Weird History

Popular Beliefs About Hell That Aren't In The Bible (2023x145)

: 16, 2023

From the intricate paintings of Hieronymous Bosch to the excessive pulp of movies like Constantine, hell has been depicted in dozens of different ways. However, its most common elements - hellfire, souls screaming in torment, and gruesome demons - cannot be found in the Bible. Similar to how our beliefs about angels formed, today, the imagery of "hell" is the result of hundreds of years of art, theology, and imagination. The Greeks believed in a punishing afterworld called Tartarus, and Christian artists and writers borrowed heavily from its complex mythological structure.