BEYOND

A broad survey of global and historical views of the post-life spiritual realm.

In this vast overview, writer and therapist Wolff wades deep into the murky waters of heaven, the afterlife, and unseen planes of being. The sweeping narrative—designed for lay readers, some of whom may be overwhelmed by its scope—introduces countless intriguing concepts, from near-death experiences to reincarnation. With eloquent reporting on various cultures and faiths, the author presents her work as “a history of hope” and an examination of “the ongoing collective exercise of the human imagination.” Wolff begins with the prehistoric evidence for belief in what may be termed the afterlife, or at least a world beyond the present, physical one. She then moves on to ancient religions, focusing not only on doctrines of life after death (most famously in ancient Egypt), but also on poetic views of the world of the dead, as captured in such works as the Odyssey and the Aeneid. Moving on to Judaism, Wolff admirably captures the ambiguity involved in Jewish teachings on the afterlife. This sets up her lengthy, detailed examination of Christianity, as she tracks views on the afterlife through religious figures (Paul, Augustine, Julian of Norwich, Swedenborg, etc.) and artists and writers (Dante, Blake, Bunyan), all against the backdrop of the proliferation of significant religious movements such as the Reformation. In the educative section on Islam, Wolff notes how Allah is “an all-powerful and transcendent but also an interested god, concerned with humans, capable of acting in history with mercy and justice.” Hinduism and Buddhism share a section, in which the author demonstrates that whereas the liberal West views all religions as heading toward a common end (a tranquil afterlife), Eastern religions can have thoroughly different concepts of what that final end may look like. The concluding section, “We Shall Not Cease From Exploration,” looks to the future of our unceasing search for meaning.

A soulful, far-reaching primer on what lies beyond.