Our Life after Death: A Firsthand Account from an 18th-Century Scientist and Seer is a collection of passages from Emanuel Swedenborg’s classic volume Heaven and Hell that describe the soul’s journey from the moment of death through the stages of self-discovery in the world of spirits.
Swedenborg tells us that it is not God who judges and sentences souls to heaven or hell, but that it is we who judge ourselves. In this book Swedenborg reveals the process by which we confront who we were on earth, discover our true selves, and through that knowledge find our eternal homes in the afterlife.
An introduction by near-death researcher Kenneth Ring, PhD, draws parallels between Swedenborg’s observations and those of millions of modern people who have had near-death experiences. This book provides a brief but thought-provoking introduction to Swedenborg’s vision of the afterlife for those who want to delve deeper into this fascinating subject.
Emanuel Swedenborg (1688-1772) was a Swedish scientist, nobleman, and theologian who spent his life investigating the mysteries of the soul. Between 1743 and 1745 he began to have visions of heaven, hell, and Jesus Christ which resulted in a stream of books about the nature of God, the afterlife, and the inner meaning of the Bible. He devoted the last decades of his life to studying Scripture and presenting his own unique theology to the world.
George F. Dole holds a BA from Yale, an MA from Oxford, and a PhD from Harvard. His recent translations for the New Century Editions of Swedenborg’s Heaven and Hell, Divine Love and Wisdom, and Divine Providence have won critical acclaim. He is also the author of Freedom and Evil, Sorting Things Out, and A Book about Us. He lives in Bath, Maine.
Kenneth Ring, PhD, is professor emeritus of psychology at the University of Connecticut and a researcher in the field of near-death studies. He is the co-founder and past president of the International Association for Near-Death Studies (IANDS) and is the founding editor of the Journal of Near-Death Studies. He is also the author of Life at Death, Heading Toward Omega, and The Omega Project.
A Firsthand Account from an 18th-Century Scientist and Seer
Emanuel Swedenborg
Translated by George F. Dole / Introduction by Kenneth Ring
978-0-87785-427-2, 148 pp, $8.95 pb
Publication date: October 31, 2013
Distribution: Swedenborg Foundation c/o Chicago Distribution Center
11030 South Langley Ave., Chicago, IL 60628
800.621.2736 USA/Canada – 773.702.7000 International
