El mensaje está en dos partes. Esta es la primera parte. Oro que este mensaje te choque y se clave en tu corazón. Es este mensaje de liberación, salvación, y el poder de Dios para hacer lo imposible. ¡Que seas ricamente bendecido!

Cuando el Señor me empezó a mostrar estas verdades acerca del sacrificio de Jesucristo en el 1976, nunca pensé que este mensaje correría a través del mundo. En el 1977 y 1978 publiqué el mensaje en ingles y luego en español. Eran libros de 89 y 132 páginas. ¡El Señor me ha dado mas! Oye este mensaje grabado abajo que resume el tema poderosamente.

Después de oír el mensaje, vas a querer leer el libro publicado en el 2014 con 291 páginas con el mismo titulo de este mensaje y este tema. Usa ese eslabón para verlo o descargarlo gratuitamente. Nuestra redención en Cristo se establece con muchas escrituras. Si esto fuera solo una "revelación" personal sin fundamento, eso sería un error gigantesco. Pero esto no es "interpretación" privada que carece de fundamento sólido en las Palabra de Dios. Se prueba una y otras vez usando las mismas palabras de Jesús, Pablo, Pedro, Juan, y los profetas del Antiguo Testamento como David, Isaías, y Jonás. Este es mensaje transformador y que SIEMPRE te llevará a victoria en Cristo Jesús. ¡Aquí está! ¡Prepárate para una aventura en la Palabra de Dios que nunca te dejará igual! 

El PDF, igual que el impreso, es mi libro de 291 páginas publicado en el 2014.

No te pierdas esta oportunidad de descargar este libro ungido completamente sin costo. Este libro también ha sido distribuido en forma de libro impreso, y por varios distribuidores al detal. Cientos de libros han sido dados gratuitamente a iglesias y a otras obras establecidas en el Señor. 

Libro:

3 Días y Noches en el Corazón de La Tierra 

In English, though a little shorter at 243 pages, free download:

Download it freely in English here. 

Hundreds of downloads on this website plus hundreds of the printed version sold and/or distributed to churches and other Christian organizations free of charge. 

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Did the Soul Of Jesus Descend to Hades After His Death on the Cross?

Scripture, 2 partial articles, and the Early Church Fathers on this mighty Subject

Most of what follows was generated with Google AI. It was extremely easy to find. AI also generated some interesting articles that I included partially. I didn't add these references in my books on this majestic subject, published since 1977 and 1978 in Spanish and English, and then in 2010, 2011, and 2014. I've published 5 books on the subject. Thankfully, my printed books on the subject have found their way to Bible schools, Bible studies, Pastors, Ministers, and other believers around the world.

I've based myself in my books on Scripture references as the Lord has taught me over the years. It is important to note that I am certainly not alone in teaching this subject from the Old and New Testament. The earliest scriptural reference goes back to the prophetic Word in Psalms 16:10 and in other references I quote from the book of Psalms. Peter taught on Jesus descending into Hades in the first recorded message after the Holy Spirit fell in Acts 2:24-31.

Many of the early Ante-Nicene Fathers, such as Ignatius of Antioch, Polycarp, Justin Martyr, Tertullian, and Irenaeus of Lyons, believed that Christ descended to the realm of the dead, which they often equated with Hades or Sheol.It is important to note that the interpretation of Christ's descent to the dead varied among early Christian writers, with different understandings of the precise nature and purpose of this descent. However, the concept of a descent to the realm of the dead was widely accepted, and passages like Acts 2:24-31 played a role in shaping this understanding.

References to Jesus in Hades (or the underworld/realm of the dead) in the second century AD can be found in a number of Christian writings:

Irenaeus of Lyons (c. 130 - c. 202 AD): In his work Against Heresies, Irenaeus mentions Jesus' descent into the regions beneath the earth (commonly understood as Hades), noting that Jesus preached there and declared remission of sins to believers.

Melito of Sardis (c. 180s AD): In his sermon On Pascha, a liturgical work for Christian Passover, Melito of Sardis proclaimed that Jesus appeared to the dead in Hades. He describes Christ's victory over death and Hades, including the imagery of Christ binding "the strong man," which could refer to exorcism and deliverance from demonic forces.

Clement of Alexandria (c. 150 - c. 215 AD): In The Stromata, Clement writes about the Lord preaching the Gospel to those in Hades, specifically mentioning those who perished in the flood, and connecting it to 1 Peter 3:18-20.

The Gospel of Nicodemus (Gospel of Peter, possibly 2nd century but maybe later): Contains a detailed account of Jesus' descent into Hades. It describes Jesus invading Hades, overcoming Satan and Hades, and leading the Old Testament saints into paradise. While its exact dating is debated, elements likely date back to the second or third centuries.

Odes of Solomon: This collection of hymns, potentially the earliest Christian hymnbook, contains passages clearly referring to the Messiah's descent into Hades and his overthrow of it, according to Cambridge University Press & Assessment.

Ascension of Isaiah: Includes passages portraying Christ descending to Hades and achieving victory over it.

