The Old Testament and Hell

[Inquiringperson]

I understand that in the Old Testament, before Jesus came, souls that died went to Sheol, but did some souls that die go to Hell?

 

[Crumpy]

There is no central authority in Judaism (anything like the magisterium in the Catholic Church) so there are a range of beliefs in Judaism about this.

God is introduced and represented as a judge under the designation “Elohim” and God is a source of mercy and represented under the designation YHWH Yahweh or commonly translated in English as LORD.

Even in the Catholic view, we submit ourselves to the sovereignty of God to make those decisions.

the Jewish belief is that God had to provide for mercy and forgiveness and repentence, otherwise there wouldn’t have been a reason to create a world where everybody sins.
but, they believe and Catholics believe that God weighs the good and the bad that a person has done and judges them for that and for what is in their hearts. The Jews say that God judges things much differently than we might expect; for example, one “good” deed may be enormously more important to God and offset many smaller sins and offenses.

 

[fms]

I understand that in the Old Testament, before Jesus came, souls that died went to Sheol, but did some souls that die go to Hell?

Cf. The rich man and Lazarus Lk16:19-31

And from the Creed: ‘He descended into hell’

Clearly the hell of the damned is not the same as the hell where the just went.

 

[chosen_people]

There is no central authority in Judaism (anything like the magisterium in the Catholic Church) so there are a range of beliefs in Judaism about this.

God is introduced and represented as a judge under the designation “Elohim” and God is a source of mercy and represented under the designation YHWH Yahweh or commonly translated in English as LORD.

Even in the Catholic view, we submit ourselves to the sovereignty of God to make those decisions.

the Jewish belief is that God had to provide for mercy and forgiveness and repentence, otherwise there wouldn’t have been a reason to create a world where everybody sins.
but, they believe and Catholics believe that God weighs the good and the bad that a person has done and judges them for that and for what is in their hearts. The Jews say that God judges things much differently than we might expect; for example, one “good” deed may be enormously more important to God and offset many smaller sins and offenses.

The non monotheistic pagan based concepts of a independent powerful Devil ruling over his kingdom of Hell is foreign to Judaism. Ironically, a good way for a Jew to loose his portion in the world to come would be to adopt such beliefs.

 

[John7]

I understand that in the Old Testament, before Jesus came, souls that died went to Sheol, but did some souls that die go to Hell?

this is how i understand it,

If you mean Hell as in Hades, then:
yes, Hades in the Greek OT is generally translated form Sheol in Hebrew

-but-

If you mean Hell as in Gehenna, or the Lake of FIre, then:
at the general resurrection, on the last day, all will receive bodies, after this Jesus Christ as divine judge will set the goats (the damned) on his ‘left’ and Christ’s sheep (the righteous) on his ‘right’. Then, in a manner scripture doesn’t disclose, the damned/goats (liars, unbelievers etc, whoever they may be) along with death and Hades themselves will be cast into the ‘lake of fire’ which is the second death.
But the fearful, and unbelieving, and the abominable, and murderers, and whoremongers, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone: which is the second death. (Rev 21:8)

And death and Hades were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death, even the lake of fire. (Rev 20:14)

 

[gregrege]

disagreehttp://www.cleaningcassette.com

 

[fms]

Ccc 633

scripture calls the abode of the dead, to which the dead christ went down, “hell” - sheol in hebrew or hades in greek - because those who are there are deprived of the vision of god. Such is the case for all the dead, whether evil or righteous, while they await the redeemer: Which does not mean that their lot is identical, as jesus shows through the parable of the poor man lazarus who was received into “abraham’s bosom”:"it is precisely these holy souls, who awaited their savior in abraham’s bosom, whom christ the lord delivered when he descended into hell."jesus did not descend into hell to deliver the damned, nor to destroy the hell of damnation, but to free the just who had gone before him.

 

[mgoforth]

The Jews say that God judges things much differently than we might expect; for example, one “good” deed may be enormously more important to God and offset many smaller sins and offenses.

Actually we have the same idea in Christianity. Christ’s death is the one good deed that DOES offset all our sins against God.