the history of hell.
Would is surprise you to learn that the word HELL as a place of torment and punishment, did not start showing up in writings until 100's of years after Christ!! 🤯 Prior to that, the word only existed in Norse mythology (Hel is the daughter of Loki, who ruled the underworld). I don't know about you, but to me, this means we need to seriously rethink what we've been taught about Hell.
The concept of a place of doom and punishment for souls can be traced back to ancient Egypt.
first known use of the word seen in it's various forms - Hell, Hel, Hellia - was in Norse ancient religious beliefs, now known as Norse Mythology. Hel was the name of Loki's daughter who rules over the [evil] dead in the lowest underground realm, of the same name. (Sorry folks, Marvel mislead us - "Hela" is not actually Thor & Loki's evil sister). Where Sheol & Hades simply refer to the realm of the unalive, the Norse Hel was reserved for the baddest bad guys. This is a significant difference. In the Hebrew, there was ONE place where ALL the dead went. The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly. They all went to Sheol. To Abraham's Bosom. (We talk about that in the Lazarus & the Rich Man parable). Hel is Norse Mythology was an afterlife prison for the worst offenders, but the Hebrews did not differentiate where their dead went. ALL went to Sheol to rest.
Let's get back to the history of the word... It wasn't until the 1200's that the Icelanders began to write their sagas, which had all been oral tradition and stories told generation after generation about their ancient gods, heros and villains. This is where the reading world learns of Hel - the person and the place. However, the first time period we see the word Hell in writings not related to Norse Mythology, is in 725AD.
Used figuratively for "state of misery, any bad experience" at least since late 14c. As an expression of disgust, etc., first recorded 1670s.
To have hell break loose is from c. 1600. Expression hell in a handbasket is attested by 1867, in a context implying use from a few years before, and the notion of going to Heaven in a handbasket is from 1853, implying "easy passage" to the destination. Hell or high water (1874) apparently is a variation of between the devil and the deep blue sea. To wish someone would go to hell is in Shakespeare ("Merchant of Venice"). Snowball's chance in hell "no chance" is from 1931; till hell freezes over "never" is from 1832.
To do something for the hell of it "just for fun" is from 1921.
There were 2 main factions in the Jewish 1st century culture. Pharisees and Sadducees. (You may have also heard of the Essenes, but this was a counter culture movement that withdrew itself out of frustration with the Pharisee & Sadducees.) According to the Jewish Virtual Library, these two factions had very different afterlife beliefs. The Sadducees did not believe in the eternal soul or the afterlife, because there is no mention of it in the Torah. If the Torah didn't say it, they didn't believe it. The Pharisees believed that an afterlife existed, and that there would be rewards and punishments based on your actions in this life. They believed that all souls would go to the 'resting place' (Sheol/Hades) to await resurrection and judgment. They did not believe that you went immediately to your eternal destination, as Christians today do. Ok so those were the 2 most common school of thought an the afterlife in 1st century Jewish culture - BUT throughout the
https://www.tentmaker.org/books/prevailing/upd3.html
See you on the next Quest!
~Tracy
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