These references indicate a growing belief in and theological reflection upon Jesus' descent into the realm of the dead during the second century AD, solidifying the idea as an integral part of early Christian thought and the eventual development of the Apostles' Creed's "descended to Hades" clause.

The belief in Jesus' descent into Hades was widespread in the early Church, based on interpretations of New Testament passages like 1 Peter 3:19 and Ephesians 4:9. Early writers like Irenaeus and Melito discussed his activities there, focusing on his preaching and deliverance of the dead. Apocryphal texts like the Gospel of Nicodemus provide more detailed narratives, though their dating is debated.

Interpretations varied regarding the specific purpose and scope of salvation offered during this descent.

Ante-Nicene Fathers, Vol III: Tertullian: Part I: The Christian Idea of the Position of Hades; The Blessedness of Paradise Immediately After Death. The Privilege of the Martyrs. Chapter LV.

By ourselves the lower regions (of Hades) are not supposed to be a bare cavity, nor some subterranean sewer of the world, but a vast deep space in the interior of the earth, and a concealed recess in its very bowels; inasmuch as we read that Christ in His death spent three days in the heart of the earth, 1799 that is, in the secret inner recess which is hidden in the earth, and enclosed by the earth, and superimposed on the abysmal depths which lie still lower down. Now although Christ is God, yet, being also man, “He died according to the Scriptures,” 1800 and “according to the same Scriptures was buried.” 1801 With the same law of His being He fully complied, by remaining in Hades in the form and condition of a dead man; nor did He ascend into the heights of heaven before descending into the lower parts of the earth, that He might there make the patriarchs and prophets partakers of Himself. 1802 (This being the case), you must suppose Hades to be a subterranean region, and keep at arm’s length those who are too proud to believe that the souls of the faithful deserve a place in the lower regions. 1803 These persons, who are “servants above their Lord, and disciples above their Master,” 1804 would no doubt spurn to receive the comfort of the resurrection, if they must expect it in Abraham’s bosom. But it was for this purpose, say they, that Christ descended into hell, that we might not ourselves have to descend thither. Well, then, what difference is there between heathens and Christians, if the same prison awaits them all when dead? How, indeed, shall the soul mount up to heaven, where Christ is already sitting at the Father’s right hand, when as yet the archangel’s trumpet has not been heard by the command of God, 1805 —when as yet those whom the coming of the Lord is to find on the earth, have not been caught up into the air to meet Him at His coming, 1806 in company with the dead in Christ, who shall be the first to arise? 1807 To no one is heaven opened; the earth is still safe for him, I would not say it is shut against him. When the world, indeed, shall pass away, then the kingdom of heaven shall be opened. Shall we then have to sleep high up in ether, with the boy-loving worthies of Plato; or in the air with Arius; or around the moon with the Endymions of the Stoics? No, but in Paradise, you tell me, whither already the patriarchs and prophets have removed from Hades in the retinue of the Lord’s resurrection. How is it, then, that the region of Paradise, which as revealed to John in the Spirit lay under the altar, 1808 displays no other souls as in it besides the souls of the martyrs? How is it that the most heroic martyr Perpetua on the day of her passion saw only her fellow-martyrs there, in the revelation which she received of Paradise, if it were not that the sword which guarded the entrance permitted none to go in thereat, except those who had died in Christ and not in Adam? A new death for God, even the extraordinary one for Christ, is admitted into the reception-room of mortality, specially altered and adapted to receive the new-comer. Observe, then, the difference between a heathen and a Christian in their death: if you have to lay down your life for God, as the Comforter 1809 counsels, it is not in gentle fevers and on soft beds, but in the sharp pains of martyrdom: you must take up the cross and bear it after your Master, as He has Himself instructed you. 1810 The sole key to unlock Paradise is your own life’s blood. 1811 You have a treatise by us, 1812 (on Paradise), in which we have established the position that every soul is detained in safe keeping in Hades until the day of the Lord.

Footnotes for Tertullian passage: 

1799 Matt. xii. 40.

1800 1 Cor. xv. 3.

1801 1 Cor. 15.4.

1802 1 Pet. iii. 19.

1803 See Irenæus, adv. Hæres. v. [Vol. I. p. 566, this Series.]

1804 Matt. x. 24.

1805 1 Cor. 15:52, 1 Thess. 4:16.

1806 1 Thess. iv. 17.

1807 1 Thess. 4.16.

1808 Rev. vi. 9.

1809 Paracletus.

1810 Matt. xvi. 24.

1811 The souls of the martyrs were, according to Tertullian, at once removed to Paradise (Bp. Kaye, p. 249).

1812 De Paradiso. [Compare, p. 216, note 9, supra.]

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Evidence for Christ’s Descent Into Hell

April 6, 2018 / Robert Arakaki

Christ standing over the shattered doors of Hell and rescuing Adam and Eve

On Holy Saturday, the Orthodox Church celebrates Christ’s descent into Hell (Hades). For many Protestants and Evangelicals this is a strange idea. When I was a Protestant, I was often puzzled by the line in the Apostles Creed: “he [Christ] descended to hell.” I thought this line was bizarre and unnecessary. As a Protestant, I was never taught the theology behind the historic creeds of the Church. However, after attending the Orthodox Easter (Pascha) services I began to see how Christ’s descent into Hell is important for our salvation.

