says: "from 'helan' to conceal." The word "hell" thus originally conveyed

no thought of heat or torment but simply of a 'covered over or concealed

place.' In the old English dialect the expression "helling potatoes" meant,

not to roast them, but simply to place the potatoes in the ground or in a

Collier's Encyclopedia (1986, Vol 12, p.28) says concerning "Hell":

First it stands for the Hebrew Sheol of the Old Testament and the Greek

Hades of the Septuagint and New Testament. Since Sheol in the Old Testament

times refered simply to the abode of the dead and suggested no moral

distinctions, the word 'hell,' as understood today, is not a happy

The meaning given today to the word "hell" is that portrayed in Dante's

Divine Comedy and Milton's Paradise Lost, which meaning is completely

foreign to the original definition of the word. The idea of a "hell" of firey

torment, dates back long before Dante or Milton. The Grollier Universal

Encyclopedia (1971, Vol. 9,p.205) under "Hell" says: "Hindus and Buddhists

regard hell as a place of spiritual cleansing and final restoration.

made the true God, Jehovah, appear to be a fiend--a cruel monster--instead

sufficed to appreciably clear up this confusion and misconception."

only-begotten Son, in order that everyone exercising faith in him not be

suffering in hell, or Hades? The Bible replies:"The dead know nothing...for

Some topics in this essay:
KJV Matt, Fire Revelation, Hades Gehenna, Rev2010 Devil, Babylonian Assyrian, International Dictionary, Hindus Buddhists, Sheol Testament, Jerusalem Bible, Hades Bible, lake fire, word hell, hebrew sheol, sheol testament, verse 14, greek hades, cast lake fire, complete destruction, cast lake,