In Hebrew, ²² Sheol (שאול, Sh'ol) is the "abode of the dead", the "underworld", "the common grave of humankind" or "pit".^[1] In the Hebrew Bible, it is a place beneath the earth, beyond gates, where both the bad and the good, slave and king, pious and wicked must go at the point of death.^[2] Sheol is the common destination of both the righteous and the unrighteous dead, as recounted in Ecclesiastes and Job. This page is about the concept of the Devil. ... Fire and brimstone is a motif in Christian preaching that uses vivid descriptions of hell and damnation to encourage the listeners to fear divine wrath and punishment. ... The Harrowing of Hell is a doctrine in Christian theology referenced in the Apostles Creed and the Athanasian Creed (Quicumque vult), which states that Jesus descended into Hell. ... The problem of Hell is a variant of the problem of evil, applying specifically to religions which hold both that: An omnipotent (all-powerful), omniscient (all-knowing), and omnibenevolent (all-loving) God exists. ... In Christianity, the outer darkness (often capitalized as Outer Darkness) is a place referred to three times in the Gospel of Matthew (8:12, 22:13, and 25:30) into which a person may be cast out, and where there is weeping and gnashing of teeth. Generally, the outer darkness... // In the study of mythology and religion, the underworld is a generic term approximately equivalent to the lay term afterlife, referring to any place to which newly dead souls go. ... 11th century manuscript of the Hebrew Bible with Targum Hebrew Bible is a term that refers to the common portions of the Jewish canon and the Christian canons. ... Ecclesiastes, Qohelet in Hebrew, is a book of the Hebrew Bible. ... The Book of Job (איוב) is one of the books of the Hebrew Bible. ...

Sheol is sometimes compared to Hades, the gloomy, twilight afterlife of Greek mythology. The word "hades" was in fact substituted for "sheol" when the Hebrew scriptures were translated into Greek (see Septuagint). The New Testament (written in Greek) also uses "hades" to refer to the abode of the dead. Hades, Greek god of the underworld, enthroned, with his bird-headed staff, on a red-figure Apulian vase made in the 4th century BC. For other uses, see Hades (disambiguation). ... For other uses, see Afterlife (disambiguation). ... The bust of Zeus found at Otricoli (Sala Rotonda, Museo Pio-Clementino, Vatican) Greek mythology is the body of stories belonging to the Ancient Greeks concerning their gods and heroes, the nature of the world and the origins and significance of their own cult and ritual practices. ... The Septuagint: A column of uncial text from 1 Esdras in the Codex Vaticanus, the basis of Sir Lancelot Charles Lee Brentons Greek edition and English translation. ... This article is about the Christian scriptures. ...

By the second century BC, Jews had come to believe that those in sheol awaited the resurrection either in comfort (in the bosom of Abraham) or in torment. This belief is reflected in Jesus' story of Lazarus and Dives. The phrase the Bosom of Abraham is used in the Christian Bible. ... Dives and Lazarus or Lazarus and Dives is a parable[1] attributed to Jesus that is reported only in the Gospel of Luke (Luke 16:19-16:31). ...

Protestants, who do not share a concept of "hades" with the Eastern Orthodox, have traditionally translated "sheol" (and "hades") as "hell" (for example in the King James Version). However, to avoid confusion of what are actually quite separate concepts in the Bible, modern English versions of the Bible tend either to transliterate the word sheol or to use an alternative term such as the "grave" (eg. NIV). Roman Catholics generally translate "sheol" simply as "death." Eastern Orthodoxy (also called Greek Orthodoxy and Russian Orthodoxy) is a Christian tradition which represents the majority of Eastern Christianity. ... This page is about the version of the Bible; for the Harvey Danger album, see King James Version (album). ... Wikipedia does not yet have an article with this exact name. ... The Roman Catholic Church, most often spoken of simply as the Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with over one billion members. ...

Etymology

The origin of the term sheol is obscure.^[3]

Sheol is also transliterated Sheh-ole, in Strong's Hebrew and Greek Dictionaries and Strong's Concordances. Transliteration is the practice of transcribing a word or text written in one writing system into another writing system. ... James Strong (1822-1894) Strongs Concordance (strictly Strongs Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible) is a concordance of the King James Bible (KJV) that was constructed under the direction of Dr. James Strong (1822–1894) and first published in 1890. ...