Recently, the Rev. Scot McKnight wrote an insightful article “Holy Saturday: What Happened on Saturday to Jesus?” In it he listed bible verses that taught Christ’s descent into Hell. The article helped me to understand familiar passages in a new light. I thought I knew the Bible pretty well, but I was surprised to find that I had overlooked bible passages that support Holy Saturday, a feast day that takes place just before Easter Sunday. Thank you, Pastor McKnight! In this article, I examine the biblical basis for Christ’s descent into Hell, the witness of the Church Fathers to this doctrine, and John Calvin’s rejection of this important doctrine.

What the Bible Teaches

Christ’s descent into Hell (Hades, Sheol) can be found in both the Old and New Testaments. It forms a part of the arc of biblical narrative of how God saves us through Jesus Christ. Hell can be understood as the holding place where the souls of the good and the bad went after death (Luke 16:19-31). It is to be distinguished from Gehenna, the place of eternal torment (Mark 9:42-48; Revelation 20:14).

Christ’s descent into Hades was anticipated by Jesus himself in Matthew’s Gospel.

For as Jonah was three 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.” (Matthew 12:40: OSB; emphasis added)

Here Jesus saw in the Prophet Jonah’s three nights in the whale a foreshadowing of what would happen to him in his impending death.

The Apostle Peter spoke of Jesus’ descent into Hell in his Pentecost sermon:

He [David], foreseeing this, spoke concerning the resurrection of the Christ, that His soul was not left in Hades, nor did His flesh see corruption. (Acts 2:31; OSB; emphasis added)

Here Peter was making reference to Psalm 16 verse 10, one of the messianic psalms. One of the greatest concerns expressed throughout the Book of Psalms is the fate of the souls after death. In this passage we learn that death is not the final word and see hints of the Messiah’s victory over death.

The Apostle Paul in his letter to the Ephesians developed the theme of Christ’s elevation to the highest position in the cosmos for our salvation. In Ephesians 4, Paul discussed Christ’s descent into Hades in light of Christ’s later ascension to heaven.

Now this, ‘He ascended’—what does it mean but that He also first descended into the lower parts of the earth? (Ephesians 4:9; OSB; emphasis added)

In his epistle, the Apostle Peter gave a more detailed explanation of Christ’s descent into Hell in light of the impending Judgment Day.

By whom also He went and preached to the spirits in prison, who formerly were disobedient, when once the Divine longsuffering waited in the days of Noah. (1 Peter 3:19-20; OSB; emphasis added)

For this reason the gospel was preached also to those who are dead, that they might be judged according to men in the flesh, but live according to God in the spirit. (1 Peter 4:6; OSB; emphasis added)

Apparently, in preparation for the Final Judgment everyone, both living and dead, will have some knowledge of the Gospel.

Protestants pride themselves on their biblical exposition, but I had never heard a sermon on these verses or on the theme of Christ’s descent into Hell during my twenty-plus years as a Protestant. The reasons for this oversight is not all that surprising. These verses don’t fit in well with the Protestant dogma sola fide (justification by faith alone) which gives heavy emphasis to the penal atonement model of salvation. Yet what we see here is a strand of biblical teaching that began in the Old Testament, is reiterated by Christ, and expounded by the two preeminent Apostles: Peter and Paul.....

The Apostles’ Creed

This strand of biblical teaching would later find expression in a line in the Apostles Creed that many Protestants find baffling:

"I believe in Jesus Christ, his only Son, our Lord, who was conceived by the Holy Spirit and born of the virgin Mary. He suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died, and was buried; he descended to hell. The third day he rose again from the dead. He ascended to heaven and is seated at the right hand of God the Father almighty. From there he will come to judge the living and the dead." 

The Apostles Creed represents an ancient baptismal creed that became part of the liturgical life of western churches. Because the early Christians regularly recited the Apostles Creed, Christ’s descent into Hell was widely known. This stands in contrast to modern day Evangelicalism which is largely ignorant of the Apostles Creed and the theology behind it. My former Protestant home church said the Apostles Creed every few years. That’s how rarely we used it!

The Witness of the Church Fathers

An examination of the Church Fathers shows a widespread acceptance of Christ’s descent into Hell. Irenaeus of Lyons (died c. 200), one of the earliest Church Fathers, in Against Heresies 4.27.2 (ANF Vol. 1 p. 499) paraphrases 1 Peter 3:19-20:

It was for this reason, too, that the Lord descended into the regions beneath the earth, preaching His advent there also, and [declaring] the remission of sins received by those who believe in Him.

Here we see an explicit reference to the Gospel being proclaimed in Hell by none other than the Lord Jesus himself. Hell is no longer a place of hopelessness, but one in which the dead can be saved through faith in Christ.

