HE DESCENDED TO THE DEAD
The Apostles’ Creed contains a curious line, which is traditionally rendered as saying that Christ “descended into hell” but which modern versions translate (more accurately, in my view) as “he descended to the dead” – what does this mean?
At various point in my life, I have held either (a) the view taught by John Calvin that this was a reference to Christ enduring hell on the cross rather than any descent into the underworld, or else, (b) that the Creed was repeating for emphasis the fact that Jesus really did die as this was a doctrine denied by Gnostics, among others. However, while I would still agree, to some degree, with both of these ideas as being true, I am now much less sure that either of them are the point that the Creed is trying to make here. Indeed, the Greek text, katelthonta eis ta katōtata and the Latin translation, descendit ad inferos, both do seem to mean that Christ descended into the underworld – whatever that means.
In the Old Testament, the spirits of those who died were spoken of as going down into Sheol, the realm of the dead. Not much is said about this shadowy realm, but there is a hope that the Lord will rescue the faithful from it (e.g. Psalm 49:15). Since Christ really died on the cross, according to orthodox Christian theology, his spirit too would have descended into Sheol. However, whereas the spirits of those who died under the Old Covenant were imprisoned by Sheol, the spirit of Christ was not imprisoned but rather liberated those who were there. Indeed, the death of Christ was, in fact, the longed-for rescue by the Lord of his people, for which the psalmist hoped. This idea is often spoken of as the “Harrowing of Hades” and was a popular theme during the Anglo-Saxon era, for instance. It even makes an appearance in C. S. Lewis’ The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe.
But isn’t this idea refuted by Christ’s words to the penitent thief on the cross, that “today, you will be with me in paradise” (Luke 23:43)? I don’t see how, unless you assume that “paradise” must always refer to the final heaven rather than an intermediate state. For the believer, surely, to be with Christ – even if that means descending with Christ into Sheol to rescue those imprisoned there – is to be in paradise. After all, to argue that the soul of Christ did not descend into Sheol is to argue that Christ’s death was somehow different from other human deaths, up to that point, and that seems to me to raise far more serious theological issues.
Such then is the love of Christ, that he is prepared even to descend to the dead in order that he might lead them, with himself, into eternal life.
(See other posts in this series and check out Edward’s book)