The Immortality of the Soul—History of the Doctrine

WE now come in the history of our subject to inquire into the faith and teaching of those who in the Christian church were the immediate successors of the apostles. In the Apocryphal New Testament we have the writings of the "Apostolic Fathers."

Says Archbishop Wake, these epistles are a full and perfect collection of "all the genuine writings that remain to us of the apostolic fathers, and carry on the antiquity of the church from the time of the Holy Scriptures of the New Testament to about a hundred and fifty years after Christ. Except the Holy Scriptures, there is nothing remaining of the truly genuine Christian antiquity more early. They contain all that can with any certainty be depended upon of the most primitive fathers." (Preface to Abp. Wake's Apos. Fathers, p. 15.)

It is not claimed that these writings are all genuine and reliable; for it is generally agreed that they are not. Some of them, no doubt, were written by the men whose names they bear, and at a very early date; and all of them were probably written sometime during the first two centuries. They simply show the faith of the writers at that time. As they are all the Christian writings that have come down to us from the time immediately following that of the apostles, they are important. We now inquire what they taught upon the subject in hand. Do we find them all teaching the immortality of the soul, the conscious state of the dead, endless torment, etc.? If so, this fact should have some weight with us. But if, on the other hand, we find them all harmonizing with the Bible in teaching the mortality of man, the sleep of the dead, and the destruction of the wicked, then we shall have further evidence that we have understood the inspired writers correctly upon this subject.

Let us examine these writings, and see if, as late as one hundred and fifty years after Christ, the immortality of the soul, or eternal misery, was taught by any of the Christians.

BARNABAS, A. D. 71.

The first writer is Barnabas, A. D. 71. We will lay before the reader every passage of his that relates to our subject. He says, "There are, therefore, three things ordained by the Lord, the hope of life, the beginning and the completion of it." (Chap. 1:7) Life, then, was what they hoped for. He teaches that the wicked will perish: "A man will justly perish, if, having the knowledge of the way of truth, he shall nevertheless not refrain from the way of darkness." (Chap. 4:7.) Again: "Because ye shall all wax old as a garment, the moth shall eat you up." (Chap. 5:1.) Of Jesus he says, "They that put their trust in him, shall live forever." (Chap. 7:7) He says that those who are wicked are "adjudged to death." (Chap. 9:6.) And the wicked "are as the dust which the wind scattereth away from the face of the earth." "Thou shalt not cleave to those that walk in the way of death." "The mouth is the snare of death." (Chap. 14:6, 17.) "But the way of darkness is crooked and full of cursing; for it is the way of eternal death, with punishment, in which they that walk meet those things that destroy their own souls." Here he says eternal death, not eternal misery. "But he that chooses the other part shall be destroyed, together with his works. For this cause there shall be both a resurrection and a retribution." "For the day is at hand in which all things shall be destroyed, together with the wicked one. The Lord is near, and his reward is with him." (Chap. 15:1, 8, 10.)

This is a good witness, showing the faith of the church at that time. He represents that the wicked shall die, perish, be destroyed, to blown away as dust, and eaten as a moth; that souls will be destroyed; and he speaks of the sleep of the dead, the coming of the Lord, the resurrection, and retribution thereafter. But, on the other hand, he does not, in all his writings, so much as once hint that man has an immortal soul. He never intimates anything about an endless hell. Dr. Beecher admits that Barnabas perhaps, taught the annihilation of the wicked. He remarks, "What he says may be understood of the annihilation of the wicked." (Doc. of Scrip. Ret. p. 281.)

CLEMENT, A. D. 91-100.

The next writer is Clement, A. D. 91-100, in his two letters to the Corinthians. He was a disciple of Peter's, and bishop of Rome. He exhorts us to lay "aside all vanity, and contention, and envy which leads unto death." (1 Cor. 5:1.) Simple death is the doom of the sinner, according to Clement. Again: "The transgressors shall perish from off the face of it [the earth]."

