While arguments against annihilationism have primarily drawn from Scripture, New Testament backgrounds also provide evidence for the doctrine of eternal conscious torment. The Isaiah Targum in Targum Jonathan frequently references Gehenna, and Jesus appears to draw on its interpretation of Isaiah 66:24 in his teaching on Gehenna in Mark 9:47-48. If Jesus was indeed referencing the Targum, its understanding of Gehenna sheds light on his teaching and what he believed about hell. It thus in turn contributes to the debate concerning annihilationism, furthering the case that the New Testament views hell as a place where the wrath of God is poured out on knowing sinners forever.
This paper argues that the Isaiah Targum presents Gehenna as a place of eternal conscious torment and that Jesus alluded to the tradition lying behind it in Mark 9:47-48. The first section examines the Isaiah Targum’s depiction of Gehenna, arguing that it teaches eternal conscious torment for the wicked who are sent there. The second section contends that (1) the tradition underlying Targum Jonathan’s teaching on Gehenna was present in Jesus’ time and (2) Jesus alluded to this tradition in Mark 9:47-48. His listeners would have likewise been familiar with the Targum and understood it as eternal conscious torment. Finally, the paper briefly discusses the implications of this argument for the debate on annihilationism.