Representations of the Afterlife in Luke-Acts

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Questions regarding the afterlife are many, and the Gospel of Luke and the book of Acts pay a great deal of attention to them: why does Luke speak about several different forms of the afterlife Why is resurrection described as a person's transformation into an angelic being How many abodes are appointed for the righteous and the wicked after death Alexey Somov addresses these queries in relation to the apparent confusion and variety found in the text, and in respect of the interrelatedness of these issues, and their connection with other eschatological issues in Luke-Acts, and in relation to the wider cultural context of the Mediterranean world to which Luke belonged. Every culture expresses its beliefs by means of special metaphors that allow it to comprehend supernatural realities in terms of everyday experience. Belief in the afterlife was part of this metaphorical system which Luke shared with the ancient eastern Mediterranean culture. Somov takes his analysis one step further by applying Cognitive Metaphor Theory to selected metaphorical aspects of the afterlife. While the inconsistencies and incoherence of the combined metaphors may seem jarring to a contemporary Western reader, Somov's reading enables a recognition of the specific religious metaphors used, which for Luke would have been current and widely accepted.

Reviews

In this extensive and informative book, Somov provides what is currently the most thorough treatment of Lukes presentation of the afterlife ... This book is well-written, interacts with the latest critical scholarship in the field, while avoiding simplistic solutions. Thus, it marks perhaps one of the more important contributions to the study of Luke-Acts so far in the current century. * Religious Studies Review *
Alexey Somov has produced a carefully written investigation of the notion of the afterlife, specifically in Luke-Acts, but he also advances our understanding of this complex issue among Jews, Greeks, Egyptians, and Romans in the first centuries BCE and CE. His research draws helpfully on the most important ancient sources, beyond the usual listing of sources, and shows considerable awareness of the most informed and up-to-date secondary literature as well. The arguments and interpretations of ancient texts are presented with clarity, balance and fairness. This volume is helpful in understanding both biblical and and non-biblical notions of life after death and it will likely become a standard resource for all subsequent research in this important subject. I highly recommend this volume. * Lee Martin McDonald, Acadia University, Canada *

Author Bio

Alexey Somov is Senior Lecturer of the New Testament at St Philaret Orthodox Christian Institute in Moscow, Russia, Research Fellow at the Department of Old and New Testament at Stellenbosch University in South Africa, and Translation Consultant with the Institute for Bible Translation, Russia.