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As far back as we have literary reports -- beginning with the Epic of Gilgamesh, our earliest surviving narrative, written centuries before the oldest accounts of the Bible -- humans have feared death more than almost anything. Many people fear the process of dying; others fear facing eternal torment; yet others fear the void, the idea of non-existence. In this episode we talk about ancient reflections on death and about why some stalwart souls insisted that in fact there was nothing to fear.

This week Megan asks Bart--

-How far back can we trace the fear of death in human culture?

-What about Greek and Jewish culture? Was there anything to fear about the afterlife?

-The ancient afterlife sounds like a pretty grim place, regardless of what gods you followed! Does the Bible speak at all about a fear of death?

-Christian tradition was obviously influenced by the cultures around it, particularly Greek and Israelite culture - how did ancient Greek and Jewish thinkers try to deal with the fear of death?

-What would early Christians have believed about life after death?

-Do the earliest Christians seem to have the idea of an e-clusive resurrection, one just for followers of Jesus?

-Is the book of Daniel the original source for our modern understanding of heaven and hell?

-When did the idea of a spiritual resurrection start to take over from the bodily resurrection?

-When you start to get this idea of spiritual resurrection, would the idea of heaven have presented an attractive option to non-Christians, especially in contrast to their own afterlife?

-Did this role change substantially over time?