The Evolution of Hell in the Bible
Spoiler alert: the modern concept of hell—as a place of eternal torture at the hands of a red devil with horns, in which we are sent by God when we die, unless we say the salvation prayer—is NOT in the Bible.
In fact, the word ‘hell’ was only introduced into English Bible translations in the 8th–9th century (from the Anglo-Saxon word ‘hel’ which meant ‘the hidden place’ and referred to the underworld influenced by Norse/Germanic mythology). It was firmly established in Wycliffe’s Bible (1382) and by the King James Version (1611) it was the standard word used for Sheol and Gehenna (more on those later!).
The ancient Israelites did not have a fully developed concept of “hell” as seen in our modern-day Christianity. Their view of the afterlife was much simpler…
Early Israelite View (Sheol):
Sheol was seen as a shadowy, silent place, underground, where all the dead went (righteous and wicked alike). Descriptions in the Bible can be found in Job 10:21-22 (a place of darkness), Psalm 6:5 (where no remembrance or praising of God happens) and Ecclesiastes 9:10 (where there is no work or planning). It was NOT a place of punishment or reward, simply a realm of the dead.
Side note: this is the place Jesus is thought to have visited when he was in the ground for 3 days, to release the captive souls, proclaim victory over sin and death and begin resurrection. See Matthew 12:40, 27:60-66, Acts 2:27 (Psalm 16:10), 1 Peter 3:18-20, and Ephesians 4:9 or Google “The Harrowing of Hell” for some funky art depictions.
Their primary focus was not on where you ended up when you died but on life on earth and obedience to God.
Post Exile (resurrection introduced):
During and after the Babylonian Exile (see the book of Daniel, 6th Century BC), Jewish thinking around the afterlife began to evolve. This was possibly influenced by Persian and Greek ideas at the time. Daniel 12:2 marks the beginning of a division between the righteous and the wicked:
“many who sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, some to everlasting life, others to shame and everlasting contempt.”
Beliefs Begin to Diversify:
Jewish sects, such as the Pharisees and the Sadducees, began to differ in their beliefs with the Pharisees believing in resurrection and judgement, and the Sadducees denying an afterlife.
Other Jewish groups at the time, who authored books not included in our Bible such as Enoch and 2 Maccabees, developed apocalyptic ideas about heaven, hell and judgement.
The word Gehenna emerged as a term associated with eternal punishment (and angels and demons started to play a role in administering post-death justice – eek!).
Gehenna:
This is usually the original word used when our Bibles now say “hell” in the New Testament (sometimes it’s Hades but let’s stay on topic). For example, in Matthew 10:28, Jesus says “Do not fear those who kill the body… fear Him who can destroy both soul and body in Gehenna”.
Gehenna referred to a real location in the Valley of Hinnom, south of Jerusalem, associated with child sacrifice to idols like Molech (see 2 Kings 23:10). But by Jesus’ time, Gehenna had also become symbolic of a place of fiery judgement for the wicked.
Okay, we’ve officially come to the New Testament (and beyond). Now it gets more complicated! We’ve established that Jewish thought had evolved somewhat and diversified with different groups.
Let’s take a deeper look at how “hell” became what we know of it today…
Jesus in the Gospels:
The term “Gehenna” is used by Jesus 11 times in relation to a few different themes:
- moral judgement (people will be judged based on their actions and faith)
- separation from God and exclusion from his presence (Matthew 25:41)
- eternal consequences (with some passages describing it as having eternal fire, total darkness, or weeping and gnashing of teeth).
Please note: these themes were not all necessarily taken as literal by the early Church, with some seeing them as metaphors for spiritual separation or loss, especially due to apparent conflicting themes such as total darkness & cold in comparison to eternal fire.
Paul’s Letters:
These focus more on eternal separation from God, rather than physical torment (see Romans 6:22-23).
Post Bible Literature:
Early church fathers, Origen and Tertullian, began to develop ideas such as universal salvation (eventual redemption for all, even the wicked) and eternal punishment for the unrepentant, respectively.
Our modern view of hell is largely influenced by theologians like Augustine (354 – 430AD) and Thomas Aquinas (1225 – 1274AD) and then later, Dante’s Divine Comedy (composed between 1308 – 1321AD).
Augustine strongly opposed Origen’s ideas of universalism and instead emphasised God’s justice and the idea that the loss of God is truly the greatest torment.
Dante’s views, while they’ve never been considered official church doctrine, have massively impacted modern culture. He was influenced by Augustine and Aquinas, developing a moral order and building on Aquinas’ sin categories (e.g. sin, pride, envy, lust etc.). to shape his ‘circles of Hell’.
The concept of “hell” therefore developed into the idea of being eternally punitive for the unrepentant; it was reserved solely for demons and humans who reject God.
Confused yet? Here’s a helpful chart:
Much debate took place between now and then, with some reformers such as Martin Luther emphasising eternal damnation and others entertaining the possibility of Annihilation (simply ceasing to exist when you die, due to the belief that if you’re not born again into eternal life by the Spirit, this life on earth is all you get) or eventual Restoration (think purgatory).
What should we believe today?
In summary, I believe the Bible doesn’t give one neat doctrine of “Hell” (sorry). I think there are legitimate arguments, whilst all are incomplete and potentially uncomfortable, for these 3 options from the Bible:
- Hell as Eternal Punishment (see Matthew 25:46 & Revelation 20:10)
- Hell as Annihilation (wicked are destroyed permanently, see Matthew 10:28 & Romans 6:23)
- Hell as Restoration (all souls will be eventually redeemed by God’s love, after some undefined period of purification, see 1 Timothy 2:4 and Colossians 1:20)
Note: Christian history shows multiple interpretations even within the above 3 views; for instance the Eastern Orthodox church believe that, for the unrepentant, the presence of God’s love would be torment.
What’s the point then?
You might be panicking right about now, especially in regards to how to tell people the good news, if you’re of the Billy Graham era and this article has caused you to become unsure of what hell really is. Let’s remember that hell isn’t a weapon to utilise to scare people into the Kingdom of God.
Let’s keep the main thing the main thing… The point is: why would anyone want to live life separate from God’s love, regardless of what happens when we die? The good news isn’t just about pie in the sky when you die, it’s also about steak on your plate while you wait. It’s the good news of Christ in us, the hope of glory. It’s a life of loving transformation by his Spirit to become more Christ-like.
If this article has made you uncomfortable (sorry, not sorry!), it’s a complex topic that has challenged thinkers for millennia, so you’re not alone! Please use the box below for any corrections, queries or comments you may have, I’d love to hear your thoughts…
Want more? I recommend reading the Counterpoint series published by Zondervan titled ‘Four Views on Hell’.
Got your own topic you want to discuss? Let me know below.
Thank you. Love this!
Thank you Caseyruth, we are glad you found it helpful 🙂
This is a good read! Thank you for enlightening me.