See heaven heaven,īlissful upper realm or state entered after death in Western monotheistic religions it is the place where the just see God face to face (sometimes called the beatific vision). Hell is often treated with detailed imagination in legend and literature. In Buddhism, hell is the lowest of six levels of existence into which a being may be reborn depending on that being's karmic accumulations. The Romans called this underworld also Orcus, Dis, and, poetically, Avernus. Click the link for more information., ruled by the god of that name (also known as Pluto). 2 The world of the dead, ruled by Pluto and Persephone, located either underground or in the far west beyond the inhabited regions. 1 The ruler of the underworld: see Pluto. , in Greek and Roman religion and mythology. In ancient Greek religion the great underworld is Hades Hades

In Zoroastrianism, the souls of the dead must cross the Bridge of the Requiter, which narrows for the wicked so that they fall into the abyss of horror and suffer ceaseless torment. Many Christian churches now regard hell more as a state of being than a place. Click the link for more information., was certainly a place of punishment. In later Jewish literature it was called Ge-Hinnom [Heb. Its ill repute in the Bible emanated from the worship there of foreign gods, including supposed child sacrifice to Molech at Tophet. Gehenna, in the New Testament, which drew its name from the Vale of Hinnom Hinnom The ethical aspect apparently developed gradually, and Sheol became like the hell of Christianity. Among ancient Jews, Sheol or Tophet was conceived as a gloomy place of departed souls where they are not tormented but wander about unhappily. Click the link for more information. or Lucifer (also known as Iblīs in Islam), considered the ruler of hell. In Scripture and literature the role of the opponent is given many names, such as Apolyon, Beelzebub, Semihazah, Azazel, Belial, and Sammael. , traditional opponent of God and humanity in Judaism and Christianity. The punishment of hell is generally analogized to earthly fire.

The souls in hell are deprived forever of the sight of God.

Hell, in Western monotheistic religions, eternal abode of souls damned by the judgment of God.

Encyclopedia of hell free