Help with Hell

[Margrove]

Hello.

Not sure this is the right forum.

Hell in the Old Testament was the Hebrew Gê-hinnōm or Sheʾōl. The first place actually exists and is a desolate valley close to Jerusalem where nothing grows. Here there is a connection with fire, because seems like the place was used to incinerate children to Moloch. The second Hebrew denomination (Sheol) simply means pit, grave. To me both convey the meaning of desolation, abandonment, nothingness, void, and the punishment for the malignant souls derives from that "void".

Also, a rabi mentioned during an interview that the stay of the malignant soul at the Hebrew Hell can last up to one year only. This limited time stay seems to be like the concept of Purgatory in the Christian faith, where the souls stay for a limited time until they repent or not and are shuttled either to Heaven or Hell according to each case.

Other sources say that the Christian Hell was adpoted from the Greek tradition. However, the Roman Hell (Hades) is a cold, dark labyrinth guarded by Cerberus. The Roman Hell is not fiery, but cold. Celtic Hell is usually at the bottom of water bodies as it could be the case at La Thène where archaeologists interpret the offerings found at the bottom of the Neuchâtel lake as offerings to the spirits that live in the otherworld. Therefore, the fire from Hell did not came from Hebrew, Roman, Greek or Celtic tradition.

In the New Testament, we see very few mentions to the "fire of Hell" in Matthew 5:22, 18:9; James 3:6. In the Revelation, if I am not mistaken, it mentions that the Antichrist will be thrown in the hell of fire and perish.

Form where it came the fiery Hell mentioned in the Bible? Is it native to the Christian religion or is it imported from another religion?

[onewithhim]

...
Form where it came the fiery Hell mentioned in the Bible?

I think it comes from these:

And the Devil leading them astray was thrown into the Lake of Fire and Brimstone, where the beast and the false prophet were . And they were tormented day and night forever and ever.
Rev. 20:10

And if your hand offend you, cut it off. For it is profitable for you to enter into life maimed, than having two hands to go away into Hell, into the fire that cannot be put out,
Mark. 9:43

And I saw the dead, the small and the great, standing before God. And books were opened. And another Book was opened, which is the Book of Life. And the dead were judged out of the things written in the books, according to their works. And the sea gave up the dead in it. And death and Hades gave up the dead in them. And they were each judged according to their works. And death and Hades were thrown into the Lake of Fire. This is the second death. And if anyone was not found having been written in the Book of Life, he was thrown into the Lake of Fire.
Rev. 20:12-15

Don’t be afraid of those who kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul. Rather, fear him who is able to destroy both soul and body in Gehenna.
Matt. 10:28

In my opinion it is good to notice, Hades is often translated hell and also Gehenna can be called hell, because it is the fire lake that burns forever. They are not the same, because Hades is thrown to the fire lake in the end.

Hell does not have a fire that burns forever. It is a mistake to lump "Hades" together with "Gehenna" and call them both "Hell." Hades is the common grave of mankind. Gehenna is a fiery dump of ancient days, mentioned by Jesus to illustrate what happens to a dead body when thrown there---complete destruction. He warned that evil people will be consigned to eternal annihilation and symbolized that with the fiery dump. Also, any mention of "fire" is a way of symbolically speaking of utter destruction. So when you see fire mentioned, it symbolizes complete annihilation so that the person no longer exists.

[William]

[Replying to onewithhim in post #11]

Hell does not have a fire that burns forever. It is a mistake to lump "Hades" together with "Gehenna" and call them both "Hell." Hades is the common grave of mankind. Gehenna is a fiery dump of ancient days, mentioned by Jesus to illustrate what happens to a dead body when thrown there---complete destruction.

It is clear that Jesus did not view a human personality as just the body.

He warned that evil people will be consigned to eternal annihilation and symbolized that with the fiery dump

.

He warned that evil personalities would experience hellish environments. Whether those environment were permanent or not, may or may not be clear. The fact that such could be experienced is what Jesus was warning about

Also, any mention of "fire" is a way of symbolically speaking of utter destruction. So when you see fire mentioned, it symbolizes complete annihilation so that the person no longer exists.

If the use of fire symbolizes compete destruction, then what feeds the fire that make it eternal?

Also to note - sometimes God is associated with light, and one of the spectrums of light is created through fire.

So using fire or light to "symbolize" God and other such notions, isn't overly helpful.

[1213]

...Also, any mention of "fire" is a way of symbolically speaking of utter destruction. So when you see fire mentioned, it symbolizes complete annihilation so that the person no longer exists.

Please explain why do you think so?

[JehovahsWitness]

They could not have originated the "fire" from hell, this seems to be a later addition to the Christian faith. Is there any information when the "Hell=fire" concept was incorporated into the Christian belief? Is it lalte Medieval or from the Renascence?

The idea of a "hellfire" of eternal agony and conscious suffering is most certainly imported to later "Christianity" from ancient greek mythology. This dogma was superimposed via fautly interpretation of a few Christian illustrations.

For a proper understanding of so called Christian "hellfire" texts, see below.

[JehovahsWitness]

KEY
1. Matthew 25:46 -> Matthew 25:46 everlasting punishment ot everlasting torture?
viewtopic.php?p=1105219#p1105219

2. Revelation 21:8 -> Matthew 21:8 : What is the "LAKE OF FIRE"?
http://debatingchristianity.com/forum/v ... 66#p337866

3. Revelation 20:10 - >Revelation 20:10 : "tormented or a confined"
viewtopic.php?p=1048510#p1048510

4. 2 Thessalonians 1:9
5. Jude 1:12-13

6. Matthew 13:50 -> Matthew 13:50 : "Gnashing of teeth" for the living or the dead? Does the bible say the dead " gnash their teeth"
http://debatingchristianity.com/forum/v ... 21#p971121

7. Exodus 34:14
8. Hebrews 10:26-31

[JehovahsWitness]

To learn more please go to other posts related to...

BIBLE "HELL", THE CONDITION OF THE DEAD and ...HELLFIRE TORTURE DEBUNKED

[Margrove]

They could not have originated the "fire" from hell, this seems to be a later addition to the Christian faith. Is there any information when the "Hell=fire" concept was incorporated into the Christian belief? Is it lalte Medieval or from the Renascence?

The idea of a "hellfire" of eternal agony and conscious suffering is most certainly imported to later "Christianity" from ancient greek mythology. This dogma was superimposed via fautly interpretation of a few Christian illustrations.

For a proper understanding of so called Christian "hellfire" texts, see below.

Thank you, however we see that Hades and Tartarus in Greek mythology are never mentioned in connection with fire, even if symbolic.

[Margrove]

[Replying to 2timothy316 in post #2]

"Some say it was because Christians were being burned for their faith in that time and the teaching came as a way to show that those doing such things will themselves be on fire forever." "It seems the teaching came with a bundle of other foreign teachings that were not taught in the 1st century."
@2timothy316 very interesting, are there sources for that information?

[JehovahsWitness]

Thank you, however we see that Hades and Tartarus in Greek mythology are never mentioned in connection with fire, even if symbolic.

Yes but apostate Christianity merged the idea of conscious beings existing after death in a functuoning "underworld" with the inaccurate presumption that bible references to fire was to be interpreted as a "suffering" afterlife (rather than simple annihilation).

This "bastardization" of theology giving birth to what would eventually emerge a so-called "Christian" teaching.

[Margrove]

[Replying to myth-one.com in post #6]

thank you for the insight about the false ethernal life promised by the Devil to Eve.