Cyril of Jerusalem (c. 310-386) in his catechetical lectures taught Christ’s descent into Hell to redeem the righteous.

He was truly laid as Man in a tomb of rock; but rocks were rent asunder by terror because of Him. He went down into the regions beneath the earth, that thence also He might redeem the righteous. (Lecture 4.11; NPNF Vol. 7 p. 22; emphasis added)

He also linked Christ’s descent into Hell to a puzzling verse in Matthew’s Gospel (27:52-53) which spoke of the dead rising and entering into Jerusalem:

I believe that Christ also was raised from the dead; for I have many testimonies of this, both from the Divine Scriptures, and from the operative power even at this day of Him who arose — who descended into hell alone, but ascended thence with a great company; for He went down to death, and many bodies of the saints which slept arose through Him. (Lecture 14.18; NPNF Vol. 7 p. 99; emphasis added)

Hilary of Poitiers (c. 315-368), one of the less well-known Church Fathers, was a staunch defender of Christ’s divinity against the Semi-Arians. In On the Trinity (De Trinitate) Hilary discussed Christ’s descent into Hell in connection with the confession made by the Good Thief:

When He descended to Hades, He was never absent from Paradise (just as He was always in Heaven when He was preaching on earth as the Son of Man), but promised His martyr a home there, and held out to him the transports of perfect happiness. . . . for the Lord Who was to descend to Hades, was also to dwell in Paradise. Separate, if you can, from His indivisible nature a part which could fear punishment: send the one part of Christ to Hades to suffer pain, the other, you must leave in Paradise to reign . . . . (On the Trinity 10.34; NPNF Vol. 9 p. 190; emphasis added)

The point Hilary is making is that the alleged contradictions that appear to contradict Christ’s divinity can be cleared up by taking into account Christ’s two natures, that is, Christ was at the same time both divine and human in his Incarnation.

Gregory of Nazianzen (330-389) in his Second Oration on Easter (Orations 45.24) declared:

If He descend into Hell, descend with Him. Learn to know the mysteries of Christ there also, what is the providential purpose of the twofold descent, to save all men absolutely by His manifestation, or there too only them that believe. (NPNF Vol. VII p. 432; emphasis added)

Gregory’s phrase “twofold descent” refers to Christ’s descent from heaven to earth, and then from the world of the living to the world of the dead. Christ’s purpose for doing so is for our salvation. The phrase “save all men absolutely” points to a broader understanding of salvation than just the forgiveness of sins.

Ambrose of Milan (c. 339-397) in On the Christian Faith related Christ’s two natures to his descent into Hell:

Distinguish here also the two natures present. The flesh hath need of help, the Godhead hath no need. He is free, then, because the chains of death had no hold upon Him. He was not made prisoner by the powers of darkness, it is He Who exerted power amongst them. (Book 3.4.28; NPNF Vol. 10 p. 246; emphasis added)

Then,

Now, if it please you, let us grant that, in accordance with the mystic prophecy, the substance of Christ was present in the underworld—for truly He did exert His power in the lower world to set free, in the soul which animated His own body, the souls of the dead, to loose the bands of death, to remit sins. (Book 3.14.111; NPNF Vol. 10 p. 258; emphasis added)

Here Ambrose showed how Christology relates to the Christus Victor understanding of salvation. Ambrose is a prominent and influential Latin Father. It was he who brought Augustine to faith in Christ.

Augustine of Hippo (354-430), whose teaching gave rise to the theology of Western Christianity, both Roman Catholic and Protestant, in no uncertain terms affirmed Christ’s descent into Hell. He wrote in Letter 164 Chapter 2:

It is established beyond question that the Lord, after He had been put to death in the flesh, “descended into hell;” for it is impossible to gainsay either that utterance of prophecy, “You will not leave my soul in hell,” — an utterance which Peter himself expounds in the Acts of the Apostles, lest any one should venture to put upon it another interpretation — or the words of the same apostle, in which he affirms that the Lord “loosed the pains of hell, in which it was not possible for Him to be holden.” Who, therefore, except an infidel, will deny that Christ was in hell?

Augustine wrote this letter because even back then there were people who doubted that Christ descended to Hades. His fierce retort against the skeptics of his time, likening them to unbelievers, should give pause to our present-day Protestant skeptics.

John of Damascus (c. 675-c. 749) wrote the closest thing to a systematic theology in the early Church. In his Exposition of the Orthodox Faith (Chapter 29), Saint John devoted one brief chapter to Christ’s descent into Hades.

