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The oldest Christian manuscripts (epistles & gospels) do not contain any specific word that could be accurately translated into the European conception of 'Hell'. In the oldest manuscripts (written in Koine Greek) there are four words that often get translated into 'Hell' for European New Testament translations, and those words are:
-Sheol
-Gehenna
-Tartarus
-Hades
To the ancient Hebrews, Sheol was a resting place where everyone's soul was to go to after they died. Sometimes it is also translated as simply 'the grave'.
For the Hebrews, Gehenna was a place where the wicked go (after death) to be purified of their sins for a period of time (Some Jewish sources say for no longer than 12 months). Gehenna was also an actual place outside of Jerusalem were the dead were cremated and criminals were executed.
Tartarus comes from Greek mythology and refers to the deepest region of the underworld, where the Gods locked up their enemies, such as Titans, or locked up wicked people for punishment.
Hades is also derived from ancient Greek mythology and refers to the 'God of the Underworld'. Hades is also sometimes loosely used to described the entire underworld.
These are the four concepts that get combined and then translated into what modern Christians know of as "Hell". Keeping this in mind, does Hell really exist?
The oldest Christian manuscripts (epistles & gospels) do not contain any specific word that could be accurately translated into the European conception of 'Hell'. In the oldest manuscripts (written in Koine Greek) there are four words that often get translated into 'Hell' for European New Testament translations, and those words are:
-Sheol
-Gehenna
-Tartarus
-Hades
To the ancient Hebrews, Sheol was a resting place where everyone's soul was to go to after they died. Sometimes it is also translated as simply 'the grave'.
For the Hebrews, Gehenna was a place where the wicked go (after death) to be purified of their sins for a period of time (Some Jewish sources say for no longer than 12 months). Gehenna was also an actual place outside of Jerusalem were the dead were cremated and criminals were executed.
Tartarus comes from Greek mythology and refers to the deepest region of the underworld, where the Gods locked up their enemies, such as Titans, or locked up wicked people for punishment.
Hades is also derived from ancient Greek mythology and refers to the 'God of the Underworld'. Hades is also sometimes loosely used to described the entire underworld.
These are the four concepts that get combined and then translated into what modern Christians know of as "Hell". Keeping this in mind, does Hell really exist?
The argument over terminology has been beaten to death and beyond on every Christian-related forum on which I've ever participated. It goes nowhere. It is undeniable that the OT, Jesus and the NT authors taught that the unsaved were headed for an unpleasant fate. We can quibble over how unpleasant and exactly what form it may take, but this is much ado about nothing. The issue is, are you saved or not saved - not how bad will things be if you're unsaved?
I recently did some really extensive study of the most serious proponents of universalism. I was pleased to learn that universalism is not quite the namby-pamby reinvention of Christianity I had assumed. The basic notion is that all will eventually be saved, but many of them will spend eons in hell before they are. In other words, even the most serious proponents of universalism realize that the unpleasant fate of the unsaved cannot simply be eradicated as though it were not clear in the OT and NT.
Sure, eternal torment in a lake of fire strikes most of us as a bit harsh. I assume it's hyperbole that's intended to emphasize the seriousness of the decision of turning to God. I don't believe hell, a non-earthly realm, can be conceived of or described in human terms any more than heaven can. Whatever the unpleasant fate of the unsaved may be, I accept that we will see how it is worthy of the God in whom we trust.
The oldest Christian manuscripts (epistles & gospels) do not contain any specific word that could be accurately translated into the European conception of 'Hell'. In the oldest manuscripts (written in Koine Greek) there are four words that often get translated into 'Hell' for European New Testament translations, and those words are:
-Sheol
-Gehenna
-Tartarus
-Hades
To the ancient Hebrews, Sheol was a resting place where everyone's soul was to go to after they died. Sometimes it is also translated as simply 'the grave'.
For the Hebrews, Gehenna was a place where the wicked go (after death) to be purified of their sins for a period of time (Some Jewish sources say for no longer than 12 months). Gehenna was also an actual place outside of Jerusalem were the dead were cremated and criminals were executed.
Tartarus comes from Greek mythology and refers to the deepest region of the underworld, where the Gods locked up their enemies, such as Titans, or locked up wicked people for punishment.
Hades is also derived from ancient Greek mythology and refers to the 'God of the Underworld'. Hades is also sometimes loosely used to described the entire underworld.
These are the four concepts that get combined and then translated into what modern Christians know of as "Hell". Keeping this in mind, does Hell really exist?
