Secret Number 46

Did Peter Say “Go to Hell?”

The Word "hell" actually means a hole in the ground where the dead are deposited until their resurrections from the dead. It is a place where the body is destroyed, but not the soul or spirit. When a person "goes to hell" it means to go to the place of the destruction of the body. Was Peter cursing when he censured the first major heretic of the Christian faith about going to hell?: Peter said to Simon Magus: "To hell with you and your money" (Acts 8:20). Peter was not cursing, yet the Greek text states it that way if you give it an English twist. That translation is given by J. B. Phillips in his version of the New Testament. He gives a foot note on the matter to make it clear. Phillips said: " These words are exactly what the Greek means. It is a pity that their real meaning is obscured by modern slang usage."