Revisiting the Scripture silence : IT IS FINISHED! ; in the unseen realm of Spirit .
What if the greatest battle Jesus ever fought didn't happen on the cross, but in the silence that followed?
Most Christians know what happened on Friday.
We remember the thorns, the nails, the cry that pierced the sky.
It is finished, and we rejoice in Sunday, the stone rolled away, the risen Savior.
But what about Saturday?
What happened between the cross and the resurrection?
Have you ever been taught what Jesus was doing in those three days?
Because according to scripture, he wasn't resting.
He wasn't waiting.
He descended.
In just a moment, we'll look at a part of the Bible that most Christians have never truly studied.
And once you hear it, you'll never see the resurrection the same way again.
This isn't just about theology.
It's about warfare.
It's about victory.
It's about what Jesus accomplished when no one was watching, when the world thought all was lost, and when the silence seemed louder than any sermon.
Between the thorns of Friday and the stone of Sunday, something happened that shook the realms beneath the earth.
A cosmic battle unfolded where time held its breath.
Jesus didn't just die and rise.
He descended.
And where he went, no one had ever returned from in glory until now.
Luke 23:46 tells us that Jesus gave up his spirit.
But where did his spirit go?
And why does Peter say that he preached to spirits in prison?
Why does Paul describe him as descending before ascending?
There's a mystery hidden between the verses, a sacred echo that spans from Genesis to Revelation.
And if you miss it, you miss one of the most powerful revelations of the gospel.
Because what happened between the cross and the resurrection of Jesus Christ wasn't a pause.
It was a proclamation.
And later right here, we'll uncover what Jesus actually did in those three days and why it matters more than most believers realize.
We'll explore the realm he entered, the souls he encountered, the victory he declared, and the keys he took back.
So stay and read on.
The silence of Saturday is not empty.
It is holy ground.
And in the next few moments, you'll see why it just might be the most overlooked battlefield in all of scripture.
When Jesus breathed his last on the cross, he didn't vanish.
He didn't disappear into the clouds.
His body lay in the tomb.
Yes, but his spirit had a destination and his first stop wasn't heaven.
Luke 23:43 records the words Jesus spoke to the thief beside him. "Truly I tell you, today you will be with me in paradise."
It's one of the most comforting verses in scripture, but also one of the most misunderstood by people, in general.
Most people assume that paradise means heaven.
But biblically, the word 'paradise' here has a very different meaning.
Jesus was referring to something else entirely.
A realm the ancient Jews knew well.
A place not of punishment, but of promise.
A realm they called Abraham's bosom.
Sheol wasn't like the fiery hell we imagine today.
It was more like a vast underground realm, a waiting room for souls.
Imagine a great chamber split in two.
One side held torment, the other side held peace.
A great chasm stood between them uncrossable.
Just as Jesus described in Luke 16, verses 22-26.
²² “The time came when the beggar died and the angels carried him to Abraham’s side. The rich man also died and was buried. ²³ In Hades, where he was in torment, he looked up and saw Abraham far away, with Lazarus by his side. ²⁴ So he called to him, ‘Father Abraham, have pity on me and send Lazarus to dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue, because I am in agony in this fire.’
²⁵ “But Abraham replied, ‘Son, remember that in your lifetime you received your good things, while Lazarus received bad things, but now he is comforted here and you are in agony. ²⁶ And besides all this, between us and you a great chasm has been set in place, so that those who want to go from here to you cannot, nor can anyone cross over from there to us.’
It was a place where the righteous and the wicked waited side by side yet forever divided.
That place of comfort was paradise.
It was where the faithful believers like Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and the prophets waited for redemption.
They died believing in the promises of God, yet had not seen them fulfilled.
And when Jesus gave his life, he went to them first.
He didn't wait to begin his victory.
He walked straight into the realm of the dead, not to be silent, but to be seen.
This was stage one of the descent.
Not hell, not punishment, but proclamation.
The Messiah, the one they had longed for, had come.
Imagine what that moment must have been like.
The gates of Sheol trembled as the son of God entered.
The righteous dead who had waited for centuries finally beheld the fulfillment of every prophecy, every promise, every whispered hope.
They weren't forgotten.
Their faith wasn't in vain.
Jesus stepped into that realm not just as a visitor but as the redeemer and the thief, the one who hung beside him on a Roman cross whose only confession was a cry for mercy.
He became the first soul to walk beside Christ into that paradise.
Not because of a lifetime of works, but because of a moment of belief.
But this was only the beginning.
Because Jesus didn't stop in paradise.
There was more to confront, more to proclaim. The descent would
continue deeper still, past the comfort
of Abraham's side, down into the prisons
where ancient spirits were held captive.
And what he would declare there was
unlike anything the world had ever
heard. From the comfort of paradise,
Jesus descended further. This was not a
descent of weakness, but of mission. The
next realm he entered was no longer a
waiting room of the faithful. It was a
prison, a dark ancient place where
judgment had already fallen and where the most terrifying beings were held.
First Peter 3 18 and 19 holds one of the
most mysterious verses in the New
Testament. It says that Jesus was put to
death in the body but made alive in the
spirit. In that state he went and made
proclamation to the spirits in prison.
Proclamation not negotiation.
