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96-471: Historia von D. Johann Fausten , the first " Faust book", is a chapbook of stories concerning the life of Johann Georg Faust , written by an anonymous German author. It was published by Johann Spies (1540–1623) in Frankfurt am Main in 1587, and became the main source for the play The Tragical History of Doctor Faustus by Christopher Marlowe and Goethe 's closet play Faust , and also served as

192-605: A false self more amenable to caretakers may offer a viable form of life, but at the expense of one's true emotions and affects. For the psychotic, a Faustian bargain with an omnipotent-self can offer the imaginary refuge of a psychic retreat at the price of living in unreality. Heaven This is an accepted version of this page Heaven , or the heavens , is a common religious cosmological or transcendent supernatural place where beings such as deities , angels , souls , saints , or venerated ancestors are said to originate, be enthroned , or reside. According to

288-448: A "new earth" as the abode of mankind following the resurrection of the dead. Originally, the two ideas of immortality and resurrection were different but in rabbinic thought they are combined: the soul departs from the body at death but is returned to it at the resurrection . This idea is linked to another rabbinic teaching, that men's good and bad actions are rewarded and punished not in this life but after death, whether immediately or at

384-529: A belief that, in accordance with John 14, those who in the afterlife see the Saviour are in different mansions, some dwelling in the heavens, others in paradise and others in " the city ". While the word used in all these writings, in particular the New Testament Greek word οὐρανός ( ouranos ), applies primarily to the sky , it is also used metaphorically of the dwelling place of God and

480-580: A chariot of fire. According to Michael B. Hundley, the text in both of these instances is ambiguous regarding the significance of the actions being described and in neither of these cases does the text explain what happened to the subject afterwards. The God of the Israelites is described as ruling both Heaven and Earth. Other passages, such as 1 Kings 8:27 state that even the vastness of Heaven cannot contain God's majesty. A number of passages throughout

576-417: A fictional version of the famous lawyer and orator, in front of a judge and jury of the damned, and his case is won. It was adapted in 1941 as a movie, The Devil and Daniel Webster , with Walter Huston as the devil, James Craig as Jabez and Edward Arnold as Webster. It was remade in 2007 as Shortcut to Happiness with Alec Baldwin as Jabez, Anthony Hopkins as Webster and Jennifer Love Hewitt as

672-515: A form which at present you know not." According to Mirza Ghulam Ahmad , the founder of the Ahmadiyya sect in Islam, the soul will give birth to another rarer entity and will resemble the life on earth in the sense that this entity will bear a similar relationship to the soul, as the soul bears relationship with the human existence on earth. On earth, if a person leads a righteous life and submits to

768-454: A growing pyre, intending to burn them. However, a wind turns over a few cabalistic leaves, and one of the books' pages catches Faust's eye. Their words contain a prescription for how to invoke the dreadful dark forces. Faust heeds these recipes and begins enacting the mystic protocols: On a hill, alone, summoning Mephisto, certain forces begin to convene, and Faust in a state of growing trepidation hesitates, and begins to withdraw; he flees along

864-682: A human soul belongs in Heaven and that Earth is merely a temporary abode in which the soul is tested to prove its worthiness became increasingly popular during the Hellenistic period (323–31 BC). Gradually, some Hebrews began to adopt the idea of Heaven as the eternal home of the righteous dead. Descriptions of Heaven in the New Testament are more fully developed than those in the Old Testament, but are still generally vague. As in

960-477: A large enigmatic Lote tree, marks the end of the seventh heaven and the utmost extremity for all of God's creatures and heavenly knowledge. One interpretation of "heavens" is that all the stars and galaxies (including the Milky Way ) are part of the "first heaven", and "beyond that six still bigger worlds are there," which have yet to be discovered by scientists. According to Shi'ite sources, Ali mentioned

1056-802: A magician and alchemist probably from Knittlingen , Württemberg , who obtained a degree in divinity from Heidelberg University in 1509, but the legendary Faust has also been connected with an earlier Johann Fust ( c.  1400–1466 ), Johann Gutenberg 's business partner, which suggests that Fust is one of the multiple origins to the Faust story. Scholars such as Frank Baron and Ruickbie (2009) contests many of these previous assumptions. The character in Polish folklore named Pan Twardowski (Sir Twardowski in English) presents similarities with Faust. The Polish story seems to have originated at roughly

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1152-548: A particular place somewhere in the cosmos ) of the supreme fulfillment of theosis in the beatific vision of the Godhead . In most forms of Christianity , Heaven is also understood as the abode for the redeemed dead in the afterlife , usually a temporary stage before the resurrection of the dead and the saints ' return to the New Earth . The resurrected Jesus is said to have ascended to Heaven where he now sits at

