Friday DIVE – How Translators Promoted the Concept of E.C.T | FD20260605

Friday DIVE / By

OPENING COMMENTS

  • In our last session … we looked at misrepresentation, mistranslation and misinterpretation … and how that trifecta contributed to the spread and promotion of the concept of eternal, conscious torment in a place called hell.
      • The misrepresentation has to do with the image of God that the idea of hell presents.
      • That misrepresentation has been caused by the mistranslation and the misinterpretation of four (4) words: one Hebrew word … and three Greek words … sheol, hades, gehenna and tartarus.
  • In this session … we will share some of Don Keathley’s insight regarding …
      • the way in which translators of the Bible helped to promote the concept of Hell as a place of ECT …
      • how the misinterpretation of one particular Greek word led to a world of misunderstanding.

So … let’s begin by watching the video … and we can discuss on the other side.

(Click on the link below to watch the video)

 

DISCUSSION SESSION

Any questions?  Any concerns?

What, for you, was most noteworthy?

What did you learn about translations … and translators?

What four Greek words were translated as hell? 

What are the four pillars that the doctrine of hell is built upon?   a … geh … appo … free  

What did you learn about aion?

Including results for when did the western church became known as the roman church
Search only for when did the western church become known as the roman church

AI Overview
According to Saved Through Fire, St. Jerome’s Latin Vulgate corrupted the biblical concept of hell by translating distinct Greek terms—Sheol, Hades, and Gehenna—into the single Latin term infernum. Furthermore, the site argues that translating aionios (age-lasting) as aeternus (eternal) shifted the meaning from temporary, refining discipline to eternal torment, promoting a view of ultimate universal reconciliation. Read the full argument at Saved Through Fire. 
Some RELEVANT DATES …
1400 BC – 400 BC … The Old Testament written
250 BC – 50 AD … The Septuagint
50 – 100 AD … Most of the New Testament is written
354 AD … Augustine of Hippo
382 – 405 AD … The Latin Vulgate is worked on by Jerome
476 AD … The End of the Roman Empire
476 AD … The Middle Ages (including the Dark Ages) begin … lasting till about 1450 (the Renaissance)
1265 AD … Dante Alighieri
1382 AD ……….. Wycliffe Bible … The first full translation, hand-copied from Latin.   
1483 AD … Martin Luther was born     
1509 AD … John Calvin was born     
1517 AD … The Protestant Reformation     
1560 AD … Jacobus Arminius was born   
1526 AD ……….. Tyndale NT … The first printed English scripture, translated directly from the original Greek   
1535 AD ……….. Coverdale Bible … The first complete printed Bible in English     
1560 AD ……….. Geneva Bible … The first English Bible translated entirely from the original languages     
1611 AD ……….. The King Jamcs Version … The Bible of the Church of England  

 

Re: the Greek word aion …
Don uses the word aion when he should be using aioinos or aionion.  The first (aion) is a noun … whereas the latter two (aionon and aionos) are adjectives.
Both words (aionios and aionion) originate from the Greek noun aion (αἰών), meaning “age” or “eon”. The difference between them comes down to their grammatical gender and usage, rather than a conflict in core meaning. 
The Breakdown
    • Aionios (αἰώνιος): This is the feminine/masculine form of the adjective. It most commonly translates to “pertaining to an age” or “age-enduring”. In biblical translations, it is heavily used to describe realities belonging to a specific period in God’s unfolding plan, though it is frequently rendered as “eternal”. 
    • Aionion (αἰώνιον): This is the neuter form of the exact same adjective. It describes a noun that is neuter in Greek. For example, when referring to “life” (zoe, which is feminine), you would use aionios. When referring to a neuter concept (like “salvation” or “redemption”), you use aionion. 

The Latin Vulgate was primarily translated by the scholar Saint Jerome during the late 4th and early 5th centuries. He began his revision of the Gospels in 382 AD at the request of Pope Damasus I, and he completed the full translation of the Old Testament from the original Hebrew around 405 AD. 
The creation of the Vulgate happened in stages over more than two decades: 
  • 382–383 AD: Jerome was commissioned to revise the existing Vetus Latina (Old Latin) Gospels and Psalms to ensure better accuracy against authoritative Greek manuscripts. 
  • 390–405 AD: He undertook the massive project of translating the Old Testament directly from the original Hebrew rather than relying solely on earlier Greek translations. 
  • 405 AD: Jerome finished his translation work, though the compilation and final canonization of all the texts into the standard collection continued into the following centuries. 

The Western Church officially became known as the Roman Catholic Church in 1054 CE during the East-West Schism.

This monumental split divided Christendom into two distinct branches:
  • Roman Catholic Church: The Western Church, which remained centered in Rome under the papal authority of the Pope.
  • Eastern Orthodox Church: The Eastern Church, which rejected papal supremacy and became centered in Constantinople.
While the term “Catholic” (meaning universal) had been in use since the 2nd century to describe the whole Christian body, it became necessary to distinguish the Western branch as “Roman” after institutional ties with the Eastern Byzantine Church were permanently severed.
Prior to this split, the global Christian church was generally referred to simply as the Catholic or Orthodox Church. The institutional separation divided Christianity into two distinct branches: the Eastern Orthodox Church (centered in Constantinople) and the Roman Catholic Church (centered in Rome).   
Key drivers of the change:
  • Papal Authority: The Western church emphasized the supreme, universal jurisdiction of the Bishop of Rome (the Pope), which the Eastern churches rejected in favor of a council-led structure.  
  • Cultural and Political Division: The split was rooted in centuries of growing tension caused by language barriers (Latin in the West, Greek in the East) and the political separation of the Eastern and Western Roman Empires.   
  • The Formal Break: The designation became solidified when Pope Leo IX and Patriarch Michael Cerularius of Constantinople officially excommunicated each other in 1054 CE.

 

The first complete English translation of the Bible was produced by John Wycliffe and his followers around 1382. However, this handwritten translation was based on the Latin Vulgate rather than the original Hebrew and Greek texts. [1, 2, 3]
The first printed English translation of the New Testament (1526) and portions of the Old Testament were written directly from the original languages by William Tyndale. [1]
The first complete printed English Bible was translated by Miles Coverdale and published in 1535. [1, 2]
A quick breakdown of the major English milestones highlights the evolution of the Bible:
    • 1382 (Wycliffe Bible): The first full translation, hand-copied from Latin.
    • 1526 (Tyndale New Testament): The first printed English scripture, translated directly from the original Greek.
    • 1535 (Coverdale Bible): The first complete printed Bible in English.
    • 1560 (Geneva Bible): The first English Bible translated entirely from the original languages, featuring verse divisions and notes. [1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8]

You can read more about the historical significance and text comparisons on Bible Gateway’s Bible 101 Guide. [1]

 

 

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