Tartarus is a term that appears in the New Testament, specifically in 2 Peter 2:4, and is often associated with the concept of a place of punishment or imprisonment for certain fallen angels. The term itself is derived from Greek mythology, where Tartarus was considered a deep, gloomy part of the underworld used as a dungeon of torment and suffering for the wicked. In the context of the New Testament, Tartarus is used to describe a place where God has cast certain angels who sinned.

Biblical Reference:

2 Peter 2:4 : "For if God did not spare the angels when they sinned, but cast them deep into hell, placing them in chains of darkness to be held for judgment..."

In this passage, the word translated as "hell" in the Berean Standard Bible is the Greek word "Tartarus." This is the only occurrence of the term in the New Testament, and it is used to describe the fate of angels who rebelled against God. The passage suggests that these angels are being held in a state of confinement until the final judgment.

Theological Significance:

From a theological perspective, Tartarus is significant because it highlights the seriousness of rebellion against God, even among celestial beings. The use of Tartarus underscores the concept of divine justice and the certainty of judgment for those who oppose God's will. It serves as a reminder of the consequences of sin and the ultimate authority of God over all creation, including the spiritual realm.

Relation to Other Biblical Concepts:

Tartarus is often compared to other terms used in the Bible to describe places of punishment or the afterlife, such as Sheol, Hades, and Gehenna. While Sheol and Hades generally refer to the abode of the dead, and Gehenna is associated with the final place of punishment for the wicked, Tartarus is specifically linked to the imprisonment of fallen angels.

The concept of Tartarus also relates to the broader biblical theme of spiritual warfare and the cosmic struggle between good and evil. The imprisonment of the rebellious angels in Tartarus is part of God's plan to ultimately defeat evil and restore creation to its intended order.

Historical and Cultural Context:

In the Greco-Roman world, Tartarus was understood as a place of severe punishment, reserved for the most egregious offenders among the gods and mortals. By using this term, the New Testament author communicates to a Hellenistic audience the gravity of the angels' rebellion and the certainty of their punishment in a way that would be culturally and contextually understood.

Interpretations and Debates:

There is some debate among scholars and theologians regarding the nature of Tartarus and the identity of the angels mentioned in 2 Peter 2:4. Some interpretations suggest that these angels are the "sons of God" mentioned in Genesis 6:1-4, who took human wives and produced the Nephilim. Others propose that the reference is to a broader group of fallen angels who joined Satan in his rebellion against God.

Despite these debates, the use of Tartarus in 2 Peter serves as a powerful illustration of God's judgment and the ultimate accountability of all beings, both human and angelic, to His divine authority.(n.) The infernal regions, described in the Iliad as situated as far below Hades as heaven is above the earth, and by later writers as the place of punishment for the spirits of the wicked. By the later poets, also, the name is often used synonymously with Hades, or the Lower World in general.5020. tartaroo -- to cast into hell
... to cast into hell. Part of Speech: Verb Transliteration: tartaroo Phonetic Spelling:
(tar-tar-o'-o) Short Definition: I thrust down to Tartarus Definition: I ...
//strongsnumbers.com/greek2/5020.htm - 7k

The Author's Concluding Address.
... And by means of this knowledge you shall escape the approaching threat of the fire
of judgment, and the rayless scenery of gloomy Tartarus, [1100] where never ...
/.../the refutation of all heresies/chapter xxx the authors concluding address.htm

The Shaking of the Heavens and the Earth (Preached at the Chapel ...
... What could be more simple, rational, orthodox, than to adopt (as they actually did)
Virgil's own words, and talk of Tartarus, Styx, and Phlegethon, as ...
/.../kingsley/the water of life and other sermons/sermon vi the shaking of.htm

The Scope of the Apocalypse is Indicated by Its Place in the ...
... It is therefore with diffidence that we suggest, without being dogmatic, that
they are, most likely, fallen angels now imprisoned in Tartarus. ...
//christianbookshelf.org/pink/the antichrist/the scope of the apocalypse.htm

