Outer Darkness or Hell?

In Christianity, the outer darkness (often capitalized as Outer Darkness) is a place referred to three times in the Gospel of Matthew (8:12, 22:13, and 25:30) into which a person may be "cast out", and where there is "weeping and gnashing of teeth". Generally, the outer darkness is thought to be hell; however, many Christians associate the outer darkness more generally as a place of separation from God or from the metaphorical "wedding banquet" that Jesus is expected to have upon his Second Coming. Translated literally, the Greek text of Matthew reads "into the darkness, the outer", with a definite article before both the noun and the adjective. For this reason, the New International Version translates this text as "outside, into the darkness".


The most detailed of the Biblical passages regarding the outer darkness is in Jesus' parable of the wedding feast (also known as the parable of the marriage of the king's son). In this parable, a king arranged a wedding for his son, but the normal guests did not come; therefore, the king sent his servants to gather guests from off the street. One of these guests, however, appeared without the proper wedding attire; therefore, the king said: "Bind him hand and foot, and throw him into the outer darkness; in that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. For many are called, but few are chosen." (Matt. 22:13-14, NASB.)


While many Christians equate the outer darkness to hell, some have controversially suggested that it represents a place for those who make it to heaven based on their faith, but have failed to perform good works during their time on the earth. See, e.g., Zane Hodges (1987, p. 87).