{"id":5631,"date":"2010-02-27T12:00:27","date_gmt":"2010-02-27T12:00:27","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blog.beliefnet.com\/jesuscreed\/2010\/02\/saturday-afternoon-book-review-7.html"},"modified":"2010-02-27T12:00:27","modified_gmt":"2010-02-27T12:00:27","slug":"saturday-afternoon-book-review-7","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/jesuscreed\/2010\/02\/saturday-afternoon-book-review-7.html","title":{"rendered":"Saturday Afternoon Book Review: Aaron Fudge"},"content":{"rendered":"

We have reserved Saturday afternoons, otherwise a slow time in the blog world, for book reviews. I ask reviewers to keep it under 3000 words, above 1500 words, and to summarize the book accurately and comprehensively. And, bring some critique. If you’d like to review a book, send it to me.<\/strong><\/p>\n


<\/b><\/p>\n

The Fire That Consumes: A Biblical and Historical Study of the Doctrine of Final Punishment<\/a>\"\"
\n<\/strong><\/em>, IUniverse, 2000; originally published by Verdict Publications, 1982, 500 pages.<\/p>\n

Written by Edward Fudge<\/p>\n

Reviewed by Aaron Fudge<\/p>\n

The issue of hell is divisive. It is a polarizing subject that often leads to strong emotions and strong accusations. During the recent Jesus Creed<\/i> discussions concerning Gregory MacDonald’s (aka Robin Perry’s) The Evangelical Universalist<\/i>, I was reminded of this fact. I was also reminded that many discussions regarding final punishment would leave an observer with the impression that Christianity offers only two positions on the final punishment of the lost. The debate often focuses on the viability of either the traditionalist or the universalist position, while ignoring the case for conditionalism. This recognition led to this review of Edward Fudge’s book, The Fire That Consumes: A Biblical and Historical Study of Final Punishment<\/i> (IUniverse, 2000; originally published by Verdict Publications, 1982).<\/p>\n

Approximately 27 years ago, Edward Fudge, my uncle, wrote a book entitled, The Fire that Consumes<\/i>. In his book, Fudge argues forcefully that neither the traditionalist nor the universalist positions on the final punishment of the wicked take seriously enough the Biblical descriptions of punishment for those who finally reject Jesus Christ. Instead, Fudge shows that the Scripture unabashedly and repeatedly proclaims that the wicked will be raised to punishment by God and then when their active punishing is finished, the unrighteous will finally be annihilated; the wicked will be raised and will receive an eternal punishment, from which there is no return or end. <\/span><\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n


\n<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

While Fudge is unashamed of his conclusion and is thorough
\nin its defense, the reader is continually impressed by Fudge’s lack of
\nvitriolic polemics and his constant cry for critique and discussion (xvi).  <\/span>Fudge begins his book with a call to
\nre-examine the Biblical writings on final punishment, to read them again with
\nrenewed focus and vision, and to listen to the words of Scripture through
\ncareful exegetical and historical research.  <\/span>Early in the introduction, Fudge defines the traditionalist
\nposition as that which asserts, “hell will involve the unending conscious
\ntorment (whether spiritual or physical or both) of the wicked who have been
\nmade deathless (immortal)” (xvi). He then offers that the conditionalist
\nposition is “the view that the wicked will suffer conscious punishment
\nprecisely measured by divine justice but that they finally will perish in hell
\nso as to become totally extinct forever” (xvi).  <\/span>He notes further that the conditionalist position is
\ndistinct from that held by Jehovah’s Witnesses and others, who deny any
\nresurrection of the wicked (399).<\/p>\n

After two chapters of introductory matters, Fudge’s first
\nthree substantive chapters concern the Greek word aionios<\/i>, normally translated as “eternal” or “everlasting” and a
\ndiscussion of the immortality of the soul.  <\/span>In chapter three, Fudge argues that aionios<\/i> does not only refer to an “unending duration” of time but
\nto an “eternal” quality, as well (37). Here, Fudge demonstrates “that Scripture
\nfrequently uses aion<\/i>, aionios<\/i>, and their Hebrew counterparts (olam<\/i> in various forms) of things which
\nhave come to an end” (40). He then draws out the implications of reading aionios<\/i> with both the temporal and
\nqualitative sense by surveying five passages where aionios <\/i>is used specifically in this dual sense (Mt. 25:46; Mk.
\n3:29; 2 Thes. 1:9; Heb. 6:2, 9:12). The first passage Fudge comments on is
\nHebrews 6:2, where the author references the “eternal judgment.” Fudge argues
\nthat this judgment is eternal in quality, that it is God’s final judgment. He
\nthen focuses on how this judgment can also be everlasting; how can a judgment
\nbe eternal in relation to time? Fudge writes, “The act of judging will
\ncertainly not last forever… There will be an act or process of judging, and
\nthen [the judging] will be over. But the judging results in a judgment — and
\nthat will never end. The action itself is one thing; its outcome… is something
\nelse. ‘Eternal’ here speaks of the result of the action, not the action itself”
\n(45).  <\/span>Similarly, in Hebrews 9:12,
\nthe author writes concerning an “eternal redemption.”  <\/span>Fudge argues that the saved are not continually being
\nredeemed, like they are not perpetually being judged, but that the redemption,
\nthe result of the redeeming, is everlasting (45). Fudge closes this chapter by
\nshowing that this is also the natural way to understand both the “eternal
\ndestruction” of 2 Thessalonians 1:9 and the “eternal punishment” in Matthew
\n25:46; neither the destroying nor the punishing are eternal. Instead, the
\nresults of the destroying and punishing, the destruction and the punishment,
\nare everlasting (46-48).<\/p>\n

