Descent of Christ into Hell

From Encyclopedia Reformata

Part of the Humiliation of Christ

The words of the Apostolic Confession, “He descended into hades,” are variously interpreted. Roman Catholics say that He went down into the Limbus Patrum. where the Old Testament saints were confined, to release them; and the Lutherans that, ; between His death and resurrection, He went down to hell to preach and to celebrate his victory over the powers of darkness. In all probability it is a figurative expression to denote (1) that He suffered the pangs of hell in the garden and on the cross, and (2) that He entered the deepest humiliation of the state of death, Ps. 16:8–10; Eph. 4:92.

Biblical References:

Ps. 16:10. “For Thou wilt not leave my soul to Sheol (hades, Acts 2:27) ; neither wilt Thou suffer Thy holy one to see corruption.”

Eph. 4:9. “Now this, He ascended, what is it but that He also descended into the lower parts of the earth?”

After speaking of the sufferings and death of the Savior, the Apostolic Confession adds: “He descended into hell (hades).” These words are variously interpreted. Roman Catholics interpret them to mean that Christ after His death went down into the Limbus Patrum, where the Old Testament saints were confined, to release them and bring them to heaven. Lutherans regard the descent into hades as the first stage of Christ’s exaltation, a triumphal march, perhaps between His death and resurrection, to celebrate His victory over the powers of darkness. The Church of England holds that, while Christ’s body was in the grave, the soul went into that part of hades, called paradise, the abode of the righteous souls, and gave them a fuller exposition of the truth. Finally, the Reformed Churches usually interpret the phrase, “He descended into hell,” figuratively as an expression of the idea that Christ suffered the pangs of hell both in Gethsemane and on the cross. On the whole it seems best to combine two thoughts: (a) that Christ suffered the pangs of hell in the garden and on the cross; and (b) that He entered the deepest humiliation of the state of death. The Scripture passages on which the doctrine of the descent into hades is based are especially the following: Ps. 16: 8:10; Eph. 4:9; I Pet. 3:18, 19; 4:6.

Source: Based on Louis Berkhof’s Summary and Manual of Christian Doctrine.