For no one is cast off
by the Lord forever.
Though he brings grief, he will show compassion,
so great is his unfailing love.
For he does not willingly bring affliction
or grief to anyone." ~ Lamentations 3:31-33
For verification of how widespread this belief was in the early Church see A Larger Hope?, Volume 1: Universal Salvation from Christian Beginnings to Julian of Norwich by Ilaria Ramelli. (See also Did the Fifth Ecumenical Council Condemn Universal Salvation? by Fr Kimel and Was Basil of Caesarea a Universalist? - Mark Chenoweth)
“But doesn't the Bible clearly teach eternal punishment?"
If the word which is translated as "eternal" in Matthew 25:46 was always translated as eternal, then I would say those who claim that the Bible teaches eternal torment have a very strong case. But it is not. The Greek word I am referring to in Matt 25:46 is the word aiônion. (Its lexical form is aiônios.) In the Septuagint (Koine Greek text of the Old Testament), there are many examples where aiônion does not mean eternal and is not translated as such. Strictly speaking, the Greek words aiônios and aiônion only mean “enduring forever" when referring to God and the life he gives1 (otherwise they refer to an undefined period of time, e.g. an age). It is also worth noting that the doctrine of eternal life is not dependant on Matt 25:46. Even if the verse did not exist, the doctrine would not be in doubt.
‘Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. The one who believes in me will live, even though they die; and whoever lives by believing in me will never die...”’ (John 11:25, 26a).
Because we know that those who believe in Jesus will never die,2 it is acceptable to translate the words zoen aiônion in John 3:16 as “eternal life.” (As it accurately describes the life that God gives.) And we know God’s Kingdom never ends, therefore we can translate aiônion basileian in 2 Peter 1:11 as “eternal kingdom.” But what good reason do we have to translate kolasin aiônion as “eternal punishment”? The only reasons a translator would translate kolasin aiônion as eternal punishment is if they came to the text believing that the Bible teaches eternal torment, or if they believed that the word aiônion can only mean eternal. (I sincerely believe that most translators are trying to be faithful to the text; but they mistranslate the word because they are using lexicons which fail to give the full range of meanings of aiônios. The root of aiônios is aiôn. Aiôn means “age” or “eternity.” Aiôn is a noun and aiônios is an adjective. In both words aiôn holds the same meaning.)
“In the Greek New Testament, the word translated as “eternal” or “everlasting” is the adjective aiónios (αἰώνιος), derived from the noun aión (αἰών). This Greek word simply means an ‘age’ or ‘agelong’. It denotes an indeterminate period of time. We get the English word ‘eon’ from it. The Greek word never meant ‘endless’ or ‘perpetual’ by itself. These two meanings were picked up when the original Greek New Testament was translated into Latin. The translators chose the Latin term ‘aeternus’ which in fact does denote ‘endless’, ‘everlasting’, ‘eternal’, and ‘without end’. The confusion began there and continues to the present day.” (www.mercyonall.org/faq)
For examples of how aiônios and aiônion are used in the Septuagint and in Ancient Greek literature see Terms for Eternity: Aiônios and Aïdios in Classical and Christian Texts by Ramelli & Konstan.* (See also John Crowder’s video ‘The Sheep and the Goats - The Consuming Fire Episode 5 of 10,' “Sometimes Eternity Ain’t Forever: Aiónios and the Universalist Hope” in Alvin Kimel's book, Destined for Joy and Aion Part 1 | Eternal Punishment is Not Biblical.)
*The text above is an extract from the page Why Hell?
“The Bible, a collection of ancient Jewish documents, is rich with metaphors, symbolism, figures of speech, allusions, parables, and allegories. These literary devices permeate the text, posing significant challenges for those not versed in the original languages, cultures, and historical contexts. This often leads to questionable interpretations and confusion among modern readers, especially Westerners unfamiliar with the Ancient Near East, Judaism, and the Hebrew and Greek languages.
Moreover, language is dynamic; it evolves, and the meanings of many words and phrases change over time. Most words in Hebrew and Greek have a spectrum of meanings, which context alone can clarify. Additionally, Hebrew operates on a fundamentally different linguistic structure than Germanic / Indo-European languages such as English. Its Semitic roots make it particularly resistant to full translation, as nuances and layers of meaning often elude capture. For example, Semitic languages such as Hebrew and Aramaic are unique compared to English because they primarily use root-based morphology, where most words are formed from three-consonant roots that convey core meanings. This allows for a rich and flexible derivation of related words, unlike English, which relies more on fixed prefixes and suffixes.
