«Qui autem dixerit: Fatue, reus erit gehennæ ignis» (Mt 5, 22).“And whoever shall say, ‘You fool’, shall be in danger of hell fire.”
The Saviour calls the torments of hell Gehenna: a name believed to be derived from the name of a valley dedicated to idols. It is close to Jerusalem, and was formerly filled with the bodies of the dead. ~ Blessed Maurus Magnentius Rabanus
[Jesus] makes the first mention of hell, after He had already spoken of the Kingdom of heaven: showing that the gift of the latter is from His love towards us, but the former is the consequence of our own neglect. To many it seems grievous that we should suffer a great punishment for a word, and so claim that He is speaking figuratively. But I fear that by deceiving ourselves here with words, we shall there suffer indeed this extreme punishment. Do not then think this severe; for many are the sins and crimes that had their beginning from a word. For often has a slight word led to murder, and to disaster for many a state. ~ Saint John Chrysostom
