The Christian Hell 
from the First to the Twentieth Century
by Bonner, Hypatia Bradlaugh (1858-1935)

I am including this work from Mrs. Bonner (a feminist and atheist), because she outlines the secular history of the concept of hell. Obviously she will not give us a fair shake on the Bible’s presentation of the subject, but she will educate us on secular man’s view of hell. She has added probably 30 woodcuts from ancient times depicting what they imagined hell would be like.

WARNING: This book has images that would perhaps be offensive or unbiblical if you really study them. It is not my purpose to present this as my belief because most probably little in this book would represent my position on hell and eternal punishment. My addition of this book to the library is more to round out my understanding of how religious people form different time periods viewed hell. That is, I take this book as a secular history book on the subject of hell.

CONTENTS

I. Introduction 1
II. Literature and Iconography 16
III. The Surpassing Horror of the Christian Idea 31
IV. The Early Christian Fathers 46
V. Visions and Descriptions 52
VI. After the Reformation 64
VII. Nineteenth Century 78
VIII. to-Day 92
IX. “Mission Pictures” 99
X. “Hell Opened to Christians ” 112
Xl. Father Furniss’s ” Books For Children” 121
XII. Conclusion 135
INDEX – 145

LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS

1. The Temptation 18
2. The Almighty Cursing the Serpent 19
3. St. Guthlac Tormented by Devils 20
4. Satan Overcome by the Virgin 21
5. Satan Yielding up a Soul to the Virgin 21
6. The Harrowing of Hell 23
7. Sinner Bound to Devil’s Tail 24
8. The Ladder of the Soul’s Salvation 25
9. St. Dunstan and the Devil 27
10. Hell Mouth 28
11. Punishment of the Ale-wife 29
12. Naked Men Struggling with Worms 34
13. Tundale’s Vision 54
14. The Christian’s Death-bed 61
15. Frontispiece of Dr. Watts’s “World to Come ” 74
16. The Soul in a State of Mortal Sin 100
17. The Soul Returns to God 101
18. The Soul has Seen the Evil of Sin 102
19. The Soul in a State of Grace 104
20. The Soul Returns to Sin 105
21. The Soul Relapses into Mortal Sin 106
22. The Sinner’s Deathbed 108
23. The Soul Judged and Cast into Hell 109
24. The Two Roads 111
25. Frontispiece to “Hell Opened to Christians” 113
26. The Fire 116
27. Eternity of Pain 119

More Modules from the Hell Category