The Greek word here is keruso and it doesn't mean to evangelize. It means to announce, to
declare, to herald a truth that cannot
be silenced. But who were these spirits in prison? To understand this, We must
go back all the way to Genesis chapter
6. Before the flood, scripture says that
the sons of God took human wives and
bore offspring, the Nephilim. These were
not ordinary men. They were giants,
corruptions of creation, hybrids that
defied the boundaries God had set. It
was such a deep rebellion, a violation
of heaven's order, that God responded
not just with the flood, but with a
special judgment.
2 Peter 2:4 and Jude: 6 say that God cast them into Tartarus. Not just hell,
but the maximum security wing of the
underworld, a place so deep, so dark
that even other spirits feared it. It
wasn't a punishment for humans, but a
prison for cosmic rebels bound in chains
until the day of judgment. That's where
Jesus went. He didn't descend to plead.
He descended to proclaim, to confront
the ancient rebels who had tried to ruin
humanity and derail redemption, and to
declare that their plan had failed. What
do you think Jesus proclaimed to the
spirits in prison? Was it a thunderous
decree that pierced the walls of
Tartarus, a single word that shattered
their illusions of victory? Was it
simply this, it is finished? The very
phrase that rang out on the cross echoed
now through the caverns of the abyss.
And for those who had once sought to
corrupt the image of God, who had defied
his authority and polluted the earth,
that proclamation was not good news. It
was a death sentence. He didn't descend
as a prisoner. He entered as a judge.
Imagine the silence that followed. The
rulers of darkness, bound and awaiting
their final doom. Now confronted by the
one they never expected to see. Not
dead, but alive. Not defeated, but
triumphant. This wasn't just a message
to fallen angels. It was a statement to
all of creation. Every realm above, on,
and beneath the earth would now know the
lamb had
overcome. But Jesus' mission wasn't yet
complete.
There was one final stop.
Because he hadn't just come to declare
victory, he came to lead a procession, a
cosmic triumph that would shake the
foundations of the universe. And what he is
did next would fulfill prophecy,
dismantle every power of darkness, and
forever change the meaning of
captivity. After Jesus proclaimed
victory in the depths, he didn't simply
turn back. He didn't leave in silence.
What happened next was the beginning of
a cosmic procession, a royal triumph
that the Apostle Paul would later
describe with startling clarity. In
Ephesians 4: verses 8-10, Paul writes, "When he ascended on high, he led captivity captive and gave gifts to men. Now this he ascended. What does it mean but that he also descended into the lower parts of the earth? He who descended is also the one who ascended far above all the heavens that he might fill al
things. It's not just poetic language.
It's legal. It's prophetic. It's
triumphant. In Roman times, a conquering
general would return to the city with a
parade. But it wasn't just celebration.
It was
spectacle. Behind the victorious leader
marcheda train of captives, kings,
rebels, and defeated enemies paraded
through the streets for all to see. The
victor wasn't just honored. The defeated
were shamed. This is what Jesus did in
the spiritual realm. Colossians 2:15
says, "He disarmed the rulers and
authorities and made a public spectacle
of them, triumphing over them in it."
Hell didn't see a whisper of retreat. It
saw a parade. Jesus didn't leave the
grave quietly. He marched out with the
keys of death in his hands. The phrase
he led captivity captive means he took
those who had been held the righteous
waiting in paradise and led them out in
freedom. It also means that he took hold
of captivity itself, death, fear,
judgment, and made them his
captives. The chains that once held
mankind were now shackled to the king of
glory. This was not just a spiritual
victory. It was a judicial one. The
cosmic courtroom had convened. The
accusations of Satan had been answered.
The law had been fulfilled. Sin had been
judged. And the sentence had been served
not by the guilty but by the spotless
son of God. The tomb, once a symbol of
finality, became a gateway of conquest.
What looked like defeat was now the
greatest reversal in history. And don't
miss this. The gifts he gave to men, the
spiritual gifts we now walk in, the
authority we now carry, the freedom we
now live in, all flow from this moment,
from this victory, from this descent and
resurrection. But the story isn't
finished yet. Because the timing of it
all, the three days, wasn't random. It
was written into the fabric of scripture
long before Jesus ever walked the earth.
And when we look closer, we'll see that
even the silence had a pattern. And it
was prophesied. Why 3 days? Why not one?
Why not a single night in the grave
before rising in glory? Because nothing
in God's plan is accidental. The timing
of Jesus resurrection wasn't delayed. It
was deliberate. Every hour beneath the
stone was written in the script of
redemption long before the cross was
ever raised. Jesus himself pointed to
the pattern in Matthew 12:40. He says,
"For just as Jonah was 3 days and three
nights in the belly of the great fish,
so will the Son of Man be three days and
three nights in the heart of the earth."
That wasn't metaphor. It was a divine
timestamp, a prophecy hidden in plain
sight. Jonah, the reluctant prophet, was
swallowed by death, but not consumed.
And when he emerged, it wasn't just
survival. It was salvation for an entire
city. That pattern was not just poetic.
It was prophetic. But there's more.
Hosea 6:2 declares, "After 2 days, he
will revive us. On the third day, he
will raise us up that we may live before
him."