The soul when it was deified descended into Hades, in order that, just as the Sun of Righteousness rose for those upon the earth, so likewise He might bring light to those who sit under the earth in darkness and shadow of death: in order that just as He brought the message of peace to those upon the earth, and of release to the prisoners, and of sight to the blind , and became to those who believed the Author of everlasting salvation and to those who did not believe a reproach of their unbelief, so He might become the same to those in Hades: That every knee should bow to Him, of things in heaven, and things in earth and things under the earth. And thus after He had freed those who had been bound for ages, straightway He rose again from the dead, showing us the way of resurrection. (NPNF Vol. 9 pp. 72-73; emphasis added)

In this short passage, John of Damascus interweaves several biblical passages around the theme of Christ’s descent into Hades: Malachi 4:2, Isaiah 9:2, 1 Peter 3:19, and Philippians 2:10. Saint John teaches us that Christ took his ministry of miracles and preaching to Hades when he died. We learn that Hell is not exempt from Christ’s ministry of salvation for Jesus Christ is Lord and Savior of all people everywhere, both the living and the dead.

In summary, we find a patristic consensus that ranges from Irenaeus of Lyons in the second century to John of Damascus in the eighth century. Both Greek and Latin Fathers bore witness to this doctrine. Furthermore, we find this doctrine expressed in the worship life of the early Church, e.g., the Apostles Creed, which is still used by Western Christians and in the Holy Saturday services celebrated by the Orthodox. Thus, we can say that the doctrine of Christ’s descent to Hades is a fundamental Christian teaching as it meets the criteria set forth in the Vincentian Canon: “Quod ubique, quod semper, quod ab omnibus creditum est” (That Faith which has been believed everywhere, always, by all). (Commonitory [6])

Calvin’s Break From the Patristic Consensus

It came as a surprise to me to find that John Calvin understood Christ’s descent to Hades metaphorically. In his discussion of the fate of those who died and the place of the dead..., Calvin regards this to a “fable” and something “childish” taught by “great authors” (the Church Fathers):

Though this fable has the countenance of great authors, and is now also seriously defended by many as truth, it is nothing but a fable. To conclude from it that the souls of the dead are in prison is childish. And what occasion was there that the soul of Christ should go down thither to set them at liberty? (Institutes 2.16.9; Vol. 1 p. 514; emphasis added)

Calvin was of the opinion that the line in the Apostles Creed regarding Christ’s crucifixion, death, and burial referred to Christ’s physical sufferings and the following line about Christ’s descent to Hades referred to Christ’s internal suffering as he experienced divine wrath on behalf of sinful humanity.

But, apart from the Creed, we must seek for a surer exposition of Christ’s descent to hell: and the word of God furnishes us with one not only pious and holy, but replete with excellent consolation. Nothing had been done if Christ had only endured corporeal death. In order to interpose between us and God’s anger, and satisfy his righteous judgment, it was necessary that he should feel the weight of divine vengeance. . . . .

But after explaining what Christ endured in the sight of man, the Creed appropriately adds the invisible and incomprehensible judgment which he endured before God, to teach us that not only was the body of Christ given up as the price of redemption, but that there was a greater and more excellent price—that he bore in his soul the tortures of condemned and ruined man. . . . .

Hence there is nothing strange in its being said that he descended to hell, seeing he endured the death which is inflicted on the wicked by an angry God. (Institutes 2.16.10; Vol. 1 p. 514; emphasis added)

Calvin’s emphasis here is on Christ’s sufferings to appease the wrath of an “angry God.” Here we see in stark terms the penal atonement model of salvation (which assumes a wrathful deity) that many find grossly overplayed, if not deeply repugnant. What I find surprising is how Calvin cavalierly discards the ancient Christus Victor model of salvation and replaces it the penal atonement model. Also upsetting was Calvin’s condescending attitude towards the Church Fathers. To ignore the teaching on Christ’s descent to Hell, Calvin brings a novel, allegorical reading to the Apostles Creed. That Calvin’s reading is a minority position can be seen in the fact that Martin Luther did not jettison the traditional reading of the Apostles Creed. In his 1533 sermon at Torgau, Luther affirmed the traditional understanding that Christ entered Hell as Victor over Satan and his host (Bente). Luther introduced a new soteriology (doctrine of salvation) with his novel understanding of justification (sola fide).

Pastor John Piper

Calvin’s dismissive attitude towards the doctrine of Christ’s descent into Hell would have long term consequences. It would lead to the descensus controversies that would roil sixteenth century Protestantism (Bagchi p. 198). Calvin’s innovative understanding was accepted within Reformed circles, but when brought into contact with other Protestant traditions it traditions it came across as bizarre. Nonetheless, Calvin’s view became part of the Reformed tradition. It can be found in Question 44 of the Heidelberg Catechism. Reformers like Theodore Beza would, on their own imitative, omit that line (Bagchi p. 199). Even today, prominent Reformed theologians like John Piper have taken the liberty to omit that line. They “retain” aspects of ancient Christianity and throw out what they don’t like. This is like wanting to have one’s cake and eat it too.