1248-429: A person died, his or her soul went to Kur (later known as Irkalla ), a dark shadowy underworld , located deep below the surface of the earth. All souls went to the same afterlife, and a person's actions during life had no impact on how he would be treated in the world to come. Nonetheless, funerary evidence indicates that some people believed that Inanna had the power to bestow special favors upon her devotees in

1344-404: A person finds contentment and Peace at heart and at this stage, according to Ahmadiyya beliefs, it can be said that a soul within the soul has begun to take shape. The Baháʼí Faith regards the conventional description of heaven (and hell) as a specific place as symbolic. The Baháʼí writings describe heaven as a "spiritual condition" where closeness to God is defined as heaven; conversely hell

1440-457: A reconstructed *k̑emen- or *k̑ōmen- "stone, heaven", has been proposed. Others endorse the derivation from a Proto-Indo-European root *h₂éḱmō "stone" and, possibly, "heavenly vault" at the origin of this word, which then would have as cognates ancient Greek ἄκμων (ákmōn "anvil, pestle; meteorite "), Persian آسمان ( âsemân, âsmân "stone, sling-stone; sky, heaven") and Sanskrit अश्मन् ( aśman "stone, rock, sling-stone; thunderbolt ;

1536-554: A rival pope. Another important version of the legend is the play Faust , written by the German author Johann Wolfgang von Goethe . The First Part , which is the one more closely connected to the earlier legend, was published in 1808, the Second appeared posthumously in 1832. Goethe's Faust complicates the simple Christian moral of the original legend. A hybrid between a play and an extended poem, Goethe's two-part " closet drama "

1632-610: A translation, The History of Dr. Johann Faustus (University of Illinois, 1965). Faust The Faust of early books – as well as the ballads, dramas, movies, and puppet-plays which grew out of them – is irrevocably damned because he prefers human knowledge over divine knowledge: "He laid the Holy Scriptures behind the door and under the bench, refused to be called doctor of theology , but preferred to be styled doctor of medicine ". Plays and comic puppet theatre loosely based on this legend were popular throughout Germany in

1728-484: A truth, that if the soul of man hath walked in the ways of God, it will, assuredly return and be gathered to the glory of the Beloved." The Baháʼí teachings state that there exists a hierarchy of souls in the afterlife , where the merits of each soul determines their place in the hierarchy, and that souls lower in the hierarchy cannot completely understand the station of those above. Each soul can continue to progress in

1824-436: A variant final -l : Old Frisian himel, himul "sky, heaven", Old Saxon and Old High German himil , Old Saxon and Middle Low German hemmel , Old Dutch and Dutch hemel , and modern German Himmel . All of these have been derived from a reconstructed Proto-Germanic form * hemina- . or *hemō . The further derivation of this form is uncertain. A connection to Proto-Indo-European *ḱem- "cover, shroud", via

1920-412: A winding, twisting pathway, returning to his study chambers. At pauses along this retreat, though, he meets a reappearing figure. Each time, it doffs its hat in a greeting that is Mephisto confronting him. Mephisto overcomes Faust's reluctance to sign a long binding pact with the invitation that Faust may try on these powers, just for one day, and without obligation to longer terms. Upon the end of that day,

2016-664: Is a key concept in Chinese mythology, philosophies, and religions, and is on one end of the spectrum a synonym of Shangdi ("Supreme Deity") and on the other naturalistic end, a synonym for nature and the sky. The Chinese term for "heaven", Tian (天), derives from the name of the supreme deity of the Zhou dynasty . After their conquest of the Shang dynasty in 1122 BC, the Zhou people considered their supreme deity Tian to be identical with

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2112-438: Is a retelling of the tale of Faust based on the short story " The Devil and Tom Walker ", written by Washington Irving . Benet's version of the story centers on a New Hampshire farmer by the name of Jabez Stone who, plagued with unending bad luck, is approached by the devil under the name of Mr. Scratch who offers him seven years of prosperity in exchange for his soul. Jabez Stone is eventually defended by Daniel Webster ,

2208-416: Is epic in scope. It gathers together references from Christian, medieval, Roman , eastern, and Hellenic poetry, philosophy, and literature. The composition and refinement of Goethe's own version of the legend occupied him, off and on, for over sixty years. The final version, published after his death, is recognized as a great work of German literature. The story concerns the fate of Faust in his quest for

2304-474: Is happy and dies. Mephistopheles tries to seize Faust's soul when he dies after this moment of happiness, but is frustrated and enraged when angels intervene due to God's grace. Though this grace is 'gratuitous' and does not condone Faust's frequent errors with Mephistopheles, the angels state that this grace can only occur because of Faust's unending striving and due to the intercession of the forgiving Gretchen. The final scene has Faust's soul carried to Heaven in

