This scholarly discussion is very familiar.  First of all, I will accept the premise that the doctrine of hell is more thoroughly developed in the New than in the Old Testament.  There are a number of important aspects of theology and doctrine which evolve over time as God revealed himself to his people.  However, let us put aside for a moment the discussion of the evolution of this doctrine.  Let us ask the key question:   Is life after death a reality?  If so, what is the nature of the afterlife?  Is heaven a future reality?  Is hell a future reality?  What is the nature of heaven and of hell (assuming yes to the two previous questions).

Here is the bottom line of the Bible:  Heaven is real, and so is hell.  Heaven is a place of reward in which the occupants are in fellowship with one another and with God.  Hell is also real, and it is a place of separation from God and a place of punishment.  Let us put aside for the moment the question of whether Hell is a place of eternal torment, or a place of limited punishment, followed by annihilation.  If hell is real, then that is the most important question, and all scholarly discussion of the evolution of the doctrine in the Bible is relatively unimportant.

One thing I can say with very great certainty.  Jesus believed in hell.  Jesus taught about hell.  Jesus warned us to do whatever it takes to avoid hell.  Jesus fulfilled all the messianic prophecies, Jesus walked on water.  Jesus healed thousands.  Jesus calmed a storm.  Jesus raised Lazarus from the dead, and he, himself was raised from the dead.  Logically, I conclude that hell is real, which makes the discussion of why the doctrine is less-well -developed in the Old than in the New Testament.

The doctrine of hell is found in the Old Testament.  The Psalms have many mentions of Sheol, which is a place of judgement after life.  And, as you mention, Daniel 12 is the most clear description of hell.  In Daniel 12 it is called a place of “shame and everlasting contempt.”  Scholars try to date Daniel to the mid-second century BC, but they do so without success.  I go into this in great detail iln my book, “Daniel, Prophet to the Nations.”  Please pick up a copy at www.ipibooks.com.  The principle reason for the late date proposal is a presupposition against the inspiration of the Bible.  The prophecies in Daniel are SO precise, especially around the events in the time of Antiochus Epiphanes, in 164-167 BC that even the most hardened skeptic must admit that the information is accurate.  Conclusion?  Well, we KNOW that God does not exist and that the Bible is not inspired, so I guess it was written after the events.  This is what is going on.  All the evidence for Daniel puts the date of writing in the sixth or fifth century BC.  This inspired book has more or less the identical doctrine of hell that was clearly given by Jesus.

The doctrine of hell did NOT change over time, but it was revealed more clearly over time.  This is a true statement.  Hell is real.  The idea of hell among the Jews predates by several centuries the Greek mythology of Tartarus.  The Jews did not take their idea of hell from the Greeks, they got it from their inspired prophets, including David and Daniel.

John Oakes