Did Christ descend into Hell after His death? This question has been the subject of much confusion and debate. Some versions of the Apostles’ Creed seem to affirm that He did indeed go to Hell when it declares that Christ, being crucified and buried, “descended into Hell; the third day he rose again from the dead.”[1] This paper will consider the origins of the idea and the supposed scriptural support. It will be shown that Christ did not go to Hell between His death and resurrection. The Scriptural support and the original meaning behind the phrase simply mean that Christ went into death, the grave.
The Origin of the Phrase
The Bible does not contain the phrase “he descended into Hell.” This phrase has come to us from the Apostles’ Creed. Despite its name this creed did not originate with the Apostles. Its development can be traced from around A.D. 200 to A.D. 750 by various people and churches.[2] Interestingly, the earliest forms of the creed do not contain the phrase either. Henry Barclay Swete notes, “We meet with the clause for the first time in the Aquileian Creed of the fourth century, but it can hardly have been then of recent introduction.”[3] He traces the phrase back to the end of the second century or the beginning of the third. Nevertheless it is not until Rufinus included it in two of his copies of the creed around A.D. 390 that we find the idea of Christ’s descent into Hell mentioned. It must also be noted that none of the creeds of the early church councils contain this phrase. William Shedd comments:
The Apostles’ Creed in its original form read as follows: “Suffered under Pontius Pilate; was crucified, dead, and buried; the third day he rose again from the dead.” This is also the form in the two creeds of Nice (325) and Constantinople (381): a certain proof that these great ecumenical councils did not regard the descensus as one of the articles of the catholic faith.[4]
What did the phrase mean when it was originally inserted into the creed? Swete believes that it affirmed an apostolic belief “that the Incarnate Son consecrated by His presence the condition of departed souls.”[5] Other theologians believe and history seems to prove that the phrase came about over time as individuals grappled with the various Scriptures that possibly suggest this descent into Hell. Millard J. Erickson writes:
The belief was formulated by piecing the several biblical texts into a composite picture: Jesus descended into Hades; there he preached to the imprisoned spirits before he was removed on the third day. Note that in this version of the doctrine the descent into Hades is both the final step of the humiliation and the first step of the exaltation, since it involves a triumphant proclamation to spirits enslaved by sin, death, and hell, that Jesus has vanquished those oppressive forces.”[6]
John Calvin defines the phase to mean that Christ suffered the torments of Hell for sinners.[7]
Another view is that the phrase refers to Christ’s descent into the earth at His burial. This view interprets the New Testament word hades as meaning the grave.[8] This word is distinct from gehenna which is translated Hell and is described as a place of punishment. The Creed’s phrase, therefore, was a further description of Christ’s burial, not a new concept or aspect of His work in redemption.
An Examination of Proposed Biblical Support
The foggy history of this phrase in the Apostles’ Creed and the divergent theories of interpretation require that we examine the primary Scriptures that are used to define this debate. Examining the relevant passages in their context will greatly aid one who wishes to define, defend, or reject the merits of this phrase. It is generally agreed that there are five New Testament passages which lend support to the idea that Christ descended into Hell: Acts 2:27; Romans 10:6-7; Ephesians 4:8-9; 1 Peter 3:18-20; and 1 Peter 4:6.[9] The scope of this paper will not allow an extensive study of these passages. However, a general consideration of each will be undertaken.
In Acts 2:27 the Apostle Peter is preaching the Gospel to the Jewish people in Jerusalem. He is demonstrating that Jesus is the promised Christ. He quotes Psalm 16:10 with the words, “For you will not abandon my soul to Hades, or let your Holy One see corruption.”[10] The word hades refers to the grave and is the equivalent of the Old Testament word sheol.[11] Peter wants his hearers to know that Jesus is alive from the dead as the fulfillment of Old Testament prophecy. David, he contends, could not have been speaking of himself in Psalm 16 since he was buried and never rose from the grave. Peter makes the point that David’s grave is still with them, but Jesus’ tomb is empty. The context of the passage clearly points to hades as the grave, not the place of punishment called Hell. “Hades is the unseen world, Hebrew Sheol, but here it is viewed as death itself ‘considered as a rapacious destroyer’ (Hackett). It does not mean the place of punishment, though both heaven and the place of torment are in Hades (Luke 16:23).”[12] Much of the confusion in interpreting this verse comes from the Authorized Version’s translation of hades as “Hell.” The context and the lexical meaning of this passage, however, show that the place of torment is not the meaning Peter had in mind.
