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The trouble with synonyms and different translation of the Bible
Posted : 8 Jul, 2011 04:40 PM
Is there a Hell? The question arises when ever theologians talk about the issue we face when consulting different translations of religous text.If we look at the original texts, "Hell" wont exist because the word isn't to be found in the ancient Hebrew or Greek languages, and thus, not in any of the originals. So what did exist then that came to be used to mean "Hell?"
Looking at the source of the Christian belief in Hell I like to consult the oldest available Christian sources which are typically to be found among Catholic sources. All the Protestant denominations came from Catholicism beginning with Martin Luther et al. Fortunately, Catholicism is alive and well and they're quite fastidious record-keepers.
Using the Catholic Encyclopedia's entry for "Hell" at:
http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/07207a.htm
if we scroll down to the "Existence of Hell" section we find, "There is a hell, i.e. all those who die in personal mortal sin, as enemies of God, and unworthy of eternal life, will be severely punished by God after death." ... "The existence of hell is proved first of all from the Bible. Wherever Christ and the Apostles speak of hell they presuppose the knowledge of its existence (Matthew 5:29; 8:12; 10:28; 13:42; 25:41, 46; 2 Thessalonians 1:8; Revelation 21:8, etc.)"
So let's start with those given Scriptures they rely upon as sources:
Matthew 5:29 `But, if thy right eye doth cause thee to stumble, pluck it out and cast from thee, for it is good to thee that one of thy members may perish, and not thy whole body be cast to gehenna. - Young's Literal Translation, biblegateway.com
'gehenna' is not 'hell' and looking up gehenna we find,"'Gehenna (Greek γέεννα), Gehinnom (Rabbinical Hebrew: גהנום/גהנם) and Yiddish Gehinnam, are terms derived from a place outside ancient Jerusalem known in the Hebrew Bible as the Valley of the Son of Hinnom (Hebrew: גֵיא בֶן־הִנֹּם or גיא בן-הינום); one of the two principal valleys surrounding the Old City." - wikipedia
So gehenna at least is a real physical place outside a real physical city extant in Biblical times as well as extant today. But we'd all agree "Hell" is not that place. So Matthew 5:29 at least does not support the existence of Hell.
Matthew 8:12 but the sons of the reign shall be cast forth to the outer darkness -- there shall be the weeping and the gnashing of the teeth.' - YLT
This isn't even about "Hell" but comes in the middle of the story of the Roman centurion coming to Yeshua for aid healing a compatriot. In context we see:
9for I also am a man under authority, having under myself soldiers, and I say to this one, Go, and he goeth, and to another, Be coming, and he cometh, and to my servant, Do this, and he doth [it].' 10And Jesus having heard, did wonder, and said to those following, `Verily I say to you, not even in Israel so great faith have I found; 11and I say to you, that many from east and west shall come and recline (at meat) with Abraham, and Isaac, and Jacob, in the reign of the heavens, 12but the sons of the reign shall be cast forth to the outer darkness -- there shall be the weeping and the gnashing of the teeth.' 13And Jesus said to the centurion, `Go, and as thou didst believe let it be to thee;' and his young man was healed in that hour.
Matthew 10:28`And be not afraid of those killing the body, and are not able to kill the soul, but fear rather Him who is able both soul and body to destroy in gehenna.
Gehenna again.
And on n on like this. So if "Hell" isn't what's being used in a relliable translation of the original texts, where does the word and thus the reality of Hell come from if not the texts themselves? Switching from the YLT to the version the Catholics themselves use, the Kings James Version, we see Matthew10:28 rendered thus:
Matthew 10:28 And fear not them which kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul: but rather fear him which is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.
So the question which now arises is Hell and Gehenna synonymous? This I leave to you. We know Gehenna was a real place, outside of Jerusalem which acted as a town dump. Hell on the other hand is where wicked souls go for eternal punishment. Yet the question seems to be do the actual Scriptures mention the existence of hell, or did the concept arise later?
As with everything else, it's up to you to decide for yourself.
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