The Christian Hell That Jesus Never Preached

How the church borrowed from Persia, Greece, and Rome to turn fear into doctrine

Sep 08, 2025

∙ Paid

Artistic depiction of the Valley of Hinnom with smoke rising, blended with Persian, Greek, Roman, and medieval Christian imagery representing how the concept of hell evolved over time.

Most people, believer or not, assume Jesus preached about hellfire and eternal torment. When atheists attack the idea of a Christian hell online, almost nobody pushes back to note that the Bible doesn’t actually teach it. But the surprising truth is that the few who do are right.

The “hell” familiar to modern Christianity didn’t come from Jesus at all — …

Keep reading with a 7-day free trial

Subscribe to The Unholy Truth to keep reading this post and get 7 days of free access to the full post archives.