Hell As We Know It Might Have Been Based On A Real-Life Place On Earth

Before modern Jerusalem formed around Gehenna, the valley became holy through bloodshed.From King Solomon's reign in the 10th century to the Babylonian Exile in the 6th century, the site served as a place of sacrifice.The site was a place of sacrifice from King Solomon in the 10th century to the Babylonian Exile in the 6th century.

Children became the chosen subjects of the sacrifices at Gehenna, leaving traces that remain today. People said the kids dangled from ropes above an open flame before a statue of the deity.The chosen subjects of the sacrifices at Gehenna left traces visible today.The sacrifices at Gehenna honored the Canaanite god Molech. Traces of these sacrifices remain visible. People said the kids dangled from ropes above an open flame before a statue of the deity.The kids dangled from ropes.The kids dangled from ropes above an open flame before a statue of the deity.

Some interpret the area differently; it was not human sacrifice.The site served as a crematorium.It was not human sacrifice.

Some Bible translations handle the word differently. The original Hebrew and Greek do not use the word "hell."The original Hebrew and Greek never use the term "hell."The original Hebrew and Greek never use the term "hell."1200 CE saw the word appear.The word entered the Bible then. Early translations do not translate "hell" like modern ones do. The Old Testament features Sheol, a place for quiet soul contemplation after death. The New Testament shows Hades, Tartarus, and Gehenna.

The original Greek makes Gehenna a place where wicked souls are eliminated, not sealed in eternal torment.

Gehenna has long been linked to fire.Matthew 5:22 mentions Gehenna.Most translations use "hellfire" for punishment. However, the word was "Gehenna" long before that.

Gehenna's link to fire may come from the sacrifices.The sacrifices took place in the valley.The fires might come from the toxic burn piles kept alive by Jerusalem. These fires caused the destruction of the wicked, and Gehenna was their home.

The idea of hell as a sin punishment may not come from Abrahamic faiths. The Hebrew word "Sheol" in the Old Testament refers to...The Hebrew word "Sheol" is used most often to refer to the afterlife.Sheol is the afterlife. All souls go there, no matter the sin.

This might be the Abrahamic afterlife vision that lasted, barring the Babylonian Exile of 587 BCE. During that time, people from Judah were captured in Babylon, where Jewish ideas mixed with Zoroastrianism.

Zoroastrians believed in an underworld.This underworld was ruled by the Lord of Lies.This system involves judging a person's actions to decide entry into a divine paradise. By the 2nd century BCE, a Jewish school adopted ideas of judgment and separate afterlives.

After serving as a sacrificial ground, Jerusalem's people found ways to lessen Gehenna's bad reputation—partly by discouraging further sacrifices.The people found ways to lessen Gehenna's bad reputation—partly by discouraging further sacrifices.The city also began using the valley as a dumping ground for refuse, partly out of necessity.

The dump maintained.The dump maintained constant burn piles.People manage the trash growing in Gehenna. The sulfurous soil in the valley gave off a strong brimstone smell, a signature of hell imagery. The valley gained a reputation as dirty because sewage and garbage caused health problems for visitors.The sewage and garbage caused health problems for those who visited.Visitors faced health problems.

Christianity, including the Gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and James, describes Gehenna as a place of eternal torment.Gehenna is a place of eternal torment.That is not true for every Abrahamic religion. Judaism follows the Torah, which contains the Christian Old Testament and the Talmud. The Talmud collects Jewish law, history, and myth. It describes Gehenna as a place of torment. The Talmud's rule says all but the most pious and the most sinful spend time in Gehenna.People spend time in Gehenna to be purified.After cleansing, the soul may go to paradise.

The Monastery of St. Onuphrius sits on a cliff above Gehenna and holds many legends. One legend claims Judas Iscariot used the 30 silver pieces he received for betraying Christ to buy the land.Judas Iscariot bought the land.The Monastery sits on this land. Legends also say Judas ended his life there.

We cannot know if the stories are true. We know the building is close to Gehenna because its sewage pipes filtered into the valley for decades.Sewage pipes filtered into the valley for decades..

Judaic law stresses proper burial. Early Jewish society had strict rules about who got a proper burial. Those deemed dishonored or unclean were thrown out with the trash.Dishonored or unclean people were thrown out with the trash in Gehenna.They threw the unclean people into Gehenna.

Unlucky people without family to bury them were dug into the potter's field built in the valley. Thus, "potter's field" became common for pauper graves.

Ancient Jerusalem saw Gehenna as an unholy thing, but modern Jerusalem is less strict. As the city gets tighter, downtown space becomes a luxury.Downtown space is becoming a luxury.No real estate is untouchable. The northern part of the valley now holds townhomes, movie theaters, and a concert bowl.The northern part of the valley is filled with townhomes, movie theaters, and a concert bowl.The valley itself is being turned into a public park by the city.The city turns the valley into a public park.The city turns the valley into a public park.

The Canaanites made Gehenna's reputation grow to biblical levels. Sacrifices and dedication to Molech earned the Abrahamic God's anger. Leviticus made Gehenna unclean, an abomination.

After being used for sacrifices, Gehenna's unclean reputation meant more than just words. Trash, sewage, and sulfur in the area became a health risk for visitors.Trash, sewage, and sulfur made the area a health hazard for visitors.All visitors faced a health hazard.

Visitors to Gehenna still find signs of its past today. Deep cuts in scorched stone show the possible location of the Tophet, an old pagan altar. Though the altars are gone, their legacy stays.the possible standing place of the Tophet, an old pagan altar. The altars are gone now, but their legacy stays.

Tophets worshipped the god Molech. Legend claims the drums used in his rituals gave a sound that drowned out the screams of children sacrificed by the Canaanites.

A small valley.South of ancient Jerusalem.The Valley of Hinnom still surrounds the old city. People argued about whether Hinnom was the valley the Bible calls Gehenna. Its location outside the old city made it the likely spot for child sacrifices.

The Valley of Hinnom got its name from the Hinnom clan, a non-Semitic family that settled there and started its reputation as a place of defilement. Today, the Valley of Hinnom sits inside Jerusalem, though getting a taxi there might be tough.