Hell
Introduction
Without a doubt the worst possible post-mortem destination, hell offers everything that heaven lacks. Heat more extreme than any place on Earth, rivers of fire and lava, a guy with horns and a tail leaping around in a red jumpsuit... Why wouldn't you want to go? Oh, right, the eternity of pain and suffering. Believe it or not, though, hell's original definition wasn't a one-way destination filled with torture and endless pain. No, really. The original concept of hell has been lost over time, thanks to the somewhat vindictive nature of humans, as well as a handy-dandy little religious text known as The Apocalypse of Peter.
Without a doubt the worst possible post-mortem destination, hell offers everything that heaven lacks. Heat more extreme than any place on Earth, rivers of fire and lava, a guy with horns and a tail leaping around in a red jumpsuit... Why wouldn't you want to go? Oh, right, the eternity of pain and suffering. Believe it or not, though, hell's original definition wasn't a one-way destination filled with torture and endless pain. No, really. The original concept of hell has been lost over time, thanks to the somewhat vindictive nature of humans, as well as a handy-dandy little religious text known as The Apocalypse of Peter.
Hell, Geena, or Gehenna?
Although hell is a widely believed concept by Christians, the fact of the matter is, hell is rarely if ever mentioned by name in the Bible. Jesus mostly talked about two places: heaven and geenna (or gehenna). (11) Heaven was for the righteous and good, while gehenna was for those who had committed mortal sins.
Gehenna was said to resemble the Valley of Hinnom, a stretch of land near the southern border of ancient Jerusalem. This was no vacation spot, people. The valley was filled with the bodies of children used in sacrificial rituals for a pagan god known as Moloch, and the remains of executed criminals were dumped there, too. And as if that wasn't enough, it also became a garbage dump. (12)
People maintained fires in the valley to burn the garbage and bodies, trying to prevent the spread of disease. They came up with the idea of using sulfur in the fires to prolong the burning. (11) The combined stench of garbage, sulfur, and burning flesh was nightmarish, and undoubtedly the sight was no better; it's no wonder Jesus used it as an example of hell.
At the time, it was considered that the cruelest fate imaginable was to be forever denied entrance to heaven. Because of this, the punishment for sinning was not eternal torture in gehenna, but instead the complete destruction of the soul and body. The body would be destroyed in an everlasting fire- similar to those in Hinnom- and the soul would be consumed by undying worms, so that the person could never enter heaven. (11)
Although hell is a widely believed concept by Christians, the fact of the matter is, hell is rarely if ever mentioned by name in the Bible. Jesus mostly talked about two places: heaven and geenna (or gehenna). (11) Heaven was for the righteous and good, while gehenna was for those who had committed mortal sins.
Gehenna was said to resemble the Valley of Hinnom, a stretch of land near the southern border of ancient Jerusalem. This was no vacation spot, people. The valley was filled with the bodies of children used in sacrificial rituals for a pagan god known as Moloch, and the remains of executed criminals were dumped there, too. And as if that wasn't enough, it also became a garbage dump. (12)
People maintained fires in the valley to burn the garbage and bodies, trying to prevent the spread of disease. They came up with the idea of using sulfur in the fires to prolong the burning. (11) The combined stench of garbage, sulfur, and burning flesh was nightmarish, and undoubtedly the sight was no better; it's no wonder Jesus used it as an example of hell.
At the time, it was considered that the cruelest fate imaginable was to be forever denied entrance to heaven. Because of this, the punishment for sinning was not eternal torture in gehenna, but instead the complete destruction of the soul and body. The body would be destroyed in an everlasting fire- similar to those in Hinnom- and the soul would be consumed by undying worms, so that the person could never enter heaven. (11)
The Apocalypse of Peter
In the 2nd century, an important religious text was written, known as The Apocalypse of Peter. The book described a vision sent to a popular disciple of Jesus- Peter- presenting images of both heaven and hell to Peter. (11) This book is what really got people thinking about hell.
As said above, hell used to simply be a place where the soul and body were destroyed permanently, which was believed to be the ultimate horror at the time. But alas, the times were a'changing, and the idea of "two-limbs-and-several-internal-organs for an eye" was gaining popularity.
The Apocalypse of Peter posed the idea of an afterlife in which mortal sinners suffered, badly. People's mindsets had changed, and the idea of being tortured for sinning was, to some people, reasonable and appealing. Very appealing.
In the 2nd century, an important religious text was written, known as The Apocalypse of Peter. The book described a vision sent to a popular disciple of Jesus- Peter- presenting images of both heaven and hell to Peter. (11) This book is what really got people thinking about hell.
As said above, hell used to simply be a place where the soul and body were destroyed permanently, which was believed to be the ultimate horror at the time. But alas, the times were a'changing, and the idea of "two-limbs-and-several-internal-organs for an eye" was gaining popularity.
The Apocalypse of Peter posed the idea of an afterlife in which mortal sinners suffered, badly. People's mindsets had changed, and the idea of being tortured for sinning was, to some people, reasonable and appealing. Very appealing.
The punishments that were thought up weren't tame. The Apocalypse of Peter spoke of how the residents of hell are brutally tortured, often with punishments fitting with their crimes in life (though sometimes the connections are pretty vague). (11)
People are suspended by their tongues, hair, necks, and other sensitive body parts. They are thrown into pits filled with venomous beasts or feces. Devils force them to jump off of cliffs over and over. Their eyes are pierced with who-knows-what, and their tongues and lips are chewed off. (11)
There's an infinite number of creative punishments that can be dealt out in this new hell. And to top it all off, the ideas of undying worms and fire from Gehenna are turned into weapons of sadistic torture, burying their original purpose of simple destruction of the body and soul. (11)
Many passages of The Apocalypse of Peter were liked enough that there was a huge demand for the text to be incorporated into the Bible. Luckily, it was rejected as an apocalypse theory, but it still had a lasting impact on Christianity. Hell had taken on a new meaning for most people and reflected the new mentality of humans; eternal destruction isn't nearly as bad as eternal torture.
People are suspended by their tongues, hair, necks, and other sensitive body parts. They are thrown into pits filled with venomous beasts or feces. Devils force them to jump off of cliffs over and over. Their eyes are pierced with who-knows-what, and their tongues and lips are chewed off. (11)
There's an infinite number of creative punishments that can be dealt out in this new hell. And to top it all off, the ideas of undying worms and fire from Gehenna are turned into weapons of sadistic torture, burying their original purpose of simple destruction of the body and soul. (11)
Many passages of The Apocalypse of Peter were liked enough that there was a huge demand for the text to be incorporated into the Bible. Luckily, it was rejected as an apocalypse theory, but it still had a lasting impact on Christianity. Hell had taken on a new meaning for most people and reflected the new mentality of humans; eternal destruction isn't nearly as bad as eternal torture.