The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1900-07-25
A Second Reply to Mr.. Donley.

n SECOND Neply 10 MI. bOhAey'
Editor OF The Tribune
Sir: Mr. Donley's wonderful dissertation in
yesterdays Tribune on the word blades" has
thrown no new light on tho subject We had
known long before Mr. Donley's powerful arsu-
ment came TO view that the word "Sheol' oc.
ours in the Old Testament siXty-fye times and
is rendered "Hel" thirty.one times, Grave"
thrty.one times and "Pit" three times. We also
knew that in the mind Of the Jews the original
conception Of "sheol" was simply gloomy
cavern, kind OF receptacle for all souls who
passed away from earth.
We also knew that the word "Hades' is men,
toned in the New Testament eleven times and
In ten Of these is rendered HELL" but we
never knew before that Lazarus and the rich
man were practically in the same place" and
possibly Mr.. Donlcy with little more thorough
searching would not know it either Most all
authors Of Gny note, while they conccde blades
to mean nothing more than a place of disem.
bodied spirits, divide this place into paradise and
Gehcnna Paradise. the abode of the righteous;
Gehenna, the abode of the wicked This being
true Lazarus and the rich man were in totally
different places, Lazarus in place of happiness.
Dives in a place of torment Any one who can
distinguish the difference between pain and pleas
ure will readily ccnccde the different positions
OF these two men, but possibly Mr. Donlcy's dis.
tinction is without a difference.
DR.. Alfred Edershem, a converted jew, than
whom there is none greater in Biblical research,
believed in this gulf that separates the two and
to both places eternity, everlasting was applied.
He further claims that the Rabbnc schools IN
the time of Christ, with possibly some excep.
tions, taught the same doctrine. Closing the
argument on Eternal Punshments he says:
This only he will repeat, that to his mind the
words Of our Lord, recorded in the Gospels
convey this impression, that there is an eternity
Of punishment, and further that this was the ac-
ccpted belief Of the Jewish schools in the time OF
Christ"
So. Mr.. Donley's play on the words "Sheol"
and "Hades' is no new revelation. The same
thing has occurred in theology over and over
again and in that new "Dictionary of the Bible"
by DR.. James Hastings, Of England the first
two volumes Of which have just been published
by Charles Scrbner's Sons, there is lengthy
article "l1ades' which gives a much more
intelligent view OF the subject than Mr.. Donley is
able to do.
In this article the author says: "The New Tes.
lament 'IIades' shows little or nothing of the
change which had come upon the old conception
of 'Sheol' the world of the dead, in the
course of the history of Jewish thought and be-
lief. In none of these passages in which the
word itself occurs have we any disclosures or
even hints OF purgatoral fires, purifying proc
esses or extended operations Of grace. In none
OF them have we anything approaching the Nir-
gillian picture Of the underworld with its school.
! ing in punishment, its washing out or burning
out of guilt or its boon of forgetfulness."
But now, dropping the Old Testament and
Jewish conceptions of future punishment, look at
the passages of Scripture this gentleman swings
in to support his theory He quotes l Cor iii,
Ills as though the apostle had reference to fn-
ture fire which would consume the evil in man
and the man himself saved or restored. l fully
confess that this is new revelation to me.
While the forepart of his article was anything
but this is something out Of the ordinary
and | take off my hat to the man who can per.
| vert the meaning of Scripture to construct such
an argument. l have read many interpretations
| of this passage but never one like this. Among
| those read is DR.. Adam Clark whose intcrpreta.
| tion would more likely be the true one than the
above. BY gold, silver, precious stones the
| apostle certainly means pure and wholesome doc.
| trine; by wood, hay and stubble false doctrine,
such at at that time prevailed in the Cornthian
| church, for instance that there should be no res
direction of the body. '"The day that shall de.
clare every mans work." he says, ''is the day on
| which Jerusalem was to be destroyed" This
! day would be the day Of punishment coming on
| this disobcdicnt and rehcllous people and this
| day, being revealed by fire, points out the eX
| treme rigor and totally destructive nature Of
| that judgment. "If," says Clark, "the apostle
| refers to the Judazing teachers and their in
|
was of eternal obligation then the day of fire
| the time Of vengeance, which at hand would
sufficiently disprove such assertions, as in tn,
| Judgment of God, the whole temple service shoulC
! he destroyed and the people who fondly pre-
| sumcd on their pCrmanerCe and stability should
he dsposseSsed of the land and scattered ovcI
the face of the earth" Now in all this there il
not a hint about a mans personal salvation
1t refers to his work in this life.
| Now. to the Greek tranSlatiOns II WOult
| pay the aforesaid honorable gentleman to start
a theological seminary and the world would gel
a correct translation sure He quotes two au
thoritics as against my translation of the worC
"Aionios." Strange that this man would takt
an author, whose argument he seeks to over
throw to build up argument in support O.
| himself-I refer to Farrar.
In Mr.. Donley's Sermon in which he thought
| he had made a reply to mine he goes on tC
| show up the inconsistency of FaTar, and nov
| turns around and quotes him as an authority
| But | think any one can see that Mr.. Done'
and his quotation from Farrar have proved
| nothing. On the other hand, in using Farrar
| quotation he puts the knife to his own throa
for I fully agree with Farrar's translation il
which he says: "snce 'aion' meant an ag
'aonios' means properly belonging TO an age
or age long; and any one who asserts tina
it must always (remcmber he puts in that wore
| aways) mean endless" etc | do not mvsel
believe that as the word stands alone galway
means endless" but in the majority of cases i
does, and Farrar believes it does.
do not profess such classical lore as on
would imagine Mr.. Donley possesses but l d
know that "aion'' is composed of two words
| "aei on"--always bcing-and that the word
denote the whole duration of the thing to whic
applied. Take for example, Eph., iii:2l, 'Unt
Him be glory in the church by Christ Jesu
throughout all ages" Here it applies to tn
duration of that age. In l Cor, Willis we read
"Wherefore II meat make my brother to offend
| will eat no flesh while the world standotl
lc'; | make my brother to offend" Here it
an".cd to the whole duration of a mans lif
avt when applied to future things it takes /
the whole of the future existence You will fin
th.t the best photographers, agree with thi
statement, but possibly Mr. Donley's new thee
logical seminary will disagree
NJ. Haupt says: zoe aionios' Is a descriI
tion of divine life" At the same time the plai
eXcgesis of the greater number of relevant pas
ages in the New Testament points rather I
everlasting than merely "aionon" rewards {
punishmcnts. He further asserts that the "olt
thros aionios" of | Thess. v:3 and II Thess
i:0, the "tclos" Of Phil. could not give an
other conviction than that the words refer I
endless. hopeless, irremediable doom.
Mr. Donley seeks to show that the position
the Methodist church is inconsistent by saying
"lf only believers or Tue converted are save
and death ends probation, then infants and III
heathon must be damned according to Methods
teaching" II hoy made that kind of an argl
ment you would laugh at him; it is illogical I
begin with and fOolishnesS to end with. II
Methodist church teaches that when a perso
has reached the age OF accountability and ca
believe, ii he does not or will not he will /
| sva.. aV.al