Biblical scholar William Foxwell Albright suggests that the Hebrew root for SHE'OL is SHA'AL, which means "to ask, to interrogate, to question." Sheol therefore should mean "asking, interrogation, questioning." John Tvedtnes, also a Biblical scholar, connects this with the common theme in near-death experiences of the interrogation of the soul after crossing the Tunnel. William Foxwell Albright (May 24, 1891 - September 19/20, 1971) was an evangelical Methodist archaelogist, biblical authority, linguist and expert on ceramics. ... “NDE” redirects here. ...

An alternative theory is that Sheol is connected ša'al, the root of which means "to burrow" and is thus related to šu'al "fox" or "burrower".^[4]

Sheol in the Hebrew Bible

In the Tanakh, which is the Hebrew Bible (which Christians call the Old Testament), the word "sheol" occurs more than sixty times. It is used most frequently in the Psalms, wisdom literature and prophetic books. Note: Judaism commonly uses the term Tanakh to refer to its canon, which corresponds to the Protestant Old Testament. ... Psalms (from the Greek: Psalmoi) (originally meaning songs sung to a harp, from psallein play on a stringed instrument, Ψαλμοί; Hebrew: Tehilim, תהילים) is a book of the Hebrew Bible, Tanakh or Old Testament. ...

In the book of Numbers, Korah along with 250 of his followers go down, living, into sheol when the earth opens up beneath them (Numbers 16:31-33), suggesting that sheol is literally under the ground. The Book of Numbers is the fourth of the books of the Pentateuch, called in the Hebrew ba-midbar במדבר, i. ... Korah or Kórach (Hebrew: קֹרַח, Standard Tiberian ; Baldness; ice; hail; frost) is the name associated with at least two Biblical villains. ...

Jacob, not comforted at the reported death of Joseph, exclaims: "I shall go down to my son a mourner unto Sheol" (Genesis 37:35). Sheol may be personified: Sheol is never satiated (Proverbs 30:20); she "makes wide her throat" (Isaiah 5:14). Jacob Wrestling with the Angel – Gustave Doré, 1855 Jacob or Yaakov, (Hebrew: יַעֲקֹב, Standard  Tiberian ; Arabic: يعقوب, ; holds the heel), also known as Israel (Hebrew: יִשְׂרָאֵל, Standard  Tiberian ; Arabic: اسرائيل, ; Struggled with God), is the third Biblical patriarch. ... Joseph, in the Hebrew Bible appears in the Book of Genesis. ... For other uses, see Genesis (disambiguation). ... The Book of Proverbs is one of the books of the Ketuvim of the Tanakh and of the Writings of the Old Testament. ... Isaiah the Prophet in Hebrew Scriptures was depicted on the Sistine Chapel ceiling by Michelangelo. ...

Other examples of its usage:

• Psalm 18:5-7 "The breakers of death surged round about me; the menacing floods terrified me. The cords of Sheol tightened; the snares of death lay in wait for me. In my distress I called out: LORD! I cried out to my God. From his temple he heard my voice; my cry to him reached his ears.
• Psalm 86:13: "Your love for me is great; you have rescued me from the depths of Sheol."
• Jonah 2:2: "...Out of the belly of Sheol I cried, And You heard my voice."

The Hebrew concept is paralleled in the Sumerian Netherworld to which Inanna descends. See Irkalla. Psalms (Tehilim תהילים, in Hebrew) is a book of the Hebrew Bible or Tanakh, and of the Old Testament of the Christian Bible. ... The Tetragrammaton in Phoenician (1100 BC to 300 CE), Aramaic (10th Century BC to 0) and modern Hebrew scripts. ... For other meanings of the word underworld see Underworld (disambiguation) In the study of mythology and religion, the underworld is a generic term approximately equivalent to the lay term afterlife, referring to any place to which newly-dead souls go. ... Inanna was one of the most revered of goddesses among later Sumerian mythology. ... Irkalla - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia /**/ @import /skins-1. ...

