Eternal Mysteries Beyond the Grave: Orthodox Teachings on the Existence of God, the Immortality of the Soul, and Life Beyond the Grave

Publication Data: Jordanville, NY: Holy Trinity Publications, 2012
Format: softcover
Number of pages: xii + 353
Dimensions (l × w × h): 22.8 cm × 15.3 cm × 2.4 cm
ISBN: 978‒0‒88465‒212‒0

   
Archimandrite Panteleimon

“[...I]f man will, to the best of his ability, come to know his rational, spiritual, free, immortal soul, he will reverently and joyfully note that this very soul serves as proof not only of his extraordinary nature, immeasurably higher than that of any other creature on earth, but also of the existence of a spiritual moral order, the Head of which is God, that Supreme Being, spiritual, all-wise, all-good, free, personal, and omnipotent, Who has created the whole world, both spiritual and material, and has prepared an existence beyond the grave for the deathless soul of man, preordained to eternal blessedness after physical death.”
—“PREFACE”

CONTENTS

Preface
Introduction to the Second Edition
Part I: BELIEF IN GOD AND THE EXISTENCE OF AN AFTERLIFE
1. Orthodox Teachings on the Existence of God
2. The Mystery of the Holy Trinity
3. The Immortality of Our Soul
4. The Origin of Death
5. The Actual Existence of the Devil
6. The Fallen Angels
7. St Anthony’s Struggles Against the Devils
8. What Is Death?
9. What Is the Soul, and What Is Its Origin?
10. How Significant for Our Lives Is Belief in Immortality?
Part II: TEACHING ON THE AFTERLIFE, HEAVEN, AND HELL
11. Proofs of Immortality
12. The Particular Judgment
13. Church Teaching on the Trials of the Departed
14. The Mystery of Death
15. Teaching from the Holy Fathers on the Journey After Death
16. The Mysteries of Life Beyond Death
17. A General View on the Immortality of the Soul and on Life Beyond the Grave
18. The Life of Departed Souls Before the Universal Judgment
Part III: TALES FROM BEYOND THE GRAVE
19. The Journey Beyond Death as Revealed to Gregory, a Disciple of St Basil the New
20. Testimony of the Departed About the Immortality of the Soul and the Afterlife
21. The Deaths of the Christian Boys
22. Two Visions of the Heavenly Kingdom
23. Two Marvelous Occurrences
24. The Miraculous Dream of the Novice Thecla
25. The Clairvoyant Girl
26. The Experience of a Certain Ascetic
27. An Ancient Tale
28. The Soldier Taxiotes
29. The Tale of Gabriel Ivanovich Gonchar
30. A Tale from the Holy Mountain
31. The Suffering Paralytic
Part IV: PRAYING FOR THOSE IN ETERNITY
32. How Important It Is to Remember the Dead
33. The Departed Request the Living to Pray for Them and Are Grateful
34. The Departed Appear to Their Relatives and Friends to Tell Them of Their Death
35. The Departed Take an Interest in the Survivors
36. More Accounts of Appearances of the Departed
Part V: PREPARING OURSELVES FOR DEATH
37. A Moral Conclusion to Be Drawn from the Previous Accounts
38. What the Holy Scripture and the Fathers of the Church Teach About the Location of Paradise
39. What the Holy Scripture and the Fathers of the Church Tell Us About the Location of Hell
40. The Future Punishment of Sinners
41. An Answer to the Eternal Questions: Shall We Live After Death? An Attack on Atheism and the Doctrine That Death Is Final
Part VI: FINAL WORDS ON IMMORTALITY
42. More About Proofs of Man’s Immortality and of the Preservation of His Own Identity After Death
43. After His Death, Man Preserves His Identity and Leads a Fully Spiritual Life
Part VII: COMMENTS ON CHRISTIANITY, ENDTIMES, STRUGGLES, AND REWARDS
44. On the Holiness of the Christian Religion
45. A Last Word on the Divine Origin of the Christian Religion
46. The End of the World, the Resurrection of the Dead, and the Last Judgment
47. The Blessed Condition of the Righteous in the Future Life
48. About the Eternal Blessedness of the Saints
Part VIII: CONCLUSION
49. A Defense of Christian Faith Against Disbelief
50. Final Exhortation—Stand Firm
Appendix 1: A Prayer for Mercy
Appendix 2: A Short Biography of Archimandrite Panteleimon
Subject Index
Scripture Index