout the United States by National Public Radio (NPR). She interviews Bart D. Ehrman on March 31, 2020, and centers the discussion to reflect on Bart's book "Heaven and Hell: A History of the Afterlife." Bart, the best-selling author of Misquoting Jesus takes on two of the most gripping questions of human existence: where did the ideas of heaven and hell come from, and why do they endure? He recounts the long history of the afterlife, ranging from The Epic of Gilgamesh up to the writings of Augustine, focusing especially on the teachings of Jesus and his early followers. He discusses ancient guided tours of heaven and hell, in which a living person observes the sublime blessings of heaven for those who are saved and the horrifying torments of hell for the damned.

The program is discussed on Bart Ehrman's Foundation Blog: https://ehrmanblog.org/fresh-air-inte...

Transcript of this program: https://www.npr.org/2020/03/31/824479...

Bart D. Ehrman is the James A. Gray Distinguished Professor at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. He came to UNC in 1988, after four years of teaching at Rutgers University. At UNC he has served as both the Director of Graduate Studies and the Chair of the Department of Religious Studies. A graduate of Wheaton College (Illinois), Professor Ehrman received both his Masters of Divinity and Ph.D. from Princeton Theological Seminary, where his 1985 doctoral dissertation was awarded magna cum laude.

Fresh Air with Terry Gross, the Peabody Award-winning weekday magazine of contemporary arts and issues, is one of public radio's most popular programs. She holds a master's degree in communications from the University at Buffalo, The State University of New York.

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