heaven, blissful upper realm or state entered after death; in Western monotheistic religions it is the place where the just see God face to face (sometimes called the beatific vision). In Judaism, heaven is pictured as the abode of God to which he ultimately welcomes the righteous and faithful. Many Christians believe that after the general resurrection resurrection [Lat.,=rising again], arising again from death to life. The emergence of Jesus from the tomb to live on earth again for 40 days as told in the Gospels has been from the beginning the central fact of Christian experience and a cardinal feature of
..... Click the link for more information. the body of a Christian will be glorified and reunited forever with the soul in heaven. The Roman Catholic church teaches that before entering heaven many souls must pass through purgatory purgatory [Lat.,=place of purging], in the teaching of the Roman Catholic Church, the state after death in which the soul destined for heaven is purified. Since only the perfect can enjoy the vision of God (inferred from Mat. 12.36; Rev. 21.
..... Click the link for more information. to be made ready. Much of the conventional imagery of the Christian heaven—e.g., golden streets—is based on the Book of Revelation Revelation or Apocalypse , the last book of the New Testament. It was written c.A.D. 95 on Patmos Island off the coast of Asia Minor by an exile named John, in the wake of local persecution by the Emperor Domitian (A.D. 81–96).
..... Click the link for more information. . In Islam, the Qur'an describes heaven in graphically idyllic terms, replete with fleshly delights; but Islam also has a strong mystical tradition which places these heavenly delights in the context of the ecstatic awareness of God. In Zoroastrianism, the souls of the deceased must pass over the Bridge of the Requiter, which widens to allow easy passage for the good, who enter a kingdom of joy and light. In both Hinduism and Buddhism, existence is considered cyclical, making the rewards and pleasures of heaven a desirable but temporary experience; the higher objective is often conceived as a release from any form of rebirth, whether in heaven or on earth. For comparable ideas see Elysian fields Elysian fields or Elysium , in Greek religion and mythology, happy otherworld for heroes favored by the gods. Identified with the Fortunate Isles or Isles of the Blest, Elysium was situated in the distant west, at the edge of the world.
..... Click the link for more information. ; Fortunate Isles Fortunate Isles or Isles of the Blest, in classical and Celtic legend, islands in the Western Ocean. There the souls of favored mortals were received by the gods and lived happily in a paradise.
..... Click the link for more information. ; Valhalla Valhalla or Walhalla , in Norse mythology, Odin's hall for slain heroes. This martial paradise was one of the most beautiful halls of Asgard. The dead warriors, brought to Valhalla by the Valkyries, fought during the day and feasted at night.
..... Click the link for more information. .
Dwelling place of God or the gods and the abode of the blessed dead. The term also refers to the celestial sphere, the place of the sun, moon, planets, and stars and the source of light, which symbolizes good. For later Judaism and Christianity, heaven is the destination of the faithful after a general resurrection of the dead, in contrast to hell, the place of punishment for the wicked. Islam has a similar belief. In Chinese religion, heaven is equated with the divine will, which guides the operation of all physical and moral laws. In some Mahayana Buddhist sects, heaven is a paradise for those who have received the saving grace of Amitabha.
heaven
Heaven
..... Click the link for more information. the body of a Christian will be glorified and reunited forever with the soul in heaven. The Roman Catholic church teaches that before entering heaven many souls must pass through purgatory purgatory [Lat.,=place of purging], in the teaching of the Roman Catholic Church, the state after death in which the soul destined for heaven is purified. Since only the perfect can enjoy the vision of God (inferred from Mat. 12.36; Rev. 21.
..... Click the link for more information. to be made ready. Much of the conventional imagery of the Christian heaven—e.g., golden streets—is based on the Book of Revelation Revelation or Apocalypse , the last book of the New Testament. It was written c.A.D. 95 on Patmos Island off the coast of Asia Minor by an exile named John, in the wake of local persecution by the Emperor Domitian (A.D. 81–96).