He attaches great importance to the resurrection. "Let us consider, beloved, how the Lord does continually show us, that there shall be a future resurrection." (1 Cor. 11:16.) Once more: "And again, Job says, Thou shalt raise up this flesh of mine that has suffered all these things." (Chap. 12:9.) He teaches that the time of reward is at the second advent. "Let us therefore strive with all earnestness, that we may be found in the number of those that wait for him, that so we may receive the reward which he has promised." (Chap. 17:6.) He represents immortality as a gift from God. "How blessed and wonderful, beloved, are the gifts of God. Life in immortality!" (Verses 1, 2.) And again he says to the same effect, "By him would God have us to taste the knowledge of immortality." (Verse 18.) It is through Jesus, then, that we obtain immortality. He represents man as mortal, made of the dust. "But what can a mortal man do or what strength is there in him that is made out of the dust " (Chap. 18:2.)

Of the punishment of the wicked he says, "They therefore who do anything which is not agreeable to his will, are punished with death." (Verse 21.) In this second letter to the Corinthians he says, "What think ye, then, that he shall suffer, who does anything that is not fitting in the combat of immortality?" (2 Cor. 3:12.) He places himself squarely against universalism, or any hope of repentance in the future world. "For after we shall have departed out of this world, we shall no longer be able either to confess our sins or repent in the other." (Verse 16.) He teaches that when the wicked are once destroyed, it will be forever. There will be no restoration from it. For he says, "Nothing shall deliver us from eternal punishment if we shall disobey his commands." (Chap. 3:8.)

The wicked are destroyed. This is their punishment. And as they never come to life again, their punishment is eternal. Thus in the writings of Clement we find nothing of the immortality of the soul, nothing of purgatory, nothing of deathless spirits, nothing of going to Heaven at death, nothing of eternal torment, or anything like this. Clement teaches that immortality is a gift of God, to be obtained through the resurrection, and that the wicked are utterly to perish in the second death. He exhorts us to "lay hold on eternal life." And again: "Keep your bodies pure, and your seal without spot, that ye may receive eternal life." (2 Cor. 3:17, 18.)

HERMAS, A. D. 100.

The next in order of time is Hermas, who wrote about A. D. 100. He is supposed to have been a companion of Paul. (Romans 16:14.) He has spoken very clearly on the subject in hand. He very plainly teaches the utter destruction of the sinner. "For the remembrance of evils worketh death." (Vision 2:23.) Again: "Happy are all they that do righteousness. They shall not be consumed forever." (Verse 28.) He represents the dead as being asleep. Of certain ones he says they "are those which are fallen asleep, and have suffered for the sake of the Lord's name." (Vision 3:54.)

The second book of Hermas is called his "Commands." In that he says, "Thou shalt live to God, if thou shalt keep this commandment." (Commands 1:5.) Again: "By so doing, thou mayest attain unto life." (Com. 3:9.) And again: "They who do such things, follow the way of death." (Com. 4:2.) Of the way of evil he says, "It is rugged and full of thorns, and leads to destruction." (Com. 6:4.) He represents that there is no life out of the Lord. Thus: "Whatsoever shall fear him, and keep his commandments, their life is with the Lord; but they who keep them not, neither is life in them." (Com. 7:6.)

Of sin he says, "It is very horrible and wild; and by its wildness consumes men. And especially if a servant of God shall chance to fall into it, except he be very wise, he is ruined by it; for it destroys those who have not the garment of a good desire, and are engaged in the affairs of this present world, and delivers them unto death." (Com. 12:2.) Again he says that the wicked "shall die forever." (Verse 6.) That is, there is no resurrection from that death. His death is eternal. Again he says, God "is able to save and to destroy you." (Verse 33.)

