Whatever Became of Hell (original) (raw)
Related papers
Hell in Christian Doctrine and Imagination
2020
This paper examines the Christian concept of hell and its development: how it is represented in doctrine and conceived in the imagination. It seeks to explore the development of the concept of hell and how people have arrived at their modern conceptions and misconceptions through the three general lenses of history, modernity, and Scripture. It attempts to investigate what hell is, is it a place? A state of being? A concrete or symbolic reality? And if it is a place where and how might it exist? Who occupies hell and who rules it? The paper also attempts to clarify hell’s relationship to time- when it might exist and for how long. The paper finally dares to clarify which conceptions of hell are likely the most biblical and useful.
Forever Present To Curse: Establishing the Christian Doctrine of Hell
Hell is a place where, after death, the souls of unrepentant sinners are eternally tormented by the unmediated presence of God, manifested in his wrath. This claim is confirmed through (i) an exegetical study of the words used to indicate “hell” in the Bible, (ii) a biblical-theological overview of the presence of God manifest in either blessing or cursing throughout the Scriptures, and (iii) a consideration of matters componential to a proper systematic theology of hell.
The Harrowing of Hell, 2014
In Medieval Christian Theology) the defeat of the powers of evil and the release of of its victims by the descent of Christ into hell after his death. Middle English 'harrowing' byform of the verb 'to harry' (harass) After his crucifixion, did Jesus visit hell? And if he did, why? Popular charismatic pastors have vividly described what Jesus had to do between the time of his death on the cross and his resurrection. After his death on the cross, they will argue, he descended into hell where he did battle with the devil and defeated him. There is no doubt that this has caused concern among evangelicals, especially those who are concerned to maintain the doctrine of the completeness and finality of Christ's atoning sacrifice on the cross, where he declared that atoning work to be finished. John 19:30. When Jesus therefore had received the vinegar, he said, It is finished: and he bowed his head, and gave up the ghost. Hebrews 9:28 So Christ was once offered to bear the sins of many; and unto them that look for him shall he appear the second time without sin unto salvation.
The Consummation of the Kingdom
The Consummation of the Kingdom, 2022
This present age period climaxes with "the end of the age" when God judges his world. This culmination is likened to the reaping of a harvest and the destruction of "weeds" by Jesus in Matthew 13:39-40. Angels will separate the evil from the righteous (Matt 13:49). In Matthew 24:3, Jesus is asked: "what will be the sign of your coming and of the end of the age?" Whenever this end comes, Jesus promises his disciples he will be present with them "to the end of the age" (Matt 28:20). The "age to come" then is the future, after the consummation of this period of history (Matt 12:32). Even if this age includes persecution, in the age to come, believers will receive eternal life (Mark 10:30; Luke 18:30). As such, those who are rich in this age are not to be proud and reliant on their wealth but set their hopes of God (1 Tim 6:17). They are to live godly lives (Tit 2:12). Having tasted the power of the age to come in the present, they are not to turn away (Heb 6:5). The Day of the Lord The Gospels all speak of "the day" or "the last day," referring to the climax of the present age. While at times "the coming" and "the day" are somewhat separate (e.g., 1 Thess 4-5), overall, writers fuse the Second Coming of Christ and the judgment that will follow, as all stand before God and are judged.
Christ the Medicine of Life: The Syriac Fathers on the Lord's Descent into Hell
Road to Emmaus , 2005
Presently working on her D. Phil. at Oxford University, England, Russian Orthodox Syriac scholar Irina Kukota delves into the writings of the Syriac fathers on the Lord's descent into hell, the Church's traditional teaching on the afterlife, and the effects of contemporary Christian eschatology. With clear insight and warm faith, Irina compounds the spiritual wealth of the patristic East into an accessible and healing balm for the soul. RTE: Irina, your work is quite intriguing because most of us don't often think of the implications of the Lord's descent into hell. Can you summarize the tradition for us? I'm sure it is much richer than the passing thought most of us give it during the Paschal services.
