COUNTERINTUITIVENESS OF HELL AND PARADISE IN THE APOCALYPSES OF PAUL AND PETER

Counterintuitiveness has been found to be a crucially important property of successful religious concepts. Several studies confirm that it enhances memorability of concepts as well as whole narratives such as folktales. In this article, the role of counterintuitiveness in the Apocalypse of Paul and the Apocalypse of Peter, both of which have strongly influenced Christian views of hell and paradise, will be analysed. The results suggest that minimal counterintuitiveness plays a key role in making these apocalypses culturally successful.