Where did the story of h**l originate?

Question

Where did the term h**l come from. And I don't think its the bible. Where in history is h**l mentioned for the first time?

Answer 1

i'm also fascinated in finding out,  

Answer 2

Deuteronomy 32:22

For a fire is kindled in My anger,And shall burn to the lowest h**l; It shall consume the earth with her increase, And set on fire the foundations of the mountains.

before that there was

The Underworld

The underworld is hidden in the earth. It is the kingdom of the dead and ruled over by Hades. Hades is a greedy god who is greatly concerned with increasing his subjects. Those whose calling increase the number of dead are seen favorably. The Erinnyes are welcomed guests. He is exceedingly disinclined to allow any of his subjects leave.

Answer 3

Logan has it pretty much correct. The notion of punishment being applied to the underworld of the dead was originated as part of the early Christian agenda to co-opt the pagan faiths of Greece, Rome, Gaul, etc.

Polytheistic faiths had concepts of punishment handed down by deity figures, but it was always up to individual deities to mete out the punishment. Only with monotheism, and especially Christianity, do we see the need for a single punisher figure to counterbalance the single loving/nurturing/leading/creating figure of the godhead.

Answer 4

Differring origins. Hades is simply the afterlife in ancient greek legend, Helle was a norse death goddess. The `place of weeping and gnashing of teeth` from the bible was the rubbish pits were fires were fed incessantly by the rubbish and occasional criminal thrown into them. hygenic eh.  

Answer 5

I would say from before the bible was penned.  Also, I would take what wikipedia says with a huge grain of salt.  I have found it to be inaccurate on numerous occasions, as anyone can change the facts posted on the website to something preposterous (Like the moon is made of cheddar cheese)  Take care, as my school doesn't even recognize it as a valid source and refuses to accept information from wikipedia on bibliographies and in papers.

Answer 6

The threat of eternal torture if you don't be a 'good' little boy or girl and give wealth and power to those that preach that you will be sentenced to eternal torture if you don't give them wealth and power has been in existence since people first realized that they can manipulate the small minded through stories.

If you tell someone that "god" spoke to you and said that you need to give everything to the power structure set up by said god often enough and give them dramatic enough details of the horrors they will endure if they don't it is VERY easy to make the stupid follow your will...

Most religions after the downfall of the earth goddess of the Neanderthals and first homosapiens have included great doom and gloom if you don't do as those in power tell you to do.

Mesopotamia had hallucinations of 'h**l'... Asian cultures had hallucinations of 'h**l'... If you have a group of people that have access to mind altering substances, you end up with a vision of h**l...

Just look at the drug trip that led to the book of Revelation?

It is so full of sh*t that it even has Jesus saying that he is Satan! "I am the root and offspring of David, and the bright and morning star." (Revelation 22:16)

Well... It isn't just revelation that says it... It is spattered all throughout the new testament but most prominent in the total nonsense that is Revelation.  

Just look at your peers in high school... At least ONE person you knew had a bad trip where they freaked... In times when EVERYTHING was seen as a sign from 'god'... How can you be surprised that it can change from "WOW! I had a bad trip last night!" to "GOD HAS SHOWN ME THE ETERNAL TORMENT!"

Nonsense... Pure and utter nonsense!

Answer 7

Bible is where I learned about it.  xox  

Answer 8

you can find best answer to that question is on this page http://www.dpjs.co.uk/h**l.html

Answer 9

h**l is in the bible and all h**l really means is a hole in the ground.... Then the Catholic Church brought out its version of what h**l means.. And that h**l is a terrible place to be..........................

Answer 10

The modern English word h**l is derived from Old English hel, helle (about 725 AD to refer to a nether world of the dead) reaching into the Anglo-Saxon pagan period, and ultimately from Proto-Germanic *halja, meaning "one who covers up or hides something".[3] The word has cognates in related Germanic languages such as Old Frisian helle, hille, Old Saxon hellja, Middle Dutch helle (modern Dutch hel), Old High German helle (Modern German Hölle), and Gothic halja.[3] Subsequently, the word was used to transfer a pagan concept to Christian theology and its vocabulary.[3]

Answer 11

Hades is the Underworld of the dead and not a place where souls are sent for punishment, so linking it up to that is something of a misconception. Yet there are sections of Hades which are reserved for certain bad people. There is also a notion of a holding place for certain bad souls in almost every ancient culture.

Answer 12

idk. i was wondering that same question. In the bible it is referred to as darkness, not h**l. And it also says nothing about fire or burning. but it does talk about gnashing of teeth. As far as "h**l", I don't know where that story came from

Answer 13

The Bible..believe me...it actually says "h**l" in the Bible...I think....

Answer 14

i don't know of the 'term' h**l, but the concept of h**l has a parallel in Indian Hindu mythology- narak, literally, h**l.  Narak is sometimes also refered to 'pathal', or the underworld. Pathal is one of the three worlds that, hinduism believes, exists (huge references in documented mythology). The other two being our transient world, 'bhoomi' (roughly land) and swarg- heaven.

if you want to call this history, Hinduism is such an ancient religion, its inception does not even have a date to it. Yama/Yamraj, the King of the underworld was believed to be the custodian of afterlife that did not have the previledge of gaining a place in swarg-heaven.

somehow, i wouldn't be too sure of finding a ref. in 'history'. this is a very religious concept and your best chance, i suspect, would be through pages of mythology or documented religious beliefs.

Answer 15

It is in the bible. The field outside Meggido was used as a dump- for all refuse organic and otherwise. This dump was constantly burning from the heat generated by the refuse. Those who did not prepare for their deaths by obtaining a tomb, or whatever, were destined to be dumped into the field- ergo; would 'burn in hel', the name for the field, 'forever'.  

Answer 16

In Middle English verb "to h**l" does not mean "to cook" it means "to bury" In turn, h**l comes from the Old English word "helan" that means to "conceal" or to hide."

Likewise, h**l in the Bible is likened to sleep, not torture.

Job (in Job 14:13) prayed to be hidden in h**l until God would resurrect him.

This is because, in the Old Testament, the Hebrew word "sheol" (generally translated "h**l") is described as an unconscious sleep-like state:

These Bible verses support this.

Job 14:10-13

Psalm 6:5

Psalm 13:3

Psalm 115:17

Psalm 146:4

Ecclesiastes 3:19,20

Ecclesiastes 9:5-10

Isaiah 38:17-19

Daniel 13:13

In the New Testament the Greek word "hades" (also generally translated "h**l") is also described as an unconscious sleep-like state:

John 11:11-14

Acts 2:29

Acts 2:34

Acts 7:60

Acts 13:36

1 Corinthians 7:39 [Greek]

1 Corinthians 15:6

1 Corinthians 15:51

1 Thessalonians 4:13-14

Moreover, the idea of torment in the New Testament is the result of people being unfamiliarity with the Old Testament.

For example where Jesus describes "Gehenna" (generally translated "hellfire") at Mark 9:47-48, both his original audience and the early readers of the New Testament would have recognized the reference Jesus was making.

They were familiar with this quote from the last verse in Isaiah. They knew what it talked about; not people being tormented; but rather about dead carcasses being consumed by fires.