Every good churchgoer knows that after we die the faithful will be welcomed into a heavenly paradise and the baddies will be consigned to eternal damnation. But don't go looking for any of that stuff in the Bible! As our guest James Tabor explains, ancient people had very different conceptions of the afterlife, including the authors of the Hebrew Bible and New Testament.

For more great stuff from James, check out his blog, JamesTabor.com and his YouTube channel. Here are some articles and books mentioned in today's episode:

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Theme music written and performed by Dave Roos

Before Heaven and Hell: Afterlife in the Bible