Hell

3 Credits · Level: Undergraduate

In this course, we will examine the religious teachings within Christianity and Judaism concerning punishment after death for certain souls deemed “wicked” or “unrepentant,” in a place commonly called Hell, but also referred to in biblical sources as Sheol, Hades, Gehenna, or Abaddon, among other names. We will discuss the development of the concept of Hell beginning in the Hebrew Bible and New Testament, moving through the medieval era and into the present day. The questions of the morality of coercive religious language, and the debate on the value of Hell within a religious worldview will be addressed, as will artistic and film depictions of Hell throughout the years. The final portion of the course will be devoted to Hell’s most famous resident/ruler, Satan, and the evolution of that figure over time.