What is Sheol ? Before Heaven and Hell Sheol was the Afterlife of Ancient Israel

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  • Опубликовано: 15 апр 2021
  • Long before Heaven and Hell, the only after life that existed in Israelite religion was the shadowy underworld Sheol. In this episode of Esoterica we explore what can be learned of this ancient through poorly understood underworld.
    Recommended Readings:
    Johnston - Shades of Sheol - 978-0830826872
    Segal - Life After Death - 978-0385422994
    Steiner - Disembodied Souls - 978-1628370768
    #sheol #afterlife #underworld

Комментарии • 669

  • @TheEsotericaChannel
    @TheEsotericaChannel  3 года назад +56

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    • @GameTimeWhy
      @GameTimeWhy Год назад +3

      It's always interesting how many Christians completely ignore the Torah and other Jewish religious concepts that are what is essentially the grandfather of Christianity and Islam.

    • @islandsedition
      @islandsedition Год назад +3

      Bit late to the party on this one, but Maltese has two similar sounding words, and is a Semitic language.
      Xoghol (sh awe l) = work or business
      Xolja (sh o lia) = to dissolve, terminate.
      Hope this helps.

    • @milascave2
      @milascave2 Год назад +1

      @@GameTimeWhy They don't ignore them. They cherry-pick. They do that with the New Testament, too. Furthermore, they pick out the verses that confirm what they already want people to believe. To be fair, there is so much contradiction in the Bible that anybody who wishes to follow it kind of has to cherry-pick.

    • @cheryldeboissiere1851
      @cheryldeboissiere1851 Год назад

      Thank you very much for a physical reference to Kur. Looks like just like Abydos of Egypt, it originally was a geographical location. Thank you very much. 🌺

    • @Matt-of2eq
      @Matt-of2eq 5 месяцев назад

      Nice to see you visited Luray

  • @anonymous-zw1nb
    @anonymous-zw1nb 3 года назад +967

    After watching this, I called my mom and asked her how she knew this word enough to use it regularly in the 70's. "Sheol? No, when I was talking about the trailer park we lived in, I was saying 'sh*thole."

    • @ramkitty
      @ramkitty 2 года назад +44

      Thank you for a laugh via the subjective nature of language and interpretation. I forever thought that the song winter wonderland featured a brown snowman named Parson and that the colloquialism was "bowl in a china shop" obviously to much apathetic confusion

    • @iknowyouarh
      @iknowyouarh 2 года назад +14

      Yep, all I could hear was Shit*ole

    • @Jemmodin
      @Jemmodin 2 года назад +11

      That's hilarious.

    • @tearsofglass9826
      @tearsofglass9826 2 года назад +7

      @@ramkitty there's still plenty of light in the winter, keep an open heart. ❤️🤘

    • @AJearth
      @AJearth Год назад +3

      😂

  • @sechernbiw3321
    @sechernbiw3321 Год назад +91

    This reminds me that the Quran (Surah al-Baqarah:96) claims of Jews that "You will surely find them clinging to life more eagerly than any other people, even more than polytheists."" As a secular Jew, I remember being struck when reading that in the Quran as an adult, remembering that growing up nobody in my Jewish family or at any Synagogue I went to ever talked about the afterlife at all, in striking contrast to the absolutely constant talk about the afterlife in just about every other major religion, and especially in Christianity, Islam, and seemingly every other smaller Abrahamic religion. I think it is true.
    It isn't that Jews don't believe in an afterlife, it's just that it isn't considered important. It is just assumed that since God is Good, whatever happens after death will sort itself out as it should, and there's no need or desire to talk about it. Judaism has laws and commandments and so on, of course, but the Law is considered good in itself just because it is good, not because it will get you into heaven or get you any other reward after death. Unlike atheism though, Jews and Judaism do assume something happens after death, and that eventually somehow there will be some sort of day of judgement or something like that, Jews and Judaism just don't care exactly what it might be like, as long as a good God is presiding over it. It's more of a "be good for goodness sake" approach. I asked about what Judaism said about the afterlife when I was a kid, and everybody seemed totally bored by the question. I wouldn't have even asked probably if I didn't have Christian and Muslim friends. I've always found it very strange that this is so unusual among religions, and especially among Abrahamic religions when Judaism is the original and oldest Abrahamic religion.
    The only other religion that seems to take the same approach as Judaism is Shinto, where the Shinto priests are very concerned about morality but likewise seem to just be totally bored by questions about the afterlife and just kind of shrug and direct the questioner to go ask the Buddhists.
    My Conservative Jewish aunt told me as a kid that Christianity and Islam were religions of death which rejected God's visible creation and longed for a different one after death, while Judaism was a religion of life which affirmed and celebrated the visible creation of God and called people to sanctify and celebrate it in the here and now, and worship God primarily for what He has already done and continues to do, rather than only loving God instrumentally, merely in an attempt to avoid future punishment or gain future compensation. She thought the Christian doctrine of original sin didn't make any sense, and that we always had a continual free choice about whether we were going to participate in creating a better world or a worse one. She thought it didn't make any sense that a Good God would create an intrinsically bad world, or people so flawed they would inevitably sin, so this world had to have the potential in it to be fundamentally and entirely good if we did all we could to sanctify and repair it, and that every human life as such, in this world, at any time or place in history, had to likewise have the potential in it to be a complete blessing on the person who lived it and upon all those around them, such that it would be better to have lived that life and then gone to heaven, than to have merely gone to heaven (or paradise, or whatever) without having the opportunity and blessing of living that life in this world first.

    • @arabianknight0000
      @arabianknight0000 6 месяцев назад +1

      I'm afraid your conservative jewish aunt was wrong, and I suggest you read the Quran with sincerity, and a sincere heart will realise Islam is the truth.

    • @AnonymousBosch556
      @AnonymousBosch556 6 месяцев назад +16

      Thanks for this in-depth personal account regarding this.

    • @samwroblewski748
      @samwroblewski748 5 месяцев назад +6

      ​@@arabianknight0000😂

    • @XtCGaming
      @XtCGaming 4 месяца назад +1

      ​@@samwroblewski748 😂

  • @ClaudioWho
    @ClaudioWho 3 года назад +358

    "People have odd ideas on how to do Bible translations"... Loved it. Thanks for saying it 🙏🏼

    • @davidfryer9359
      @davidfryer9359 3 года назад +4

      Most have no idea what you mean. What have you learned from others translations of Bible? I often learn something about myself.sometimes not... Sometimes I learn something much later that reminds me of some obscure comment then suddenly it all are sense. It was connected all along.

    • @ClaudioWho
      @ClaudioWho 3 года назад +12

      @@davidfryer9359 there's much to learn on oneself in the Bible, I agree.
      What I mean is that there are certain words with no consensus about their translation. Nonetheless Christians have interpreted their meaning to fit their narrative. But if we don't translate those words the Bible becomes much more interesting.
      Mauro Biglino, who in the past worked for Edizioni Paoline translating the ancient Hebrew from the Bible into Italian has a lot to say about that.

    • @davidfryer9359
      @davidfryer9359 3 года назад +12

      @@ClaudioWho I love that thought. Remember though, Abraham was an outright Sumerian from Ur. His first language was Sumerian. His father was a high priest to the g-d EN.LIL. So Abraham spoke the Masculine divine language of that diety. So when I come across a word that I am not satisfied with its Hebrew meaning, I often search the Sumerian for a possible fit. Ancient Hebrew is challenging to read and understand. I am not trying to re-invent the wheel. I am doing it as not to drive myself insane with the desire to know more and more.
      Sometimes I find words whose etymology include Sumerian, Akkaidian they borrowed Sumerian words which soon transformed into a Semitic version. Then the words morphed into Assyrian, Babylonia Aramaic, and then ancient Hebrew. But the bottom line is the lesson imparted to us an individuals.. what does it mean to me? My approach may be unorthodox, but it is a sincere approach!

    • @ClaudioWho
      @ClaudioWho 3 года назад +1

      @@davidfryer9359 👍🏼 you like to dive deep. That's absolutely great!

    • @xyui8434
      @xyui8434 2 года назад +1

      @@davidfryer9359 it would be really interesting if you had a blog or something about this so we could follow your work, just an idea

  • @andythedishwasher1117
    @andythedishwasher1117 3 года назад +504

    Man I feel you on the whiskey break. I really feel as if decisions like that are why I was completely baffled by the Bible as a child. When people explained what they thought it meant, that made plenty of sense. Then I would read the actual book and be like "where did you get that idea?". It really seems like a lot of modern religious institutions have become cults of creative interpretation rather than places for religious traditions to be understood and preserved.

    • @georgeptolemy7260
      @georgeptolemy7260 3 года назад +25

      That is a big critique of (both inside and outside) protestantism.

    • @brianjauch9958
      @brianjauch9958 3 года назад +4

      Wasn't that the Pope who quit his job who ok'd that translation?

    • @randyjones3050
      @randyjones3050 2 года назад +59

      I know exactly how you feel. Growing up in Protestantism, the Bible Study was at the center of our youth and college gatherings. Every study was the same; we would have a topic or a doctrine that we were studying and the pastor would jump around from one book of the Bible to the next in both the old and new testament making us read "proof texts" of what he was trying to teach. It seemed like we were trying to force together bits and pieces of completely unrelated texts out of context to try to weave together a narrative of why the Bible supposedly supported a certain doctrine or theology. I always find it amusing when fundamentalists of any religious sect claim that the Bible "CLEARLY" supports their dogmas when there are over 30,000 different sects with different interpretations. The Roman Catholics attempt to overcome this problem by saying that Jesus established their Church as the "one true Church" and therefore they are only theologians who have the authority to interpret the Bible. How convenient...simply shut down debate by denying people who disagree with you any divine authority to interpret scriptures.

    • @SneakyBadAssOG
      @SneakyBadAssOG 2 года назад +3

      What is interesting about NIV is that they reduced the judgemental and punishing nature of afterlife or even some characters.

    • @chuth2768
      @chuth2768 2 года назад +8

      @@randyjones3050 of course, the catholics can just point to millerites, fundamentalists, biblical literalists etc as what you get if the theologians are interpreting the text sans contact with the history of interpretation

  • @jamesstuart-riley5453
    @jamesstuart-riley5453 Год назад +51

    Anyone who apologizes for mixing Latin and Greek, but then does it anyway for the sake of linguistic creativity is worth my admiration. I am addicted to your channel.

    • @Giganfan2k1
      @Giganfan2k1 10 месяцев назад

      Octopi- I friggin love it!

    • @tommeakin1732
      @tommeakin1732 3 месяца назад

      This is the most up-one's-own-arse shit I've come across in a little while. Please just type in Greek, Latin or French so you don't have to dirty yourself with all those little nasty Germanic linking words dotted amongst your magnifique romance linguistique

  • @sariahmarier42
    @sariahmarier42 Год назад +52

    I LOVE YOUR SENSE OF HUMOR!!! You're so seriously minded and academic in your content and then there's a joke, and often a witty and intellectual joke too!! They catch me of guard every time! And I love it!

  • @jameslew2804
    @jameslew2804 3 года назад +144

    Just turned 30 and have been having a bit of an existential crisis, and your videos have really helped. Especially this one.

    • @TheEsotericaChannel
      @TheEsotericaChannel  3 года назад +72

      Glad to hear that. Hope you are fairing well during this storm we call life.

    • @kosta7084
      @kosta7084 Год назад

      @@john.premose death is soon

    • @kosta7084
      @kosta7084 Год назад +3

      @@john.premose
      أعلم أين تعيش

    • @FlyingAlfredoSaucer
      @FlyingAlfredoSaucer Год назад +3

      @@john.premose bruh what

    • @FlyingAlfredoSaucer
      @FlyingAlfredoSaucer Год назад +4

      @@john.premose well I dunno how you would stutter in a written comment unless it's like a typo or something.

  • @merthsoft
    @merthsoft 3 года назад +77

    Any time someone's defense for a theory is "well back then they couldn't conceive of anything more!" I know I can just ignore them.

    • @krispalermo8133
      @krispalermo8133 3 года назад +4

      " But, .. but .. but SJW PC academics Say our ancestors were just as smart as we are .. NoW .. ! ?"

    • @TylerThomas
      @TylerThomas 3 года назад +9

      Any time someone else’s attack of a theory is to summarize it to sound absurd, I know I have to investigate their claim.

    • @itsGOJIRAuMORON
      @itsGOJIRAuMORON 2 года назад

      @@TylerThomas this is why all of my claims about anything are outlandish

    • @normanclatcher
      @normanclatcher Год назад

      Something something "wine-dark sea"

  • @bacomancer
    @bacomancer Год назад +137

    I'm not even religious, but these subjects are so fascinating to me, and channels like yours are - how else to say it? - a 'blessing' to us all ;)

    • @CChissel
      @CChissel Год назад +7

      You should get into comparative theology, it’s so much fun and interesting. A good book to start from is Living Religions of the World, by Frederick Spiegelberg. I’m not particularly religious either but that book was so fun to read and learn about all the different sects in other religions.

    • @moumous87
      @moumous87 Год назад +3

      This is not for religious people but for those interested in history, sociology, culture

    • @bacomancer
      @bacomancer Год назад +6

      @@moumous87 Well, it should. Can you imagine liking a fantasy book, but read only a few tasty parts and cool quotes, then try to convince everyone to abandon every other fantasy book out there to join your 'one book' book club? This level of willful ignorance maddening 🙃

  • @Shiobana753
    @Shiobana753 Год назад +32

    Not only have you provided useful information on the nature of Sheol but you have also added the word Necromantrix to my vocabulary. Thank you on both accounts

  • @williammartinactor
    @williammartinactor 3 месяца назад +2

    Yup! I have to confess I have been educated beyond repair. 3 Masters & Two Stints of ill fated PHD studies. I’ve encountered some truly great Professors. You are definitely in that Winners Circle. Truly. If I could buy you a Chair in some University I would do it. Not possible. But I will get my shit together & make a donation. You are quite something!

  • @Kharonofstyx
    @Kharonofstyx Год назад +65

    As a practicing Christian Sheol has always baffled me, I’m glad I’m not the only one. I’ve been going back and forth about changing from my 1986 NIV translation to a NASV or possibly the Legacy Bible since it uses the Tetragrammaton. This makes it seem like a good idea.
    An interesting and mildly arcane episode would be on the names of power found in the Bible and why they are not used in the modern versions.

    • @GameTimeWhy
      @GameTimeWhy Год назад +4

      The words of power and general magics in the bible.

    • @smrtfasizmu7242
      @smrtfasizmu7242 Год назад +3

      That's really weird to me, as somebody from a religion with a Sheol-like possibility, the ideas of Heaven and Hell are weird and unintuitive (especially your hell)

    • @dannylo5875
      @dannylo5875 Год назад +2

      You just opened up to understand that the Bible was a big grimoire

    • @lucasduarte2481
      @lucasduarte2481 Год назад +2

      they are still used largely in occultists groups tho 😂

    • @shaunsteele6926
      @shaunsteele6926 Год назад +3

      this is how it goes down... every person who has ever lived and died is now "sleeping" in Sheol. On the day of Judgment, Christ will raise the dead to be judged. Some will be saved and others will be condemned

  • @SouthernFarmingTV
    @SouthernFarmingTV 2 года назад +6

    This southern Baptist self; appreciates truth in meaning, in which you unselfishly teach versus the untold uneducated doctrine of the ignorant that I had been subject to. If you seek you will find. Lately I've come to enjoy my journey because of the search for truth. I have eyes and ears that long to see and hear. For real knowledge must be sought not taught. Thank you sir.

  • @charlesrae3793
    @charlesrae3793 3 года назад +61

    This is my go-to for background esoteric information; impartial, well-balanced explanations that are an excellent basis for further explorations.

  • @natureswrath7665
    @natureswrath7665 3 года назад +18

    This question was just plaguing me yesterday, impeccable timing

  • @nathaeladalyah9681
    @nathaeladalyah9681 Год назад +7

    0:39 As someone who used to be a Christian preacher and who has read the Dharmapada, this statement resonates with the core of my studies since leaving the churches.
    I had to leave the Christian churches in order to grow in my faith in YHVH, because their teachings are so contrary to what the scriptures say. Lately I have been pressed in the Ruach to copy out the Torah by hand, that way I can truly understand the heart of Elohim without the perversions of modern day preachers.
    Shalom, brother. Much thanks for your work

    • @mahoganysweets67
      @mahoganysweets67 3 месяца назад

      Just seek Jesus, be filled with the holy spirit who gives clarity, revelation and understanding of all truth!
      The living word of God is all truth and seek his holy spirit for the interpretation and understanding of his truth!
      Do not lean to your own understanding, strange doctrine or mankind's philosophy and understanding or else you will be led astray with itching ears!
      Remember that God will not send anyone to you (human or other worldly) with or give anyone a new revelation that can't be backed up by the Bible or contradicts the Bible! Take everything to him in prayer for his council before allowing it to be planted in your heart, spirit and mind! ❤🙏

  • @puertoricanprince7690
    @puertoricanprince7690 3 года назад +53

    The book of enoch also briefly speaks of sheol. The angel raphael took enoch there and enoch saw both cain and abel there

    • @1Corinthians15.1-4
      @1Corinthians15.1-4 3 года назад +1

      Why Abel though? Cain because he killed Abel. Not sure why Abel would be there.

    • @Dk-ns3ge
      @Dk-ns3ge 3 года назад +46

      @@1Corinthians15.1-4 Sheol isn’t hell

    • @1Corinthians15.1-4
      @1Corinthians15.1-4 3 года назад

      @@Dk-ns3ge What is your perspective on it?

    • @Dk-ns3ge
      @Dk-ns3ge 3 года назад +36

      @@1Corinthians15.1-4 My perspective doesn’t matter. It literally is just another plane of existence where the dead live - doesn’t matter if they’re good or bad. I suggest you read about Sheol in the Jewish Encyclopedia

    • @danfield6030
      @danfield6030 2 года назад +21

      @@1Corinthians15.1-4 It was explained in the video.

  • @davidfraser2946
    @davidfraser2946 Год назад +3

    "Eternal twilight after death that never reaches oblivion." That is perfect. I'm going to borrow that. Thanks so much for all your hard work!

  • @read7641
    @read7641 2 месяца назад +2

    I know this was posted years ago… but if you do read this Justin.
    It would be quite interesting to do an episode comparing death and afterlife concepts in the 3 Abrahamic Faiths.
    Judaism ✡️, Christianity ✝️ and Islam ☪️.
    Being a Muslim it will clear up lots of misconceptions or commonalities we might have in the process and after Death.
    Thank You Justin.
    Watching this during Ramadan… very insightful.
    May the All Mighty Bless You.

  • @chompachangas
    @chompachangas 3 года назад +20

    Necromantrix is the name of my next Dungeons and Dragons character based on an ancient Gallic warrior.

    • @christyadams9235
      @christyadams9235 2 года назад +1

      Also the name of one of my favorite bands. Check them out

  • @averagejoe455
    @averagejoe455 3 месяца назад +1

    I desire the endless embrace of the Void.

  • @jonnylawless6797
    @jonnylawless6797 Год назад +3

    Unrelated, but I lived near Luray, and those caverns are gorgeous.

  • @frankarouet
    @frankarouet Год назад +44

    Doctor Sledge, don't you think that the concept of Sheol has a striking resemblance to that of Hades for ancient Greeks? Homer describes it as a sombre place where only shadows remain, sleeping, without any conscience, apparently, only momentarily awaken, for an instant, by libations. Achilles, I think, in such a brief awakening after his death, says, if memory serves, that it is better to be the last of slaves in life than the greatest of kings in Hades (I think it's in the Odyssey). I don't mean to undermine the specificity of these beliefs, but I always felt that there is a strong resemblance. Moreover, the necromancy practices you alluded to in Ancient Israel, and later on, fought in Judas in attempts to eradicate them, remind a little, indeed, of that very practice of libations on the sepulcher of heroes in Greece. It seems that, not unlike what you describe of the momentary reappearance of Saul, heroes in Greece also had this "capacity" to reconnect with the livings for a brief moment.

    • @AlfredEiji
      @AlfredEiji Год назад +13

      They existed in the same geographical region at similar times, so there’s a bunch of cross pollination of different words an concepts. “Hades” for example can be found in a quote of Jesus and the “Styx” appears now and then too.

    • @cheryldeboissiere1851
      @cheryldeboissiere1851 Год назад +9

      Existing within an overculture, transference of concepts is definitely taking place. Anubis the Boatman of Egypt is clearly the model for Charos, the Greek Boatman. The Styx is clearly mother to the four rivers of the Greek Afterlife. Other transfers and reinterpretations must have taken places, after all the Greek visual system, ie alphabet, is actually adapted Phoenician which is related to Hebrew and can be heard when spoken: Greek - alpha, beta, gamma, delta / Hebrew - Aleph, Beth, Gimel, Daleth, etc.

    • @frankarouet
      @frankarouet Год назад

      @@cheryldeboissiere1851 Great observations and many great "leads" for me, Cheryl. Thank you!

    • @olliew7225
      @olliew7225 11 месяцев назад +1

      Sheol was translated as Hades in the Septuagint Greek translation of the Hebrew Bible.

  • @jonsey3645
    @jonsey3645 2 года назад +22

    Dr. Sledge, I am enraptured by your channel. I very much enjoy your work, the research as well as the delivery are appreciated... well, as much as a non-specialist can possibly grasp your subject matter. Thank you for your exhaustive efforts toward secular education, giving this lowly student a chance of understanding. Were I granted the legendary dinner party with 12 people of my choosing, you would be seated between Marie Laveau and Joan of Arch. Peace, Shalom and my wish for the kindest rest of your visit to these dimensions. As predicted by the profits, We shall meet on that beautiful shore.

  • @johnthompson2256
    @johnthompson2256 3 года назад +23

    Thank you. Older translations in English have Sheol as Hell, which is a different meaning than Sheol/Hades. Your explanation was wonderful. G-d bless.

    • @original0blace
      @original0blace Год назад +1

      When the bible was originally translated into gothic they began the tradition of translating Sheol as hell, although it was the 4th century and was referring to the Norse idea of hel which is much closer to the idea of Sheol/hades.
      It wasn’t until the middle ages that the word hell became a burning place.
      The Norse Hel was a cold/dark place where all dead who didn’t die in glorious/heroic battle went, similar to Hades/Sheol.