When I studied church history at seminary, I learned that Protestantism’s heavy emphasis on the penal aspects of Christ’s dying on the Cross is a relatively recent doctrine that emerged to prominence in the 1500s. What we see in the Apostles Creed reflects the theology of the early Church which reflected the patristic doctrine of Christus Victor. The fact that many Protestants today are unfamiliar with Christ’s descent in Hades and even the Apostles Creed show how far Protestantism has drifted from its ancient Christian roots. This is not to say that Protestants and Evangelicals should relinquish the penal model of salvation altogether, but that they should incorporate the ancient patristic model of Christus Victor into their theology. A good resource for this is Gustav Aulen’s theological classic Christus Victor. Protestantism has paid a heavy price in forsaking its roots in the early Church. It has adopted a novel soteriology accompanied by a new form of worship resulting in their estrangement from Ancient Christianity.

Two Paradigms of Salvation

When I was a Protestant it was hard to fit the verses about Christ’s descent to Hell into the penal substitutionary theory of salvation. In this model, all that mattered was Christ’s suffering and dying on the Cross. His death was the crucial element; everything else was superfluous. This led to strained attempts to explain how Christ’s resurrection was necessary for our salvation. More prominent in the early Church was the recapitulation theory in which Christ as the Second Adam retraced human existence from birth to death, from conception in his mother’s womb to his descent into the underworld. The underworld was where all the dead souls—good and bad—awaited the Final Judgment. Like the other humans who died, Christ descended into Hades. However unlike other humans, this was the uncorrupted Second Adam who was unjustly sentenced to death, Immanuel who is “God With Us.” John Chrysostom in his famous Easter sermon declared:

It [Hell] took a body [Jesus Christ], and, lo, it discovered God.

It took earth and behold! it encountered Heaven.

It took what it saw, and was overcome by what it could not see.

O death where is your sting? O Hades [Hell], where is your victory?

Christ is risen, and you [Hell] are annihilated.

Christ is risen and the demons have fallen.

Christ is risen and the Angels rejoice.

Christ is risen and life is liberated.

Christ is risen, and the tomb is emptied of the dead. . . .

Where Protestantism puts the emphasis on the forgiveness of sins obtained through Christ’s death on the Cross, Orthodoxy puts the emphasis on the defeat of sin, death, and the devil through Christ’s life, death, and resurrection. What saves us is not an event but rather a Person, Jesus Christ. This is not to say that Protestantism’s doctrine of salvation is all wrong. However, Protestantism’s reductionism unduly emphasizes only one part of a far richer and fuller picture of Salvation in Christ. Orthodoxy’s holistic understanding of salvation is multifaceted. It teaches us about the many ways Christ saves us: freeing us from captivity to Satan and the demons, the healing our souls and body, bringing us back home and restoring us to our standing as God’s beloved children, making us wise, transforming us into his likeness and more. Unlike Protestantism’s novel approach to salvation, Orthodoxy preserves the teachings of the early Church to the present day...

Additional Readings:

Metropolitan Hilarion Alfeyev. 2002. “Christ the Conqueror of Hell” (lecture)

Gustav Aulen. 1931. Christus Victor: A Study of the Three Main Types of the Idea of Atonement

David V.N. Bagchi. 2008. “Luther Versus Luther? The Problem of Christ’s Descent into Hell in the Long Sixteenth Century.” Perichoresis 6.2.

F. Bente. “XIX. Controversy on Christ’s Descent into Hell.” The Book of Concord

Robert B. Kruschwitz. 2014. “He Descended into Hell.” Christian Reflection – A Series in Faith and Ethics

Scot McKnight. 2018. “Holy Saturday – What Happened on Saturday to Jesus?” Jesus Creed

John Piper. 2008. “Did Christ Ever Descend to Hell?” DesiringGod.org

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He Descended to Hell: An Investigation of the Harrowing of Hell in the Apostles’ Creed

Author: Melanie Nassif

Published: Dec 26, 2023

​Where was Jesus between His death and resurrection? Did He really descend into hell, as the Apostles’ Creed states? The Apostles’ Creed is a foundational statement of faith in church history. It not only outlines Christ’s incarnation, suffering, death, resurrection, and ascension, but it also contains the remarkable phrase, “He descended to hell.” Most churches today affirm this creed, yet the clause remains as divisive now as it first did during the Reformation. In thought, worship, and sermons, believers often skip from Christ’s burial to His resurrection, leaving out Holy Saturday. Should this clause be dropped from the creed, or does it faithfully interpret Scripture? Understanding the formation of the Apostles’ Creed, the descent clause, and the history of its interpretation will help readers decide for themselves.

What Is the Apostles’ Creed?

The Apostles’ Creed is one of the oldest Christian statements of faith. Unlike the Nicene Creed or the Chalcedonian Definition, the Apostles’ Creed was not written or approved by an Ecumenical Council; rather, it developed over several hundred years. Its earliest form, the Old Roman Creed, was used liturgically during baptisms and dates back to the second century.1 Its wording remained quite uniform through the fourth century when an almost identical form was documented by the Aquileian priest Tyrannius Rufinus.2 As the Apostles’ Creed gained popularity in the West, it was enhanced with several minor additions until the final version appeared in the early eighth century. This finalized Apostles’ Creed included several new phrases about the Trinity and the church, as well as the controversial statement that Christ “descended to hell.” As noted, most churches today affirm the creed, but the “harrowing of hell” has widely differing interpretations. Eastern Orthodox and Roman Catholics both affirm Christ’s descent....