The Shaking of the Heavens and the Earth.
... He had declared that the mouth of Tartarus lay in Italy, hard by the volcanic lake
Avernus; and after the unexpected eruption of Vesuvius in the first century ...
/.../kingsley/westminster sermons/sermon viii the shaking of.htm

And when all the Saints were Exulting, Lo, Satan...
... And Satan, prince of Tartarus, answered and said: Why hast thou doubted,
and feared to receive this Jesus, thy adversary and mine? ...
/.../unknown/the gospel of nicodemus /chapter 4 20 and when 2.htm

Letter xxiii. To Marcella.
... her end with that of the consul-elect, Vettius Agorius Pr??textatus, a man of great
ability and integrity, whom he declares to be now "in Tartarus." Written at ...
/.../jerome/the principal works of st jerome/letter xxiii to marcella.htm

On Easter
... For in honour of Christ rising triumphant after His descent to the gloomy Tartarus,
the grove on every side with its leaves expresses approval, the plants with ...
//christianbookshelf.org/venantius/on easter/on easter.htm

Revelation of Esdras.
... nor man wife, nor children parents, nor friends friends, nor a slave his master;
for he who is the adversary of men shall come up from Tartarus, and shall show ...
//christianbookshelf.org/unknown/revelation of esdras/revelation of esdras.htm

The Revelation of Peter. Introduction.
... We are not here in the Jewish Sheol, or among the fires of the valley of Hinnom,
so much as among the tortures of Tartarus and the boiling mud of the ...
/.../unknown/the apocalypse of peter/the revelation of peter introduction.htm

On Proverbs. From the Commentary of St. Hippolytus on Proverbs.
... Wherefore, in order to teach us this, he uses the examples of Sheol (Hades), and
the love of women, and hell [1243] (Tartarus), and the earth that is not ...
/.../on proverbs from the commentary.htm

Tartarus (1 Occurrence)
... By the later poets, also, the name is often used synonymously with Hades, or the
Lower World in general. Multi-Version Concordance Tartarus (1 Occurrence). ...
/t/tartarus.htm - 7k

Uriel (4 Occurrences)
... In Enoch 20:2 Uriel is the angel who is "over the world and Tartarus" (ho epi tou
kosmou kai tou tartarou), and as such is the conductor to Enoch in the world ...
/u/uriel.htm - 10k

Hell (53 Occurrences)
... 4. Tartarus: In yet one other passage in the New Testament (2 Peter 2:4), "to cast
down to hell" is used (the King James Version and the Revised Version ...
/h/hell.htm - 29k

Tartan (2 Occurrences)

/t/tartan.htm - 8k

Task (37 Occurrences)

/t/task.htm - 17k

Nether (19 Occurrences)
... 2 Peter 2:4 For if God didn't spare angels when they sinned, but cast them down
to Tartarus, and committed them to pits of darkness, to be reserved for judgment ...
/n/nether.htm - 12k

Gloomy (10 Occurrences)
... 2 Peter 2:4 For if God messengers who sinned did not spare, but with chains of thick
gloom, having cast 'them' down to Tartarus, did deliver 'them' to judgment ...
/g/gloomy.htm - 9k

Infernal (1 Occurrence)
... to or suitable for the lower regions, inhabited, according to the ancients, by the
dead; pertaining to Pluto's realm of the dead, the Tartarus of the ancients. ...
/i/infernal.htm - 7k

Thick (129 Occurrences)
... 2 Peter 2:4 For if God messengers who sinned did not spare, but with chains of thick
gloom, having cast 'them' down to Tartarus, did deliver 'them' to judgment ...
/t/thick.htm - 38k

Reserved (28 Occurrences)
... 2 Peter 2:4 For if God didn't spare angels when they sinned, but cast them down
to Tartarus, and committed them to pits of darkness, to be reserved for judgment ...
/r/reserved.htm - 15k

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Tartarus: Dictionary and Thesaurus | Clyx.com

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