Are there different levels of punishment in hell?
” Answer: The idea that there are different levels of punishment in hell derives primarily from the Divine Comedy written by Dante Alighieri between 1308 and 1321. In it, the Roman poet Virgil guides Dante through the nine circles of hell. The circles are concentric, representing a gradual increase in wickedness, and culminating at the center of the earth, where Satan is held in bondage. Each circle’s sinners are punished in a fashion befitting their crimes. Each sinner is afflicted for all of eternity by the chief sin he committed. According to Dante, the circles range from the first circle, where dwell the unbaptized and virtuous pagans, to the very center of hell reserved for those who have committed the ultimate sintreachery against God. Although it does not specifically say so, the Bible might seem to indicate that there are different levels of punishment in hell. In Revelation 20:11-15, the people are judged according to what they had done as recorded in the books (Revelation 20:
