This book plagued me for years. I tried to read it almost 4 years ago and never finished it. But, it's important for my thesis so I revisited it. I was initially turned off because I thought the authors misrepresented both Jesus and Paul. I was frustrated to say the least. And I wondered, "If they have done so poorly at the outset, can I trust them to handle subsequent history?" I soldiered on. And I'm glad I did. The book turned out to be very informative (although dry on occasion). The book details the changes that took place throughout history regarding the conception of heaven in the traditions of Judaism and Christianity. As such, one becomes familiar with the history of the world as well as the history of philosophy and western thought. Overall there have been two dominant conceptions of heaven (though one is always slightly colored by the other). One is Theocentric. God is the sole focus and his worship is the sole occupation of the saints. The material is down played and sometimes all together nonexistent, giving way to what is "spiritual." The other is Anthropocentric. Here heaven is material, coterminous with the New Heaven and the New Earth, and glorified humanity is organized into a holy society. Any division between what is secular and sacred is undone. All of their occupation in art, politics, education, craftsmanship, etc. becomes worship to the God who reigns. Of these two conceptions I tend toward the latter, though the book avoids making any such judgment about which is "right." The book makes two further things very clear: 1. The church is not unaffected by the surrounding culture or the philosophy of the age. 2. There is a connection between one's conception of heaven and one's behavior. We "live into" our vision of the future.  Ethics and Eschatology are linked. Overall the book was very helpful and informative. If one is willing to do the work, and has interest in the topic, this book would be beneficial.