In chapters four and five, Fudge deals specifically with the
\npopular notion of the soul’s immortality. While I do not often hear preachers
\nor teachers speaking to the notion of the soul’s immortality, I do not assume
\nthat this issue has been decisively dealt with since the publication of Fudge’s
\nwork. These two chapters show clearly that Scripture does not teach the
\ndoctrine of immortal soulism, that the souls of humans are inherently immortal.
\nNothing in Scripture states that human souls have or gain immortality apart
\nfrom God’s gift of eternal life. This is important because the assumed position
\nof many pastors and teachers is precisely the opposite. Fudge highlights this
\nby quoting from traditionalist author’s, such as W. G. T. Shedd: “Scripture
\nspeaks of but two aeons, which cover and include the whole existence of man… If,
\ntherefore, he is an immortal being, one of these must be endless” (51). Fudge
\nargues that many theologians and clergy through the centuries have held
\nuncritically to a similar belief in the soul’s immortality. Thus, while Shedd
\nis notably a dated source for an assessment of contemporary Christian thought,
\nFudge uses this quotation to illustrate how this belief might taint a person’s
\nunderstanding of Scripture. Though Fudge will speak in later chapters to why
\nChristians adopted a belief in the soul’s immortality, he uses this chapter to
\nhelp the reader understand that the doctrine is not found in Scripture.<\/p>\n

Following these chapters, The Fire That Consumes<\/i> proceeds chronologically through the
\nScriptures, the Apocryphal and Pseudipigraphal texts, and then through the
\ncenturies of Christian history. In Fudge’s exploration of the Old Testament, he
\ntreats the subject of Sheol and the Biblical texts dealing with the wicked’s
\nend. Significantly, chapter seven, “The End of the Wicked in the Old Testament,”
\nis divided into three main sections: the first deals with those passages that
\ncontain “moral principles of Divine judgment”; the second with descriptions of
\nGod’s judgments in history; and the third with the passages that explicitly speak
\nof a “Messianic or eschatological judgment.” Fudge includes the first two
\nsections to acquaint the reader with the Scripture’s terminology concerning
\nGod’s judgments.  <\/span>Following his
\ntreatment of Zephaniah 1:14-18, Fudge writes: <\/p>\n

We may… be sure
\nthat such passages are acquainting us with the terminology we will meet
\nrepeatedly in the New Testament when Jesus and His men warn us of the great
\n‘day of the Lord’ that will bring history to its climax… As we become familiar
\nwith the symbolism used by Old Testament prophets, we will also learn to look
\nto those earlier Scriptures for the same language’s meaning in the New
\nTestament. And to that same extent we will be freed from the temptation to
\nattach to biblical expressions literal meanings of modern derivation, meanings
\nwhich have no basis in Scripture and which sometimes contradict its ordinary
\nusage throughout (106-107).<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Of significance
\nin the third section is Fudge’s commentary on Isaiah 66:24, which he suggests,
\n“may be the most ignored biblical passage concerning final punishment, although
\nit gives us the specific scriptural phrase which is probably quoted most often”
\n(110). It is here that the phrase, “their worm will not die, nor will their
\nfire be quenched,” is first introduced. Fudge notes that the probable
\nhistorical judgment behind this eschatological pronouncement is God’s defeat of
\nthe 185,000 Assyrian soldiers during the reign of Hezekiah (2 Kings
\n18:17-19:36; Isa. 36, 37). “Isaiah had strengthened Hezekiah with the Lord’s
\nencouraging message… Now Isaiah declares that the same scene will be reproduced
\non a vaster scale at the end of time. In the historical event of Isaiah’s day
\n(Isa. 37:36) and in his prophetic picture of the future (Isa. 66:24), the
\nrighteous contemplate with satisfaction ‘the dead bodies’ of the wicked. They
\nlook at corpses (Hebrew: pegerim<\/i>),
\nnot living people. They view their destruction, not their misery” (111).
\nFollowing this, Fudge argues that the worms that “will not die” are those that
\nhelp with the decomposition of corpses, not those that torture a living human.
\nFurther, Fudge writes that a fire that is not quenched is a fire that consumes
\ncompletely. It is a fire that consumes the corpses of the wicked; nothing will
\nremain of the corpses because the fire is not extinguished. “Both worms and
\nfire speak of a total and final destruction” (112). Throughout, Fudge’s
\noverarching conclusion is that the Old Testament consistently speaks of the
\nwicked’s end with descriptions and metaphors that portray destruction and
\ndeath.<\/p>\n