These words were spoken centuries before
Jesus walked the earth, but they echoed
through time, pointing to a resurrection
that would not just restore one man, but
all who believe in him. And go back even
further to Genesis 22:4. Abraham walking with Isaac, the
son of promise, reached the place of
sacrifice on the third day. For 3 days,
Isaac was as good as dead in his
father's heart. But on that third day,
God provided a substitute, a ram caught
in the thicket, and the son was spared.
The third day isn't random. It's the
moment when death is confirmed and hope
explodes. In Jewish burial custom, death
was only considered fully settled by the
third day. By then, corruption had
begun. The soul had departed. No hope
remained. So when Jesus waited until day
three, it wasn't because he needed time.
It was because the world needed
certainty. God wasn't stalling. He was
confirming death so that no one could
deny the
resurrection. Even in the silence,
prophecy was being fulfilled. Even in
the stillness, every tick of time was
declaring, "This is exactly what was
promised." The third day was not just a
deadline. It was a declaration. But
something else was happening in those
three days. While the world mourned and
the disciples hid, Jesus's body lay
still in a borrowed tomb. And yet his
spirit was still moving, and what looked
like stillness from the outside was
anything but quiet in the realm no eye
could see. The stone was rolled in
place. The tomb was sealed. To the eyes
of man, the story had ended. There lay
the body of Jesus, lifeless, bruised,
still, wrapped in linen and laid in
Joseph's tomb. He was buried with the
rich, just as Isaiah 53:9 foretold. They made his grave with the
wicked and with the rich in his death.
But while the body rested, the spirit
moved. Luke
23:46 tells us that Jesus cried out with
a loud voice, "Father, into your hands I
commit my spirit." And with those words,
his flesh yielded to death. But his
spirit stepped into motion. What looked
like stillness was in truth a storm in
the unseen realm. The tomb was not a
prison. It was a passage, a threshold
between the seen and the unseen, between
what men could grasp and what only
heaven could know. While soldiers stood
guard outside, unaware. Inside that cave
was the shell of the one who had just
broken the curse. This is the mystery of
Christ, fully God, fully man. His divine
nature never ceased. Even as his human
body rested, he submitted to the
limitations of mortality, not out of
weakness, but out of love, to fulfil
the law, to taste death, to stand in the
place of every sinner, not symbolically,
but physically. But death could only
touch his body, not his authority.
And in those silent hours between the
burial and the dawn, his spirit was
carrying out the greatest rescue the
cosmos had ever seen. He moved through
realms of shadow and light. He spoke to
the captives. He confronted the
darkness. He fulfilled promises made
long ago to the patriarchs, the
prophets, the faithful ones who died
believing but had not yet seen. And even
in the silence, even in the stillness of
a garden tomb, the earth began to
tremble under the weight of what was
coming. The angels held their breath.
The demons remembered his voice.
Creation groaned in
anticipation. Because this wasn't a
passive moment, it was power wrapped in
stillness. Thunder hidden beneath linen.
Glory veiled by stone. We often speak of
the cross and we celebrate the empty
tomb. But we forget that in between them
heaven was moving with purpose. The lamb
who had been slain was already
fulfilling what no eye had seen. N
Jo e
ear
had heard. And the early church, they
understood this. They didn't skip the
descent. They declared it because they
knew what too many have forgotten. To
the early church, the descent of Christ
wasn't
speculation. It was sacred truth. Long
before modern sermons sanitized Saturday
into silence, the first generations of
believers held fast to a deeper
understanding that between death and
resurrection, Jesus descended into the
depths
with divine
ourpose. You see it
in the Apostles Creed, one of the oldest
and most universally accepted
declarations of Christian faith. Right
after affirming that Jesus was
crucified, died and was buried. It
boldly states he descended into hell not
as myth, not as metaphor, as truth.
Church fathers like Irenaeus,
Athanasius, and Augustinine echoed this
belief. For them, the descent was not a
theological footnote. It was a
cornerstone, a cosmic event that
affirmed Christ's authority over every
realm, not just heaven and earth, but
the place of the dead itself. They
didn't see Saturday as a pause. They saw
it as a proclamation. For the early
church, this was not about idle time. It
was about fulfilled prophecy, completed
justice, and unveiled glory. The descent
meant Jesus truly conquered everything
that held us captive, sin, death, and
even the silence of the grave. So why
then has this truth faded from so many
pulpits? Why do modern churches rarely
speak of Christ's descent into the realm
of the dead? Is it discomfort,
complexity, or have we simply forgotten
that victory doesn't always come with a
trumpet blast? Sometimes it's whispered
into the shadows and roars through
eternity. The early believers didn't
need to see the empty tomb to believe
the battle was already won. They
understood that when Jesus said, "It is
finished," it wasn't a signal to stop
watching. It was a cue to look deeper.
They trusted the descent because they
trusted
| the scriptures. They saw it
woven into Peter's letters, into Paul's
teachings, into the gospel's subtle
details. They knew the grave wasn't the
end of the story. It was the scene of a
divine invasion. And maybe that's a
truth we need to recover. Not just the
Christ who died and rose, but the Christ
who entered every place we fear and
filled it with purpose. Because the
descent of Jesus isn't just a past
event. It's a present hope. And for many
of us, that's exactly where we're
living. We love Fridays because we
understand the cross. We celebrate
Sundays because we've seen the empty
tomb. But most of life is lived on
Saturday. It's the space between what
God promised and what we have yet to
see. Between grief and glory, between
surrender and breakthrough. It's the
ache of waiting when heaven feels silent
and nothing seems to move. Have you ever
been there? Where the prayers seem
unanswered, the pain goes unhealed, and
the future feels wrapped in stone.