    • @tfan2222
      @tfan2222 Год назад

      @@original0blace Calling “Hel” a “dark cold place” and leaving it at that is misleading, and not accurate to what we know. Though you are correct, it is very similar to Sheol, same as Hades is.

    • @rocketsummer
      @rocketsummer Год назад

      i’ve read some (relatively) modern translations of the bible that do indeed use the word “hades”, but i couldn’t tell you which ones by name. when i was a kid i always thought it was because hell was a bad word and they didn’t want to say it.

    • @Diego-fd3we
      @Diego-fd3we 26 дней назад

      Also they get the idea of “burning place” by taking a couple of verses out of context

  • @c5quared626
    @c5quared626 3 года назад +18

    Thank you so much, you are seriously helping me in my existential crisis thats been going on for decades and ravaging my life.

    • @thephonecalls9856
      @thephonecalls9856 2 года назад +2

      Same here, this channel is amazing. Stay strong, it gets better. I used to be in a state where the suffering was so intense that the thought of death started to bring solance, not fear, yet each day is better than the previous one. Good luck to you.

    • @CLEFT3000
      @CLEFT3000 2 года назад +1

      @@thephonecalls9856 I am there now & have been for about 3 years now…it is definitely getting better though. It used to be everyday thoughts of “permanent rest” were a relief, now it’s not as frequent! Thanks for your honesty, feels good to know someone understands!

    • @thephonecalls9856
      @thephonecalls9856 2 года назад +1

      @@CLEFT3000 it definitely gets better, although it seems you are at the borders of human existence, seen too much and there's no going back. Right now I'm much better place than when I wrote this message 7 months ago. If you don't mind, I'll share what helped me, basically a holistic approach. First, you need to get your body in the right order, nutrition is extremely important, no junk and processed foods, keeping vitamins B and D in check, Magnesium (and other elements as well, but these are the most important for the proper functioning of the nervous system). Do sports, especially outside, very long walks (up to several hours). When it comes to the mind, mindfulness is a key, good old new agey Ram Dass' "be here and be now" will do, and although I'm definitely an enemy of pop-spirituality, this is probably the only thing they got right. Learn to keep your mind in balance, most of the thoughts you think are just random, improbable, unverifiable theories. Think for yourself of course, but think only when it's necessary, instead learn how to feel. Practice going out of your head depsite what your thoughts tell you, especially when you're outside. Another important think is spiritual side, and I suggest putting an effort in spiritual development, although I also advise being careful and balancing it out, treating everything as possible theories to get grounded, and then trust your intuition and dive into what you feel is right. Just my two cents, of course your mileage may vary, I just thought that I could share what helped me. I was truly at the bottom and seriously considered suicide, yet I'm learning to be happier than ever before. You can try meds to lift you out of the worst state (I know, they're mostly poison), but in my opinion this is enough to get out of this. Sure they'll make it a bit easier, but the lifestyle, mind and spiritual change must come from the within. In the end, all this suffering will really not matter (in a good way!) so focus on making memories and do not waste your time on it, even though you have to force yourself. I know how it feels, it sounds almost impossible, I could barely get out of bed and perform basic hygiene, but once you see the light in the tunnel, you're there. Sending much love.

    • @CLEFT3000
      @CLEFT3000 2 года назад +1

      @@thephonecalls9856 thank you I appreciate the advice. I’m a bit impatient when it comes to “self-care” routines (even that expression itself is so…blah…) but yes it definitely does make a difference when I keep up with it. Balance is key if you can manage to keep it. Lots of love to you, friend! I am so glad to hear you’re mostly out of the woods.

    • @GameTimeWhy
      @GameTimeWhy Год назад

      @@CLEFT3000 This was a wholesome thread. Hope you two are still getting there.

  • @mcnallyaar
    @mcnallyaar 11 месяцев назад +2

    I so love your dry humor! Next time, it should be an early day for absinthe!

  • @jy3n2
    @jy3n2 Год назад +3

    11:46 There's just something hilarious about "I need a freaking drink" delivered in the academic-lecture register.

  • @delphinidin
    @delphinidin 3 года назад +54

    I was listening to your discussion of how the word "sheol" was p much always used as a proper noun in Hebrew, and I was like, "wait. i thought the reason my Christian Bible always translates the word as "the pit/the grave" (and tells you so, in the notes!) was that they were synonyms for sheol! They're NOT?" and then you got to the bit about the NIV and i was like "OHHHHHHHHH. wOw." all the churches i've gone to use the NIV as their default translation. Thank you for that explanation!

    • @tfan2222
      @tfan2222 Год назад +11

      @@john.premose A lot, actually, as the modern concept of “Hell” is a place of punishment (which isn’t accurate, as it originally started out my much more like Sheol or Hades, a common grave.) When referring to Sheol, it’s a fundamentally different thing than modern Hell.

    • @man_at_the_end_of_time
      @man_at_the_end_of_time Год назад

      @@john.premose And yet you ask the question, LOL. And yes few care as the waters (restless humanity) of Babylon the Great of John's Apocalypse have drained away. And soon the beast system inf the Great Reset will dine on the flesh of the city of religions.

    • @man_at_the_end_of_time
      @man_at_the_end_of_time Год назад

      @@tfan2222 The afterlife is just death and its oblivion, lol.

    • @man_at_the_end_of_time
      @man_at_the_end_of_time Год назад +2

      @@john.premose Naw. But you did get the connection. it seems I am many years if not decades gone. I am not a hostile to the religion as it provides a way seeing this topic. That said it seems to see me as suspect and untrustworthy. Perhaps we just hooked each other on the fishing troll. I'll suspect you have your history as well. Anyway this world is drifting towards both a great reset and a world war so doesn't that give one a bit of pause as the religion does/did warn of this some to be era.

