What do you think?
Rate this book
The Geography of Hell in the Teaching of Jesus: Gehena, Hades, the Abyss, the Outer Darkness Where There Is Weeping and Gnashing of Teeth
The topic of hell has held a strange fascination for believers through the centuries, becoming the subject of paintings, sermons, books, articles, and much more. For many it has been a source of terror, for most a wellspring of questions. Is there such a thing as hell? How long will it last? Who will go there? Is hell fair? In this study, Kim Papaioannou tackles the topic at its most foundational level, in the words and teaching of Jesus. Rather than attempt overarching and all-encompassing answers, he begins instead with a detailed study of the relevant texts and builds from there upwards. The result is a picture that is not only coherent and satisfying, but more importantly, solidly based on biblical exegesis of the most refined nature. Papaioannou concludes by putting hell into a more palatable and biblically sound perspective. Though unreservedly scholarly, the study is written in such a way that lay readers can understand and enjoy it.
306 pages, Paperback
First published September 19, 2013
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
January 10, 2022
This is a helpful book if you want to study what Jesus meant when he talked about Gehenna, Hades and “weeping and gnashing of teeth.” That said, unless you’re a professional scholar you probably won’t need to read every minute detail of the argument. This is a rather detailed work, probably the adaptation of the author’s dissertation. Thus, there’s lots of Greek and Hebrew sprinkled throughout.
I read it because I think I’m kind of obsessed with hell. Growing up, fear of hell was the motivation to be a Christian. In college, saving people from hell was the reason to evangelize (or in my case, not evangelizing enough was the reason we felt guilty all the time our friends were probably going to hell). In retrospect, it took very little to knock down my belief in unending hell. But my adult theological pilgrimage has been a move from a sort of inclusivism (we can’t say who is going to hell and hopefully Jesus saves more than just a few Christians) to annihilation (those who aren’t saved will mercifully cease to exist) to universal reconciliation (Jesus will not stop until all are saved).
Of course, this review is not the place to document my own journey.
This book demonstrates that, first of all, and this ought to be patently obvious to anyone with even a modicum of Greek, translating three different Greek words (Gehenna, Hades, Tartarus) as “hell” is not a good move. The author shows that Hades is the place all spirits go, of the good and the wicked, after death. Gehenna, the most common word used by Jesus, is the destruction that comes at the end. By the end of this book, it is hard to see how anyone could argue Jesus had a belief that hell would go on forever.
But many out there do. And they write books as well.
Most helpful was the discussion of weeping and gnashing of teeth which is the response by those left out - a deep sadness (weeping) as well as an anger since it usually is used to speak of those who think they should be in (gnashing of teeth). Again, nothing about the duration of hell.
When I first began studying this topic in depth, it was pointed out that different authors have different views of hell. Jesus speaks about it most, as everyone agrees, but he speaks of it as destruction (annihilation). It is in Paul and John’s gospel where we get our strongest verses pointing to universal salvation. How do we reconcile these? Should we?
I recall Fleming Rutledge noting in her book Crucifixion that these are the two views the NT gives - annihilation and universal reconciliation. She did not say which she adheres to. David Bentley Hart, and others, have argued that the question is which one makes sense in light of the other? In other words, what order do we put them in? If we put annihilation first we see the judgment at the end of the age when all wicked and evil is destroyed in Gehenna. But following death comes resurrection and at the end of all the ages, all will be restored and made new.
Anyway, that’s not in this book. This book just shows that unending hell has little warrant in the words of Jesus in the synoptic gospels.
I read it because I think I’m kind of obsessed with hell. Growing up, fear of hell was the motivation to be a Christian. In college, saving people from hell was the reason to evangelize (or in my case, not evangelizing enough was the reason we felt guilty all the time our friends were probably going to hell). In retrospect, it took very little to knock down my belief in unending hell. But my adult theological pilgrimage has been a move from a sort of inclusivism (we can’t say who is going to hell and hopefully Jesus saves more than just a few Christians) to annihilation (those who aren’t saved will mercifully cease to exist) to universal reconciliation (Jesus will not stop until all are saved).
Of course, this review is not the place to document my own journey.
This book demonstrates that, first of all, and this ought to be patently obvious to anyone with even a modicum of Greek, translating three different Greek words (Gehenna, Hades, Tartarus) as “hell” is not a good move. The author shows that Hades is the place all spirits go, of the good and the wicked, after death. Gehenna, the most common word used by Jesus, is the destruction that comes at the end. By the end of this book, it is hard to see how anyone could argue Jesus had a belief that hell would go on forever.