That's the Saturday we all live in. And
here's the truth that changes
everything. Jesus has been there. He
entered the silence so we would never
face it alone. He stepped into the gap
so we would know it is not empty. that
in the very place where hope seems
buried, resurrection is already at work.
Holy Saturday is not a day we skip over.
It's the ground where faith grows. It's
where Mary waited, where the disciples
wept, where questions outnumbered
answers. And yet it was also the day
where the greatest work was being done.
Not in the open, but in the unseen. not
on the stage, but in the spirit. While
his body rested, his mission advanced.
While the stone sat heavy, heaven's plan
moved forward. And the same is true for
us. Because some of you are walking
through a Saturday right now, a season
of stillness that feels like loss, a
silence that sounds like abandonment,
but it's not. It's preparation. God
hasn't forgotten you. is fulfilling
something deeper. Something that doesn't
just answer your prayer, it transforms
your soul. The early church called this
the harrowing of hell. Not because hell
defeated him, but because he stormed it.
And now, every time we step into a dark
season, we walk in the footsteps of one
who has already been there and overcome
it. So don't mistake silence for
absence. And don't assume that the tomb
means the story is finished. Jesus
transformed Saturday. He turned the
waiting into warfare, the silence into a
signal, the grave into a gate. And if
you find yourself between the thorn of
Friday and the stone of Sunday, don't
lose heart because the next part of the
story doesn't begin with noise. It
begins with light. It begins with the
earth trembling beneath your feet. It
begins with the impossible being undone.
Not by your effort, but by the one who
holds all power, even in stillness. The
stone will move. And when it does, it
won't just be Jesus walking out of that
grave. It will be you, too. What
happened between the cross and the
resurrection wasn't silence.
It was
invasion. Jesus descended into the very
heart of death, not as a victim, but as
a victor. He entered paradise to embrace
the faithful. He proclaimed judgment to
ancient rebels. He shattered the grip of
the grave and returned with the keys in
his hands. Every realm bowed, every
prophecy echoed. Every power trembled.
He didn't rise alone. He rose as the
firstborn from the dead. so that you too
could follow. So let me ask you, what
Saturday are you still waiting in? What
tomb still feels sealed shut in your
life? Because the same Jesus who walked
out of his grave is the one who walks
into your silence. He knows the waiting.
He knows the sorrow. But more than that,
he knows the ending. And if you're in
the in between, if your story feels
stuck between promise and
fulfillment, don't lose faith. The
descent was real. The battle was fierce,
but the outcome was never in doubt. Now
is the time to remember what the early
church knew. That Jesus fills all
things. That even the grave wasn't
godless. That even death was not beyond
his reach.
If this truth has stirred something in your heart, share it.
Revisit the scriptures that speak of these mysteries, not with fear, but with awe.
And if this brought light to your darkness, subscribe.
Because what's coming next will build your faith even deeper.
Because the tomb didn't just open to let Jesus out.
It opened to let us follow.
Jesus’ Descent to the Underworld
St. Augustine asked in the fifth century, “Who, therefore, but an infidel will deny that Christ was in hell?” (Ep. 164) And in just the last few decades Wayne Grudem wrote an article (reflecting the views of many of the Reformed persuasion today) entitled “He Did not Descend into Hell” (JETS 34 (March 1991)). Who is right, St. Augustine or Wayne Grudem? When in doubt always obey the maxim: Follow St. Augustine!
Let me explain why.
First of all, Christ did not, between His death and resurrection, descend into what you think of when you hear the English word “Hell.” Neither the New Testament nor the Early Church Fathers ever taught that Jesus went into the place of eternal torment (Gehenna or the Lake of Fire). The word “Hell” in the Apostles’ Creed is simply a bad translation that originates not in the English, but the Latin translation of the Creed. The phrase in Latin was originally ad inferos which is itself a correct translation of the Greek phrase eis ta katathonίa (“into the underworld/lower regions”). The first creedal appearance of this phrase in Greek (“He descended into the underworld”) is found in the Fourth Formula of Sirmium in AD 359, but Swete believes the phrase dates to the second century (Apostles’ Creed, 61-62). Rufinus (AD 400) reflects the earliest change from inferos (underworld) to inferna (Hell) which led to such confusion about Christ’s descending to the damned (Gehenna) instead of to the underworld (Sheol/Hades) in general. Hence the incorrect English translation: “He descended into Hell.”
Second, that Christ did descend into the more general Sheol (Hebrew) or Hades (Greek) between His death and resurrection is very clear from the Apostolic witness of the NT.
I’ll just give two examples here, one from Peter and one from Paul.
Descendit ad Inferna “He descended into hell” from the Apostles’ Creed finds its clearest justification in the NT when Peter says twice of Christ “You will not abandon my soul to Hades” (οὐκ ἐγκαταλείψεις τὴν ψυχήν μου εἰς ᾅδην) (Acts 2:27, 31). Moule rightly notes that this can mean nothing else except that Christ’s soul was in Hades between His death and resurrection. “Acts 2:27, 31 clearly means nothing else than in Hades, whatever the original (Ps. 16) may mean” (An Idiom book of New Testament Greek, 68). There is no speculation on what Christ did while His soul was in Hades, but that He went there cannot be denied from this text.