2400-466: Is not discussed as often. The Torah has little to say on the subject of survival after death, but by the time of the rabbis two ideas had made inroads among the Jews: one, which is probably derived from Greek thought, is that of the immortal soul which returns to its creator after death; the other, which is thought to be of Persian origin, is that of resurrection of the dead . Jewish writings refer to

2496-414: Is not the one who suggests the wager. In the first part, Mephistopheles leads Faust through experiences that culminate in a lustful relationship with Gretchen, an innocent young woman. Gretchen and her family are destroyed by Mephistopheles' deceptions and Faust's desires. Part one of the story ends in tragedy for Faust, as Gretchen is saved but Faust is left to grieve in shame. The second part begins with

2592-470: Is seen as a state of remoteness from God. Bahá'u'lláh , the founder of the Baháʼí Faith, has stated that the nature of the life of the soul in the afterlife is beyond comprehension in the physical plane, but has stated that the soul will retain its consciousness and individuality and remember its physical life; the soul will be able to recognize other souls and communicate with them. For Baháʼís, entry into

2688-580: Is that each man must die – beyond that we can only guess." Similar to Jewish traditions such as the Talmud , the Qur'an and Hadith frequently mention the existence of seven samāwāt (سماوات), the plural of samāʾ (سماء), meaning 'heaven, sky, celestial sphere', and cognate with Hebrew shamāyim (שמים). Some of the verses in the Qur'an mentioning the samaawat are 41:12 , 65:12 and 71:15 . Sidrat al-Muntaha ,

2784-527: Is the Spies imprint of 1587. It came out in September, was reprinted again in the same year and very frequently thereafter, each time with additional tales about Faust, usually old, known folktales with the superimposition of Faust's name. In accord with the theological reputation and clientele of the Spies printing house, their 1587 imprint is also heavily larded with religious commentary. Such "admonitions to

2880-531: Is the eighth heaven, where the benevolent, higher divinities dwell. During the end of days , the seven heavens of the Archons will collapse on each other. The heaven of Yaldabaoth will split in two and cause the stars in his celestial sphere to fall. In the native Chinese Confucian traditions, heaven ( Tian ) is an important concept, where the ancestors reside and from which emperors drew their mandate to rule in their dynastic propaganda, for example. Heaven

2976-523: Is unsatisfied with his life as a scholar and becomes depressed. After an attempt to take his own life, he calls on the Devil for further knowledge and magic powers with which to indulge all the pleasure and knowledge of the world. In response, the Devil's representative, Mephistopheles , appears. He makes a bargain with Faust: Mephistopheles will serve Faust with his magic powers for a set number of years, but at

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3072-552: The Gathas , spoke of the existence of Heaven and Hell. Historically, the unique features of Zoroastrianism, such as its conception of heaven, hell, angels, monotheism, belief in free will, and the day of judgement, among other concepts, may have influenced other religious and philosophical systems, including the Abrahamic religions, Gnosticism, Northern Buddhism, and Greek philosophy. As in other ancient Near Eastern cultures, in

3168-519: The Hadiths , these are the different regions in paradise. According to the Ahmadiyya view, much of the imagery presented in the Quran regarding Heaven, but also Hell, is metaphorical. They propound the verse which describes, according to them, how the life to come after death is different from the life on Earth. The Quran says: "From bringing in your place others like you, and from developing you into

3264-690: The Historia was published in 1592, which became known as the "English Faust Book". The Historia may also have been the source of Thomas Roscoe 's translation, "History of that Renowned Arch Sorcerer, Doctor J. Faust", published in The German Novelists (1826). The manuscript version of the Historia was eventually edited by H. G. Haile for the Erich Schmidt Verlag, 1960, and for Carl Winter Verlag, 1996. Haile also published

3360-840: The Parable of the Workers in the Vineyard in Matthew 20, the Parable of the Great Banquet in Matthew 22, and the Parable of the Prodigal Son in Luke 15. Traditionally, Christianity has taught that Heaven is the location of the throne of God as well as the holy angels , although this is in varying degrees considered metaphorical . In traditional Christianity, it is considered a state or condition of existence (rather than

3456-589: The Right Hand of God and will return to Earth in the Second Coming . Various people have been said to have entered Heaven while still alive , including Enoch , Elijah and Jesus , after his resurrection. According to Roman Catholic teaching , Mary, mother of Jesus , is also said to have been assumed into Heaven and is titled the Queen of Heaven . In the second century AD, Irenaeus of Lyons recorded

3552-470: The Shang supreme deity Shangdi . The Zhou people attributed Heaven with anthropomorphic attributes, evidenced in the etymology of the Chinese character for heaven or sky, which originally depicted a person with a large cranium. Heaven is said to see, hear and watch over all people. Heaven is affected by people's doings, and having personality, is happy and angry with them. Heaven blesses those who please it and sends calamities upon those who offend it. Heaven

