Aerik Von

In his church they translated that word as "hades"...hence "final death".

He said that he was taught that when Jesus descended for three days into "hell" (or as he said HADES) it literally meant "land of the dead" and showed me a card talking abotu christ "bestowing life to those lose."

Also, when he was told hell is "at the center of the world" it meant the place the Romans and Greeks referred to as hades, as metaphor of death - and that damnation is staying DEAD.

This seems to contradict HEAVILY with the brimstone people.

Thoughts? He thinks it's from the Europeans mistranslating the word "hell" either through sloppiness or through terror instructions.

He also noted that he believed that only Plato came up with the paradise/damnation theory and that it had nothing to do with xianity which was of jewish origin - and that the second coming would be of Jewisih origin.

Thoguths?

Volker.Doormann

Yes. That, what is dramatized as hell or hades is a widely mistaken term in mythology. Hel is the Scandinavian word. Hebrews have called it Egypt. The Greek have called it Hades.

The mistaken results from that understanding, that a hell is a region, which is more terrible than this world. The truth is, this world is already the hell, the Hades or 'down in Egypt'.

All that symbols in the myths from Greek, Edda or OT containing a sketch, in that a 'holy' creature descend in a bondage situation. But this bondage is simple the spiritual soul of everybody of us, which is locked in in a physical body in this world. The hole story of Moses in the OT is a parable in this sense. It describes in a parable the fight of the soul to recognize the own spiritual existence ('Isra'El') in a mortal body, that is left back as the 'dead firstborn of Egypt'. It is only a spiritual symbol. The twelve tribes of 'Isra'El' in the OT are the twelve spiritual astrological houses, which are aligned - as precise reported in the OT - to the four cardinal directions of the sky. Gilgamesh, the hero from about 2800 B.C.E. in Sumer has found (in Table XII) the way back from this world called hell, Hades or Egypt, because he was searching for the immortal existence as soul. This theme then was later frequently dramatized in many other myths.

I think there is and was a very few understanding in the Hebrew and Christian religion about all this. Socrates, who was cited by Plato with the 'Cave Allegory', has spoken in the upper sense in a wonderful created parable. And in the Gospel of Thomas it is noted, that the recognition about this mystery plot - that we are immortal souls in a mortal body - delivers eternal 'life' to the soul.

Volker

Tercel

Hi Aerik Von,
Hopefully I can contribute something more meaningful than Volker.

It is true that the Orthodox have a significantly different conception of Hell to the standard conservative Catholic/Protestant teachings. This has come about, I think, because the two traditions have historically been quite separate with very little interaction and have moved in their own directions.
However, today, there is significantly more interaction between the traditions and many many Protestants, even conservative ones, are adopting Orthodox teachings on the nature of the afterlife. (myself included)

I'm not quite sure about some of what your friend said - some of it seems to contradict my understanding of Orthodox teachings:
Also, when he was told... that damnation is staying DEAD.
It is my understanding that the Orthodox specifically deny Annihilationism (the position that the damned will die completely) and hold this position as heretical.

Yes.

I don't think "mistranslation" or otherwise has anything to do with it: You can call the thing Hades, Hell, or Fijlksijmn - it's the concepts you associate with the word that matter.

There is an article here by an Orthodox theologian with his opinion on the subject.