Book of Enoch

The Book of Enoch (ca. 160 BCE) purportedly records Enoch's vision of the cosmos. The author describes Sheol as divided into four sections: one where the faithful saints blissfully await Judgment Day (see Bosom of Abraham), one where the moderately good await their reward, one where the wicked are punished and await their Judgment at the resurrection (see Gehenna), and the last where the wicked who don't even warrant resurrection are tormented. To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ... Enoch (Hebrew: חֲנוֹךְ; Tiberian: , Standard: ) is a name occurring twice in the generations of Adam. ... This article or section should be merged with End times and Last judgment The Last Judgement - Tympanum sculpture at the Abbey Church of Ste-Foy, Conques-en-Rouergue, France In Christian eschatology, the Last Judgement is the ethical-judicial trial, judgement, and punishment/reward of individual humans (assignment to heaven... The phrase the Bosom of Abraham is used in the Christian Bible. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ...

Sheol in the New Testament

The New Testament follows the Septuagint in translating sheol as hades (compare Acts 2:27, 31 and Psalm 16:10). The New Testament thus seems to draw a distinction between Sheol and "Gehinnom" or Gehenna (Jahannam in Islam). The former is regarded as a place where the dead go temporarily to await resurrection (according to some traditions, including Jesus himself), while the latter is the place of eternal punishment for the damned (i.e. perdition). Accordingly, in the book of Saint John's Revelation, hades is associated with death (Revelation 1:18, 6:8), and in the final judgment the wicked dead are brought out of hades and cast into the lake of fire, which represents the fire of Gehenna; hades itself is also finally thrown into the lake of fire (Revelation 20:11-15). This article is about the Christian scriptures. ... The Septuagint: A column of uncial text from 1 Esdras in the Codex Vaticanus, the basis of Sir Lancelot Charles Lee Brentons Greek edition and English translation. ... Hades, Greek god of the underworld, enthroned, with his bird-headed staff, on a red-figure Apulian vase made in the 4th century BC. For other uses, see Hades (disambiguation). ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... Jahannam (Arabic: ) is the Islamic equivalent to hell. ... For people named Islam, see Islam (name). ... Look up Resurrection in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... Medieval illustration of the Mouth of Hell Hell is, according to many religious beliefs about the afterlife, a place of torment, of great weeping and gnashing of teeth. ... Revelation of the Last Judgment by Jacob de Backer Revelation is an uncovering or disclosure via communication from the divine of something that has been partially or wholly hidden or unknown, which could not be known apart from the unveiling (Goswiller 1987 p. ...

In Luke 16:19-31 (the story of Lazarus and Dives), Jesus portrays hades as a place of torment, at least for the wicked. Jesus also announces to St. Peter that "the gates of hades" will not overpower the church (Matthew 16:18), and uses hades to pronounce judgment upon the city of Capernaum (Matthew 11:23). Dives and Lazarus or Lazarus and Dives is a parable[1] attributed to Jesus that is reported only in the Gospel of Luke (Luke 16:19-16:31). ... According to tradition, Peter was crucified upside-down, as shown in this painting by Caravaggio. ...

The English word "hell" comes from Germanic mythology, and is now used in the Judeo-Christian sense to translate the Greek word Gehenna—a term which originally referred to a valley outside Jerusalem used for burning refuse, but came to designate the place of punishment for sinners. Although older translations (such as the King James Version) also translated Hades as "hell", modern English translations tend to preserve the distinction between the two concepts by transliterating the word hades and reserving "hell fire" for gehenna fire. The English language is a West Germanic language that originates in England. ... For other uses, see Hell (disambiguation). ... Thor, god of thunder, one of the major figures in Germanic mythology. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... This page is about the version of the Bible; for the Harvey Danger album, see King James Version (album). ... Hades, Greek god of the underworld, enthroned, with his bird-headed staff, on a red-figure Apulian vase made in the 4th century BC. For other uses, see Hades (disambiguation). ...