    • @frankwilliams4445
      @frankwilliams4445 2 месяца назад

      @man_at_the_end_of_time Ahh so you know about the coming zombies as well...

  • @ryanw3658
    @ryanw3658 3 года назад +22

    Man I’m so glad I found these esoteric channels that break down biblical etymology. I feel like I have a much better chance of understanding what I’m reading after videos like this.

  • @jonunciate7018
    @jonunciate7018 Год назад +6

    Even growing up with the NIV as a kid Sheol seemed like a mysterious and abstract concept for an afterlife to me despite the neutered translation.

  • @DrAnarchy69
    @DrAnarchy69 2 года назад +26

    Thank you for this! I’m in a Tanakh reading group and we’ve come across Sheol several times. This explanation was super helpful!

  • @josephbenson4413
    @josephbenson4413 Год назад +5

    Thank you... that was fascinating. Ancient afterlife's are so oddly boring, which I've never understood, because there are such rich myths about the divinities. I always assumed Sheol did just mean a sort of generic underground place where the dead (quite literally) went. A catacomb or the like.

  • @celesteramsey7882
    @celesteramsey7882 Год назад +3

    You are too funny. I must admit, I had to settle for a nice IPA over the whiskey. You crack me up.

  • @stellarevolution3854
    @stellarevolution3854 24 дня назад

    Thank you! This is one of the best interpretation ❤

  • @spamtownhamilton6200
    @spamtownhamilton6200 Год назад +3

    I always wind up having to rewind your videos a zillion times because I get absorbed with the discussions in your video's comment threads. Your videos spur such interesting philosophical and spiritual discussions. Thank you for using your expertise and aptitude to educate internet randos like myself, it does feel like a gift and it is appreciated. ❤

  • @dmtripreport8542
    @dmtripreport8542 3 года назад +19

    Awesome, informative, hilarious. This is some of the best stuff out there.

  • @davidmorton8332
    @davidmorton8332 7 месяцев назад +2

    Fantastic. Thank you.

  • @chrisdsouza8685
    @chrisdsouza8685 Год назад +1

    Thank you for the very scholarly treatment, and for just sufficient humour !

  • @jasmyneemmerick
    @jasmyneemmerick 3 года назад +13

    "Early day for whiskey..." LOL. The struggle is real.

  • @top5in512
    @top5in512 2 года назад +2

    Good morning 🧙‍♂️🔮🧙‍♂️

  • @42tomasz
    @42tomasz Год назад +1

    Happy to see this channel grow, thanks for your work.

  • @jorenbosmans8065
    @jorenbosmans8065 Год назад +1

    Okay the jokes in this one really deserves a subscription. I love your humor in this very interesting video.

  • @rickc2102
    @rickc2102 Год назад +2

    Necromantrix IS an awesome word, and will surely be a character name some day

  • @annhenry6056
    @annhenry6056 3 года назад

    Brilliant, I enjoy each of your podcasts. Thank you for your research and work.

  • @MsKazzar
    @MsKazzar 3 года назад +2

    Another interesting and informative session, thank you!

  • @Warlanda
    @Warlanda 3 года назад +3

    another wonderful presentation; thank you!

  • @MuShinGirl
    @MuShinGirl Год назад +2

    I absolutely adore you Dr. Sledge. Thank you SO much for your content!

  • @changer1285
    @changer1285 3 года назад +6

    I would love a video about "the resurrection" in apocalyptic Judaism.

  • @Watered
    @Watered 3 года назад +3

    Great video! Thanks Dr Justin

  • @jessicachiavetta362
    @jessicachiavetta362 3 года назад +14

    Thank you so so much for making these videos. I enjoy everything about them! Your voice, graphics, takes, expressions, and interpretations are a layered casserole of brain satisfying goodness! Thank you!

  • @Dominus-Noctis
    @Dominus-Noctis 2 года назад +1

    New to the channel. Love this series may it never end! Thanks for sharing all your years of studies and wisdom you have sparked my once thought dead interest in the arcane. 👍

  • @worldviews1135
    @worldviews1135 2 года назад

    Wonderful presentation! Thanks so much!

  • @danielwallace1653
    @danielwallace1653 Год назад +3

    Bravo! Thank you for doing all that you do and sharing freely.

  • @angelonintendo
    @angelonintendo Год назад +4

    I think you are literally the most well informative channel on the topic. Congrats and thank you

  • @mcnallyaar
    @mcnallyaar 11 месяцев назад +1

    Well-stated and researched, as always! Much gratitude for your hard work!

  • @likklej8
    @likklej8 Год назад +1

    Some of the things you explain Dr have parallels in Vedic and Hindu teaching and even in some Buddhist teaching. Esoterica too my thinking is really the whole wide world

  • @blauth
    @blauth Год назад

    This was the funniest and most insightful episode that I have seen you do yet. Thank you for all you do.

  • @makeitbetter.1402
    @makeitbetter.1402 3 года назад +2

    this is soooo good! my new favorite channel.

  • @waltersstreet
    @waltersstreet 7 месяцев назад +1

    This channel never disappoints

  • @kholland4860
    @kholland4860 Год назад +3

    Thank you for your humor, ☺️☺️☺️ it was a crappy day here, we sincerely appreciate your channel!!! Keep up the great work!!!

  • @Pooneil1984
    @Pooneil1984 3 года назад +5

    My first time watching Dr. Sledge. I enjoy both the great content and the dry humor.

