The Project Gutenberg EBook of An Extract out of Josephus's Discourse to
The Greeks Concerning Hades, by Flavius Josephus

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Title: An Extract out of Josephus's Discourse to The Greeks Concerning Hades

Author: Flavius Josephus

Translator: William Whiston

Posting Date: December 22, 2008 [EBook #2847]
Release Date: October, 2001

Language: English

Character set encoding: ASCII

*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK DISCOURSE TO THE GREEKS ***

Produced by David Reed

AN EXTRACT OUT OF JOSEPHUS'S DISCOURSE TO THE GREEKS CONCERNING HADES

By Flavius Josephus

Translated by William Whiston

1. Now as to Hades, wherein the souls of the of the good things they
see, and rejoice in the righteous and unrighteous are detained, it is
necessary to speak of it. Hades is a place in the world not regularly
finished; a subterraneous region, wherein the light of this world does
not shine; from which circumstance, that in this region the light does
not shine, it cannot be but there must be in it perpetual darkness. This
region is allotted as a place of custody for souls, ill which angels
are appointed as guardians to them, who distribute to them temporary
punishments, agreeable to every one's behavior and manners.

2. In this region there is a certain place set apart, as a lake of
unquenchable fire, whereinto we suppose no one hath hitherto been cast;
but it is prepared for a day afore-determined by God, in which one
righteous sentence shall deservedly be passed upon all men; when the
unjust, and those that have been disobedient to God, and have given
honor to such idols as have been the vain operations of the hands of men
as to God himself, shall be adjudged to this everlasting punishment,
as having been the causes of defilement; while the just shall obtain an
incorruptible and never-fading kingdom. These are now indeed confined in
Hades, but not in the same place wherein the unjust are confined.

3. For there is one descent into this region, at whose gate we believe
there stands an archangel with an host; which gate when those pass
through that are conducted down by the angels appointed over souls, they
do not go the same way; but the just are gu