3648-778: The World of Darkness emerged. The Great Living God ( Hayyi Rabbi ) and his uthras (angels or guardians) dwell in the World of Light. The World of Light is also the source of Piriawis , the Great Yardena (or Jordan River ) of Life. The cosmological description of the universe in the Gnostic codex On the Origin of the World presents seven heavens created by the lesser god or Demiurge called Yaldabaoth, which are individually ruled over by one of his Archons . Above these realms

3744-457: The blessed . Similarly, though the English word "heaven" keeps its original physical meaning when used, for instance, in allusions to the stars as "lights shining through from heaven", and in phrases such as heavenly body to mean an astronomical object, the heaven or happiness that Christianity looks forward to is, according to Pope John Paul II, "neither an abstraction nor a physical place in

3840-427: The firmament "). In the latter case English hammer would be another cognate to the word. The ancient Mesopotamians regarded the sky as a series of domes (usually three, but sometimes seven) covering the flat Earth . Each dome was made of a different kind of precious stone. The lowest dome of heaven was made of jasper and was the home of the stars . The middle dome of heaven was made of saggilmut stone and

3936-645: The 16th century there were still family ties between the lords of Staufen and the counts of Zimmern in nearby Donaueschingen. In Christopher Marlowe 's original telling of the tale, Wittenburg—where Faust studied—was also written as Wertenberge. This has led to a measure of speculation as to precisely where his story is set. Some scholars suggest the Duchy of Württemberg ; others suggest an allusion to Marlowe's own Cambridge (Gill, 2008, p. 5) The early Faust chapbook , while in circulation in northern Germany, found its way to England, where in 1592 an English translation

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4032-494: The 16th century, often reducing Faust and Mephistopheles to figures of vulgar fun. The story was popularised in England by Christopher Marlowe , who gave it a classic treatment in his play The Tragical History of Doctor Faustus ( c.  1592 ). In Goethe's reworking of the story over two hundred years later, Faust becomes a dissatisfied intellectual who yearns for "more than earthly meat and drink" in his life. Faust

4128-462: The Christian reader" played so well that by the end of the century they had grown to become the major part of the (printed) Faust Books. The general sloppiness and repetitiveness of all these additions, however, seems to have diminished the book's popularity in the long run. As people became less disposed to religious controversy it ceased to be such an attractive book. An English version based on

4224-403: The Devil. F.W. Murnau , director of the classic Nosferatu , directed a silent version of Faust that premiered in 1926. Murnau's film featured special effects that were remarkable for the era. In one scene, Mephisto towers over a town, dark wings spread wide, as a fog rolls in bringing the plague. In another, an extended montage sequence shows Faust, mounted behind Mephisto, riding through

4320-646: The Earth and learn nothing of what Heaven is like. There is almost no mention in the Hebrew Bible of Heaven as a possible afterlife destination for human beings, who are instead described as "resting" in Sheol . The only two possible exceptions to this are Enoch , who is described in Genesis 5:24 as having been "taken" by God, and the prophet Elijah , who is described in 2 Kings 2:11 as having ascended to Heaven in

4416-609: The Faust legend to a 20th century context, documenting the life of fictional composer Adrian Leverkühn, as analog and embodiment of the early 20th century history of Germany and of Europe. The talented Leverkühn, after contracting venereal disease from a brothel visit, forms a pact with a Mephistophelean character to grant him 24 years of brilliance and success as a composer. He produces works of increasing beauty to universal acclaim, even while physical illness begins to corrupt his body. In 1930, when presenting his final masterwork ( The Lamentation of Dr. Faust ), he confesses

4512-531: The French play Les marchands d'âmes ). Staufen , a town in the extreme southwest of Germany, claims to be where Faust died ( c.  1540 ); depictions appear on buildings, etc. The only historical source for this tradition is a passage in the Chronik der Grafen von Zimmern , which was written c.  1565 , 25 years after Faust's presumed death. These chronicles are generally considered reliable, and in

4608-650: The Hebrew Bible concerns the God of Israel's relationship with his people, most of the events described in it take place on Earth, not in Heaven. The Deuteronomistic source , Deuteronomistic History , and Priestly source all portray the Temple in Jerusalem as the sole channel of communication between Earth and Heaven. During the period of the Second Temple ( c. 515 BC – 70 AD), the Hebrew people lived under

4704-426: The Hebrew Bible indicate that Heaven and Earth will one day come to an end. This view is paralleled in other ancient Near Eastern cultures, which also regarded Heaven and Earth as vulnerable and subject to dissolution. However, the Hebrew Bible differs from other ancient Near Eastern cultures in that it portrays the God of Israel as independent of creation and unthreatened by its potential destruction. Because most of