In Romans 10:6-7 the Apostle Paul speaks of bringing Christ up from the abyss. He is alluding to Deuteronomy 30:13 where Moses said that one need not cross the sea to bring back the Law that God commanded because God had already supplied it. Paul uses this Old Testament passage to illustrate that believers do not have to do the impossible such as go up to Heaven to bring Christ down or go down into death to bring Him up. Christ has already come down to us in the incarnation and He has come up from the grave in resurrection. Paul even explains his imagery by clarifying that he is speaking of bringing “Christ up from the dead” (Romans 10:7). Righteousness with God is not something to be earned. It can only be received by faith in the finished work of Christ. The most natural reading of the passage in context is to see it as a reference to Christ’s death and resurrection.
Ephesians 4:8-9 also refer to Christ ascending and descending. Paul alludes to Psalm 68:18 which is a victory psalm denoting the practice of conquering kings when they brought home the spoils of war. Paul says that Christ is victorious over death and Satan and has given spiritual gifts to His church. The phrase “descended into the lower regions of the earth” speaks of Christ’s incarnation and ultimate burial. D. A. Carson correctly notes:
…the point being that the one who ascended and now fills the world (and gives the different graces to us) is none other than the one who first descended in humility to incarnation and death for us (cf. 2:14–17). His coming (2:17) at the cross and resurrection brought us the Messianic peace, blessings and graces we enjoy.”[13]
One of the most troubling passages to interpret is 1 Peter 3:18-20.
For Christ also suffered once for sins, the righteous for the unrighteous, that he might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh but made alive in the spirit, in which he went and proclaimed to the spirits in prison, because they formerly did not obey, when God’s patience waited in the days of Noah, while the ark was being prepared, in which a few, that is, eight persons, were brought safely through water.
Erickson lists three predominant views of this passage, namely the Roman Catholic, the Lutheran, and the traditional Anglican views.[14] The Roman Catholic view is that Jesus entered the abode of the saints who had already died and preached the Gospel to them before leading them out. The Lutheran view, according to Erickson, is that Jesus descended into Hades to declare absolute victory over Satan. John MacArthur seems to hold this view when he writes, “Between Christ’s death and resurrection, His living spirit went to the demon spirits bound in the abyss and proclaimed that, in spite of His death, He had triumphed over them.”[15] The traditional Anglican view purports that Jesus only went so far as Paradise which was located in Hades where He further explained the Gospel.
Any interpretation which teaches that Christ offered sinners a second chance at salvation after death must be rejected on the basis that this doctrine is not supported anywhere else in Scripture and in light of the clear and repeated teachings that salvation is offered in this life only. It should also be noted that among the other views, many good and devout Bible scholars disagree. However, the best view of this passage seems to be that Christ was preaching in the Spirit through Noah in the days of Noah.[16] The spirits Peter mentioned were not in prison at the time of Noah’s preaching but are now in prison as he writes his epistle.