In the Esperanto translation of the New Testament, wherever the word "Hades" might appear, it is merely transliterated; but in places where the New Testament quotes from the Old Testament it uses Sheol, rendered into Esperanto spelling, corresponding with Zamenhof's translation in the original. (Cf. Acts 2:31, Psalm 16:10.)   is the most widely spoken constructed international auxiliary language. ... Dr. Ludovic Lazarus (Ludwik Lejzer) Zamenhof (December 15, 1859–April 14, 1917) was a Polish-Jewish ophthalmologist, philologist, and the initiator of Esperanto, the most widely spoken planned language to date. ...

Secular outlook

According to Professors Stephen L. Harris and James Tabor, sheol is a place of "nothingness" that has its roots in the Hebrew Bible (or Old Testament). Stephen L Harris is Professor and Chair, Department of Humanities and Religious Studies at California State University, Sacramento. ... James D. Tabor is Chair of the Department of Religious Studies at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte where he has taught since 1989. ...

"The ancient Hebrews had no idea of an immortal soul living a full and vital life beyond death, nor of any resurrection or return from death. Human beings, like the beasts of the field, are made of "dust of the earth," and at death they return to that dust (Gen. 2:7; 3:19). The Hebrew word nephesh, traditionally translated "living soul" but more properly understood as "living creature," is the same word used for all breathing creatures and refers to nothing immortal...All the dead go down to Sheol, and there they lie in sleep together–whether good or evil, rich or poor, slave or free (Job 3:11-19). It is described as a region "dark and deep," "the Pit," and "the land of forgetfulness," cut off from both God and human life above (Pss. 6:5; 88:3-12). Though in some texts Yahweh's power can reach down to Sheol (Ps. 139:8), the dominant idea is that the dead are abandoned forever. This idea of Sheol is negative in contrast to the world of life and light above, but there is no idea of judgment or of reward and punishment. If one faces extreme circumstances of suffering in the realm of the living above, as did Job, it can even be seen as a welcome relief from pain–see the third chapter of Job. But basically it is a kind of "nothingness," an existence that is barely existence at all, in which a "shadow" or "shade" of the former self survives (Ps. 88:10)."^[5]

Professor Harris shares similar remarks in his Understanding the Bible: "The concept of eternal punishment does not occur in the Hebrew Bible, which uses the term Sheol to designate a bleak subterranean region where the dead, good and bad alike, subsist only as impotent shadows. When Hellenistic Jewish scribes rendered the Bible into Greek, they used the word Hades to translate Sheol, bringing a whole new mythological association to the idea of posthumous existence. In ancient Greek myth, Hades, named after the gloomy deity who ruled over it, was originally similar to the Hebrew Sheol, a dark underground realm in which all the dead, regardless of individual merit, were indiscriminately housed."^[6] While believers in the Bible think that it contains one doctrine of Hell (regardless of what they think about the nature of Hell), Harris and nontheists may view the doctrine as changing throughout the Bible. Nephesh is the Hebrew word largely translated by soul in english. ... Nontheism or non-theism is the absence of belief in any gods. ...

By the time of Jesus, many Jews had come to believe in a future resurrection of the dead. The dead in Sheol were said to await the resurrection either in comfort or in torment, as in the story of Lazarus and Dives. Dives and Lazarus or Lazarus and Dives is a parable[1] attributed to Jesus that is reported only in the Gospel of Luke (Luke 16:19-16:31). ...

In popular culture

Possibly the most popular and well known adaptation of Sheol is Shayol Ghul from The Wheel Of Time book series by Robert Jordan. In the books Shayol Ghul is a giant black mountain in which lies the Pit Of Doom ; an otherworldly place where the Dark One is closest to touching the world and his presence can be most keenly felt. In the Wheel of Time fantasy novel series, Shayol Ghul is a mountain beyond the Great Blight in the north of the known world. ... This article is about a fantasy series. ... For other persons named Robert Jordan, see Robert Jordan (disambiguation). ... The Dark One is a fictional entity and primary antagonist of The Wheel of Time series by Robert Jordan. ...

