Wednesday, May 17, 2023

Chad Pierce on the "Imprisoned Humans" Interpretation of the Spirits in 1 Peter 3:18-22

  

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)

 

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