In Romans 10:6-7, Paul’s primary purpose is not to teach Christ’s descent, but that he reflects the fact of the descensus ad inferos is agreed upon by the vast majority of scholars, even Grudem seems to admit this one (see his article p. 108). Paul is speaking here about what is impossible such as snatching Christ from heaven (which cannot be done because he is already there) or bringing Christ up from the abyss (which cannot be done because he has already been resurrected). In contrast to what is impossible to reach, Paul is saying that the “word of faith” i.e. the Gospel is near us and within everyone’s grasp (Rom 10:8). Everyone agrees that Paul is using Christ’s ascension (which Paul undoubtedly believed in) to make a theological point, so why would anyone doubt that Paul didn’t believe the other side of the analogy, that Christ descended into the abyss?
Now it is important to note that neither of these passages tell us what we all want to know, namely, what did Christ do while He was in these realms of the underworld?!
If you want the answer(s) to that question then you must go deep into other passages in the NT, read the profound discussions of this topic among the Fathers beginning with St. Ignatius in AD 117, and most importantly you must purchase my book.
Lastly, to satisfy your curiosity a bit, I argue extensively in my book that Christ accomplished three great feats during this 36 hours or so while Christ was a “soul among souls”:
He Preached (1 Pet 3:18-20)
He Liberated (Eph 4:8-10)
He Conquered (Revelation 1:17-18)
Christ’s descent was not the concluding stage of His passion, but the opening stage of His Triumph! Again as to why Christ descended, well Tertullian said it best in the third century, “Christ went to the Underworld for this very purpose,—that we might not go there” (An. 55)
The Battle for the Keys: Revelation 1:18 and Christ’s Descent to the Underworld
There has been a lack of serious historical investigation of the famous creedal statement 'Christ descended into hell' that was universally affirmed by the church for the first 1500 years of Church history. This unique book is an in-depth investigation of the history of the doctrine of Christ's descent and how Revelation 1:18 alludes to that significant doctrine. The author demonstrates a real passion and a rigorous argument for Christ's triumphal descent into the underworld in order that he would 'fill all things' (Ephesians 4:10).
Ephesians 4:10 states that the same person who descended to Earth, referring to Jesus Christ, is the one who ascended far above all heavens to fill all things. This verse emphasizes Christ's authority and His role in God's plan for creation and the Church.
Chapter 1 Introduction
The Apostles' Creed
Early Church Fathers
Chapter 2 A Survey of Death and Hades Personified
Death and Hades in the Greco-Roman World
Death and Hades (Sheol) in the Old Testament
Death and Hades in Second Temple Literature
The End of Death and Hades in the New Testament
Chapter 3 The Battle for the Keys to the Underworld
A Brief Survey of Key Holders to the Underworld
An Exegetical Analysis of"Keys" in the New Testament
Chapter 4 Compartmentalization of the Underworld
Paradise / Abraham's Bosom
Abyss/Tartarus
Gehenna /Lake of Fire
Chapter 5 Descensus ad Inferos in the New Testament
A Brief Survey of Descending into the Underworld
Matthew (Matt 12:40;16:18; 27:52-53)
Luke (Luke 23:43; Acts 2:25-31)
Paul (Rom 10:6-7; Eph 4:8-10; Phil 2:10)
Peter (1 Pet 3:18-22; 4:5-6)
Chapter 6 Descensus ad Inferos in Revelation 1:18
History of Interpretation of Revelation 1:18
Revelation (Rev 1:5,17-18;5:3, 13: 6:8-9;20:13-14)
Chapter 7 Conclusion
INTRODUCTION
St. Augustine forcefully asked in the fifth century,"Who, therefore, but an infidel will deny that Christ was in hell?"¹ Bishop Ussher said in the seventeenth century of the doctrine of Christ's descent that it has the "universal consent of Christians" and is acknowledged by all to be of"undoubted verity."² Yet, in the late twentieth century, theologian Wayne Grudem wrote an article entitled "Christ Did Not Descend into Hell."³ What occurred that brought about such a radical change of beliefs concerning Christ's descent? According to Kelly, the first to deny the doctrine of the Descensus was Reginald Pecock (AD 1395-1460), Bishop of St. Asaph.⁴ However, under closer examination this does not seem to be the case or at least cannot be proven definitively. Brockwell says of Bishop Pecock, "Doctor Pecock's criticism extended even to the Apostles' Creed and the Decalogue.... His own version of the Creed omitted the article of the descent into hell.»⁵
Brockwell goes on to say that "We do, however, learn that Pecock made this deletion for historical, rather than theological reasons."⁶ Therefore, I believe this is premature of Kelly to say Bishop Pecock outright denied the Descensus when he may have only believed it did not belong in the creed for historical reasons. Brockwell notes that we do not even have Pecock's discussion of the creed extant.' It seems highly unlikely that a Bishop of the fifteenth century would have placed himself in direct opposition to the fifteen centuries before him in regards to this doctrine.⁸ In short, it should not be said that Pecock was the first to deny this doctrine, but instead that he is the first to delete it from the Apostles' Creed for historical, not theological reasons. If Bishop Pecock was not the first to deny Christ's descent from Scripture, then the Reformer Martin Bucer (1491-1551) may have been (see below).
