Beliefs on Hell in Church History

A brief overview of belief in the immortal soul, how and when it entered the church and why many denominations still teach it to this day.

A. The Hebrew understanding from the Old Testament

It has been asked, if God was to warn Adam and Eve of the consequences of their sin being far worse than death, why did He only warn them that they would 'surely die' (Gen 2:17)? Well, it wasn't just Adam and Eve who wouldn't be warned of 'eternal conscious torment', it was the entire population of the world before the New Testament (Hint: and beyond). Not one Old Testament scripture mentions the concept of an immortal soul or the eternality of consciousness for the unbeliever in the final judgment. There are two verses from the Hebrew Scriptures which have been used to support the eternality of the judgment, Scripturally taught as being 'death'. These in no way hint at eternal consciousness, but rather at their lack of consciousness forever – the eternality or finality of death.

Isaiah 66:24 is the first, which describes 'dead bodies', carefully using the word 'abhorrence' referring not to their experience but their reputation to those who are still alive. The other, Daniel 12:2, again interestingly uses this same Hebrew word for 'abhorrence' (or 'contempt') which highlights the eternality of their dishonour. This is the only other biblical passage that utilises this Hebrew word since it is specifically refers to the dead being eternally despised by the living. Eternality is applied to the outlook of the living ('contempt') and contrasted with 'everlasting life' because the unbeliever will not endure forever. The mention of the unbeliever's 'shame and everlasting contempt' most likely highlights their own temporary experience of 'shame' before the 'contempt' with which they will everlastingly be remembered.

B. The New Testament arrives!

Finally, we receive the New Testament writings following Jesus’ ministry on earth. Now, for eternal suffering to be introduced at this point (so late in the narrative) it would be revolutionary. It would be very important that (since no one else had clarified the endless nature of the unbeliever's consciousness in the judgment) Jesus or the apostles explain it very clearly. You’d imagine a few of the Pharisees, Scribes and Jews (who believed nothing of the sort) would ask a few questions and raise their theological fists - only to be struck with the words of Jesus, "you have heard it said… but I say to you…"!

The 'fire' is spoken of as eternal (Matt 18:8-9, 25:41, Mark 9:48), but this is because it is prepared for Satan and his angels (Matt 25:41) who will ‘be tormented day and night forever and ever.’ (Rev 20:10). The 'punishment' is also described as eternal (25:46), being 'death' – also called the 'eternal judgment' (Hebrews 6:2) and the 'eternal destruction' (2 Thes 1:9). Besides this, we see descriptions of the weeping and gnashing of teeth (Matt 8:12, 13:42,50, 22:13, 24:51, 25:30, Luke 13:28) – none of which are said to be eternal. The undying worm (Mark 9:48) is a direct quotation of Isaiah, describing the eternality of the second death for 'dead bodies'. We then come to a parable of a rich man and Lazarus, but this is not a true story, using Jewish traditions (such as Abraham's Bosom) to reveal truth. Neither does this mention any sort of eternality of consciousness – and cannot be referring to the final judgment, since the rich man's brothers are still alive in this age.

We move on to mentions (in Revelation) of eternally rising smoke from torment before The Lamb (Rev 14:9-11). However, here it is clear that the smoke rises forever (biblically representing the completion of judgment) – it is not an eternal experience of torment 'in the presence of The Lamb'. While we read of the Satanic trio (the devil, beast and false prophet) being tormented eternally (in Revelation 20:10), these are 'demonic spirits', as seen earlier in Revelation (16:13-14). Then, when we finally get to the clear description of human judgment (in Rev 20:14), it mentions nothing of eternal torment but instead is called 'the second death' – confirming the rest of Scripture.

C. The Greek influence on early Christianity

Plato had introduced philosophical arguments for the 'immortality of the soul' – completely alien to the Scriptures – some 300 years before Jesus' ministry. The ideas of Greek philosophy (such as this) had an increasingly heavy influence on the ancient world. Shortly after Plato's death, the conquests of Alexander (known as 'the Great', though not so in God's eyes) had led to the Hellenistic period. This was a time where Greek influence spread throughout the East – including the biblical province of Judea (covering Bethlehem and Jerusalem), leading to Hellenistic Judaism. As noted in one article of The Jewish Encyclopedia, 'The belief in the immortality of the soul came to the Jews from contact with Greek thought and chiefly through the philosophy of Plato, its principal exponent'. (a)

The gospel first spread from this same region of Judea, and by 200AD, the Greek idea of the immortal soul had become a Christian doctrine also. Greek philosophy was extremely prominent – the great thinkers were deemed so based upon their contributions to and wrestlings with the theories of the day. According to The New Encyclopedia Britannica, 'From the middle of the 2nd century CE Christians who had some training in Greek philosophy began to feel the need to express their faith in its terms, both for their own intellectual satisfaction and in order to convert educated pagans. The philosophy that suited them best was Platonism.' (b) This can be likened to today's temptation to think, speak and write in accord with modern scientific theories. Many Church leaders seemed to gain their status of authority (at least in part) through their education in Platonic thought.

