- Apr 20, 2006
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Reading through the Old Testament this evening, Micah through Zephaniah it started to creep up on me that there is no concept of hell as we understand it until the new testament. All this punishment and wrath leads to destruction and death in the old testament, but in the teachings of Christ, hell is a very apparent reality and place. Perplexed, it came over me that under the influences of Greek culture, hell would have been a valid part of society, and accepted part. I began to wonder if this was a mixing of Greek mythology and orthodox Judaism. If Christianity as a whole is true, then this cannot be the case at all, but I can't get it out of my head.
Christ, being who He is though, cannot lie, or teach falsehoods. So why no mention of eternal fire and torment until 4000 years later? Did it not exist? Was it not part of the punishment plan for the wicked?
I guess I [logically] am drawn back to my old ways...of thinking that (sometimes) I discredit Christianity entirely on the basis of religious formation from a sociological perspective instead of a factual one. If God exists and Jesus Christ is Emmanuel, then shouldn't we see the existence of hell from the beginning? I know that Hades is mentioned in the OT (but is translated as 'grave' in my Bible), but it is nowhere close to the description that we get in the New Testament. Strikes me as very odd.
I guess my question is (to not keep droning on in circles), why don't we see hell described in current form until the New Testament?
Christ, being who He is though, cannot lie, or teach falsehoods. So why no mention of eternal fire and torment until 4000 years later? Did it not exist? Was it not part of the punishment plan for the wicked?
I guess I [logically] am drawn back to my old ways...of thinking that (sometimes) I discredit Christianity entirely on the basis of religious formation from a sociological perspective instead of a factual one. If God exists and Jesus Christ is Emmanuel, then shouldn't we see the existence of hell from the beginning? I know that Hades is mentioned in the OT (but is translated as 'grave' in my Bible), but it is nowhere close to the description that we get in the New Testament. Strikes me as very odd.
I guess my question is (to not keep droning on in circles), why don't we see hell described in current form until the New Testament?