The next section of Fudge’s book offers a survey of the
\nApocryphal and Pseudepigrapha texts. The chapter is intended to be a brief
\nsurvey of Jewish views on final punishment and states explicitly that it is
\nneither “exhaustive [nor] final” (124). Fudge will conclude that there was not
\none definitive Jewish view of the wicked’s final end during these
\nintertestamental centuries. He argues that most writers continued to use the
\nlanguage of the Old Testament, which describes the wicked’s end in terms of
\ndestruction, while others introduced new ideas declaring the eternal torment of
\nthe wicked. Fudge begins with the Apocrypha and works through the relevant
\npassages.  <\/span>In his summary, he
\nconcludes that the Apocryphal texts mainly reflect “the teaching of the Old
\nTestament; the wicked will perish in the end” (132). The only variation from
\nthis is the book of Judith, which contains the “single explicit reference to
\nconscious everlasting pain” (132). In the next chapter, Fudge treats the
\nPseudepigraphal texts, and reaches a similarly mixed conclusion.<\/p>\n

The next substantial section of the book deals with “final
\npunishment in the teaching of Jesus” (155). Here, Fudge follows the same basic
\nmethodology he has used thus far, noting and commenting on each passage where
\nJesus speaks of judgment. Though this section is too lengthy to treat fully in
\na review, one of the major emphases that Fudge draws from Jesus’ words is
\nJesus’ reliance on Old Testament imagery for His depictions and descriptions of
\nthe judgment to come on the wicked. Another notable aspect is chapter 12, “Golgotha
\nand Gehenna (Jesus’ Death and the Punishment of the Lost).” This chapter, while
\noften heavy on quotations, offers a glimpse of the wicked’s final punishment
\nthrough the lens of Jesus’ own death for sinners. Fudge’s thesis is that in
\nJesus’ death we are given a glimpse of God’s last judgment against the wicked,
\nfor Christ willingly died for sinners and in His death bore the consequences of
\nsin to their fullest extent. How does the Scripture speak of the punishment
\nthat Christ endured? Jesus “suffered death, so that by the grace of God He
\nmight taste death for everyone” (Heb. 2:9). Jesus defeated death, the final
\nenemy, through His death and subsequent resurrection. Christ dealt with the
\nfullness of God’s wrath through death. It was Christ’s death that satisfied
\nGod’s wrath against sinners, not Christ’s suffering in hell. Fudge illuminates
\nthis further with a quote from Oscar Cullman, “Whoever wants to conquer death
\nmust die; he must really cease to live – not simply live on as an immortal
\nsoul, but die in body and soul, lose life itself, the most precious good which
\nGod has given us…” (230).<\/p>\n

Following this chapter, Fudge works his way through the rest
\nof the New Testament, beginning with Paul and ending with the remaining
\nepistles. Fudge’s conclusion can be stated briefly. He finds Paul to believe
\nand teach that the wages of sin is death, not suffering for eternity in
\nnon-death. Fudge illustrates this in Galatians 6:8, where he comments that some
\ntraditionalists have understood phthora<\/i>,
\nwhich normally speaks of “ruin, destruction, dissolution, [and] deterioration,”
\nto necessarily mean material annihilation in this passage. This means phthora<\/i> must have a non-literal meaning
\nhere. “Having ruled out this supposed ‘literal’ sense of ‘destroy,’ ‘ruin’ and
\n‘perish,’ [the traditionalist’s] argument goes on to point out that only
\nfigurative or metaphorical meanings are left. The conclusion is then drawn that
\n‘destroy,’ ‘ruin’ and ‘perish,’ must mean eternal conscious torment, not
\nextinction. Words which on their face would seem to suggest ‘loss of life’ are
\nsaid to signify a ‘life of loss’ instead” (255). Concerning the rest of the New
\nTestament, which includes all the expected passages from Revelation, Fudge
\nlikewise concludes that the Biblical authors continued to use the language,
\nmetaphors and echoes of the Old Testament in their descriptions of the wicked’s
\nfinal judgment, which reveals that they did not believe or teach the eternal,
\nconscious torture of the wicked in hell.<\/p>\n