4800-444: The Hebrew Bible, the universe is commonly divided into two realms: heaven ( šāmayim ) and earth ( ’ereṣ ). Sometimes a third realm is added: either "sea", "water under the earth", or sometimes a vague "land of the dead" that is never described in depth. The structure of heaven itself is not fully described in the Hebrew Bible, but the fact that the Hebrew word šāmayim is plural has been interpreted by scholars as an indication that

4896-533: The Kingdom of God was of something that is present but also still yet to come. For instance, Wright points to the synoptic gospels that Jesus' death and resurrection was anticipated as the climax and fulfillment of his "Kingdom of God" messages and that his combined prophecy about the temple's doom, through apocalyptic language, would serve as his vindication. The synoptic gospels and Pauline epistles portray Jesus as believing his death and resurrection would complete

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4992-598: The Old Testament, in the New Testament God is described as the ruler of Heaven and Earth, but his power over the Earth is challenged by Satan . The Gospels of Mark and Luke speak of the " Kingdom of God " ( ‹See Tfd› Greek : βασιλεία τοῦ θεοῦ ; basileía tou theou ), while the Gospel of Matthew more commonly uses the term " Kingdom of heaven " ( ‹See Tfd› Greek : βασιλεία τῶν οὐρανῶν ; basileía tōn ouranōn ). Both phrases are thought to have

5088-625: The Synoptic Gospels, particularly in the Sermon on the Mount in Matthew 5–7. Jesus also taught that, in the Kingdom of Heaven, there would be a reversal of roles in which "the last will be first and the first will be last." This teaching recurs throughout the recorded teachings of Jesus, including in the admonition to be like a child, the Parable of the Rich Man and Lazarus in Luke 16,

5184-472: The World-to-come. According to Nicholas de Lange , Judaism offers no clear teaching about the destiny which lies in wait for the individual after death and its attitude to life after death has been expressed as follows: "For the future is inscrutable, and the accepted sources of knowledge, whether experience, or reason, or revelation, offer no clear guidance about what is to come. The only certainty

5280-442: The afterlife, but the soul's development is not entirely dependent on its own conscious efforts, the nature of which we are not aware, but also augmented by the grace of God, the prayers of others, and good deeds performed by others on Earth in the name of that person. Mandaeans believe in an afterlife or heaven called Alma d-Nhura (World of Light). The World of Light is the primeval, transcendent world from which Tibil and

5376-475: The afterlife. Despite the separation between heaven and earth, humans sought access to the gods through oracles and omens . The gods were believed to live in Heaven, but also in their temples, which were seen as the channels of communication between Earth and Heaven, which allowed mortal access to the gods. The Ekur temple in Nippur was known as the "Dur-an-ki", the "mooring rope" of heaven and earth. It

5472-603: The ancient Israelites envisioned the heavens as having multiple layers, much like the ancient Mesopotamians. This reading is also supported by the use of the phrase "heaven of heavens" in verses such as Deuteronomy 10:14, 1 Kings 8:27, and 2 Chronicles 2:6. In line with the typical view of most Near Eastern cultures, the Hebrew Bible depicts Heaven as a place that is inaccessible to humans. Although some prophets are occasionally granted temporary visionary access to heaven, such as in 1 Kings 22:19–23, Job 1:6–12 and 2:1–6, and Isaiah 6, they hear only God's deliberations concerning

5568-424: The basis for several major operas: for a more complete list, visit Works based on Faust Faust has inspired major musical works in other forms: Psychodynamic therapy uses the idea of a Faustian bargain to explain defence mechanisms , usually rooted in childhood, that sacrifice elements of the self in favor of some form of psychological survival. For the neurotic, abandoning one's genuine feeling self in favour of

5664-423: The beautiful and innocent Gretchen. His corruption (enabled, or embodied, through the forms of Mephisto) ultimately ruins both their lives, though there is still a chance for redemption in the end. Similarities to Goethe's Faust include the classic tale of a man who sold his soul to the Devil, the same Mephisto wagering with an angel to corrupt the soul of Faust, the plague sent by Mephisto on Faust's small town, and

5760-563: The beliefs of some religions, heavenly beings can descend to Earth or incarnate and earthly beings can ascend to Heaven in the afterlife or, in exceptional cases, enter Heaven without dying . Heaven is often described as a "highest place", the holiest place, a paradise , in contrast to hell or the underworld or the "low places" and universally or conditionally accessible by earthly beings according to various standards of divinity , goodness , piety , faith , or other virtues or right beliefs or simply divine will . Some believe in

5856-408: The child and is sentenced to death for murder. However, Gretchen's innocence saves her in the end, and she enters Heaven . In Goethe's rendition, Faust is saved by God via his constant striving – in combination with Gretchen's pleadings with God in the form of the eternal feminine . However, in the early versions of the tale, Faust is irrevocably corrupted and believes his sins cannot be forgiven; when

