Hell was also not a literal place in Aramaic. In Matthew 5:22, "hell fire" is translated as "mental suffering." In Matthew 16:18, the "gates of hell" are translated as "evil forces, or opposition." Sheol was translated simply as "a resting place for the dead" but not a place of torment. Hell was used to refer to what one experiences on earth, the mental suffering that goes along with making wrong choices. In this way, the "punishment" for our sins is the consequences of our own actions. We needn't fear this will be held against us in the afterlife because we are receiving the punishment for it now.
Satan is from the Hebrew שטן satan or Aramaic שטנא satana meaning "accuser, adversary".
http://www.unhinderedliving.com/satan.html
I wonder to whose advantage was it to alter the true meaning of those words? Did the church desire to use control through fear?
2007-03-14
10:59:54
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