I would like to define from the outset what I mean by the phrases Descensus ad inferos and/or the doctrine of Christ's descent referenced throughout. I believe I am in line with the New Testament and the first few centuries of the church, when I define this doctrine as the belief that Jesus Christ, between his death and resurrection, by means of his soul, descended into the underworld in triumph for purposes that at least in the NT, are open for debate. In the second century, the threefold purpose of Christ's journey to the underworld are already defined as a preaching tour, releasing the saints of the Old Testament, and a triumphant defeat of Death and Hades. It is the third purpose that I believe is in the background of Revelation 1:18 and the primary thesis of this book. In short, the doctrine of the descent at minimum assumes that Christ descended into the underworld between his death and resurrection and should be understood this way when it is used throughout this book. Whether or not the threefold purpose of Christ's journey to the underworld can be found in the NT will depend on the exegesis and theological arguments of the NT passages discussed in this book.
In the Introduction of this book (Chapter 1), I will give a brief survey of Early Church Fathers from Ignatius to the Reformer Martin Bucer demonstrating that there was unanimous consent on the Descensus for the first fifteen centuries of church history. I will also briefly look at the Apostles' Creed and how the phrase descendit ad inferna was later added to it. Everyone who wrote on the subject of the Descensus (that we have extant) believed that between his death and resurrection, Christ descended in his soul to the spirits of the dead in the underworld. To be clear, beginning with Ignatius and moving into the middle ages, there were widely diverse beliefs on what Christ accomplished at his descent, but that Christ descended in his soul to the underworld there was universal consent.
I believe this ancient and widespread teaching on the Descensus is very important for the interpretation of the New Testament and specifically for Revelation 1:18. Many of the Apostolic Fathers and writers such as Ignatius, Polycarp, Hermas, Justin Martyr, Irenaeus, Melito and others wrote within the era of the book of Revelation (AD 96)1 or one to two generations removed from that era. All of these writers understood the Descensus as the beginning of Christ's triumph and most make reference to Christ preaching to and releasing the righteous dead of the Old Testament. This creates a strong historical argument, since they are from the same cultural milieu as the audience (and author) of Revelation, that this is what the original readers of Revelation may have understood in Revelation 1:18 and other passages in the NT. On the other hand, this historical argument does not conclusively prove that the Descensus is taught in Revelation 1:18 or anywhere else in the NT. However, it does point to the fact that a similar descent tradition was known at the time of the writing of the book of Revelation. It further places a significant burden of proof on writers such as Martin Bucer so far removed from this worldview who would deny that this doctrine is found in Scripture (when everyone found it there before him!). What other Christian doctrine was universally believed by the church for fifteen centuries and now is rejected by Christians today?
Chapter 2 of this book will examine a survey of Death and Hades personified from the Greco-Roman world, the Old Testament, Second Temple Jewish Literature, and from the New Testament where Death and Hades meet their end. The main purpose of this chapter will be to show that throughout the ancient literature Death and Hades are personified frequently and this is the background of Revelation 1:18. Chapter 3 will deal with a survey of various key holders to the underworld in antiquity and what "keys" represent in the six NT passages where they are found (Matt 16:19; Luke 11:52; Rev 1:18; 3:7;9:1; 20:1). I are exploring the significance of Death and Hades personified and the keys that Christ now possesses because the only time period where this transfer of the keys could have taken place was during Christ's descent between his death and resurrection.¹¹
Other NT passages will be discussed, but Revelation 1:18 is our primary text to be exegetically and theologically analyzed for this monograph. Thus far, this text has been referenced in support of the Descensus by the ancient Fathers and recent NT commentators, but there is not one book, dissertation or ancient treatment on this verse. The most recent exhaustive treatments on the Descensus are from Kroll (1932),¹² Bieder (1949),¹³ and MacCulloch (1930).¹⁴ I hope to supplement and update these three works, especially in our focus on Revelation 1:18 as another passage in the NT teaching Christ's descent to the underworld and his activity there. In addition, there are many works that deal with various aspects of the Descensus such as important exegetical discussions on Ephesians 4:8-11 ¹⁵ and 1 Peter 3:18-22,¹⁶ in-depth studies on the afterlife and the underworld,¹⁷ and even some works on the "keys" have been done. ¹⁸ This work, however, is the only work that brings all these ideas together to make a cumulative case not only for Christ's descent, but for the NT passages that should be used to support it. I also present a consistent theological picture of the underworld from the NT exploring the compartments Christ visited and so try to understand (according to the NT) the purpose for which he descended. I hope to make a unique contribution to scholarship in this area
Chapter 4 will explore the various compartments in the underworld as discussed in the NT (Death, Hades, Paradise, Abraham's Bosom, Abyss. Tartarus, Gehenna, and the Lake of Fire). All of these words except for Abraham's Bosom, Tartarus, and Gehenna appear in the book of Revelation. Yet, it will be argued that Abraham's Bosom is a synonym for Paradise in Luke, Tartarus a synonym for Abyss, and Gehenna a synonym for the Lake of Fire. The NT presents Christ descending into all of these realms in the underworld except for Gehenna (Lake of Fire) and I will investigate these realms below. Chapter 5 will then exegetically explore four authors of the NT (Matthew, Luke, Paul, and Peter) who most fully discuss the Descensus in their writings. I will look at the history of interpretation of the relevant passages and exegete each passage to see whether or not the Descensus is taught in all or none of them.