  • @johnholt932
    @johnholt932 Год назад +6

    I just want to say this I don't normally leave comments on RUclips but I must say I love your site esoterica Ive always been fascinated with the esoteric subjects i love how you reference popular culture and humor to help people relate to your subject matter i was thinking maybe one way you could reach out to the public would be to work with designer's to come with an esoteric video game with actual real esoteric ideas in stead of pop culture dribble also I like the idea of cabalist dungeons and dragons module

    • @johnholt932
      @johnholt932 Год назад

      Great It's it seems there is a great deal of interest in esoteric subjects and at the same time we see the incredible popularity of games that often have storylines that involve magic and and ancient settings in the ancient world games like assassin's Creed offer an opportunity for future games to include real esoteric ideas and introduce ideas that can inspire

    • @thegameranch5935
      @thegameranch5935 Год назад

      It would be interesting! It should have a pixel artsyle with customizable “spells” (which are based on real esoteric ideas) similar to noita

  • @AI-hx3fx
    @AI-hx3fx 2 года назад +2

    Finally, a good explanation of this concept! I simply recall that Sheol is underground and nobody did much there until Jesus came and that’s it.

  • @DSArnauld
    @DSArnauld Год назад

    Great essay. Thank you for the well-organized and concise presentation.

  • @jackula4298
    @jackula4298 3 года назад +54

    The next time I have a glass of bourbon in front of me I will raise it in the name of Sheol 🍻

    • @TheEsotericaChannel
      @TheEsotericaChannel  3 года назад +30

      Pour some out for the repha'im! :)

    • @theguyyamamabefuckinsometi1198
      @theguyyamamabefuckinsometi1198 3 года назад +2

      So..

    • @scared2656
      @scared2656 3 года назад +1

      @@theguyyamamabefuckinsometi1198 So..?

    • @theguyyamamabefuckinsometi1198
      @theguyyamamabefuckinsometi1198 3 года назад

      @@scared2656 yes so....... raise it to Sheol, Valhalla, or any other place it's all King's cross without proof. Fym so?

    • @scared2656
      @scared2656 3 года назад +3

      @@theguyyamamabefuckinsometi1198 Because you had said "so" without a explanation at the time and you really did not have to get that aggressive its not the serious.

  • @BrandonS-lk2qc
    @BrandonS-lk2qc 2 года назад +1

    I lost it when the screen cut away to black after that horrifying revelation about"the grave." I grew up with that theology...I saw through it

  • @brt5273
    @brt5273 3 года назад

    Wonderful clear discussion of this very complicated and confusing subject. Subscribed and looking forward to your other vids.

  • @artemisnite
    @artemisnite Год назад

    Goddess, I love this channel. This is crucial information for my fiction series. Thanks again, Dr. Sledge.

  • @ThiagoDVaz
    @ThiagoDVaz Год назад

    I just found your channel and will study it with discernment and open mind.
    If you are ever up late for a midnight ride come over to - now you see tv 📺
    Shalom ❤️‍🔥 Shalom knowledge and wisdom seekers

  • @pjaworek6793
    @pjaworek6793 Год назад

    This was good, thank you. Can't wait for that renovation. So many things to shake your head about. I like your style, will check out more videos.

  • @Cherub72
    @Cherub72 2 года назад

    Great content. I'm glad I found this channel

  • @thoth_amon
    @thoth_amon 3 года назад +5

    seems like the "silent" one would be closest to where the word comes from, because of the hebrew belief in "the word", and breath of god, the wind, etc..., so it seemed that the inability to breathe and use words anymore would probably be closest to the old view of death, for a long time they used mirrors to check for breath, the word being associated with the wind, and breath of god, cannot make words without breath, and all of the other ideas on the importance of words

  • @pariahthistledowne3934
    @pariahthistledowne3934 Год назад

    interesting dive on Sheol....a term and concept i have been intrigued with for ages!

  • @moumous87
    @moumous87 Год назад +1

    7:51 veeeeery interesting 🧐 loving this channel

  • @user-rd8id1xk3t
    @user-rd8id1xk3t Год назад +1

    Amazing scholarship and utterly charming.

  • @mspacephal3925
    @mspacephal3925 Год назад

    Looooved the hilarious misery pause 😂😂 and of course, all the rest of the video ❤❤❤ 👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻

  • @maria369
    @maria369 3 года назад +22

    Sheol sounds a lot like the underworld, the kingdom of Hades and Persephone.
    And Tartarus the dwelling of the dammed.

    • @harveywabbit9541
      @harveywabbit9541 3 года назад +9

      Hades is also called Shem.

    • @HappyCatholicDane
      @HappyCatholicDane 3 года назад +8

      And the Greek New Testament texts largely uses those very same words. Hades and Tartarus are both mentioned, alongside Gehenna (back then a very unpleasant geographic area).
      Modern Bibles often translates these words into death or hell. But it can be argued that such a translation is too simplistic.

    • @harveywabbit9541
      @harveywabbit9541 3 года назад +1

      @@HappyCatholicDane
      The "underworld" winter season is cursed throughout the bible. It was highlighted by the Scorpion who leads the winter months of Sagittarius thru Pisces (makes up the nasty five sons of Shem).

    • @randyjones3050
      @randyjones3050 2 года назад +8

      @@HappyCatholicDane One interpretation of the word Gehenna I have heard is that was the name of a garbage dump in ancient Israel where dead bodies of criminals were burned. I think if a body was burned, Jews believed that they cannot be resurrected in the final judgement or something to that effect.

    • @HappyCatholicDane
      @HappyCatholicDane 2 года назад +4

      @@randyjones3050 Yes, that is the place. Which was also a garbage dump, and also once a sacrificial place for human sacrifice. The place certainly had negative connotations, back in the time of Jesus.
      Today I believe it is a lovely nature area, if I remember correctly.

