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Revelation is indeed dependent upon the conditions prevalent in the period of history in which it appears. Revealed truths are clothed in a mantle suitable to the period concerned. This fact is duly stressed by modern Christian theologians. In Christianity, too, the modern concept which regards heaven and hell as spiritual states was the result of a development approaching our modern understanding of life. As long as heaven and hell were considered to be places-- that is until very recently-- statements concerning them often included traits of primitive mythology. And while the torments of the sinner were painted in vivid colours, allusions made to the spiritual joys bestowed upon the dweller of Paradise were less abundant. A special joy for the saved-- and this could be taken as an objection against the Christian concept of the celestial joys-- is to observe the torments and misery of the damned, heaven's "greatest attraction", as Karl Heinz Deschner sarcastically observes. Tertullian, Cyprian and Lactantius depicted these "joys" in glowing colours and Thomas Aquinas taught: "In order that they better appreciate salvation and that they be more thankful to God for it, the saved ones may watch the punishments suffered by the damned ones." In comparison, the heaven described by the 'Qur'an' can easily by accepted.
(167:1)
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