The idea of purgatory has roots that date back into antiquity. A sort of proto-purgatory called the "celestial Hades" appears in the writings of Plato and Heraclides Ponticus and in many other pagan writers. This concept is distinguished from the Hades of the underworld described in the works of Homer and Hesiod.
Like most Christian views on hell, the Catholic view is based on Sheol and Gehenna in Judaism. The church regards Sheol or Hades as the same as hell, being the place where Jesus descended to after death.
In the Textus Receptus version of the New Testament the word ᾅδης (Hades), appears 11 times; but critical editions of the text of 1 Corinthians 15:55 have θάνατος (death) in place of ᾅδης. Except in this verse of 1 Corinthians, where it uses "grave", the King James Version translates ᾅδης as "hell".
In Luke 16:19-31 Hades is represented as a place of torment for the wicked after death. We shall return to this passage later. In Simon Peter's discourse on the Day of Pentecost (Acts 2:14-36) the word is found twice (vs. 27.31).
The realm called Hades, where he rules with his wife Persephone, is the region under the earth, full of mineral wealth and fertility and home to dead souls. Hades today is sometimes used as a polite term for Hell ("It's hotter than Hades in here!").
Roman Catholic Christians who believe in purgatory interpret passages such as 2 Timothy 1:18, Matthew 12:32, Luke 23:43, 1 Corinthians 3:11–3:15 and Hebrews 12:29 as support for prayer for purgatorial souls who are believed to be within an active interim state for the dead undergoing purifying flames (which could be ...
Hades (/ˈheɪdiːz/; Greek: ᾍδης, translit. Háidēs; Ἅιδης, Háidēs), in the ancient Greek religion and mythology, is the god of the dead and the king of the underworld, with which his name became synonymous.
The “harrowing of hell” refers to what Christ did when he descended to Hades or hell between his death and his resurrection. The early church believed that after his death Christ descended into hell in order to rescue the souls of the righteous, such as Adam and Eve.
In the ancient Greek religion, Hades was the god of the Underworld. He was one son of the Titans Cronus (also spelled Kronos and Cronos) and Rhea, and brother of the deities Zeus and Poseidon.
In ancient Greek mythology, Hades is the god of the underworld. Among other interpretations, the name Hades has been thought to mean the 'Unseen One. ' Hades is the first born son of the Titan Kronos and brother to the Olympian gods Zeus, Poseidon, Hera, Hestia, and Demeter.
Although Hades was a major deity in the Greek pantheon and was the brother of Zeus and the other first generation of Olympians, his realm was far away from Olympus in the underworld, and thus he was not usually considered to be one of the Olympians.
In Greek mythology, lord of Hades, the underworld and also his original name. His Roman counterpart was Dis (also Orcus). He was the son of the Titans Kronos and Rhea; and brother of Zeus, Poseidon, Hera, Hestia, and Demeter.
This cave was known all over the region as the Gates of Hades. It was here that Jesus asked his apostles, “Who do people say that I am?” and “Who do you say that I am?” (Matthew 16:13-18) This is where Peter confessed that He was Jesus the Christ, the Son of the living God.
As Hades is the ruler of the underworld, he will very rarely let a soul leave the underworld. Souls who have entered the underworld most often become permanent residents, as Hades typically does not let anyone leave. If a soul tried to leave, Hades would punish them.
"Bosom of Abraham" refers to the place of comfort in the biblical Sheol (or Hades in the Greek Septuagint version of the Hebrew scriptures from around 200 BC, and therefore so described in the New Testament) where the righteous dead abided prior to Jesus' resurrection.
As a result of Hades' death, the souls of the dead that reside in the Underworld were able to roam freely, with many escaping the Underworld itself.
Unlike all other gods, Hades has no will to cause a random war. He mainly just sits in the underworld and does his job with his wife, Persephone, ruling beside him. Unlike his brothers, Hades is entirely faithful to his wife and does not feel the need to start a random plague.
Greek Beliefs about the Afterlife
In Homer's Odyssey (750–700 bc) the Underworld—otherwise known as “the house of Hades,” or simply “Hades,” after the god who ruled over the dead—was bleak and somber for nearly everyone.
'triad', from Latin: trinus 'threefold') is the central doctrine concerning the nature of God in most Christian churches, which defines one God existing in three coequal, coeternal, consubstantial divine persons: God the Father, God the Son (Jesus Christ) and God the Holy Spirit, three distinct persons (hypostases) ...
In the 1997 Disney film Hercules, Hades is banished from Olympus by Zeus for attempting to seize his position as the ruler of the gods. However, the original Greek mythology, Hades is not banished from Olympus. After the Titans are defeated, Zeus, Poseidon, and Hades draw lots to determine who will rule what.
Hades, also called Pluto is the God of death according to the Greeks. He was the eldest son of Cronus and Rhea. When he and his brothers divided the cosmos, he got the underworld. He is always portrayed with his three-headed dog, Cerberus.
Black animals, such as sheep, were sacrificed to him, and it is believed that at one time even human sacrifices were offered. The blood from sacrifices to Hades dripped into a pit so it could reach him. The person who offered the sacrifice had to turn away his face.
Despite his distance from mythological drama (or perhaps because of it), Hades was universally dreaded by the Greeks, who were afraid to even utter his name.
Although he is feared throughout Ancient Greece and represented in most media as an evil being who only wants to take Zeus' place, in truth he may be the least evil of the gods with Hermes as Hera and Zeus are much more evil and antagonistic than him. Hades was actually one of the more reasonable and benign Gods.