..... Click the link for more information. . In Islam, the Qur'an describes heaven in graphically idyllic terms, replete with fleshly delights; but Islam also has a strong mystical tradition which places these heavenly delights in the context of the ecstatic awareness of God. In Zoroastrianism, the souls of the deceased must pass over the Bridge of the Requiter, which widens to allow easy passage for the good, who enter a kingdom of joy and light. In both Hinduism and Buddhism, existence is considered cyclical, making the rewards and pleasures of heaven a desirable but temporary experience; the higher objective is often conceived as a release from any form of rebirth, whether in heaven or on earth. For comparable ideas see Elysian fields Elysian fields or Elysium , in Greek religion and mythology, happy otherworld for heroes favored by the gods. Identified with the Fortunate Isles or Isles of the Blest, Elysium was situated in the distant west, at the edge of the world.
..... Click the link for more information. ; Fortunate Isles Fortunate Isles or Isles of the Blest, in classical and Celtic legend, islands in the Western Ocean. There the souls of favored mortals were received by the gods and lived happily in a paradise.
..... Click the link for more information. ; Valhalla Valhalla or Walhalla , in Norse mythology, Odin's hall for slain heroes. This martial paradise was one of the most beautiful halls of Asgard. The dead warriors, brought to Valhalla by the Valkyries, fought during the day and feasted at night.
..... Click the link for more information. .
Bibliography
See P. Toon, Heaven and Hell (1986); C. McDannell, Heaven (1988).
heaven
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“The Angel Shows John the Heavenly Jerusalem,” from the Apocalypse of St. John, …
(credit: Courtesy of the Staatsbibliothek Bamberg, Germany)
heaven
1. Christianity
a. the abode of God and the angels
b. a place or state of communion with God after death
2. the sky, firmament or space surrounding the earth
3. (in any of various mythologies) a place, such as Elysium or Valhalla, to which those who have died in the gods' favour are brought to dwell in happiness
Heaven
See also Paradise.
AaruAbraham’s bosomanimals in heavenAnuAsgardAvalonBeulahDilmunElysian FieldsElysiumFortunate Islesgarden of the HesperidesHappy Hunting GroundHoly CityLand of the LealMount ZionNew JerusalemOlympusParadiseseventh heavenValhalla
abode of blessed dead and gods. [Egyptian Myth.: Benét, 1]
reward for the righteous. [N.T.: Luke 16:23]
Jonah’s whale and Balaam’s ass are among the ten animals allowed to enter paradise. [Muslim Legend: Benét, 37]
(An) Babylonian god of heaven. [Babyl. Myth.: Benét, 41]
abode of the gods. [Norse Myth.: Walsh Classical, 34]
the blissful otherworld of the dead. [Celtic Myth.: NCE, 194]
allegorical name for Israel. [O.T.: Isaiah 62:4–5]
dwelling of gods where sun rose. [Sumerian Myth.: Gaster, 24]
home of the blessed after death. [Gk. Myth.: Kravitz, 88]
abode of the blessed after death. [Gk. Myth.: Zimmer-man, 94; Gk. Lit.: Odyssey]
(Happy Isles) otherworld for heroes favored by gods. [Gk. Myth.: NCE, 861]
in this garden grew a tree with golden apples. [Gk. Myth.: Zimmerman, 109]
translation of Indian name for heaven. [North Am. Indian Myth.: Misc.]
poetical name for heaven. [World Rel.: NCE, 1213]
abode of the blessed dead. [Scot. Myth.: Misc.]
celestial city. [Br. Lit.: Pilgrim’s Progress]
new paradise; dwelling of God among men. [N.T.: Revelation 21:2]
abode of the chief gods. [Gk. Myth.: Espy, 22]
poetic name for heaven. [World Rel.: NCE, 1213]
formed of indescribable divine light; inhabitants are supremely happy, all chanting of God. [Islamic Religion: Benét, 449]
celestial banquet hall for departed war heroes. [Norse Myth.: Brewer Dictionary, 1122]
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