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5952-748: The clouds, but a living, personal relationship with the Holy Trinity . It is our meeting with the Father which takes place in the risen Christ through the communion of the Holy Spirit ." While the concept of Heaven ( malkuth hashamaim מלכות השמים, the Kingdom of Heaven ) is much discussed in Christian thought, the Jewish concept of the afterlife , sometimes known as olam haba , the World-to-come,

6048-809: The company of their parents, spouses, and children. In Islam if one's good deeds outweigh one's sins then one may gain entrance to paradise only through God's mercy . Conversely, if one's sins outweigh their good deeds they are sent to hell. The more good deeds one has performed the higher the level of Jannah one is directed to. Quran verses which describe paradise include: 13:15, 18:31, 38:49–54, 35:33–35 and 52:17. The Quran refers to Jannah with different names: Al-Firdaws , Jannātu-′Adn ("Garden of Eden" or "Everlasting Gardens"), Jannatu-n-Na'īm ("Garden of Delight"), Jannatu-l-Ma'wa ("Garden of Refuge"), Dāru-s-Salām ("Abode of Peace"), Dāru-l-Muqāma ("Abode of Permanent Stay"), al-Muqāmu-l-Amin ("The Secure Station") and Jannātu-l-Khuld ("Garden of Immortality"). In

6144-463: The divine realm. Heaven and Earth were separated by their very nature; humans could see and be affected by elements of the lower heaven, such as stars and storms, but ordinary mortals could not go to Heaven because it was the abode of the gods alone. In the Epic of Gilgamesh , Gilgamesh says to Enkidu , "Who can go up to heaven, my friend? Only the gods dwell with Shamash forever." Instead, after

6240-637: The earlier ( Middle English ) heven (attested 1159); this in turn was developed from the previous Old English form heofon . By about 1000, heofon was being used in reference to the Christianized "place where God dwells", but originally, it had signified "sky, firmament" (e.g. in Beowulf , c. 725). The English term has cognates in the other Germanic languages : Old Saxon heƀan "sky, heaven" (hence also Middle Low German heven "sky"), Old Icelandic himinn , Gothic himins ; and those with

6336-461: The end of the term, the Devil will claim Faust's soul, and Faust will be eternally enslaved. During the term of the bargain, Faust makes use of Mephistopheles in various ways. In Goethe 's drama, and many subsequent versions of the story, Mephistopheles helps Faust seduce a beautiful and innocent young woman, usually named Gretchen, whose life is ultimately destroyed when she gives birth to Faust's illegitimate son. Realizing this unholy act, she drowns

6432-729: The familiar cliffhanger with Faust unable to find a cure for the Plague, and therefore turning to Mephisto, renouncing God, the angel, and science alike. Films published after 1945. The Christopher Marlowe play has been broadcast on radio many times, including: A five-part adaptation by Martin Jenkins dramatized by Jonathan Holloway was broadcast as part of BBC Radio 4 's 15-Minute Theatre 18–22 February 2008. The cast included Julian Rhind-Tutt as Faustus, Mark Gatiss as Mephistopheles, Thom Tuck as Wagner, Jasmine Guy as Gretchen/Demon and Pippa Haywood as Martha. The Faust legend has been

6528-533: The gospels record Jesus as having explained exactly what the phrase "Kingdom of God" means. The most likely explanation for this apparent omission is that the Kingdom of God was a commonly understood concept that required no explanation. According to Sanders and Casey, Jews in Judea during the early first century believed that God reigns eternally in Heaven, but many also believed that God would eventually establish his kingdom on earth as well. Because God's Kingdom

6624-546: The heavens, and the camera view, effectively swooping through quickly changing panoramic backgrounds, courses past snowy mountains, high promontories and cliffs, and waterfalls. In the Murnau version of the tale, the aging bearded scholar and alchemist is disillusioned by the palpable failure of his supposed cure for a plague that has stricken his town. Faust renounces his many years of hard travail and studies in alchemy. In his despair, he hauls all his bound volumes by armloads onto

6720-483: The idea of the resurrection of the dead is thought to be derived from Persian cosmology, although the later claim has been recently questioned. By the early first century AD, these two seemingly incompatible ideas were often conflated by Hebrew thinkers. The Hebrews also inherited from the Persians, Greeks, and Romans the idea that the human soul originates in the divine realm and seeks to return there. The idea that

6816-470: The libretto of the opera by Alfred Schnittke , also entitled Historia von D. Johann Fausten . The Faust Book seems to have been written during the latter half of the sixteenth century (1568–81 or shortly thereafter). It comes down to us in manuscript from a professional scribe in Nuremberg and also as a 1587 imprint from the prominent Frankfurt publishing house of Johann Spies. The better-known version

