The Fallen Angels in “Tartarus” and the Biblical Divisions of Hell

2 Peter 2:4 says “God did not spare the angels who sinned but threw them down into Tartarus…” The New Testament letter, 2 Peter, describes God’s judgment upon the fallen angels, or demons, who joined in Lucifer’s rebellion and were cast out of heaven as a consequence. Popular English translations of 2 Peter 2:4, such as the Revised Standard Version 2nd Catholic Edition (RSV2CE) or the English Standard Version Catholic Edition (ESVCE), tell us that these fallen angels were cast into “hell.” Other translations, such as the New American Bible, say that they were cast into “Tartarus.”

What is Tartarus and where is it?

Is ‘Tartarus’ the same thing as ‘hell,’ especially ‘hell’ as we understand it? Or is this a different place? The Bible uses a variety of words to describe what we generally refer to as ‘hell’ today. This is a result of the Bible being written in different languages: the Old Testament was originally written in Hebrew and Aramaic, and the New Testament was originally written in Greek. Therefore, when reading the Scriptures, we encounter terms such as Sheol, Hades, Gehenna, the bosom of Abraham, Tartarus—each of them depicting a place departed souls go after death.

The Three Concentric Circles of Hell

A helpful way to incorporate all of these elements would be to picture the Old Testament concept of ‘hell’ as divided into three sections or concentric circles:

  • The first and outermost circle: This could be referred to as “the place of the righteous dead.” In the Bible, this circle would be called by words such as ‘paradise’ or ‘Abraham’s bosom.’ It is the place in which righteous human souls who died before the death of Christ waited for heaven to be opened to them.
  • The second, middle circle: This could be referred to as “the place of the unrighteous dead,” that is, the place in which human souls resided who died without meriting heaven. The Bible refers to this place as Sheol (Hebrew), Hades (Greek), or Gehenna (Greek). Consider the parable of the Rich Man and Lazarus in Luke 16:19-31, where the rich man is described as being in “Hades,” with a “great chasm” separating him from Abraham and Lazarus.
  • The last and innermost circle: This could be called “the prison for fallen angels,” or Tartarus, as 2 Peter 2:4 calls it. This deepest part of hell is the place reserved for angelic spirits (not human souls) who denied the Lord God and were eternally banished from His company in heaven.

Christ’s Descent and Saving Mission

In the Apostles’ Creed we profess that Christ “descended into hell.” Traditional Catholic interpretation has understood this to mean that upon expiring on the cross on Good Friday, Jesus continued His saving mission by descending into the realm of the righteous dead (‘paradise’ or ‘Abraham’s bosom’) to bring those souls with him into heaven. This interpretation is supported by figures as early as St. Irenaeus (c. 130-202), St. Athanasius (c. 296-373), and Pope St. Gregory the Great (c. 540-604).

Deliverance and the Three R’s of Spiritual Liberation

In dealing with evil attacks from the devil, an important step in the process of liberation is cutting the relationship between the individual and the evil spirit. These three R's of casting out demons are: reject, renounce, and rebuke. Specifically, they are defined as follows:

  1. To “reject” is to make an act of the will which says in effect: “I do not want this evil spirit.”
  2. To “renounce” is to give back any benefits desired or received in the demonic relationship.
  3. To “rebuke” is sharply denouncing the evil spirit.

Whenever we are tempted, we can say: “In the holy name of Jesus, I reject the evil spirits of [name the temptation]. I reject them; I renounce them; I rebuke them. In Jesus' holy name, I cast them out!” While the entire process of casting out demons can take some time, this formal process of rejecting the evil spirits, using the three R's, is an important step along the way.