Imprisoned Humans
Upon their deaths, much of early Jewish and Christian writings
portray humans as experiencing an otherworldly punishment through
incarcerations. The imprisonment of humans can be found throughout the 1
Enoch. 1 En 22:1-14 describes the four hollow into which human souls
are divided. Specifically verses 3 and 4 contend that humans are imprisoned in
these caves awaiting a final judgment. At times humans are sent to a place of
fire (1 En 98:3; 100:3; 108:3). Later traditions (Sib. Or. 2:283-313,
which links Gehenna with chains and fire; Jude 23, which implies that some
humans will be snatched from the fire indicating the author expects at least
some to be sent there; and Rev 14:9-11; 20:11-5) also record humans being punished
by fire in the after life. In other descriptions, humans are sent to Sheol (1
En 102:6-11; 103:6-8). Sheol is also the place for imprisoned humans in Jub
22:22. In 1 En 53:5, human spirits are punished with the chains of
Satan. Ap. Ab. 21:3-5 articulates that humans will be tormented in the
abyss. And Ben Sira suggests that human sinners will inhabit the depths of the
netherworld (14:16; 17:27; 21:10; 22:11).
The literature from Qumran also describes human punishment in the
afterlife. Both 1 Q27 frg. 1 i 5, 6 and 4Q416 frg. 69 ii 6-9
indicate that some of humanity will be locked up or sent to eternal punishment.
As with other early Jewish and Christian literature, the punishment of humanity
often includes a place of fire. 1QM xiii 16 contends that the Sons of
Darkness will be sent to an everlasting place for destruction. However 1QM xiv
17-18 further indicates that these wicked humans will reside in the burning
fire of Sheol. 1QS ii 7-8 and iv 12-13 both describe the eternal
place of punishment for wicked humanity as filled with darkness and fire.
Finally, there are a small number of passages that indicate that
fallen angels and humans are going to be imprisoned together. 1 En 10:13,
14 suggests that human sinners will be bound and cast into the final punishment
of fire along with Shemihaza and his companions. This is also found in 1 En 64:1,
2 and 67:4-12 in which the angels are punished in the same valleys as the kings
and mighty of the earth. Similarly, Revelation records that the Beast of the
Sea (19:20), Satan (20:1-10), and the resurrected sinful humanity (20:15) are
all cast into the lake of fire. Just as the term “spirits” was used for angels,
giants, and humans, traditions emerge in early Jewish and Christian literature
in which all of these entities are imprisoned as well. Therefore, no positive
identification of the recipients of Christ‘s proclamation can be drawn form the
Petrine description of their punishment. (Chad Pierce, "Spirits and the Proclamation of Christ: 1
Peter 3:18-22 in its Tradition-Historical and Literary Context" Ph.D.
Thesis, Durham University, 2009], 188-89)