The third book of Hermas is called his "Similitudes." In this he deals largely in illustrations. After showing how certain dry trees were cast into the fire, and utterly burned up, he says that these represent the wicked. "For the other kind of men, namely, the wicked, like the trees which thou sawest dry, shall as such be found dry and without fruit in that other world; and like dry wood shall be burned." (Sim. 4:4.) Here their utter destruction is plainly taught. Again he says, "If thou shalt defile the Holy Spirit, thou shalt not live." (Sim. 5:59.) Again: "This kind of men are ordained unto death." ( Sim. 6:13.) Sinners "shall bring death upon themselves." (Verse 44.) Once more: "They render themselves liable to death." (Verse 38.) "But for those who repent not, death is prepared." (Sim. 8:55.) "They shall purchase death unto themselves." (Verse 64.) If they shall not repent, they shall die." (Verse 67.) Again: "These have utterly lost life." (Verse 68.) The following testimony is very plain: "For before a man receives the name of the Son of God, he is ordained unto death; but when he receives that seal, he is freed from death, and assigned unto life." (Sim. 9:152.) Of the wicked he says, "These are condemned to death." (Verse 179.) This statement he repeats a large number of times, so many that we do not try to quote them all.

This is the whole testimony of Hermas upon the nature of man. He sets before the people life and death. In all his writings, life is held out as the reward of obedience, and death as the punishment everywhere threatened. He gives no hint of consciousness between death and the resurrection. He says nothing of going to Heaven or hell at death. He says nothing of eternal torment. As to the immortality of the soul, the deathless spirit, and the like, he is totally silent. Hermas then, plainly believed in the mortality of man, the sleep of the dead, and the destruction of the wicked.

IGNATIUS, A. D. 107.

Ignatius was bishop of Antioch about A. D. 107, and is the next of the apostolic fathers. There are several epistles ascribed to him.

Epistle to the Ephesians.—In this epistle he says the Lord suffered "that he might breathe the breath of immortality unto his church." (Chap. 4:4.) Evidently, then, immortality comes alone through Christ. Hence he says again, "Why do we suffer ourselves foolishly to perish, not considering the gift which the Lord has truly sent to us?" (Verse 6.) Then he says, "Forasmuch as he designed to abolish death." (Verse 14.) And again in the same strain, speaking of the Lord's supper he says, "Which is the medicine of immortality, our antidote, that we should not die, but live forever in Christ Jesus." (Verse 16.)

These testimonies are very plain. Death is the portion of the sinner; immortality comes through Christ. With the New Testament, he says that the sinner "shall depart into unquenchable fire." (Verse 3.) As we have shown elsewhere, they will be burned up in a fire that cannot be extinguished.

Epistle to the Magnesians.—In this epistle he says, "Seeing, then, all things have an end, there are these two indifferently set before us, death and life." (Chap. 2:1.) Here he is in harmony with the whole Bible, as we have shown. He says that when the sinner is rewarded according to his deeds, he will cease to exist. "For should he have dealt with us according to our works, we had not now had a being." (Chap. 3:7.)

Epistle to the Trallians. —Of Christ he says, "Who died for us, that so believing in his death, ye might escape death." (Chap. 1:5.) Again: "I refrain myself, lest I should perish in my boasting." (Verse 12.)

Epistle to the Romans.—He here rests all upon the resurrection. Speaking of his martrydom he says, "For it is good for me to set from the world, unto God, that I may rise again unto him." (Chap. 1:8.) There is no reference to this subject in his epistle to the Philadelphians nor in that to the Snayrrueans.

Epistle to Polycarp.—In this epistle he says, "Be sober, as the combatant of God: the crown proposed to thee is immortality, and eternal life." (Chap. 1:12.) He plainly teaches the sleep of the dead and the destruction of the wicked, thus: "Labor with one another; contend together, run together, suffer together; sleep together, and rise together; as the stewards, and assessors and ministers of God." (Chap. 2:13.) He thus exhorts these ministers to suffer together in their warfare, to sleep together in death, and to rise together in the resurrection. This is the whole of Ignatius's testimony. Like all others, he is utterly silent with regard to the immortality of the soul, or anything looking in that direction. Of the writings of this father Dr. Beecher says, "In some cases the idea of annihilation is suggested." (Script. Ref., p. 283.)