Hell

Some thoughts about what the bible probably really says about hell, an info dump on what I've read in the bible and what I've been finding out about translation into Elizabethan English then into 21st century English.


I think everyone should question the image of "Hell" that's been sold us, especially christians. The medieval picture of satan toasting people just isn't in the bible.

Lots of words that don't mean hell as we know it are translated that way.

The main words Sheol and Hades just mean the unknown, or unseen. Others are just grave, hole in the ground (pit), ie a synonym for death, or The End of What We've Known So Far. Not Hell as we know it at all. The germanic old english word "hell" just means covered, hidden, including afterlife but without specific attributes. It might have been an ok translation hundreds of years ago.

But, and it's a big but, Jesus did talk about something that we should translate as something like hell. Gehenna, the Jerusalem rubbish dump and incineration place. A big ravine where refuse was thrown and what the worms didn't dispose of methane fires burnt. 

In all but one times he's talking to Pharisees. They believed that ordinary people would be disposed of, all Jews would all be saved to go to an unending banquet as spectators, and they the 'wise ones' would get seats at the table. 

Jesus put the kaibosh on their ideas of superiority and judgementalism by telling them they'd be having to answer individually for their behaviour. 

The picture is of the lord of the manor having been away on an unpredictably long business trip or war. When he gets home he'll sit in front of the crowd on a dias, pay debts, check on the behaviour of workers in his absence and pay unpaid wages or punish accordingly, judge unresolved court cases, and finally honour his betrothal agreement (childhood arranged marriage) with a wedding and great feast. 

As you've seen on your travels traditional Mediterranean land owners' homes have a large courtyard with a big gate in the wall that would be locked at night like towns  policed by Sam Vimes lol. Inside is lit with lamps and warmed with fires. Outside it's dark with stray dogs, wild animals and undesirables etc The stewards would chuck debtors etc out and lock the gates for however many days the celebrations were to last. Those who refused the invite, however rashly, would be outside anyway. Then their remains would soon end up on the dump like any carrion, stray, beggar or criminal. 

However to ordinary folk who'd been on the receiving end of the harsh and legalistic judgementalism Jesus told stories about lost sheep, mislaid dowry coins or prodigal sons being found, finding treasure, amazing seed that finds good soil and so on. Still individual responsibility for your life, but as opposed to the mass condemnation they'd lived with. They knew they were "sinners"*, didn't they just know it, they had their noses constantly rubbed in it, now they were being told they were valuable, loved and that the kingdom of God is for their present not just the inaccessible future reward of the self righteous.

Same difference in what angle is preached to whom in history. On one side the message of the Reformation said you can't buy your way out of responsibility. Ditto the message preached in American Revivals was to comfortable self satisfied judgementalistic paternalistic church goers, get on and repent! 

On the other hand was The Salvation Army movement which preached individual repentance true, but then put everything they had into helping the poor be able to make something of themselves cos they were loved and valuable. Like the Methodist movement that at it's origins said that the poor and labourers aren't rubbish, you can respond to God in your own right, no one's condemned out of hand and the ordinary should be helped to learn to read the bible for themselves and make up their own minds, make their own careers, and even be allowed to preach in their own chapels. Just saying that labourours were capable of learning to read and preach was radical.

Horses for courses. One side of the coin for the complacent, the other side, albeit of the same coin, for those who need no reminding they're "sinners*" but who need to be told they're valuable and can make valid decisions about their own lives. 

*There again there's a modern linguistic problem. Synne is an archery term which everyone, just everyone would have known up till fairly recent centuries, just as few Brits wouldn't know what an LBW or own goal or off side represents. It's when an archer's hand slips on the bow, and instead of the arrow singing through the air and hitting the target with a satisfying thud, it does a belly flop on the grass. The crowd would jeer and boo. 

That's why the Jewish believers in Rome are told "All have synned and fallen short of the glory of God" " The wages of synne is death (The End, ie no banquet) but the free gift God is eternal life". They would have been furious that their race and their legalism wasn't enough. (Makes me very angry when that message is distorted and hurled at shopping center crowds indiscriminately)

There is one reference in Revelation to Eternal Punishment in a special "lake of fire" fuelled to keep burning with sulphur reserved for Satan and his messangers ("angels", greek angleos, messanger, envoy). It might be that slave traders and others end up there. 

But there's a lot of allegorical language so interpreting one bit literally and another as allegory is dodgy in my book. Doesn't mean it doesn't happen, just means we have'to be careful what we assert. 

NB A powerful rider to all of it - Jesus said with the judgement you judge others you will be judged. (Flip side of him saying treat others as you'd like them to treat you, love your neighbour as you love yourself). Also Jesus makes it clear that the Judge will be totally fair. Might not be what we expected but it will be completely individually tailored. Not so much in the comfortable West, but people who've been exploited and abused take great comfort that although they've not had justice in this life by other humans, that God has seen their abusers at work and is even angrier than they are.