Early Church Witnesses

The early church generally held that during the three days between His death and resurrection, Christ descended into Hades, freed the righteous dead, and proclaimed His victory over Satan’s bondage (Phil. 2:10). This belief found its source in several New Testament references, including Ephesians 4:9, 1 Peter 3:19, and 1 Peter 4:6, which will later be examined. Though the descent clause was absent from the early versions of the Apostles’ Creed, the belief in the harrowing of hell was widely accepted by most of the early church fathers: Ignatius of Antioch, Polycarp, Justin Martyr, Tertullian, Cyril of Alexandria, Origen, John Chrysostom, Cyril of Jerusalem, Hilary of Poitiers, Ambrose of Milan, and Gregory Nazianzus, among others. For example, Irenaeus of Lyons (c. 130 – c. 202), in Against Heresies, stated, “It was for this reason, too, that the Lord descended into the regions beneath the earth, preaching His advent there also. And He [declared] the remission of sins received by those who believe in Him.”3

Not only was there a consensus patrum (consensus of the Fathers) in both the East and the West about Christ’s literal descent to hell, the harrowing of hell seems to have been popular among the laypeople of the church, as can be seen in ancient liturgies, hymnography, and poetry. The Easter troparion, a short hymn that likely was in use by the second century and is still sung in Eastern Orthodox churches today, proclaims Christ’s victory over hell: “Christ is risen from the dead, trampling down death by death, and upon those in the tombs bestowing life.”6 Additionally, a verse from the extensive Paschal hymn of Ephrem the Syrian (c. 306–373) reads: “Death finished his taunting speech and our Lord’s voice rang out thunderously in Sheol, tearing open each grave one by one. Terrible pangs seized hold of Death in Sheol….The dead went forth, and shame covered the living who had hoped they had conquered Him who gives life to all.”7 Belief in the harrowing of hell was clearly widespread in the early church. 

Impact of the Reformation

During the Reformation, the doctrine of Jesus’ descent was one of the foremost Roman Catholic doctrines examined. Interestingly, Martin Luther (1483–1546) affirmed the descent, and it was not until John Calvin (1509–1564) that the clause was questioned. Instead of a literal interpretation, Calvin understood “he descended to hell” metaphorically as a reference to Christ’s substitutionary atonement.8 He believed that the phrase indicated Jesus’ torment as He suffered on the cross and took on the sin of humanity.9 After the Reformation, both Reformed and numerous evangelical churches largely denied a literal interpretation of the descent. Today, many evangelical and Reformed churches interpret the clause as a reemphasis of Christ’s death,10 while other Reformed churches ascribe to Calvin’s view.11

Arguments for the Descent

Eastern Orthodox, Roman Catholic, Lutheran, Anglican, and other Christian traditions affirm Christ’s descent to Hades. Biblically speaking, one of the most commonly cited references is 1 Peter 3:19: “After being made alive, [Christ] went and made proclamation to the imprisoned spirits — to those who were disobedient long ago when God waited patiently in the days of Noah while the ark was being built.” Though Augustine argued that this passage in particular was a reference to Christ preaching through Noah to the unbelievers of his time,16 this understanding is questionable in light of the chronological narrative of the context. This text seems to indicate that Christ descended into Hades on Easter Saturday and proclaimed His victory over death and the demonic powers to imprisoned souls. Additionally, given Peter’s solemn warning to the living and the dead in 1 Peter 4:5, it should not be assumed that he moves from the physically dead to the spiritually dead in verse 6. In fact, 1 Peter 4:6 reinforces the descent of Christ ....

Additional support for the descent into Hades is found in Scripture’s broader witness. For example, throughout the Old Testament, God’s people often express hope that the Lord will deliver them from the depths of Sheol (Ps. 88:3, 116:3), something they cannot do themselves. Gregory of Nazianzus famously taught that Christ took on the whole of humanity in order to redeem and heal it.18 Why, then, would His victory be revealed only to the living and not to the dead, since believers are united to Jesus in both His life and death (Rom. 6:3–5)?

Moreover, the weight of the ancient church’s witness must be taken into account, given that belief in the descent was nearly universal. Although the commentator Rufinus stated that the descent clause was missing from several churches’ creedal definitions, its absence was not due to their rejection of its teaching. The descent was implicit in the preceding phrase, “He suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died, and was buried.” In other words, the early church affirmed Christ’s descent by declaring His death and burial, avoiding repetition. As Matthew Emerson has argued, Jesus’ atonement and descent may well have been “part of His exaltation, not His humiliation.”19 The collective patristic, liturgical, and biblical witnesses all point to Christ’s descent.

The theology of Holy Saturday has been debated since the Reformation. Many churches today affirm the descent clause in their recitation of the Apostles’ Creed, while others want to drop it altogether. To be theologically informed, Christians must weigh the biblical, historical, and theological arguments for and against the clause. Regardless of the outcome, however, both sides can rejoice in Christ’s victory over death. In the words of the ancient hymn, “Christ is risen from the dead, trampling down death by death!”

