5-Part Teaching by Bart Breen .....Part One
It's time to look at the Gospels and specifically what Jesus has to say about Hell. First however another few general observations about these passages.
1. All references to hell in the Gospels are found in Matthew, Mark and Luke. There are no direct references to hell in the book of John. The first 3 gospels are often referred to as the Synoptic Gospels. They are called this because they preimarily contain narratives of Jesus actions and words in a somewhat linear perspective. John is different than the synoptics in that it is more a theological summary of who Jesus is and the themes of his ministry and teaching.
2. It will be important when looking at the passages involved to differentiate between what word is being used, ie. whether it is gehenna or hades. Remember Jesus didn't commonly speak in koine Greek to the best of our knowledge. Based on His geographic location, the times and the audiences He was addressing, there were 3 basic languages in use.
Koine (which just means "common" to differentiate it from Classical) Greek was the language of trade and commerce. Most of the known world had been familiar with Greek for centuries because before the Romans came and arose to World Empire status Greece was the primary nation and empire. Even though the official language of Rome was Latin, in practice most communications to and from tributary nations and provinces continued in Greek.
Hebrew was the language of Religion for the Jews in Palestine. Most Jews even if not literate and able to read, participated at the temple and/or in the synagogues (which had developed during the times following the destruction of the temple and continued even after the temple was rebuilt) where sciptures were read in Hebrew. Discussion at the Synagogue meetings likely took place in Hebrew.
Aramaic was the common language of the region and the most likely language to have been spoken by Jesus when He was addressing crowds of the common people. Even where this might not have been true the only other real option as to the languages spoken would have been Hebrew, not koine Greek. So, what we have in the Gospels where Jesus speaks are not the verbatim words that he would have directly spoken by Jesus. The words themselves are translated from Aramaic or Hebrew into Koine Greek. So, the use of the word Gehenna or Hades takes on significance in terms of the understanding of the human author who penned the particular Gospel in question. In general, the word "Sheol" from Hebrew is likely translated to "Hades" in the Greek and unless Jesus is intending otherwise, the use of the word "hades" should be understood as the grave or place of death and not the greek underworld which hades denotes in other contexts. The word "Gehanna" is transliterated into the Greek and so it's probable that when the word "Gehenna" is used that that is the actual word that Jesus used, and that He used it with a conscious appeal to the knowledge of His listeners who would be familiar with its location and characteristics. He also would be familiar with its reputation as a place where idol worship and child sacrifices took place, where apostates (those who repudiated their faith) went for punishment and the presence of fires. So, it's my belief as I go through these passages that Gehenna is the word Jesus used (or the NT translates to) when the focus is upon the element of punishment. So, it will be very important to consider the context of Jesus' words and teaching and who Jesus is speaking to and/or whom Jesus is speaking about. As much as possible, I want to suspend what I think I already know about hell and assume a blank slate and hear what Jesus is saying, and what it meant to those who were originally listening.
So off we go. Mat 5:22 But I say unto you, That whosoever is angry with his brother without a cause shall be in danger of the judgment: and whosoever shall say to his brother, Raca, shall be in danger of the council: but whosoever shall say, Thou fool, shall be in danger of hell fire.
General Context: Jesus' Sermon on the Mount
Whom speaking to: A predominantly Jewish audience of people who have followed Jesus to hear Him teach.
Word translated Hell: Gehenna
Immediate Context: Jesus is contrasting the Old Testament law against murder with His teaching to those listening to Him now that not just the murder is included within this stricture but that anger itself and insulting another person puts a person at risk of punishment. Throughout the Sermon of the Mount, Jesus uses a literary and speaking device that is commonly known as Hyperbole. This is something too that is common in the Old Testament, particularly in the Psalms and portions of scripture employing poetic language. It's closely associated with parallelism which contrasts and compares. Not far removed from this particular verse are the most commonly cited verses that demonstrate this type of "hyperbole" or overstatement to drive home a point, and that is where Jesus speaks of mutilating oneself in various ways as preferable over entering "Hell."
Thoughts: By using Gehenna Jesus is tying the images associated to His audience's of the Valley of Hinnom. The idea is that Moses Law gives clear lines not to cross, but that God looks beyond things to the motives and intents of a person's heart. So anger toward another person that rises to the level of calling them a fool or a morally deficient person creates a state of mind and heart in someone that effectively is no better than if they went ahead and killed that person. The idea present here seems not so much a sense of "hell fire" as in the sense of a Lake of Fire in the underworld (which we'll look at in Revelation) but more the sense of equating such a person with the apostate who will go through punishment and the fires noted are referring to the trash fires associated with Gehenna. In any event, the Sermon on the Mount includes elements of Hyperbole and we have to be careful about picking and choosing what we want to take literally and at face value versus what we see as a clear overstatement. Beyond that, I'll leave the speculation and final conclusion to you. I want to address these passages individually first and then look at them collectively for what they tell us about "Hell.
"Conslusions: There's no differentiation in this passage between "saint" or "sinner." The term "hell fire" creates an image in our minds that might be very different than what it created in the minds of those original listeners. However, there clearly seems to be an element of punishment being assumed here. The duration of punishement in this passage isn't clear.
(I'm going to stop here for a short while to ask for feedback. Is this format of going through verses helpful to those of you reading this series of notes? If not what would be better in terms of a different approach or added components? Based on your feedback, I'll pick up in the next note and continue through the Gospels looking at the references to Hell.)
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