The last substantial portion of the book takes the reader
\nfrom the New Testament period, through the centuries of church history, and
\ninto the present. Fudge spends considerable space with the second-century
\nfathers, Origen, Augustine, and Calvin, highlighting the discussions and
\ncontributions of each. Fudge demonstrates a progression from biblical
\ndescriptions of final punishment by the first fathers to the introduction to
\nChristianity of immortal soulism by those fathers most influenced by Greek philosophy.
\nAmong the voices that began advocating the immortality of the soul was
\nTertullian. Fudge writes, “If the souls of even wicked men are immortal and
\ndestined to live forever, and if earthly sin will be punished by what the Bible
\ncalls ‘eternal fire,’ the only conclusion Tertullian could reach was that the
\nwicked would endure conscious unending torment. When the Bible speaks of
\n‘destruction,’ therefore, it does not mean what it sounds like” (338). Fudge
\nnext writes concerning Origen who also believed in the soul’s immortality and
\ndeveloped, at least tentatively, the belief that the eternal fire would “purify
\nand restore” (347). Fudge then leads his readers through Augustine, the Church
\nCouncils, Calvin and the Reformation. 
\n<\/span>His closing chapters call attention to dissenters from the traditional
\nview and traditionalism’s “problem of pain.” By way of conclusion, Fudge
\nreiterates that he was raised on the traditionalist position and believed it
\nbecause he was told the Bible taught it. He changed his mind because he is now
\nconvinced that the Biblical writings do not teach the eternal, conscious
\ntorment of the wicked. Fudge writes, “[w]e do not reject the traditionalist
\ndoctrine… on moral, philosophical, intuitive, judicial or emotional grounds…
\nThe only question that matters here is the teaching of Scripture. Does the
\nWorld of God teach the eternal conscious torment of the lost? Our modest study
\nfails to show that it does” (435).<\/p>\n

My review so far has not included much negative critique of
\nFudge’s methodology or conclusions. His exegesis and historical research of the
\nrelevant passages of Scripture has followed standard hermeneutical processes
\nand his conclusions appear to be valid. 
\n<\/span>His identification of key words or phrases that have been misunderstood
\nwas perceptive, and his identification of the doctrine of the immortality of
\nthe soul as one of the major underpinnings of the traditionalist belief seems
\nto be logical and justifiable.<\/p>\n

While Fudge’s work and bibliography were current when The Fire That Consumes<\/i> was written,
\ntoday’s readers will long for interaction with the  <\/span>research and writing of the last 27 years. It seems that
\nmuch of the current research and the concern to read the New Testament in its
\nhistorical context would bolster many of Fudge’s claims. Specifically, one
\nwonders how Fudge might respond to Perry’s The
\nEvangelical Universalist<\/i>, though his brief section entitled,
\n“Universalism’s New Face,” may offer some insight (350ff.).<\/p>\n

One complaint I do have relates to Fudge’s use of quotations
\nand citations. There are a few sections where his commentary on specific
\npassages could use the additional credibility and support that additional
\nquotations or citations might offer. There are other chapters, notably his
\nchapter on Jesus’ death and the punishment of the lost, that feel almost like a
\ncompendium of quotations. One can follow Fudge’s argument, but the chapter
\nfeels disjointed and choppy. Similarly, there are portions of Fudge’s
\ncommentary that leave the reader wishing for more explanation (Mt. 13:30),
\nthough, more often than not, his commentary is ample.<\/p>\n

Overall, I heartily recommend Fudge’s book and find myself
\nconvinced by his interpretations of the Biblical and historic texts. After
\nFudge’s careful work, it seems that the onus is on the traditionalist or
\nuniversalist to demonstrate why the Scriptural witnesses of the Old and New
\nTestament should be understood in ways that contradict the “plain” reading of
\nthe text. If Scripture consistently uses terms conveying destruction and death
\nwhen speaking of the wicked’s final punishment, why should the interpreter
\nunderstand these terms to mean non-destruction and non-death?<\/p>\n

Additionally, if one is interested in reading an excerpt
\nfrom the book, hearing or viewing Fudge lecture on final punishment, or reading
\nadditional reviews of his book, one can visit his website at: www.edwardfudge.com\/written\/fire.html<\/span><\/cite><\/p>\n

‘[The traditional view of hell]
\nmust be loyally proclaimed or else denounced. If believed, it should be
\npreached from the house-tops; if not believed, it should be opposed to the very
\nend. If this dogma be false, it is a calumny against God and a stumbling-block
\nin the way of humanity’ (Fudge, 434-435, quotation from Emmanuel Petavel, The Problem of Immortality<\/i>, 267).<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

We have reserved Saturday afternoons, otherwise a slow time in the blog world, for book reviews. I ask reviewers to keep it under 3000 words, above 1500 words, and to summarize the book accurately and comprehensively. And, bring some critique. If you’d like to review a book, send it to me. 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