NOTES

1.Rufinus of Aquileia, A Commentary on the Apostles’ Creed, trans. J. N. D. Kelly (New York: Newman Press, 1954), 121.

2. J. N. D. Kelly, Early Christian Creeds (London: Continuum, 1960), 101.

3. Irenaeus, Against Heresies, IV.27.2, in Ante-Nicene Fathers, ed. Alexander Roberts and James Donaldson (Peabody, MA: Hendrickson Publishers, 1995), 1:499.

4. Clement of Alexandria, The Stromata, VI.6, in Ante-Nicene Fathers, ed. Alexander Roberts and James Donaldson (Peabody, MA: Hendrickson Publishers, 1995), 2:492.

5. Augustine, City of God, XVIII.30, trans. J. W. C. Wand (London: Oxford University Press, 1963), 297.

6. Metropolitan Hilarion Alfeyev, Christ the Conquereor of Hell: The Descent into Hades from an Orthodox Perspective (Crestwood, NY: St Vladimir’s Seminary Press, 2009), 34.

7. Ephrem of Syria, Der heiligen Ephraem der Syrers Carmina Nisibena, ed. Deborah Beck, CSCO (Louvain, Belgium: Peeters Publishers, 1963), 2:4, quoted in Alfeyev, Christ the Conqueror of Hell, 113.

8. Matthew Emerson, “He Descended to the Dead”: An Evangelical Theology of Holy Saturday (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 2019), 92.

9. John Calvin, Institutes of the Christian Religion 16.8–12.

10. See Westminster Larger Catechism, Q50.

11. See Heidelberg Catechism, Q44.

12. All Bible quotations are from the New International Version unless otherwise noted.

13. Wayne Grudem, Systematic Theology (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan 1994), 592.

14. Rufinus of Aquileia, A Commentary on the Apostles’ Creed, 52.

15. Grudem, Systematic Theology, 594.

16. Augustine, Letters 131–164, The Fathers of the Church, trans. Wilfrid Parsons (Washington, D.C.: Catholic University of America Press, 1953), 383.

17. Frank S. Thielman, Ephesians, BECNT (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Academic, 2010), 270.

18. Gregory of Nazianzus, “Letter to Cledonius, 101,” in On God and Christ, trans. Lionel Wickham, ed. John Behr (Crestwood, NY: St Vladimir’s Seminary Press, 2002), 158.

19. Emerson, He Descended to the Dead,

Taken from: https://www.equip.org/articles/he-descended-to-hell-an-investigation-of-the-harrowing-of-hell-in-the-apostles-creed/#:~:text

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What scriptures did Ante-Nicene Fathers use to support Jesus' descent into Hades?

The Ante-Nicene Fathers, in supporting the belief that Jesus descended into Hades after his death and before his resurrection, drew upon a number of scriptural passages, primarily from the New Testament, but also with references to the Old Testament.

Here are some of the key scriptures they used:

1 Peter 3:19-20: "in which he also went and made proclamation to the spirits in prison, who in former times did not obey, when God's patience waited in the days of Noah." Christian Research Institute notes this was a primary reference for the belief in Christ's descent into Hades to proclaim his victory, according to Equip.org. This passage was interpreted by many Fathers, like Irenaeus, as a clear reference to Jesus preaching in the realm of the dead.

Ephesians 4:9: "What does 'He ascended' mean except that He also descended to the lower, earthly regions?" Some Fathers understood "lower regions" as referring to Hades, indicating a descent beyond simply coming to earth. According to Crossway, this passage is open to different interpretations, but the descent into Hades is one of them.

1 Peter 4:6: "For this is the reason the gospel was proclaimed even to the dead, so that, though judged in the flesh as humans are, they might live in the spirit as God does." This verse is another example of a passage that led some Fathers to believe that Jesus's message of salvation was extended to those who had already died.

Matthew 12:40: "For just as Jonah was three 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." This passage was interpreted by some Fathers to mean that Jesus not only lay in the tomb but also descended into the underworld.

Psalm 16:10: "For you will not abandon my soul to Sheol, or let your holy one see corruption." The Friends of Israel Gospel Ministry explains that Peter and Paul cited this psalm, applying it to Jesus and his resurrection, implying a descent and then a return from the realm of the dead.

In addition to these specific passages, the Fathers often drew upon the broader concept of the afterlife and the realm of the dead (Hades/Sheol) found throughout both the Old and New Testaments to support their views. They emphasized that Jesus's descent into Hades demonstrated his complete victory over death and his authority over the spiritual realm.

I trust this helps you understand how ancient and how profound was the teaching on the subject of Jesus descending into Hades for us. It was not first taught by "modern" authors like E.W. Kenyon or promulgated by Christian preachers like Kenneth Copeland, Kenneth Hagin, or even relatively unknown Dan A. Rodriguez. Those that reject this teaching are simply ignorant of the Scripture and early church history.