6912-458: The names of the seven heavens as below: Still an afterlife destination of the righteous is conceived in Islam as Jannah ( Arabic : جنة "Garden [of Eden]" translated as "paradise"). Regarding Eden or paradise the Quran says, "The description of the Paradise promised to the righteous is that under it rivers flow; eternal is its fruit as well as its shade. That is the ˹ultimate˺ outcome for

7008-487: The next life has the potential to bring great joy. Bahá'u'lláh likened death to the process of birth. He explains: "The world beyond is as different from this world as this world is different from that of the child while still in the womb of its mother." The analogy to the womb in many ways summarizes the Baháʼí view of earthly existence: just as the womb constitutes an important place for a person's initial physical development,

7104-466: The pact he had made: Madness and syphilis now overcome him, and he suffers a slow and total collapse until his death in 1940. Leverkühn's spiritual, mental, and physical collapse and degradation are mapped on to the period in which Nazism rose in Germany, and Leverkühn's fate is shown as that of the soul of Germany. Stephen Vincent Benét 's short story " The Devil and Daniel Webster " published in 1937

7200-400: The physical world provides for the development of the individual soul . Accordingly, Baháʼís view life as a preparatory stage, where one can develop and perfect those qualities which will be needed in the next life. The key to spiritual progress is to follow the path outlined by the current Manifestation of God , which Baháʼís believe is currently Bahá'u'lláh. Bahá'u'lláh wrote, "Know thou, of

7296-491: The possibility of a heaven on Earth in a world to come . Another belief is in an axis mundi or world tree which connects the heavens, the terrestrial world, and the underworld. In Indian religions , heaven is considered as Svargaloka , and the soul is again subjected to rebirth in different living forms according to its karma . This cycle can be broken after a soul achieves Moksha or Nirvana . Any place of existence, either of humans, souls or deities, outside

7392-577: The presence of God by the intercession of the "Virgin, Mother, Queen, ... Goddess kind forever ... Eternal Womanhood". The woman is thus victorious over Mephistopheles, who had insisted at Faust's death that he would be consigned to "The Eternal Empty". Goethe's Faust is a genuinely classical production, but the idea is a historical idea, and hence every notable historical era will have its own Faust.   — Kierkegaard Thomas Mann 's 1947 Doktor Faustus: Das Leben des deutschen Tonsetzers Adrian Leverkühn, erzählt von einem Freunde adapts

7488-751: The righteous. But the outcome for the disbelievers is the Fire!" Islam rejects the concept of original sin , and Muslims believe that all human beings are born pure. Children automatically go to paradise when they die, regardless of the religion of their parents. Paradise is described primarily in physical terms as a place where every wish is immediately fulfilled when asked. Islamic texts describe immortal life in Jannah as happy, without negative emotions . Those who dwell in Jannah are said to wear costly apparel, partake in exquisite banquets, and recline on couches inlaid with gold or precious stones. Inhabitants will rejoice in

7584-659: The rule of first the Persian Achaemenid Empire , then the Greek kingdoms of the Diadochi , and finally the Roman Empire . Their culture was profoundly influenced by those of the peoples who ruled them. Consequently, their views on existence after death were profoundly shaped by the ideas of the Persians, Greeks, and Romans. The idea of the immortality of the soul is derived from Greek philosophy and

7680-475: The same meaning, but the author of the Gospel of Matthew changed the name "Kingdom of God" to "Kingdom of Heaven" in most instances because it was the more acceptable phrase in his own cultural and religious context in the late first century. Modern scholars agree that the Kingdom of God was an essential part of the teachings of the historical Jesus but there is no agreement on what this kingdom was. None of

7776-488: The same time as its German counterpart, yet it is unclear whether the two tales have a common origin or influenced each other. The historical Johann Georg Faust had studied in Kraków for a time and may have served as the inspiration for the character in the Polish legend. The first known printed source of the legend of Faust is a small chapbook bearing the title Historia von D. Johann Fausten , published in 1587. The book

7872-409: The sands of twenty-four hours having run out, after Faust's having been restored to youth and, helped by his servant Mephisto to steal a beautiful woman from her wedding feast, Faust is tempted so much that he agrees to sign a pact for eternity (which is to say when, in due course, his time runs out). Eventually Faust becomes bored with the pursuit of pleasure and returns home, where he falls in love with

7968-543: The scene in which he subordinates himself to the Devil appears on the north tympanum of the Cathedrale de Notre Dame de Paris . The origin of Faust's name and persona remains unclear. In the Historia Brittonum , Faustus is the offspring of an incestuous marriage between king Vortigern and Vortigern's own daughter. The character is ostensibly based on Johann Georg Faust ( c.  1480–1540 ),