THE UNIQUE REALITY OF LIFE BEYOND DEATH
Death is not an event of life. Death is not lived through. If by eternity is understood not endless temporal duration but timelessness, then he lives eternally that lives in the present. Our life is endless in the way that our visual field is without limit. All of us suffer from the same fatal disease called life. Many people believe, however, that death is not the end of life, but merely the start of a life after death. Belief in life after death is as old as humanity itself. The archaeological record shows that in oldest prehistory people were buried with personal goods, which is considered evidence that they maintained a belief in life after death. The topic of this paper is the question whether, if there is no life after death, our earthly life is meaningless
This particularly brilliant book was written a little over one hundred years ago by Uriah Smith (1832-1903), who was for decades (with a few brief interruptions) the editor of The Review and Herald, the official house organ for the Seventh-day Adventist Church. Although perhaps best known today for writing Daniel and the Revelation, a detailed analysis of two of the most important books of prophecy in the Bible, Smith wrote other books as well. Using the Bible as its foundation and lodestar, Here and Hereafter deals with whether or not the dead are conscious, the soul is immortal, and the wicked will be eternally tortured. This book provides comprehensive coverage of the disputes over these teachings; almost every relevant text, "pro" or "con," is brought to bear on the controversies at issue. The passage of over a century has hardly made this book obsolete, since it deals with fundamental issues of Biblical interpretation on the doctrines concerning the state of the dead. What makes this book truly remarkable is the author's skill in writing, including his sense of humor and use of metaphor. Using Scripture alone, Smith decisively destroys the doctrines of the immortality of the soul and eternal torment. Although he discusses some philosophical arguments favoring unconditional immortality, these are a mere epilogue to the vast bulk of his case. All people on either side of the dispute, whether they affirm or deny that men and women have souls that go to heaven, hell, or purgatory upon death, will find Smith's book spiritually profitable to read.
Exegesis and Exposition of Jude 13
Jude 13 κύματα ἄγρια θαλάσσης ἐπαφρίζοντα τὰς ἑαυτῶν αἰσχύνας, ἀστέρες πλανῆται οἷς ὁ ζόφος τοῦ σκότους εἰς αἰῶνα τετήρηται. (NA28) Fourth Metaphor Describing the Jewish Zealots Jude 13 wild sea waves, spewing out the foam of their shame; wayward stars for whom the utter depths of eternal darkness have been reserved. (NET) "Wild sea waves, spewing out the foam of their shame" is composed of the following: (1) nominative neuter plural form of the noun kyma (κῦμα), "waves" (2) nominative neuter plural form of the adjective agrios (ἄγριος), "wild" (3) genitive feminine singular form of the noun thalassa (θάλασσα), "sea" (4) nominative neuter plural present active participle conjugation of the verb epaphrizō (ἐπαφρίζω), "spewing out the foam" (5) articular accusative feminine plural form of the noun aischynē (αἰσχύνη), "of shame" (6) genitive third person neuter plural form of the reflexive pronoun heautou (ἑαυτοῦ), "themselves." The nominative neuter plural form of the noun kyma (κῦμα) means "waves" since the word pertains to one of a series of ridges that moves across the surface of a body of water. The word of course is not used in a literal but figurative or metaphorical sense for the unregenerate Jewish Zealots in Jude's day and age who were attempting to persuade the Jewish Christian community in Judaea to join them in their rebellion against Rome in order to usher in the kingdom of God on earth. Therefore, this word is implicitly comparing these individuals to the waves produced by the sea. Thus it is best to introduce this expression by a simile. The noun kyma (κῦμα), "waves" functions as a predicate nominative which means that it is making an assertion about these unregenerate Jewish Zealots, namely, that they possess the characteristic of being like the wild waves produced by the sea. This word is modified by the nominative neuter plural form of the adjective agrios (ἄγριος), which means "violent" since the word pertains to what is violent and uncontrolled. 1 It too is used in a figurative or metaphorical sense for these unregenerate Jewish Zealots. Therefore, this word is also implicitly comparing these individuals to the waves of sea, which can be violent. This word functions as an attributive adjective which means that is ascribing that which is violent and uncontrolled to the figurative or metaphorical meaning of the
Christ's Descent into Hell.docx
Christ's Descent into Hell, 2015
This is an early, relatively rough draft of the chapter on Christ's Descent in the T&T Clark Companion to the Atonement.
What Does the Bible Really Tell Us About Hell?
Charles Darwin expressed the sentiment of a lot of people about hell when he wrote: “I can indeed hardly see how anyone ought to wish Christianity to be true; for if so, the plain language of the text seems to show that the men who do not believe, and this would include my Father, Brother and almost all my best friends, will be everlastingly punished. And this is a damnable doctrine.” (Moskala 93) Bertrand Russell, a British philosopher and mathematician, once said: “There is one very serious defect to my mind in Christ’s moral character, and that is that He believed in hell. I do not myself feel that any person who is really profoundly humane can believe in everlasting punishment.” (Russell 17) Are these valid criticisms? What does the Bible really tell us about hell? I would like to explore this topic in this paper because what we believe about hell has a direct impact on our understanding of God, his values, image, and character.