  • @loolylooly81
    @loolylooly81 9 месяцев назад +2

    Necromantrix is a fantastic translation ❤❤❤

  • @buttercxpdraws8101
    @buttercxpdraws8101 Год назад

    Cool. Thanks for your work 🙏

  • @lindsayschmidt2177
    @lindsayschmidt2177 Год назад +24

    I was raised evangelical before converting to Judaism as an adult, and the version of the Bible we used was the NIV. During my studies of Jewish interpretations of the afterlife, the discovery of Sheol was very surprising to me, as I had been familiar with the text that omitted it entirely. It’s really a shame that this concept has been essentially erased from a significant portion of the Bible translations that are available to English speakers.

  • @ashleyanthony6400
    @ashleyanthony6400 Год назад

    Thank for using it🙏

  • @kolardgreene3096
    @kolardgreene3096 Год назад +1

    I'm glad you made this video. While I have read a tiny bit on Sheol in my life, the foundation of my understanding of it was that biased NIV interpretation of the word. I'm glad to finally feel like I'm learning more about it after all these years

  • @minacapella8319
    @minacapella8319 Год назад +3

    I've always wanted to understand sheol better, so thank you for this. I'm not Jewish or any of the derivative religions, but I love to learn about stuff like this and found the idea of sheol very interesting but didn't find a lot of information.

  • @janet.snakehole
    @janet.snakehole Год назад +2

    13:54 I never realized Elijah never died. I did know that about Enoch 🤔 love the channel! I've been sharing with my students, they all love it, too

  • @WarlockVex
    @WarlockVex Год назад +1

    Baal vs. The Spirit of Drought is a direct parallel to the Rigveda; Indra vs. Vitra. You never seem to disappoint.

  • @alanvandenbroek1089
    @alanvandenbroek1089 Год назад +1

    My two cents.
    Job 14:13 - O that thou wouldest hide me in the grave, that thou wouldest keep me secret, until thy wrath be past, that thou wouldest appoint me a set time, and remember me!
    Job is one of the most contested, atheists love it.
    ... and deeply appreciate your brilliance, sharing etc.
    ... still a believer in Christ, no need in mince nor do you.
    Love the perspective, the interpretion you deliver.

    • @alanvandenbroek1089
      @alanvandenbroek1089 Год назад

      No matter how insignificant we are Lord God remember me! ... I think the Muslims think of Sheol worse?!

    • @frankwilliams4445
      @frankwilliams4445 2 месяца назад

      Job an atheist?! Hilarious. What dude???

  • @markh.williamsauthor7286
    @markh.williamsauthor7286 Год назад

    Great content as always

  • @Aaron-oe8xw
    @Aaron-oe8xw 3 года назад +6

    Personally i wouldnt call limbo "extinct" the fact that its only been 13 years since the catholic church removed it mean that there are still going to be thousands if not hundreds of thousands of catholics who will continue to practice the idea, my extended family included. Many catholics disregard what the current leaders say and stick to their more familiar traditional practices.

    • @TheEsotericaChannel
      @TheEsotericaChannel  3 года назад +6

      Fair point! Though I was thinking of sheol really going extinct. I don't think really anyone really believes in the old Israelite concept any longer.

    • @Aaron-oe8xw
      @Aaron-oe8xw 3 года назад

      @@TheEsotericaChannel i would agree with that. You would know better than I in judaic traditions haha. Great video! I'm definatley hooked on your vids :D

  • @warboats
    @warboats 3 года назад +8

    A stretch but another epithet of Ereschigal is ‘Irklalla’ which is also another name for Kur itself, so it obviously wasn’t uncommon to call the land of the dead over the one who rules it (now I’m thinking about it, wasn’t Helle, the Scandinavian god of their underworld the reason Christians use that word for the Christian “underworld”? Helle isnt that far removed sounding than the middle bit of irkALLa...?) Weird coincidence, I only really discovered this god today in her connection with Hekate in the Greek Magical Papyri... that’s stature of Ereschigal/Innana honestly terrifies me, it’s so beautiful but all the more frightening for it, suspiciously “harpie-esque”

  • @nemesistrap3773
    @nemesistrap3773 3 года назад

    I love this channel!

  • @henriquecaldeira
    @henriquecaldeira 2 года назад +3

    Outstanding synthesis! Thank you.
    I'm beginning to delve into this subject. Any thoughts on Bernstein's "The Formation of Hell"?

  • @tedistarot6554
    @tedistarot6554 5 месяцев назад +2

    Thanks!

  • @rosepurdy6301
    @rosepurdy6301 3 года назад

    Ooh good one! I had no idea! Thank you🧠🌍🙏

  • @savannahsmiles3137
    @savannahsmiles3137 Год назад

    I'm hollerin!! Dr., I absolutely dig your sense of humor!! Cheers to early whiskey!!

  • @fancydan1498
    @fancydan1498 2 года назад +4

    Only about halfway through BUT...
    I once took a university course taught by a rabbi where we went in-depth on I & II Samuel, and we had a few discussions about what exactly Sheol meant. He described it as "The Grave" - capitalized, as if it were a proper noun or a poetic name for a concept rather than an actual place. Seems to make sense in this context, especially with s'l / swl / sl' / s'h at the 9:00 mark seeming to be so closely related.

  • @greenswathe
    @greenswathe 9 месяцев назад

    Great video ! TY!

  • @celesteramsey7882
    @celesteramsey7882 Год назад +1

    My mother graduated from a theology school for the Presbyterians. Kind of lost her after all that… she also told me 😊that the Bible is not true in its entirety, and that Jesus didn’t say some what they said he said… a Christ follower at the time, this blew my mind and, well… We kind of fell apart spiritually. I no longer follow. All my religion went in the trash three years ago. I couldn’t be happier.

  • @Threetails
    @Threetails 2 года назад +4

    Would love to see your scholarly take on reincarnation in recent Judaism and Western esotericism. To me it always made more sense than a fixed destination .