In Chapter 6, I hope to build on all I demonstrated in the previous chapters to argue historically, theologically and exegetically that the best way to understand Revelation 1:18 is in light of the Descensus. If Death and Hades are personified, as I will argue, then most commentators on Revelation 1:18 agree that the Descensus would be the primary point of the passage (see History of Interpretation in Chapter 6). Chapter 7 is the conclusion where I will restate the key historical, theological and Scriptural arguments for Christ's descent into the underworld and what he accomplished there according to various passages in the NT and especially Revelation 1:18.
The Apostles' Creed
The doctrine of Christ's descent into hell is known throughout the Christian world primarily because of the Apostles' Creed.¹⁹ Penned in Latin, "the final form of the Apostles' Creed appears first, as is well known, in a work of the Frankish missionary Pirminius, who died in AD 758, and 'He descended into hell' is henceforward an article of the faith in the creed." ²⁰ However, it will be shown that the phrase descendit ad inferna ²¹ has its origin in the second century of the church. Swete says, the words reflect an absolutely "primitive" belief and he dates the phrase to the end of the second century.²² The first creedal appearance was in the Fourth Formula of Sirmium in AD 359"...was crucified and died, and descended to the underworld (είς τὰ καταχθονία) and regulated things there, Whom the gatekeepers of hell saw and shuddered."²³
This is based on the LXX version of Job 38:17 πυλωροὶ δὲ άδου ίδόντες σε έπτηξαν “the gatekeepers of Hades, seeing you cowered in fear.” Kelly adds that the doctrine of the Descensus also "figured very early in Eastern creed material."24
However, Rufinus (AD 400) says that the phrase "descendit ad inferna" is not added in the Creed of the Roman Church, neither is it in that of the Oriental Churches. It seems to be implied, however, when it is said that 'He was buried."²⁵ Rufinus may be equating the Descensus with"he was buried" so as to do away with a literal descent in his soul to the underworld.This could not be further from the truth. Rufinus goes on to give Scriptural arguments for Christ's Descensus with Scriptures such as Psalms 16:10; 22:15; 30:3,9; 69:2; Luke 8:20; and 1 Peter 3:18-20. This clearly proves that Rufinus does not think that the phrase "he was buried" means that Christ was merely buried and that his soul did not descend into the underworld. Rufinus is actually arguing the opposite because he is saying that the Descensus was always "implied" in the phrase "he was buried" and only later descendit ad inferna was added to expound what was already understood.²⁶
In fact, those who composed the Nicene Creed (like Rufinus) understood the Descensus as implied by "he was buried" as the survey below will show. Athanasius, who was integral in composing the Nicene Creed, along with the others, believed in the literal descent of Christ in his soul to the underworld. The phrase "He was buried" always brought to mind the Descensus to the Christians from the beginning.²⁷ Pearson thinks the phrase may have been introduced to fight against the heresy Apollinarianism which denied Christ had a human soul.²⁸ At the Niceno-Constantinopolitan Council (AD 381), the ....
Notes:
¹ Ep. 164.
² J. Ussher, "Limbus Patrum and Christ's Descent into Hell," in Ussher's Works, vol. 3 (London: Hodges and Smith, 1847), 604-605,607.
³ W.A. Grudem, "He Did Not Descend into Hell: A Plea for Following Scripture Instead of the Apostles' Creed. JETS 34 (March 1991. ,103-13 .
⁴ J.N.D. Kelly, Early Christian Creeds, 3rd ed. (London: Longman, 1972), 5.
⁵ W.C. Brockwell, Bishop Reginald Pecock and the Lancastrian Church: Securing the Foundations of Cultural Authority, Texts and Studies in Religion, vol. 25
(Queenston, Ontario: Edwin Mellen Press, 1985),61.
⁶ Brockwell, Bishop Reginald Pecock, 139, 203.
⁷ Brockwell, Bishop Reginald Pecock, 61.
⁸ Bishop Ussher did not believe Bishop Pecock denied the Descensus according to his quote above. Also, Cardinal Bellarmine (AD 1541-1621) a century or so after Pecock says,"All agree, that Christ did some manner of way descend into hell."
⁹ This is the very language used by Archbishop Parker in AD 1562 at a Synod on whether to delete the phrase descendit ad inferna from the Apostles' Creed. He said that the Descensus has the support of the "universal consent of the Fathers of both churches." J. Muenscher, "The Descent of Christ into Hell," Bib Sac 16 (1859):330-31.
¹⁰ Irenaeus Haer: 5.30.3; Victorinus of Pettau Apoc. 10.11; Eusebius His. Eccl. 3.17-18 all attest to Revelation being written towards the latter reign of Domitian (AD 81-96). Most modern commentators on Revelation also favor the later date. See discussion and references in G.K. Beale, The Book of Revelation: A Commentary on the Greek Text, NIGTC, ed. I.H. Marshall and D.A. Hagner (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1999),4-27.
