Heaven

== Ancient Near East ==
{{See also|Category:Conceptions of heaven|Religions of the ancient Near East}}

=== Mesopotamia ===
[[File:Ruins from a temple in Naffur.jpg|thumb|Ruins of the [[Ekur]] temple in [[Nippur]], believed by the ancient Mesopotamians to be the "Dur-an-ki", the "mooring rope" of heaven and earth{{sfn|Hundley|2015|page=452}}{{sfn|Black|Green|1992|page=74}}]]
{{Main|Ancient Mesopotamian religion}}

The ancient Mesopotamians regarded the sky as a series of domes (usually three, but sometimes seven) covering the [[flat Earth]].{{sfn|Nemet-Nejat|1998|page=180}} Each dome was made of a different kind of precious stone.{{sfn|Nemet-Nejat|1998|page=203}} The lowest dome of heaven was made of [[jasper]] and was the home of the [[star]]s.{{sfn|Lambert|2016|page=118}}{{sfn|Hundley|2015|page=451}} The middle dome of heaven was made of ''saggilmut'' stone and was the abode of the [[Igigi]].{{sfn|Lambert|2016|page=118}}{{sfn|Hundley|2015|page=451}} The highest and outermost dome of heaven was made of ''luludānītu'' stone and was personified as [[Anu|An]], the god of the sky.{{sfn|Stephens|2013}}{{sfn|Lambert|2016|page=118}}{{sfn|Hundley|2015|page=451}} The [[Astronomical object|celestial bodies]] were equated with specific deities as well.{{sfn|Nemet-Nejat|1998|page=203}} The planet [[Venus]] was believed to be [[Inanna]], the goddess of sex and war.{{sfn|Black|Green|1992|pages=108–109}}{{sfn|Nemet-Nejat|1998|page=203}} The [[Sun]] was her brother [[Utu]], the god of justice, and the [[Moon]] was their father [[Sin (mythology)|Nanna]].{{sfn|Nemet-Nejat|1998|page=203}}

In ancient Near Eastern cultures in general and in Mesopotamia in particular, humans had little to no access to the divine realm.{{sfn|Hundley|2015|pages=451–452}}{{sfn|Wright|2000|page=29}} Heaven and Earth were separated by their very nature;{{sfn|Hundley|2015|page=451}} humans could see and be affected by elements of the lower heaven, such as stars and storms,{{sfn|Hundley|2015|page=451}} but ordinary mortals could not go to Heaven because it was the abode of the gods alone.{{sfn|Wright|2000|page=29}}{{sfn|Lange|Tov|Weigold|2011|page=808}}{{sfn|Hundley|2015|page=451}} In the ''[[Epic of Gilgamesh]]'', [[Gilgamesh]] says to [[Enkidu]], "Who can go up to heaven, my friend? Only the gods dwell with Shamash forever."{{sfn|Lange|Tov|Weigold|2011|page=808}} Instead, after 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.{{sfn|Wright|2000|page=29}}{{sfn|Choksi|2014}}

All souls went to the same afterlife,{{sfn|Wright|2000|page=29}}{{sfn|Choksi|2014}} and a person's actions during life had no impact on how he would be treated in the world to come.{{sfn|Wright|2000|page=29}}{{sfn|Choksi|2014}} Nonetheless, funerary evidence indicates that some people believed that Inanna had the power to bestow special favors upon her devotees in the afterlife.{{sfn|Choksi|2014}}{{sfn|Barret|2007|pages=7–65}} Despite the separation between heaven and earth, humans sought access to the gods through [[oracle]]s and [[omen]]s.{{sfn|Hundley|2015|page=452}} The gods were believed to live in Heaven,{{sfn|Hundley|2015|page=452}}{{sfn|Black|Green|1992|page=94}} but also in their temples, which were seen as the channels of communication between Earth and Heaven, which allowed mortal access to the gods.{{sfn|Hundley|2015|page=452}}{{sfn|Black|Green|1992|page=174}} The [[Ekur]] temple in [[Nippur]] was known as the "Dur-an-ki", the "mooring rope" of heaven and earth.{{sfn|Black|Green|1992|pages=53, 74}} It was widely thought to have been built and established by [[Enlil]] himself.{{sfn|Black|Green|1992|page=74}}

=== Hurrians and Hittites ===
{{Further|Hittite mythology}}
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.{{sfn|Hundley|2015|pages=451–452}} 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 was himself overthrown by his son, [[Kumarbi]].<ref>Harry A. Hoffner, Gary M. Beckman – 1990</ref><!-- In Hittite belief El Elyon was known as Alalu. This divinity is believed to have taken as spouse Beruth (Bereshit, = "the Beginning"), and through entering time in this way his nature split. In some ways he is considered to have housed "[[Heavenly host|the Hosts of sky]]", the divine family of El, known as the [[Elohim]]. In other texts he was seen as descending from time to time to the divine mountain which supported the firmament, which is how the Elohim or Gods came to descend to mortal realms. In this way, the creation by the Elohim was seen as filling the heights. Thus in this way Shamayim comprised the "God Beyond God". Not much is known of his character or personality, as he was superseded and displaced from his authority by his son, El, whose personality fused with El Elyon, and in the Phoenician area Ba'al Hadad [[syncretism|syncretised]] with Shamayim to become known as Ba'al Shamayim ("Lord of heights"), --><ref>Sabatino Moscati Face of the Ancient Orient 2001 Page 174 "The first, called 'Kingship in Heaven', tells how this kingship passes from Alalu to Anu, ... was king in heaven, Alalu was seated on the throne and the mighty Anu, first among the gods,"</ref><ref>Moscatti, Sabatino (1968), "The World of the Phoenicians" (Phoenix Giant)</ref><ref>{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=1EEtmT9Tbj4C&q=review+Sabatino+phoenicians&pg=PP1|title=The Phoenicians|isbn=9781850435334|last1=Moscati|first1=Sabatino|year=2001|publisher=I.B. Tauris }}</ref>

=== Canaanites ===
{{Main|Canaanite religion}}
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]] [[Phoenicia]]n religion in his ''[[Sanchuniathon]]''.<ref>Attridge, Harold. W., and R. A. Oden, Jr. (1981), ''Philo of Byblos: The Phoenician History: Introduction, Critical Text, Translation, Notes'', CBQMS '''9''' (Washington: D. C.: The Catholic Biblical Association of America).</ref>

=== Zoroastrians ===
{{Further|Zoroastrian mythology}}
Zoroaster, the Zoroastrian prophet who introduced the [[Gatha (Zoroaster)|Gathas]], spoke of the existence of Heaven and Hell.<ref>Nigosian, Solomon Alexander (1993), "Zoroastrian Faith: Tradition and Modern Research". McGill-Queen's Press.</ref><ref name="Farhang, Merh 2003">Farhang, Merh (2003) "The Zoroastrian Tradition: An Introduction to the Ancient Wisdom of Zarathushtras". Mazda Publishers.</ref>

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.<ref>Kriwackzek, Paul (2002), "In Search of Zarathustra". Vintage Books.</ref><ref name="Farhang, Merh 2003"/>