My personal belief is more along the lines of Sheol. I don't believe in the traditional Christian concept of Hell. I believe that in "Sheol," (though I may see it in slightly different terms than the ancient Hebrews did), the righteous will find peace and rest, while the wicked will be tormented by guilt. This state of existence is, however, temporary.
The "gnashing of teeth" stuff was describing states of depression and misery that people can reach while living, not some other world. "Throwing the worthless in the fire" was describing that someone might reach incredible lows - while living - based on flawed actions and ways of living.
The churches though can tap into lots of wayward powers by altering the meanings of certain texts.
Last edited by Thoreau424; 10-19-2023 at 11:35 AM..
Hell was created for the devil and his hoards, so if you have a witness or true vision of the devil and his hoards than you would cheer a hell
I don’t think I would ever cheer for a Hell, no matter who or what was there.
Maybe over 20 years ago I might have, but as with a lot of people, our core beliefs do change with time.
Sure, eternal torment in a lake of fire strikes most of us as a bit harsh.
The 'lake of fire' may be derived from Greek mythology's 'river of fire', the Phlegethon, which resides in the underworld of Hades.
It always made me wonder why early Christianity borrowed Hades & Tartarus from Greek mythology.
Did they think those aspects of Greek mythology were actually true?
The 'lake of fire' may be derived from Greek mythology's 'river of fire', the Phlegethon, which resides in the underworld of Hades.
It always made me wonder why early Christianity borrowed Hades & Tartarus from Greek mythology.
Did they think those aspects of Greek mythology were actually true?
It doesn't surprise me that many myths and religions have a concept of Hell.
It's like saying Ancient Egypt had an underworld, so did Christianity borrow their concept of life after death. Instead most religions have an after life concept.
Many of the Old Testament concepts came from the Mesopotamia religion:
Quote:
As a broadly conceived setting for the Bible as a whole, Primeval History proves to be not only pre-Israelite in subject matter but in large part also non-Israelite in origin. In other words, the content of Gen. 1-11 was not invented by the writer or writers in question; neither was it rooted in older local traditions. Instead, the basic detail turns out to stem ultimately from the outside, and more particularly from a single major source, the cultural domain of Mesopotamia. The purpose of this paper is to review very briefly some of the ties that link the Primeval History of Genesis to the cultural traditions of Mesopotamia, and to comment on the meaning of these inter-connections.
The Mesopotamian background of much of the detail in the early chapters of Genesis is attested in several ways. For one thing, there is the direct evidence from geographical data. Thus the rivers of Eden include the Tigris and the Euphrates (Gen. 2:14); the realm of Nimrod comprises the lands of Shinar (i.e. Sumer) and Ashur, and such leading centers as Babylon, Erech, and Accad in the south, and Nineveh and Calah in the north (Gen. 10:10-12); and the story of the Tower of Babel, in the land of Shinar, carries a double indication of its locale. For another thing, the story of Eden contains such Hebrew borrowings from the Sumerian as the term‘ed “(underground)flow” (Gen. 2:6), and the name Eden itself. And for still another–and most significant of all–much of the substantive content of Primeval History bears the unmistakable imprint of Mesopotamia. A quick glance at a few of the details should be sufficient to illustrate the nature and extent of this relationship.
The oldest Christian manuscripts (epistles & gospels) do not contain any specific word that could be accurately translated into the European conception of 'Hell'. In the oldest manuscripts (written in Koine Greek) there are four words that often get translated into 'Hell' for European New Testament translations, and those words are:
-Sheol
-Gehenna
-Tartarus
-Hades
To the ancient Hebrews, Sheol was a resting place where everyone's soul was to go to after they died. Sometimes it is also translated as simply 'the grave'.
For the Hebrews, Gehenna was a place where the wicked go (after death) to be purified of their sins for a period of time (Some Jewish sources say for no longer than 12 months). Gehenna was also an actual place outside of Jerusalem were the dead were cremated and criminals were executed.
Tartarus comes from Greek mythology and refers to the deepest region of the underworld, where the Gods locked up their enemies, such as Titans, or locked up wicked people for punishment.
Hades is also derived from ancient Greek mythology and refers to the 'God of the Underworld'. Hades is also sometimes loosely used to described the entire underworld.
These are the four concepts that get combined and then translated into what modern Christians know of as "Hell". Keeping this in mind, does Hell really exist?
When I briefly died my body went through the entire physical and spiritual parts of the universe and even saw the Earth bound spirits that were near Earth, but they were not in hell. I'm sorry I never saw any evidence of hell during my journey to Heaven so I have no proof it exists. Maybe it will suddenly appear during final judgement, but it certainly does not exist now. Thanks for a very good subject and information on the 4 descriptive words for hell!
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