Making Sense of Jesus' Use of Hell (Gehenna) in the New Testament

Jesus' teaching on Gehenna (translated hell) in the New Testament is a subject of great concern. There are twelve passages used by Christ on the topic of Gehenna (hell). This word has a history in the Old Testament which offers excellent clues to how we should understand it in the new. Does this word mean eternal conscous torment? Is that how the listeners of the first century understood the term when they heard it? Particular attention will be given to Matthew 10:28 and Luke 12:4-5. Does these verses teach that man has an immortal soul? The doctrine of an immortal soul is intricately woven into the common beliefs about hell.