The final passage this paper will consider on the topic is 1 Peter 4:6 which states, “For this is why the gospel was preached even to those who are dead, that though judged in the flesh the way people are, they might live in the spirit the way God does.” Any notion that this verse teaches that Jesus went to Hell and preached a second chance Gospel must be rejected as inconsistent with the tenor of Scripture. The best view seems to be that the Gospel was preached to these people, not necessarily after death, but to people who are now dead so that they might be justly judged by God. Karen H. Jobes clarifies this point by writing:
The gospel was preached because judgment is coming (4:5), so that (4:6, ἵνα, hina) people may live in the realm of the Spirit (pneumati) as judged by God’s standards, regardless of how they were judged by human standards during this life (sarki, in the flesh). This understanding of 4:6 is consistent with Peter’s use of the terms sarki and pneumati in 3:18 and 4:2 to refer, respectively, to this earthly life before physical death and the life of the believer after God’s judgment.[17]
Conclusion
It seems best to reject the notion that Jesus went to Hell during the interval between His death and resurrection. There seem to be better explanations for the addition of the idea of His descent into Hell in the later versions of the Apostles’ Creed. Namely, the original idea behind the word hades was the grave. As time passed and people revisited the Creed they tried to read too much into the phrase and they sincerely wrestled with the difficult passages considered in this paper. The intent to be biblical and concise in the creed was well intentioned. But it seems to go too far in basing such a major declaration of Christ’s work on such spurious and hotly debated passages. Perhaps this is why some modern versions of the Apostles’ Creed omit the disputed phrase altogether.[18]
Strong scriptural support is lacking for the idea that Jesus went to the place of torment and punishment as an additional step in His humiliation. Nonetheless, one’s view of this topic should not be held too dogmatically and should not serve as a test of orthodoxy, unless one insists on the notion of a postmortem salvation. Otherwise it seems best to teach that Christ truly died and went into the grave and rose on the third day victorious!
[1] Wayne A. Grudem, Systematic Theology: An Introduction to Biblical Doctrine, p 586 (Leicester, England; Grand Rapids, Mich.: Inter-Varsity Press; Zondervan Pub. House, 1994).
[2] Ibid., p 586.
[3] Henry Barclay Swete, The Apostles' Creed: Its Relation to Primitive Christianity, 3d ed. , p 61, p 62 (Cambridge: University press, 1899).
[4] William Greenough Thayer Shedd and Alan W. Gomes, Dogmatic Theology, 3rd ed. , p 838. Phillipsburg, N.J (J.: Press & R Pub., 2003).
[5] Swete, The Apostles' Creed.
[6] Millard J. Erickson, Christian Theology, 2nd ed. , p 791-792 (Grand Rapids, Mich.: Baker Book House, 1998).
[7] John Calvin, Institutes of the Christian Religion, Institutes II, xvi, 10–11 (Bellingham, WA: Logos Research Systems,, 1997).
[8] Shedd and Gomes, Dogmatic Theology.
[9] Wayne A. Grudem, Systematic Theology: An Introduction to Biblical Doctrine, p 586 (Leicester, England; Grand Rapids, Mich.: Inter-Varsity Press; Zondervan Pub. House, 1994).
[10] The Holy Bible: English Standard Version, 2001, will be used throughout this paper.
[11] Simon J. Kistemaker, New Testament Commentary: Exposition of the Acts of the Apostles, New Testament Commentary, p 96 (Grand Rapids: Baker Book House, 1953-2001).
[12] A.T. Robertson, Word Pictures in the New Testament, Ac 2:27 (Oak Harbor: Logos Research Systems, 1997).
[13] D. A. Carson, New Bible Commentary: 21st Century Edition, 4th ed. , Eph 4:7–16. Leicester, England; Downers Grove (USA: Inter-Varsity Press, 1994).
[14] Erickson, Christian Theology, p. 793-4.
[15] John MacArthur, The MacArthur Study Bible: New American Standard Bible, 1 Pe 3:19 (Nashville: Thomas Nelson Publishers, 2006).
[16] Wayne A. Grudem, Systematic Theology: An Introduction to Biblical Doctrine, p 586 (Leicester, England; Grand Rapids, Mich.: Inter-Varsity Press; Zondervan Pub. House, 1994).
[17] Karen H. Jobes, 1 Peter, Baker exegetical commentary on the New Testament, p 273 (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Academic, 2005).
[18] Franklin M. Segler, The Broadman Minister's Manual, p 149-150 (Nashville, TN: Broadman Press, 1969).