In the Robert A. Heinlein science fiction novel Starship Troopers, Sheol is also the name of an Arachnid colony planet, decimated by a Terran military attack. Likewise in the Walter Jon Williams novel Voice of the Whirlwind, Sheol is the name of a planet on which a terrible war is waged. Robert Anson Heinlein (July 7, 1907 – May 8, 1988) was one of the most popular, influential, and controversial authors of hard science fiction. ... Science fiction is a form of speculative fiction principally dealing with the impact of imagined science and technology, or both, upon society and persons as individuals. ... For other uses, see Starship Troopers (disambiguation). ... Extant orders Acarina Amblypygi Araneae Opiliones Palpigradi Pseudoscorpionida Ricinulei Schizomida Solifugae Uropygi Wikispecies has information related to: Arachnida Arachnids are a class (Arachnida) of joint-legged invertebrate animals in the subphylum Chelicerata. ... This article is about a type of political territory. ... The eight planets and three dwarf planets of the Solar System. ... For the Terran Federation in the Starfire series see Terran Federation (Starfire). ...

In the book Memnoch the Devil by Anne Rice Sheol is a name given to the realm where the spirits of the dead go, should they not be worthy to go to Heaven. This land is turned into Hell by Memnoch as a way to show these souls the error of their ways so that they may pass on into Heaven and so that he can end the suffering of the human race and return to God himself. Memnoch the Devil is the fifth novel in Anne Rices Vampire Chronicles series, following The Tale of the Body Thief. ... Anne Rice (born on October 4, 1941) is a best-selling American author of gothic and later religious themed books. ...

Cordwainer Smith used the variant spelling "Shayol" for the Instrumentality of Mankind's prison planet, a world in which humans exposed to the native microbial life would begin growing additional limbs and organs, all the while experiencing horrific pain. These organs would then be harvested for transplantation, which was seen as a restitution for their crimes. Eventually, after a pair of children were wrongfully sent there to be imprisoned, the underpeople serving as jailors rebelled, and the prisoners were released from their punishment. Cordwainer Smith – pronounced CORDwainer Smith – was the pseudonym used by American author Paul Myron Anthony Linebarger (July 11, 1913 – August 6, 1966) for his science fiction works. ... In the fictional works of Cordwainer Smith, the Instrumentality of Mankind is the central government of the human race. ... A microorganism or microbe is an organism that is so small that it is microscopic (invisible to the naked eye). ... In science fiction, biological uplift is a common but by no means universal term for the act of an advanced civilization helping the development of another species by bringing a non-sapient one into sentience, or by giving a sapient one spacefaring capabilities. ...

Sheol is the name of an asteroid mining base referred to in the user manual's plot foreword for the computer game Wing Commander: Privateer.

In the Fury3/Hellbender game universe, "red sheol" is a mineral, the "isomorphic decay" of which can be used to attract wormholes for faster than light travel. In Fury3, it is found on the planet Ares, the setting of one of the game's missions. This article or section is not written in the formal tone expected of an encyclopedia article. ... Hellbender is a PC video game developed by Terminal Reality in 1995-1996 and released by Microsoft in 1996, as a sequel to Fury3 and Terminal Velocity. ... A wormhole, also known as an Einstein-Rosen bridge, is a hypothetical topological feature of spacetime that is essentially a shortcut from one point in the universe to another point in the universe, allowing travel between them that is faster than it would take light to make the journey through... For other uses, see Faster than the speed of light (disambiguation). ...

At Regent's Park College, the Baptist Permanent Private Hall at the University of Oxford, the subterranean complex comprising a laundry and bathrooms is amusingly known as Sheol. Regents Park College is one of the constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in the United Kingdom. ... Topics in Christianity Movements · Denominations · Other religions Ecumenism · Preaching · Prayer Music · Liturgy · Calendar Symbols · Art · Criticism Important figures Apostle Paul · Church Fathers Constantine · Athanasius · Augustine Anselm · Aquinas · Palamas · Luther Calvin · Wesley Arius · Marcion of Sinope Archbishop of Canterbury · Catholic Pope Coptic Pope · Ecumenical Patriarch Christianity Portal This box:      Baptist is... A Permanent Private Hall at the University of Oxford is an educational institution affiliated to the University — not as a full College, but able to award Oxford University degrees. ... The University of Oxford (usually abbreviated as Oxon. ...