8064-401: The spirits of the earth forgiving Faust (and the rest of mankind) and progresses into allegorical poetry. Faust and his Devil pass through and manipulate the world of politics and the world of the classical gods , and meet with Helen of Troy (the personification of beauty). Finally, in anticipation of having tamed the forces of war and nature and created a place for a free people to live, Faust

8160-511: The subsequent resurrection. Around 1 CE, the Pharisees believed in an afterlife but the Sadducees did not. The Mishnah has many sayings about the World to Come , for example, "Rabbi Yaakov said: This world is like a lobby before the World to Come; prepare yourself in the lobby so that you may enter the banquet hall." Judaism holds that the righteous of all nations have a share in

8256-413: The tangible world (Heaven, Hell, or other) is referred to as the otherworld . At least in the Abrahamic faiths of Christianity , Islam , and some schools of Judaism , as well as Zoroastrianism , heaven is the realm of afterlife where good actions in the previous life are rewarded for eternity ( hell being the place where bad behavior is punished). The modern English word heaven is derived from

8352-520: The term ends, the Devil carries him off to Hell . The tale of Faust bears many similarities to the Theophilus legend recorded in the 13th century writer Gautier de Coincy 's Les Miracles de la Sainte Vierge . Here, a saintly figure makes a bargain with the keeper of the infernal world but is rescued from paying his debt to society through the mercy of the Blessed Virgin . A depiction of

8448-430: The true essence of life (" was die Welt im Innersten zusammenhält "). Frustrated with learning and the limits to his knowledge, power, and enjoyment of life, he attracts the attention of the Devil (represented by Mephistopheles), who makes a bet with Faust that he will be able to satisfy him. Faust is reluctant, believing this will never happen. This is a significant difference between Goethe's "Faust" and Marlowe's; Faust

8544-406: The will of God, his or her tastes become attuned to enjoying spiritual pleasures as opposed to carnal desires. With this, an "embryonic soul" begins to take shape. Different tastes are said to be born in which a person given to carnal passions finds no enjoyment. For example, sacrifice of one's own rights over that of other's becomes enjoyable, or that forgiveness becomes second nature. In such a state

8640-498: The work of inaugurating the Kingdom of God and that his followers who wrote everything down expressed their belief he had done so, using first-century Jewish idioms, and that such events "did with evil and launch the project of new creation". In the teachings of the historical Jesus, people are expected to prepare for the coming of the Kingdom of God by living moral lives. Jesus's commands for his followers to adopt lifestyles of moral perfectionism are found in many passages throughout

8736-608: Was believed to be superior to any human kingdom, this meant that God would necessarily drive out the Romans, who ruled Judea, and establish his own direct rule over the Jewish people. This belief is referenced in the first petition of the Lord's Prayer , taught by Jesus to his disciples and recorded in Matthew and Luke 11:2: "Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven." Other scholars contend that Jesus' teaching of

8832-481: Was himself overthrown by his son, Kumarbi . Almost nothing is known of Bronze Age (pre-1200 BC) Canaanite views of heaven and the archaeological findings at Ugarit (destroyed c. 1200 BC) have not provided information. The first century Greek author Philo of Byblos may have preserved elements of Iron Age Phoenician religion in his Sanchuniathon . Zoroaster, the Zoroastrian prophet who introduced

8928-463: Was published, The Historie of the Damnable Life, and Deserved Death of Doctor Iohn Faustus credited to a certain "P. F., Gent[leman]". Christopher Marlowe used this work as the basis for his more ambitious play, The Tragical History of Doctor Faustus (published c.  1604 ). Marlowe also borrowed from John Foxe 's Book of Martyrs , on the exchanges between Pope Adrian VI and

9024-491: Was re-edited and borrowed from throughout the 16th century. Other similar books of that period include: The 1725 Faust chapbook was widely circulated and also read by the young Goethe. Related tales about a pact between man and the Devil include the plays Mariken van Nieumeghen (Dutch, early 16th century, author unknown), Cenodoxus (German, early 17th century, by Jacob Bidermann ) and The Countess Cathleen (Irish legend of unknown origin believed by some to be taken from

9120-671: Was the abode of the Igigi . The highest and outermost dome of heaven was made of luludānītu stone and was personified as An , the god of the sky. The celestial bodies were equated with specific deities as well. The planet Venus was believed to be Inanna , the goddess of sex and war. The Sun was her brother Utu , the god of justice, and the Moon was their father Nanna . In ancient Near Eastern cultures in general and in Mesopotamia in particular, humans had little to no access to

9216-527: Was widely thought to have been built and established by Enlil himself. The ancient Hittites believed that some deities lived in Heaven while others lived in remote places on Earth, such as mountains, where humans had little access. In the Middle Hittite myths, Heaven is the abode of the gods. In the Song of Kumarbi , Alalu was king in Heaven for nine years before giving birth to his son, Anu . Anu

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