Occasionally, a lack of precision in Bible translation has led to unnecessary confusion and even some outright weirdness. Biblical teaching concerning hell is an example of this. There are four different words in Hebrew and Greek that have often been translated as the one word “hell” in English Bibles, and only two of these terms are synonymous.
When you encounter the word “hell” in the Old Testament, it’s actually the Hebrew word Sheol. This term refers to the place of the dead. Sometimes, it is used metaphorically in the sense of “the grave,” but at other times it is used to refer to a realm of departed spirits. The New Testament Greek equivalent of Sheol is Hades, which is translated as “hell” ten times (Matthew 11:23, 16:18; Luke 10:15, 16:23; Acts 2:27, 31; Revelation 1:18, 6:8, 20:13-14). Two of these occurrences (Acts 2:27 and 31) are Old Testament quotations.
A unique usage of “hell” in the New Testament is found in II Peter 2:4, where Peter speaks of angels who sinned being cast down to hell. The Greek word used here is not Hades, but rather Tartaroo or Tartarus. The Greeks thought of Tartarus as the lowest portion of Hades, where fallen gods were confined. In I Corinthians 10:20, the apostle Paul writes that the Greek deities were actually evil spirits masquerading as gods. Thus, it seems that in using the term Peter believed that the fallen gods of Greek mythology were actually fallen angels.
Most of the time that the term “hell” appears in the New Testament it is translated from the Greek word Gehenna, which is a transliteration of the Hebrew term gheh'-en-nah, or ge-hinnom, meaning Valley of the Son of Hinnom. This valley was a place near Jerusalem where the Jews had once sacrificed their children to the pagan god Molech as burnt offerings. By the time of Christ, Gehenna was viewed as a cursed place, and may have been where trash and dead things were dumped (to be burned and consumed by maggots), but there is no direct historical support for its use in this way. The term is used almost exclusively by Jesus, appearing only one other time in the New Testament (James 3:6).
While the term “hell” is often loosely used in reference to the place of final punishment following Judgment Day, only Gehenna is actually used in this sense. It is the place where Jesus warns that those who reject the gospel will ultimately fall under the wrath of God. Jesus never used Hades in this way. Gehenna is often thought to be synonymous with “the lake of fire” mentioned by John in the book of Revelation.
The Jews of Jesus’ time knew the term Gehenna and its significance with regard to divine judgment and the concept of Olam ha-Ba (“the world to come”). The term had first come into use during the intertestimental period, and the literature of the time shows that there was no one fixed concept of it amongst the Jews. Some believed that the lost would be annihilated in Gehenna, while others believed it to be a place of enduring torment. Judging by the writings of Josephus and what we find in the Talmud, the Pharisees appear to have had a mixed view of Gehenna that was somewhat akin to the Catholic doctrine of Purgatory: a place where most people are ultimately purged of their sins and then allowed to move on to Gan-Eden or “Paradise.” This is likely why Jesus emphasized that those who went into Gehenna would not be coming back out (Mark 9:43-47) and that the alternative to accepting the gospel was to perish forever (Luke 13:3, 5; John 3:16). The imagery he uses to describe Gehenna is taken directly from Isaiah 34 and 66.
This view of Gehenna as a type of Purgatory persists among Jews even today. It is commonly taught that spirits of the dead descend into Gehenna for a period of up to twelve months, after which all but the worst sinners are allowed to move on to Paradise. As with the Catholics, some Jews offer prayers that are thought to be able to reduce a loved one’s time in Gehenna. Overall, Jewish views of “the afterlife” are really quite murky, with only the more orthodox viewing Gehenna as a literal destination.
At any rate, I hope this short summary is helpful to anyone who might have been confused about the use of the term “hell” in scripture. Again, I emphasize that the passages that refer to actual final judgment are those that use the term Gehenna (those being: Matthew 5:22, 29-30, 10:28, 18:9, 23:15, 33; Mark 9:43, 45, 47; Luke 12:5). The reference in James 3:6 is clearly metaphorical. James is comparing the destruction the tongue is capable of to the consuming fires of Gehenna: the ultimate destructive force in the universe.
** If you enjoyed this article and would like to support the author so that he can create more such content, you can donate via PayPal to rhawes73@gmail.com (or send an email to this address if you would like to donate some other way). Thank you for your support!
*** Click here to visit my YouTube channel.
No comments:
Post a Comment