More and more influential theologians of the time adapted and Christianised these Greek philosophies - greatly inspired by Hellenistic Jewish literature. Justin Martyr (for example) had been a great admirer of Plato before he came to faith and adapted many Greek ideologies to the Gospel. Justin has sadly been described (in the Encyclopedia Britannica) as “the first Christian to use Greek philosophy in the service of the Christian faith”. (c) Sadly, it was no service to the faith whatsoever. Traditional Christianity had been corrupted by external influence. These are some of the early Church leaders who were sadly led astray by Plato and his teachings; Justin Martyr, Athenagoras, Theophilus, Ireneus, Hippolytus, Clement of Alexandria, Origen, Minutius Felix, Eusebius, Methodius, Basil the Great, Gregory of Nyssa, and St. Augustine.

D. It didn't end there

354-430: We fast forward now, crossing the era of St. Augustine of Hippo. He became a highly esteemed Christian Philosopher. According to the Internet Encylopedia of Philosophy, his philosophy 'infused Christian doctrine with Neoplatonism'. (d) It was through such influence that he, too, argued in favour of the immortal soul doctrine and supported the spread of this unbiblical doctrine.

1225-1274: St. Thomas Aquinas was also greatly influenced by Plato, Aristotle and (very much so) by St. Augustine. Aquinas wrote much concerning Greek philosophy and his writing style has been described primarily as 'Aristotelean, Platonic, and Socratic'. (e) St. Thomas highly favoured the writings of the 6th-century philosopher, Boethius, who translated many of the works of Aristotle and Plato into Latin – becoming a sort of intermediary for following generations. Aquinas learned from Boethius the lie that Aristotle's works could be adapted without Scriptural contradiction.

c.1328-1384: John Wycliffe, who became an extremely influential Bible translator, theologian and philosopher, also held the writings and teachings of Plato and Augustine in high esteem.

The influence of the Greeks continued to spread both directly (for instance, through Martin Luther's interest in Aristotle and John Calvin's doctrine of the human soul being undeniably rooted in Plato's writings) and indirectly (through the teaching of Christian leaders who adopted these views by tradition). Calvin himself was born at a time when 'Plato was the current fashion' and therefore 'nobody needed to be embarrassed or to justify himself for being a Platonist'. (f) Calvin thus greatly respected Plato, especially naming him as the unique exception among pagan philosophers, since he 'distinctly maintained (the soul's) immortality'. (g) This book went on to be one of the most influential of protestant writings. Yet little did Calvin realise at the time, and I do not say this in any way with judgment or criticism; Plato was the one who instituted the lie in the first place.

E. The other side

Many Church leaders have noted the contradiction between the concept of the immortal soul and the clear Word of God. One prominent church leader of the 2nd century, Irenaeus of Gaul, wrote (regarding Psalm 21:4);

'He thus speaks respecting the salvation of man: 'He asked life of You, and You gave him length of days for ever and ever'; indicating that it is the Father of all who imparts continuance for ever and ever on those who are saved. For life does not arise from us, nor from our own nature; but it is bestowed according to the grace of God. And therefore he who shall preserve the life bestowed upon him, and give thanks to Him who imparted it, shall receive also length of days for ever and ever. But he who shall reject it, and prove himself ungrateful to his Maker, inasmuch as he has been created, and has not recognised Him who bestowed [the gift upon him], deprives himself of [the privilege of] continuance for ever and ever.' (h)

More recently, there has been a great resurgence (by God's Grace) through the fading of primary Greek influence of Scriptural truth regarding the mortality of man – that immortality is a gift given by grace and received by faith, through Jesus Christ, not birth. Here are a few quotes you may find of interest:

1819-1887: Dr Edward White (who was Pastor of St. Paul's Chapel and Chairman of the Congregational Union), wrote:

'The Old Testament is consistent throughout with the belief of eternal life of the servants of God, and of the eternal destruction of the wicked... The Gospels and Epistles with equal pertinacity adhere almost uniformly to language respecting the doom of the unsaved which taken in its simple sense, teaches, as does the Old Testament, that they shall die, perish, be destroyed, not see life, but suffer destruction, everlasting destruction, 'destruction,' says Christ, 'of body and soul in Gehenna.'' (i)

1819-1890: Dr William Thomson (the Archbishop of York in his day) said in one lecture at the University of Oxford:

"Life to the godless must be the beginning of destruction since nothing but God and that which pleases Him can permanently exist." (j)

1822-1902: Dr R. F. Weymouth (Formerly Headmaster of Mill Hill School and Translator of the New Testament in Modern Speech) strongly expressed in one 'scholar-like letter':

"My mind fails to conceive a grosser misrepresentation of language than when five or six of the strongest words which the Greek tongue possesses, signifying to destroy or destruction, are explained to mean 'maintaining an everlasting but wretched existence.' To translate black as white is nothing to this." (k)

1830-1902: Joseph Parker was pastor of the `City Temple' of London. He noted in his Commentary on Genesis 1,