¹¹ Even though this language is metaphorical and symbolic, there is a reality behind it that is being communicated. Therefore, the two options for when this transfer of the keys took place is between Christ's death and resurrection or sometime after his resurrection. I will argue in this work that in light of Death and Hades being the referent (Rev 1:18), the Descensus is the primary background.
¹² J. Kroll, Gott und Hölle: Der Mythos vom Descensuskampfe, Studien der Bibliothek Warburg 20 (Leipzig-Berlin: B.G. Teubner, 1932).
¹³ W. Bieder, Die Vorstellung von der Höllenfahrt Jesu Christi: Beitrag zur Entstehungsgeschichte der Vorstellung vom sog. Descensus ad Inferos, ATANT 19, ed. W. Eichrodt and O. Cullmann (Zürich: Zwingli-Verlag, 1949).
¹⁴ J.A. MacCulloch, The Harrowing of Hell: A Comparative Study of an Early Christian Doctrine (Edinburgh: T.& T. Clark, 1930). For more recent treatments, brief but excellent, see references below from Bousset, Jeremias, Selwyn and Bauckham.
¹⁵ W. Hall Harris III, The Descent of Christ: Ephesians 4:7-11 and Traditional Hebren Imagery, Arbeiten zur Geschichte des antiken Judentums und des Urchristentums (Leiden: E.J. Brill, 1996; reprint, Grand Rapids: Baker,1998).
¹⁶ W.J. Dalton, Christ's Proclamation to the Spirits: A Study of 1 Peter 3:18-4:6 (Rome: Pontifical Biblical Institute, 1965). B. Reicke, The Disobedient Spirits and Christian Baptism (Copenhagen: Ejnar Munksgaard, 1946)
¹⁷ N.J. Tromp, Primitive Conceptions of Death and the Nether World in the Old Testament (Rome: Pontifical Biblical Institute, 1969). P.S. Johnston, Shades of Sheol: Death and Afterlife in the Old Testament (Downer's Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 2002).
¹⁸ D.E. Aune, "The Apocalypse of John and Graeco-Roman Revelatory Magic," NTS 33 (October 1987):481-501.
¹⁹ Doehler says,"If Holy Scripture has been considered the 'Mighty Fortress' then the Apostles' Creed has heretofore served as the inner and most ancient wall around this 'Mighty Fortress.' G. Doehler, "The Descent into Hell," The Springfielder 39 (June 1975):2.
²⁰ MacCulloch, The Harrowing of Hell, 72.
²¹ In Latin, inferos is plural and means "lower" or "lower world" and inferna means "hellish/hell." Translating "underworld" instead of "hell" in the Apostles' Creed reflects what the Fathers believed and would have led to a lot less controversy on this phrase had it been translated this way instead of "hell." In Rufinus we have the earliest change from inferos to inferna which has led to such confusion about Christ's descending to the damned (Gehenna) instead of the underworld (Sheol/Hades) in general. M.F. Connell, "Descensus Christi ad Inferos: Christ's Descent to the Dead," TS 62 (2001): 266."It is unfortunate that the Apostles' Creed, Article 3 and the Authorised Version create an unnecessary source of confusion by using 'hell' for hades" (italics his). J. Yates,"He Descended into Hell': Creed, Article and Scripture," Churchman 102 (1988): 248 n. 19.
²² H.B. Swete, The Apostles' Creed: Its Relation to Primitive Christianity (London:
University Press, 1908), 61-62
²³ Athanasius Syn. 1.8; Kelly, Early Christian Creeds, 378. It was the Athanasian Creed that first used the word άδης insteadκαταχθονία
²⁴ IN.D. Kelly, Early Christian Creeds, 3rd ed. (New York: Continuum, 2006), 379. The phrase is also found in the Council of Niké (AD 359), Council of Constantinople (AD 360), the Spanish Creeds and the Council of Toledo (AD 660). A.E. Bum, An Introduction to the Creeds (London: Methuen, 1899), 203. F.J. Badcock, The History of the Creeds (New York: Macmillan, 1938), 157.
²⁵ Rufinus Symb. 14.
²⁶ See 1 Cor 15:4 (έτάφη); Luke 16:23 (και έτάφη και έν τῷ άδη); Acts 2:29 (έτάφη); Tertullian, An. 55 "Christ, who is God, yet being man too, died according to the Scriptures, was buried, and went through the form of human death in Hades; nor did He ascend into Heaven till He had gone down to the lower parts of the earth" (italics mine);: Cyril of Jerusalem Catech. 4.11. E.C. Smyth, "Is the 'Descensus' in the Apostles' Creed an 'Interpolation' and Superfluous?," AR 2 (1889): 420. Contra W.G.T. Shedd, Dogmatic Theology, vol. 2 (New York: Charles Scribner's Sons, 1888),604-5,607.
²⁷ Smyth. "Is the 'Descensus' in the Apostles' Creed an 'Interpolation' and Superfluous?," 421. Doehler, "The Descent into Hell,"6-7
²⁸ Kelly, Early Christian Creeds, 382-83. J. Pearson, An Exposition of the Creed (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1857),421. A.C. McGiffert, The Apostles' Creed: Its Origin, Its Purpose, and Its Historical Interpretation (New York: Charles Scribner's Sons, 1902), 193.
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