The first ruler of the world below was the Greek god, Hades. He was often referred to as Dis, or Pluto by the Romans. The Greek’s “hell”, or Hades, was not a world of torture and punishment, but merely a subterranean realm where souls went after death. They were transported to the River Styx, which separated Earth from Hades, by the god Hermes. Upon arrival, Charon would row the dead souls to their eternal dwelling place. As time passed, the Greeks developed Tartarus, which was a place for the wicked to be punished. However, this eventually lost its distinction became another name for Hades.

It wasn’t until a period in ancient Israel’s history that “hell” and “punishment “ became simultaneous. It was originally a temporary place for the wicked, called Gehanna, but later developed into a

With the strict association of fact to science, society has come to the understanding that there is no fiery pit below where sinners spend eternity, and certainly believed that there is no red, horned, beast overseeing the punishments of the inhabitants. In modern times, our devil has simply become a character in fiction. Many new books and plays are still written about him, but we find his character most appealing in the movies. The Devil’s Advocate is a perfect example, where a prestigious law firm is actually the operation of the devil. Other than for entertainment purposes, in modern times, the devil in literature and art is simply used as a comparison, or an association. Very often artists and authors compare or even name their enemies the devil, for even though his Hell and his appearance have changed drastically throughout the ages, he always has been – and always will be – a symbol of evil.

Christopher Marlow’s Doctor Faustus, written in the 16th century, provides us with a devil that isn’t exactly a tempter. Instead, he simply allows the greedy Dr. Faustus to wander away from the path of good and shy away from God’s eternal love and forgiveness.

Within the passages of the Bible, people are first introduced to the Christian “devil”. Through various stories, one can learn of Satan’s fall from heaven, his duties, and his qualities. In the Old Testament, he is considered not the adversary of God, but simply the prosecutor in Yahweh’s court. He is also a tempter with the goal to convince people to reject the way of God and redemption in hopes to create destruction and death.

The literary work that illustrated Hell as most people perceive it today is Paradise Lost written by

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