Did the early church believe that the damned would be eternally punished in a literal hell of fire?

I recently asked a [question](https://hermeneutics.stackexchange.com/questions/59617/where-their-worm-does-not-die-and-the-fire-is-not-quenched-is-jesus-des) on the hermeneutics site with the intention of letting people share their exegetical takes on the words of Jesus found in Mark 9:47-49, where he said: > 47 And if your eye causes you to sin, tear it out. It is better for you to enter the kingdom of God with one eye than with two eyes **to be thrown into hell**, 48 **‘where their worm does not die and the fire is not quenched.’** 49 For everyone will be salted with fire. [ESV] As I imagined would be the case, the topic turned out to be quite controversial: some people understand Jesus' description to be literal and others to be figurative. I would like to know if this controversy also existed in the early days of the church. What were the early church's views regarding the eternal fate of the damned? Did early Christians believe in a literal hell of fire to which the damned would be cast to receive the eternal punishment for their sins?