But many out there do. And they write books as well.
Most helpful was the discussion of weeping and gnashing of teeth which is the response by those left out - a deep sadness (weeping) as well as an anger since it usually is used to speak of those who think they should be in (gnashing of teeth). Again, nothing about the duration of hell.
When I first began studying this topic in depth, it was pointed out that different authors have different views of hell. Jesus speaks about it most, as everyone agrees, but he speaks of it as destruction (annihilation). It is in Paul and John’s gospel where we get our strongest verses pointing to universal salvation. How do we reconcile these? Should we?
I recall Fleming Rutledge noting in her book Crucifixion that these are the two views the NT gives - annihilation and universal reconciliation. She did not say which she adheres to. David Bentley Hart, and others, have argued that the question is which one makes sense in light of the other? In other words, what order do we put them in? If we put annihilation first we see the judgment at the end of the age when all wicked and evil is destroyed in Gehenna. But following death comes resurrection and at the end of all the ages, all will be restored and made new.
Anyway, that’s not in this book. This book just shows that unending hell has little warrant in the words of Jesus in the synoptic gospels.
January 9, 2026
I must admit, this was probably the most unusual night time reading I’ve had… enjoyable nonetheless.
This book is a serious and studied treatment of the Synoptic Gospels use of “hell” (Gehenna) and several other words associated with eschatological judgement. The background chapters on each term were incredibly helpful and maybe worth the price of the book. Lots of good scholarship about the biblical and extra-biblical use of the terms in question.
Giving three stars because I was unconvinced by many of the conclusions. The annihilationist conclusions often felt forced. Perhaps I’m asking too much of a book laser focused on the Synoptics, but it failed to do justice with the rest of the New Testament’s teaching on final judgement.
Worth reading.
This book is a serious and studied treatment of the Synoptic Gospels use of “hell” (Gehenna) and several other words associated with eschatological judgement. The background chapters on each term were incredibly helpful and maybe worth the price of the book. Lots of good scholarship about the biblical and extra-biblical use of the terms in question.
Giving three stars because I was unconvinced by many of the conclusions. The annihilationist conclusions often felt forced. Perhaps I’m asking too much of a book laser focused on the Synoptics, but it failed to do justice with the rest of the New Testament’s teaching on final judgement.
Worth reading.
March 16, 2021
Simply wonderful
This is a fantastic piece of scholarship. It provides extremely strong evidence that annihilationism is not a tentative or weak theological position, but actually is strongly supported by the testimony of the gospels. Give how strongly annihilationist all the epistles are, to see the same themes flowing through the Gospels makes the case for the final destruction of the wicked extremely compelling. That the author gets there through rigorous and careful scholarship—not guesses or speculations—makes the book all the more powerful.
This is a fantastic piece of scholarship. It provides extremely strong evidence that annihilationism is not a tentative or weak theological position, but actually is strongly supported by the testimony of the gospels. Give how strongly annihilationist all the epistles are, to see the same themes flowing through the Gospels makes the case for the final destruction of the wicked extremely compelling. That the author gets there through rigorous and careful scholarship—not guesses or speculations—makes the book all the more powerful.
November 14, 2024
An excellent and concise, yet thorough and well researched, book. The supporting examples and citations are clear and relevant. The author does not have to make leaps or defy logic to make their point.
About three quarters of the way through it did get a bit repetitive but it is a short book and well worth the read.
I only wish there was a sequel covering John and the rest of the NT writings.
About three quarters of the way through it did get a bit repetitive but it is a short book and well worth the read.
I only wish there was a sequel covering John and the rest of the NT writings.
April 8, 2026
Helpful
I recently wrote about Gehenna in the teachings of Jesus, specifically focusing on its background in the Old Testament and the Second Temple period, for my class. While researching, I stumbled upon this book that significantly enhanced my understanding and provided a clearer explanation of the concept. I thoroughly enjoyed reading it!
I recently wrote about Gehenna in the teachings of Jesus, specifically focusing on its background in the Old Testament and the Second Temple period, for my class. While researching, I stumbled upon this book that significantly enhanced my understanding and provided a clearer explanation of the concept. I thoroughly enjoyed reading it!
October 28, 2017
Review forthcoming
April 14, 2014
Great scholarship. Obviously, the Greek treatment is great. Annihilationism is his a prior commitment, however, and it shows. Exegesis good, conclusions from exegesis bad.
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews