Is There Historical Evidence of Near-Death Experiences or do We Merely See What We Want to See?

Abstract

The beginning of the 16th century was a time of many problems in Europe: pestilence, the early stages of a period of climate change which we call today the Little Ice Age, and hostile armies threatening Europe from all sides. It is no surprise therefore that many people already feared the approaching apocalypse, and it is perhaps no coincidence that this period has produced some of the strangest and most mysterious paintings. One of these, which is attributed to the painter Hieronymus Bosch (born around 1450 in ’s-Hertogenbosch and died in 1516, ibid.) by many but not all art historians, is still a subject of fascination today. Not only does it depict fabulous creatures, but it also deals with one of the most important issues for human beings: the question of life after death.