HADES. ON subjects of minor importance, minute explanation would be entirely unnecessary. But when those which embrace our faith, our habits, or our hopes, are questioned, it becomes a matter of serious and of fair discussion. Such is the subject before us; one which is most intimately connected with sacred truth, as well as the philosophy of modern times. What is the true meaning of the word dns? Its derivation is from a privative, and ɛd☎, video, and signifies obscure, hidden, or invisible. This word comprehends in its meaning the and p of the Hebrews, the yievra, oupavós, rádos, and μ of the Greeks, and the Infernus or Orcus of the Latins; and the true or specific meaning of any of these words, is to be determined according to their connexion with a subject. In English, it may be represented as the state of departed spirits, as the invisible world, death, or the grave, heaven, as well as hell; but in fixing one definitive idea to the word, we think it may be reduced to this, The state of invisibility. It may be proper to trace the Hebrew word which corresponds with the word dns in the Greek. When an individual dies, it is said he has gone into. This word is derived either from, petivit, rogavit, because the grave is said to be insatiable, or always calling for victims; it may then be applied to the grave: or it may be derived from, laxus fuit, to dissolve, or to relax Then it may signify death itself, because death for a time dissolves the powers of the body, or separates for a time the union of the body and the soul. then, or dns, is status vita functorum, or in other words, may be termed the state of dissolution. If we seek proof that this word in Hebrew means the grave, (and not, as some suppose it to be, a literal or local hell) let us search the Scripture. Jacob, when mourning for the suspected loss of his son Joseph, exclaims, "I will go down to my son, mourning, into." The Septuagint translation corresponding with the expression, is xaraßnooμas siç ády, “I * Gen. xxxvii. 35. will," as termed in English, "descend to hell ;" and again, “If mischief befall my son Benjamin, ye will bring down my gray hairs with sorrow to the grave, ”*—xatáĝete eis ády, ac*κατάξετε εις *יישאולה cording to the Greek. Surely Jacob could not have supposed that by dying, or following his sons, he was immediately to descend into a literal or local hell. The Psalmist uses this expression, "My life draweth nigh to " or ads, because by the persecution of his enemies, his life was almost always in imminent danger. And again, “If the Lord had not been mine helper, my life had dwelt in silence, in ;" another word, corresponding in its meaning with the Greek word dns. In the words of Hezekiah, there is a parallel also between and ads, when he mentions "the grave cannot praise thee; death cannot celebrate thee."> It is not the place of punishment alone, for all are represented as going to ads. Buxtorf represents the word corresponding in Hebrew, as signifying the place of human bodies when separated from the soul. The Greeks declare it to be the place of the dead, or use it simply as a description of death; as might easily be proved from Homer. If Sheôl or Hades, meant any common receptacle of souls, or a place of confinement of souls separate from the body, then the writers of the Old Testament must have been extremely mistaken in their views concerning it, for in Eccl. ix. 10. it is mentioned, that there was no wisdom or knowledge in Sheôl or Hades, and the Psalmist, no remembrance of God there, no praising him in Sheôl, Hades, or the grave. We might quote many other passages to prove further the correspondence, but these we deem sufficient. The Scriptural account of the state to which we are reduced by death, is set forth by a sleep, or the absence of all thought or action; by rest, and a resting-place, or a home; or silence, or oblivion; darkness, destruction, or corruption; and very little is spoken of any thing transpiring between death and the judgment. Gen. xlii. 38. + Ps. Ixxxviii 3. § Isa, xxxviii. 18. Ps. xciv. 17. We know there are many objections proposed against the doctrine of ads not having regard to locality. As, for instance, in the celebrated passage of Isaiah, "Hell (ds) from beneath is moved for thee to meet thee at thy coming: it stirreth up the dead for thee, even all the chief ones of the earth; it hath raised up from their thrones all the kings of the nations. All they shall speak and say unto thee, Art thou also become weak as we? art thou become like unto us?" Here ons, or those in dns, are represented as using language as well as action. This has almost universally been explained by the most eminent writers as a bold prosopopeia, a figure of personification. To suppose that it is to be taken in its literal sense, might be considered as absurd, as that because the trees, and rivers, and floods, lift up their voice unto God, that therefore they are to be considered as persons. The mere circumstance of a superstitious notion of a separate or intermediate abode of departed spirits, proves nothing. It might easily be conceived how vulgar superstition might operate upon Jewish credulity, and represent the local abode of ghosts, or of departed spirits. We know that