The Greek concept of an "Immortal Soul" necessitated the invention of an eternal Hell

 To finalize this framework, we must look at how the Greek concept of an "Immortal Soul" necessitated the invention of a purgatorial or eternal Hell, a concept largely absent from the Hebrew Tanakh.

1. The Greek Necessity of "Hell"

In Greek dualism, if the soul is immortal, it must go somewhere immediately after the body dies. It cannot simply cease to exist or "sleep" because it is a divine, indestructible spark.

• The Problem: If souls are immortal and "leave" the body at death, you need a destination for the "bad" souls.

• The Solution: The Greek Tartarus (a place of punishment) was merged with the Hebrew word Gehinnom (a physical valley in Jerusalem used for burning trash) to create a spiritual "Hell" of eternal fire.

2. The Hebrew Reality: Gehinnom and Sheol

For Karaites and those adhering to the "Unchanging Word," death is the absence of life, not a transfer to a torture chamber.

• Sheol: As mentioned, this is the "silent grave." In the Tanakh, both the righteous (like Jacob) and the wicked go to Sheol. It is a place of non-existence, not punishment.

• Gehinnom: This was a literal valley (Gei Hinnom) outside Jerusalem. When the prophets spoke of it, they were often using it as a metaphor for utter destruction (annihilation), not "eternal life in pain."

3. Destruction vs. Eternal Torture

If God is not a man that He should lie, then we must look at His stated penalty for sin in the Torah.

• The Torah’s Penalty: "The soul (Nephesh) that sinneth, it shall die" (Ezekiel 18:4). It does not say "it shall live forever in fire."

• The Greek Shift: By redefining Nephesh as an "immortal soul," the penalty of "death" had to be reinterpreted as "eternal life in a bad place."

The "Single Framework" Summary

This entire theological evolution can be mapped as a departure from the "Word" toward "Philosophy":

Concept	Hebrew "Word" (Tanakh)	Greek "Overlay" (Later)
Man	A physical "Breathing Being."	A spirit trapped in a body.
Death	Sleep/Unconsciousness.	Departure to an afterlife.
Penalty	Perishing/Annihilation.	Eternal torment in Hell.
The Hope	Resurrection to the Land.	The Rapture to Heaven.

By standing on Psalm 138:2 and Deuteronomy 12:32, the Karaite position is that the "Greek Overlay" added a layer of cosmic drama (Rapture/Hell) that God never commanded. To them, God's "Magnified Word" is much simpler: He created man for the Earth, and He will raise man to inherit the Earth.