For instance, the "Serpent" in Genesis 3 is commonly perceived by English readers as a literal snake. Still, in Jewish tradition, it is often understood as a shining being or an angel of light who later lost his ability to fly or walk as punishment (Bereshit Rabbah 20:5). This interpretation arises from the Hebrew word "NACHASH," which is typically translated as "serpent" in English. However, "Nachash" is a three-letter Hebrew word that can also mean "copper," "shining," or "bronze," suggesting a luminescent and perhaps divine figure symbolizing the supernatural world rather than a talking reptile. Paul, a Jew, likely shared this perspective, as evident in his description of Satan as "an angel of light" (2 Corinthians 11:14). I provide numerous examples in another book, "Lost in Translation"; however, this one suffices to demonstrate that the content you read or comprehend in your English Bibles may not be exactly what I read or understand in my Hebrew Bible.
Additionally, some Semitic languages utilize patterns of vowel changes within these roots to convey grammatical nuances, making their structure markedly different from the more linear construction of English. In any event, the complexity of the biblical text requires meticulous translation decisions, which are undeniably shaped by the translators' pre-existing theological and religious views. This fact likely accounts for the existence of over 900 different translations of the Bible in English alone. Evidently, translation choices can have far-reaching repercussions that stem partly from inaccurate Bible translations and a failure to appreciate the nuances of language, culture, and context in which pivotal figures like Moses, Jesus, and Paul delivered their teachings.
For instance, both Hebrew and Greek terms often rendered as 'eternal' in English can also be translated as "age-abiding" or "age-during"; similarly, the Greek word often translated as 'punishment' might also mean “correction,” and the term often translated as 'torment' also describes the purification process of testing or forging metals with a touchstone. While these idioms were clear in their original context and culture, they often lack the same clarity today.
Speaking of idioms in the original context and culture, one of the most significant challenges and a popular fallacy in modern-day Bible interpretation is the Anachronism Fallacy. This fallacy occurs when an interpretation places ideas, theological concepts, events, customs, etc., in a historical period where they do not belong, leading to distorted conclusions. This involves projecting contemporary ideas, knowledge, or concepts onto past texts, events, or figures. For instance, the term "gay" had a completely different meaning a century ago than it does today. Reading the word in a book written a hundred years ago and applying the modern meaning would be an example of the Anachronism Fallacy. It will soon become evident that the Anachronism Fallacy is frequently employed in Christian teachings about sin, salvation, and hell.” (Taken from the introduction of HELL: A Jewish Perspective on a Christian Doctrine by Eitan Bar, Independently published, used with permission.)
The following is taken from an interview between David Artman and Curt Parton.
David: “One of the things that really influenced me was Luke 15. And those three parables there. Because in each of those parables, it seems like the thing that is lost in the Greek is apollumi. It seems like it's destroyed [apollumi means lost or destroyed. See Ep. 15 of the Grace Saves All Podcast “Hell Pt. 2 - Destruction, Apollumi, and Christian Universalism”]. But in each case, the destroyed thing is found. In two cases, the coin and the sheep, they don't do anything to be found.
Curt: That's right.
David: And they are restored, and then a party is thrown. Well, we're seeing a pattern here. And then in the third one, the son is destroyed, is lost—apollumi—is also understood to be dead by the father. But when he comes back home, he's found and he's alive again. He's been completely restored. And of course, the older brother doesn't like this, and the parable ends provocatively with the father out in the field trying to explain this. But it's not like the father is in the party and opens the window and says, “Hey, you dummy, get into the party!” And then shuts the door. He goes out to him. The parable ends with the father in the outer darkness with the elder son. And do we think that the father is going to give up on the elder son?
Curt: It's amazing. One of the things that I really appreciated, Steve Gregg brought this out really well…
David: Yeh, his book is really good on that. I've interviewed him and you reference his book.
Curt: Yeah. And I really appreciate that because it was a great insight that when you look at it, you have those three stories, one after the other, the lost sheep, the lost coin and then the lost son. In each of those, who is the one who has experienced the loss? When the sheep is lost, who experienced the loss? The shepherd experienced the loss and he's seeking to restore...
David: Right, you can't be lost unless you belong.
Curt: That's right. Who has lost the coin? The woman lost the coin.
David: Who owns the coin? It's her coin.
Curt: Exactly! And she is the one who is seeking to restore the coin to herself. The father is seeking to restore his lost son to himself. And are we saying that God is going to eternally suffer that loss, that he will never restore to himself what he has lost?” (From Grace Saves All: Christianity and Universal Salvation: Ep. 161 Curt Parton - author of Until the Last One's Found: An introduction to Universal Reconciliation and Restoration)
See also Curt's interview Until the Last One's Found: A Conversation on Universalism Randal Rauser - The Tentative Apologist
Will God have a pain in his heart for all eternity? An interview with Gerry Beauchemin - author of Hope Beyond Hell
If some of your children did not love you, would you work for their good? Or would you only work for the good of those children who love you? (Is God the greatest conceivable being?)
Here is the full sermon. Hell - Three Christian Views Lecture by Steve Gregg (and the Q&A).