Misquoting Jesus with Bart Ehrman Did Jesus Actually Believe in Hell?
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Apr 28, 2026 
Bart Ehrman, New Testament scholar and bestselling author, unpacks what ancient texts actually say about afterlife beliefs. He traces hell imagery to destruction rather than eternal torment. He explores Hebrew Sheol, Greek and Roman influences, and how later ideas produced modern hell. Short, historical, and provocative.
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Ehrman's Evangelical Upbringing Framed Hell As Certainty
- Bart Ehrman recounts his evangelical upbringing where eternal torment was accepted without evidence and served as 'fire insurance.'
- He describes converting to evangelicalism at 15 partly because it offered confident answers about heaven and hell.
Revelation's Lake Of Fire Is For Divine Enemies
- The lake of fire in Revelation targets the devil and immortal enemies, not eternal conscious torment for humans.
- Bart Ehrman explains mortals thrown into the lake are annihilated, so punishment is eternal in effect but not eternal suffering.
Jesus' Fire Imagery Implies Annihilation Not Endless Torment
- Jesus' imagery of throwing weeds into a furnace implies destruction, not everlasting conscious torment.
- Ehrman cites the parable of the weeds and the sheep and goats in Matthew as depicting annihilation at final judgment.