"Glorious to me is this idea of asking man whether he will accept life and be like God, or whether he will choose death and darkness for ever. God does not say to man, `I will make you immortal and indestructible whether you will or not; live for ever you shall.' No; he makes him capable of living; he constitutes him with a view to immortality; he urges, beseeches, implores him to work out this grand purpose, assuring him, with infinite pathos, that he has no pleasure in the death of the sinner, but would rather that he should LIVE." (l)

1910-1990: Frederick Fyvie Bruce (known as Dr F.F. Bruce) was a Biblical scholar, who taught Greek at university level and is famous for his biblical commentaries. Bruce supported the validity of Exclusive (or Conditional) Immortality in this letter to John Stott:

"...annihilation is certainly an acceptable interpretation of the relevant New Testament passages... For myself, I remain agnostic. Eternal conscious torment is incompatible with the revealed character of God." (m)

1944-2017: Edward Fudge, well-known as a theologian for his in-depth studies on the biblical nature of Hell, noted in one article,

"The notion that every human being has a soul which, unlike the body, is immortal and cannot die, is a remnant of ancient pagan Greek philosophy. The idea crept into Christian thinking in the second and third centuries, where it shaped the popular doctrine of everlasting torture in hell. The great theologian Augustine gave the notion his stamp of approval and it became Catholic and Protestant orthodoxy. If souls cannot die but live forever, the wicked souls must suffer conscious torment throughout eternity — something the Bible never says and an idea completely out of character with the nature of God as revealed in Scripture and in his Son Jesus Christ.” (n)

1967-present: Francis Chan is a well-known pastor and author who again accepts the feasibility of Exclusive Immortality, humbly being open to wherever God's Word leads. When asked concerning his book, 'Erasing Hell', why he seemed 'agnostic as to whether hell is a conscious eternal torment or annihilation', he responded:

"That was one of the things I was a little surprised by: the language. I would definitely have to say that if I leaned a certain direction I would lean toward the conscious torment that's eternal. But I couldn't say I'm sure of that, because there are some passages that really seem to emphasize a destruction. And then I look in history and find that's not really a strange view. There are some good, godly men - and maybe even the majority - that seem to take the annihilation view. I was surprised because all I was brought up with was conscious torment. And I see that. I see that in Scripture and I would lean more that way but, I'm not ready to say okay I know it's this one." (o)

CONCLUSION:

In closing, I'll present two statements. One from man, the other from God's Word.

c.424BC-348BC: Plato

“the soul is most like that which is divine, immortal, intelligible, uniform, indissoluble, and ever be self-consistent and invariable, whereas the body is most like that which is human, mortal, multiform, unintelligible, dissoluble, and never self-consistent."

Everlasting-Everlasting: The LORD God

"Behold, all souls are mine; the soul of the father as well as the soul of the son is mine: the soul who sins shall die." (Ezekiel 18:4)

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Sources:

(a) Kaufmann Kohler. IMMORTALITY OF THE SOUL, Jewish Encyclopedia. Available at: https://www.jewishencyclopedia.com/articles/8092-immortality-of-the-soul#

(b) A. Hilary Armstrong & Henry J. Blumenthal. Platonism in the world of revealed religions, Encyclopedia Britannica. Available at:https://www.britannica.com/topic/Platonism/Platonism-in-the-world-of-revealed-religions#ref32573

(c) A. Hilary Armstrong & Henry J. Blumenthal. Platonism in the world of revealed religions, Encyclopedia Britannica. Available at:https://www.britannica.com/topic/Platonism/Platonism-in-the-world-of-revealed-religions#ref32573

(d) Anonymous. Augustine (354—430), The Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy. Available at: https://www.widernet.org/pocketlibrary/mep/eGLibrary/www.iep.utm.edu/augustin/index.html

(e) Daniel Kennedy. St. Thomas Aquinas, The Catholic Encyclopedia. Available at: https://www.newadvent.org/cathen/14663b.htm

(f) Gerd Babelotzky. Platonische Bilder und Gedankengänge in Calvins Lehre vom Menschen, page 35.

(g) John Calvin. Institutes of the Christian Religion (Translated by Henry Beveridge), chapter 15, section 6. Available at: https://www.ccel.org/ccel/calvin/institutes.iii.xvi.html

(h) St. Irenaeus. 'Against Heresies' (Translated by Alexander Roberts and William Rambaut), book 11, chapter 34. Available at: https://www.newadvent.org/fathers/0103234.htm

(i) J.H. Pettingell. Homiletic Monthly (England).

(j) William Thomson. The Thought of Death, Bampton Lectures.

(k) Edward White. Life in Christ, page 365.

(l) Joseph Parker. The People's Bible: Genesis, chapter 1. Available at: https://biblehub.com/commentaries/parker/genesis/1.htm

(m) Timothy Dudley Smith. John Stott: a Global Ministry, page 354

(n) Edward Fudge. CAN THE SOUL TRULY DIE? Available at: https://edwardfudge.com/2014/01/can-the-soul-truly-die/

(o) Francis Chan (Interviewed by Mark Galli). Q&A: Francis Chan on Rob Bell and Hell. Available at: https://www.christianitytoday.com/ct/2011/julyweb-only/francis-chan-hell.html Also available at: https://www.sermonindex.net/modules/newbb/viewtopic.php?topic_id=40692&forum=35