Thus, and only thus, will they be brought to see that this
ugly human conception is not of God.
THE FOUNDATION UPON WHICH THE DOCTRINE OF EVERLASTING PUNISHMENT HAS
BEEN BUILT.
We must look for this in the mistranslation of a few words in the Greek
New Testament. These words are:--(aion); (aionios); (krima); (krisis);
(krinein); and (katakrinein).
We shall show that the translators have dealt most misleadingly and
inconsistently with these words. They have translated them, in a number
or passages of Scripture in which they appear, strictly in accordance
with their true meanings, while into the words as they occur in other
passages they have imported meanings not only exaggerated and awful, but
such as to make Scripture contradictory of itself.
For the substantiation of this serious charge, we refer the reader to
the following _facts_ concerning each of the words instanced.
(a) The word (aion), and the adjective derived from it, (aionios).
We place these words first, because they are the terms that have been
rendered by the translators--"world without end," "forever and ever,"
"everlasting," and "eternal;" and it is upon the basis of these false
renderings that the terrible doctrine of everlasting punishment has
been reared.
The word [Greek: aion], in the singular, denotes an age, a period of
indefinite, but limited, duration, which may be either long or short.
Pages:
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
25
26
27
28
29
30
31
32
33
34
35
36