In this part, I pick up sort of where I left off in the previous part, looking again at what the early church fathers had to say on the topic of Jesus descending into Hades, as we have been examining this often misunderstood phrase from the Apostle's Creed. The book on the church fathers that I have been using gives four main "proof texts" for the understanding of Jesus' descent into Hades, one of which being Ephesians 4:9 as discussed in the last part, and the others are:
For David says concerning him, “‘I saw the Lord always before me, for he is at my right hand that I may not be shaken; therefore my heart was glad, and my tongue rejoiced; my flesh also will dwell in hope. For you will not abandon my soul to Hades, or let your Holy One see corruption. (Acts 2:25-27)Again, the purpose of my quoting of the early church fathers is not so much because they have more authority, but because of the light they shed on the reason and purpose and teaching surrounding the phrase in the Apostle's Creed. So many churches seek to explain it away, and have all but ignored the original intent, and have caused much confusion. Here is what the historic church has believed concerning the subject:
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. (1 Peter 3:18-20)
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. (1 Peter 4:6)
Christ rose from the place of the dead, and raised up the race of Adam from the grave below. Melito (c.170).They fully believed and understood the Scriptures to teach that when Jesus rose, he rose from somewhere. He had not simply ceased to exist for three days, nor had he been asleep, and he had not yet gone to the heavenly realm, but he had been busy and had returned from his work.
For their benefit, "He also descended into the lower parts of the earth," to behold with His eyes the state of those who were resting from their labors...For Christ did not come merely for those who believed on Him in the time of Tiberius Caesar. Nor did the Father exercise His providence only for the men who are presently alive. Rather, He exercised it for all men altogether, who from the beginning...have both feared and loved God.I could go on with multiple other quotes, but I think after all the previous parts of this series, that ending the topic with a few additional quotes would be sufficient to show that we as a modern church have strayed far from the original and historical understanding of this (among other) doctrines. I will end with just one more:
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.
He gathered from the ends of the earth into His Father's fold the children who were scattered abroad. And He remembered His own dead ones, who had previously fallen asleep. He came down to them so that He might deliver them.
For three days He dwelt in the place where the dead were, as the prophet said concerning Him. "And the Lord remembered His dead saints who slept formerly in the land of the dead. And he descended to them to rescue and save them." The Lord Himself said, "As Jonah remained three days and three nights in the whale's belly, so will the Son of man be in the heart of the earth." Irenaeus (c.180) - four separate quotes
Hades is not supposed by us to be a bare cavity, nor some subterranean sewer of the world. Rather it is a vast deep space in the interior of the earth...For we read that Christ in His death spent three days in the heart of the earth...He did not ascend into the heights of heaven before descending into the lower parts of the earth. This was so that He might there [in Hades] make the patriarchs and prophets partakers of Himself. Tertullian (c.210)As high of an importance as most Reformed churches place on adherence to the Apostle's Creed as a test of orthodoxy, I find it odd that they would reinterpret parts of it to their liking in the face of such overwhelming information against the view. This understanding of these verses was the common doctrine of those instrumental in forming the early creeds. Most modern churches strike out at and/or reinterpret this very doctrine of Christ's descent into Hades as taught in the Creed and history; are we to assume they feel the framers of the creed were in error on this point; and if they were in error on this phrase, how can we hold any of the other parts of the creed as a irrefutable, beyond discussion, test or orthodoxy?
View the other parts of the topic
Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7 | Part 8 | Part 9 | Part 10
Just wanted to share a simple thought I had while reading the last quote you posted. I think it is "amazing" (maybe not the best choice of a word)that all of the dead souls from the entire world could find space in Hades. I mean that is allot of "people". Actually I do have a couple of questions for you. Does the Bible give any indications that you know of where the Lake of Fire might be located? Is it visible from heaven such as in Hades how the unjust were visible from Paradise?
ReplyDeleteDave, from a strictly biblical view, I do not think there is much evidence of the locations. Most of the information I have been digging into and writing about, as you know has come from other sources of Jewish relevance. Where these sources find their information or basis is a whole other topic, but this is what they have historically held as truth.
ReplyDeleteSome sources have put the lake of fire just a little lower than Hades, in so much as those people in Hades could feel the heat of the lake without being in that location. Hadn't really seen much on this, but will now be on the look out for a possible answer in other writings.
Thanks for the response Jeff. Yes I know from a strictly biblical view not much is said on the locations. Yes I know that most of this is coming from "extra" biblical writings and I guess I didn't realize I had asked what the Bible itself says. Sometimes I don't type what I'm thinking or meaning to say. I was just wondering if you had read anything on this subject matter. But you have answered my first posting sufficiently. Thanks and Godspeed
ReplyDeleteInterestingly, since I responded, I have begun reading another book that directly address this topic, so I guess I will share it. This is from the introduction of the "Dictionary of Angels" by Gustav Davidson.
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"Hell itself, one adduces from Enoch II, Testament of Levi, and other apocryphal and pseudepigraphal works, is not located where one would ordinarily suppose it to be, i.e., in the underworld, but in the 'northern regions of the 3rd Heaven,' while evil in its various aspects is lodged in the 2nd as well as the 3rd and 5th Heavens. The first 3 Heavens according to the Baruch Apocalypse (Baruch III), are 'full of evil looking monsters.' In the 2nd Heaven the fallen angels (the amorous ones, those that coupled with the daughters of men) are imprisoned and daily flogged. In the 5th the dread Watchers dwell, those eternally silent Grigori 'who with their prince Salamiel, had rejected the Lord.' When Paul was caught up in the 3rd Heaven, he encountered there 'angels of evil, terrible and without pity carrying savage weapons.' In a word, at least 3 Heavens, or regions of at least 3 Heavens, were the abode of the eternally damned.
Now to find Hell in Heaven should not have surprised this writer...for the paradisiacal Elysian Fields, 'residence of the shades of the Blessed,' are in the immediate vicinity of Hades. A rabbinic commentary (Midrash Tannaim) vouches for the fact that Hell and Paradise are 'side by side.' This is close to what one finds in the commentary on Psalm 90 (Midrash Tehillim) where it is stated that there were seven things which preceded the creation of the world, and that among the seven things were Paradise and Hell, and that 'Paradise was on the right side of God, and Hell on his left.'"
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Kind of an interesting idea, I guess, though it seems to slightly confuse the idea of Paradise and Hades (which according to Enoch and other writings, as well as the parable in Luke of Lazarus and the Rich man are side by said) with the places of Heaven and the Lake of Fire, so I am not sure, just looking at this simple quote, just which places are being fully described. But it does seem interesting that the idea of the eternal destinations of Heaven and the Lake of Fire could be found on the left and right of God, considering we are told in the Scriptures about judgment day:
" Before him will be gathered all the nations, and he will separate people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. And he will place the sheep on his right, but the goats on the left. Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world...Then he will say to those on his left, ‘Depart from me, you cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels." (Matthew 25:32-34, 41)
Interesting indeed...but I have not really studied it much to this point.