What Is Hell?
It’s bad, y’all, but maybe not as bad as you think.
Chad: Today we’re talking about hell, y’all!
Charlotte: Yeah!
Chad: This is going to be a very… uplifting episode.
Charlotte: Well, it will be. I think you and I are going to end up in a very hopeful place here.
In our latest episode we tackle hell. It’s bad, y’all, but maybe not as bad as you think. Join us as we look at the following questions: What does scripture say about hell? Who is in charge of hell? Who goes to hell and what happens there? Also, is hell forever or is redemption still possible after this life? Could hell itself be in some way restorative?
Charlotte: I’m going to reject an eternal, conscious damnation. The punishment doesn’t fit the crime. I was a finite being! Come on now! I also don’t believe that God creates things to be thrown away, to be destroyed. And, as you mentioned in the beginning, there is just that whole slew of scripture saying what it is that God desires, and what God desires, God will do. So, if God desires the redemption of all things, why would I question that?
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I meant to say this during the podcast but will add it here. The Greek word that is translated "eternal" is aionios, which is an adjective of the noun aion. The noun, aion, means "eon, age." Consider Matthew 28:20 where Jesus says he will be with us "to the end of the age" That is the genitive of aion, and it means a period of time with an end. The noun is translated as a temporal period. Why is it when we translate the adjective of that root, we translate it as "eternal" (i.e. unending duration)? I don't know enough about it, but I'm curious. Perhaps there are some Greek scholars that can make an argument.
I know that Origen brings this issue up, i.e., that it is odd to translate the adjective as "eternal," so he thinks of it as "undetermined duration" instead of "unending duration." Why is it that some Greek speaking Christians saw hell as a temporal state instead of eternal one? I think it was because they were Greek speakers and saw nuance that some Latin speakers, who might have not been fans of Greek (Augustine), missed. Obviously, some Greek speakers went with eternal torment, as well. But knowing the language probably made some difference to those of the Alexandrian branch. I wonder, are we translating it "eternal" because it is the best translation or because it is the favored doctrine?