Sheol is the name of one of the Ravers in the series of books, The Chronicles of Thomas Covenant, by Stephen Donaldson. The Chronicles of Thomas Covenant, the Unbeliever is a fantasy epic by Stephen R. Donaldson. ... Stephen Reeder Donaldson (born May 13, 1947) is an American fantasy and science fiction novelist. ...

Sheol is the name of one of the TimeKeeper Demons in the series of books, The Wayfarer Redemption by Sara Douglas.

In the MMORPG Anarchy Online, there is a massive area called "Scheol" in the Shadowlands, an alternate universe that is slowly degrading into nothingness. An image from World of Warcraft, one of the largest commercial MMORPGs as of 2004, based on active subscriptions. ... Anarchy Online (AO) [1] is a science fiction MMORPG released in June 2001 by Funcom set on the world of Rubi-Ka and its extra-dimensional twin, the Shadowlands. ...

In the Hellboy comics collection, Strange Places, Hellboy's father is described as a "Prince of Sheol". Hellboy is a fictional Dark Horse Comics character created by Mike Mignola. ...

Sheol is also the name of a San Francisco bay area rock band. This page is a candidate for speedy deletion. ...

On the back cover of the Megadeth album, United Abominations, Vic Rattlehead is carrying a ring of keys; one reads death, one reads Hades, and one reads Sheol. Megadeth is an American thrash metal band led by founder, frontman, and songwriter Dave Mustaine. ... United Abominations is the 11th studio album of the American thrash metal band, Megadeth. ... The Combat Records incorrect version of Vic Rattlehead. ... This article or section does not adequately cite its references or sources. ... Hades, Greek god of the underworld, enthroned, with his bird-headed staff, on a red-figure Apulian vase made in the 4th century BC. For other uses, see Hades (disambiguation). ...

In the Christian youth fantasy series Dragons In Our Midst, Sheol contains seven circles, the last of which is Hades. For other uses, see Christian (disambiguation). ... Dragons In Our Midst is a Christian fantasy series written by Bryan Davis about two teenagers who are anthrozils- fully human, and yet somehow fully dragon at the same time. ... Hades, Greek god of the underworld, enthroned, with his bird-headed staff, on a red-figure Apulian vase made in the 4th century BC. For other uses, see Hades (disambiguation). ...

In a Season 2 episode of Transformers, Smokescreen bargains for his friends' lives in a town on a bleak asteroid, and the town is named Sheol. Transformers are fictional alien robots and the titular characters of a popular[1] Hasbro toy line and its spin-offs. ...

See also

• Bosom of Abraham
• Gehenna
• Hades
• Hell
• Resurrection
• Near-birth experience

The phrase the Bosom of Abraham is used in the Christian Bible. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... Hades, Greek god of the underworld, enthroned, with his bird-headed staff, on a red-figure Apulian vase made in the 4th century BC. For other uses, see Hades (disambiguation). ... For other uses, see Hell (disambiguation). ... Look up Resurrection in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... A near-birth experience most commonly refers to a parental encounter which involves some form of intelligent communication (that is, beyond the obvious interactions that occur during pregnancy) with an unborn offspring - either during the pregnancy or before conception. ...

Notes

1. ^ Metzger & Coogan (1993) Oxford Companion to the Bible, p277.
2. ^ Sheol entry in Jewish Encyclopedia
3. ^ Sheol entry in Jewish Encyclopedia
4. ^ Brief Communications. "The Original Meaning of Sheol." Journal of Biblical Literature, Vol. 36, No. 3/4, (1917): 258.
5. ^ What the Bible says about Death, Afterlife, and the Future, James Tabor
6. ^ Understanding the Bible: the 6th Edition, Stephen L Harris. (McGraw Hill 2002) p 436.

References

• Metzeger, Bruce M. (ed); , Michael D. Coogan (ed) (1993). The Oxford Companion to the Bible. Oxford, UK: Oxford University Press. ISBN 0-19-504645-5. 

Oxford University Press (OUP) is a highly-respected publishing house and a department of the University of Oxford in England. ...

External links

• Sheol entry in Jewish Encyclopedia