The Universalist. [volume] (Chicago [Ill.]) 1884-1897, 1896-01-25
THE NEW RAILWAY STATION AT
JERUSALEM.

of the Valley of Hinnom, or the &C.
henna OF the New Testament
at is a curious fact that the new
railway station at Jerusalem stands
in Gehenna, the Vale of Hinnom.
This locality of filth and fire, of
worms that fed on the offal, and the
fire that was never quenched' for
hundreds of years, was as we'll known
to the Jews as Newgate Prison and
its locality is to the Londoner."
Gehenna is one of the words rem
dered "hell" in the New Testament,
and occurs some twelve times. 1t is
compound word made by the put
ting together of the terms Gee and
Hinnom, being mans name. &C.
henna is the land of Hinnom or Hin
nom's land; and it is often referred
to in the Old Testament.
Joshua tells us where it was located:
"And the border * y of the lot
of the tribe of Judah + went up
by the valley of the son of Hinnom,
unto the south side of the Zebusite,-
the same is Jerusalem;- and the Dor
der went up to the top of the noun
tain that lieth before the valley of
Hinnom." The Old Testament also
tells us very explicitly what happened
in this place. In the days of their
apostacy, the Jews put it to idola-
trous uses, and built there their bra
zen Moloch, and offered upon it their
superstitious sacrifices, even includ-
ing their own children among the
victims they cast into the fiery arms
of this monstrous idol. "In the proph-
ecies of Jeremiah this desecrated
valley is called Tophet, from toph,
drum; since it was the custom to
beat drum to drown the walls of the
suffering"
These idolatrous practices were
abolished by Josiah, and the Jews
brought back to the pure worship of
God. But ever after this the spot
was held under reproach by the Jews,
and was used by the city for the low
est purposes. There the filth of the
town was carried and burned; and
criminals were taken thither for exc
cution, and then left unburied as
special expression of contempt. And
the prophet Isaiah says of the people
of the Holy City: "They shall go forth,
and look upon the carcasses of the
men that have transgressed against
God; for their worm shall not die,
neither shall their fire be quenched;
and they shall be an abhorring to all
flesh"
So plain is it that the land of Hin
nom, or Gee Hinnom, or Gehenna, as
it becomes in the Greek language,
was as the Freeman says, place we'll
known to the Jews, and one that was
regarded with an especial horror.
To the eye and the sense of smell
it was a deep offense; and to the i'm
agination it was valley lying under
the reproach of Jehovah. To he cast
into it as criminal was the deepest
infamy to which one could be sub
jected. Hence, our Saviour said, eff
thy right eye offend thee, pluck it
out and cast it from thee; for it is
profitable for thee that one of thy
members should perish, and not that
thy whole body should be cast into
Gehenna." Again, he declared that
whatsoever is angry with his brother
without cause shall be in danger of
the Judgment; and whatsoever shall
say to his brother, Raca, shall be in
danger of the council; but whatsoever
shall say. Thou fool, shall be in dan
ger of Gehenna fire." The term had
thus local Specification, as much so
as the term Sodom, and was not ap-
piled to any such place as the fam
ing realm of endless woe which the
later theology has so graphically de-
scribed.
And this local Specification of the
word is determined on other grounds
than the makeup of the word, and
the clear record of the Old Tesla
ment. ( 1t is point to be especially |
in this connection, that |
John, writing his Gospel for others
than the Hebrews, who alone could
have known about Gehenna, no
where employs the name; and that
Paul, a master of rhetorical proprie-
ties, sends away all of his thirteen
epistles, mostly to pagan capitals,
and even as far west as Corinth and
Rome, but in no instance sends along
this word. For what should they at
Corinth and Rome and Ephesus and
Philippi know about Hinnom's val
ley close down to the walls of Jerusa-
lem, or the idolatrous rites which the
children of Israel had there been
guilty of, or the assignment Of the