such opinions were very prevalent in ancient times. There was the idea of necromancy and of witchcraft. There were such things as "wizards that peep," who attempted to pry into futurity, and impose upon the understandings of the credulous by their intimacy with ghosts, and their power over the spirits of the departed. But if this proves any thing, it proves from the punishment to be inflicted upon a witch under the law, the displeasure and the judgment of God. "Thou shalt not permit a witch to live." Why? for pretending to that which did not exist, which was not practicable or possible-in other words, for lying and the whole pretension connected with the raising of Samue! by the Witch of Endor is entire imposition, as is completely proved by Dr. Chandler. The phrase in the Apostles' Creed concerning our Saviour's descent into hell,* was introduced about 400 years after the "He descended into hell." death of Christ, and was not recognized as a part of the Creed until that time. The reason of the phraseology doubtless arose from the prevalent vulgar opinion that hell was situated in some lower region of the earth; therefore, it is represented by the Greeks ataxdoviα and тa xatariga, or by the Latins infernum, or in English, the lower parts of the earth. And so it is immediately comprehended under the term ades, because of its invisibility. It would extend the limits of this dissertation too far to attempt to answer all the various explanations of this article, as they represent Christ literally and locally descending into hell, the place of punishment. The descent of our Lord into this hades has been a subject of long and serious disputation. Some declaring that he went locally, in order to instruct the spirits there in prison; meaning one division in this invisible world, wherein the souls confined were to hear the doctrine of Christ's redemption, and thus be delivered from the Limbus Patrum, or Purgatory. Others consider his descent as merely meaning his remaining in the state of the dead, or continuing under the power of death for a time. Others have understood it figuratively, that the Lord Jesus did actually endure upon the eross the literal torments due to sin; or, in other words, the torments of the damned. But we find no authority for such interpretations from Scripture, nor in the construction of language, nor the meaning of the specific phraseology generally used by the Greek writers.-And if the Scriptures in their tenor contradict such interpretations, and such construction be not justified by the use of the language prevalent at that time, it would be sinfulness to believe it, and pure absurdity to attempt to overthrow it. He suffered all that was necessary, because all that was required of God, while he remained upon the earth; because he bore the weight of infinite wrath. And with respect to his descent into hell in order to preach the gospel unto sinners, or the spirits in prison, we well know that the state of sinners is irreversibly fixed at death, and their doom is sealed for ever; so that such an idea is fabulous; yea, it is worse, it is not true; because it contradicts the word of the We know there are many objections proposed against the doctrine of ads not having regard to locality. As, for instance, in the celebrated passage of Isaiah, "Hell (ds) from beneath is moved for thee to meet thee at thy coming: it stirreth up the dead for thee, even all the chief ones of the earth; it hath raised up from their thrones all the kings of the nations. All they shall speak and say unto thee, Art thou also become weak as we? art thou become like unto us?" Here ads, or those in dns, are represented as using language as well as action. This has almost universally been explained by the most eminent writers as a bold prosopopeia, a figure of personification. To suppose that it is to be taken in its literal sense, might be considered as absurd, as that because the trees, and rivers, and floods, lift up their voice unto God, that therefore they are to be considered as persons. The mere circumstance of a superstitious notion of a separate or intermediate abode of departed spirits, proves nothing. It might easily be conceived how vulgar superstition might operate upon Jewish credulity, and represent the local abode of ghosts, or of departed spirits. We know that such opinions were very prevalent in ancient times. There was the idea of necromancy and of witchcraft. There were such things as "wizards that peep," who attempted to pry into futurity, and impose upon the understandings of the credulous by their intimacy with ghosts, and their power over the spirits of the departed. But if this proves any thing, it proves from the punishment to be inflicted upon a witch under the law, the displeasure and the judgment of God. "Thou shalt not permit a witch to live." Why? for pretending to that which did not exist, which was not practicable or possible-in other words, for lying and the whole pretension connected with the raising of Samuel by the Witch of Endor is entire imposition, as is completely proved by Dr. Chandler. The phrase in the Apostles' Creed concerning our Saviour's descent into hell,* was introduced about 400 years after the *"He descended into hell.” |