THE APOSTLES CREED - Jesus Christ, "Died and descended into hell"?

The APOSTLE’S CREED      

Jesus Christ, “Died and descended into hell”?

Eileen Renders

Why did Jesus descend into hell and rise again after three days? It certainly can make young adults sit up and pay attention. Catholic Answers provides a clear and acceptable explanation, advising us first to examine the word and meaning of “hell.” Of course, we have learned a bit about hell, and immediately conjure up a mental picture of that place where there is eternal damnation for those who have rejected God and have committed mortal sins without repentance.  In the Old Testament, hell (or sheol in the Hebrew texts or hades in Greek texts) referred to “the place of the dead.” Interestingly, our English word hell derived from a Germanic name for the dead in the Teutonic mythology. This hell was for both good and bad, the just and the unjust. It was neither world, a region of darkness.

In the later writings of the Old Testament, a clear distinction is made between where the good resided in hell versus where the bad were, the two being separated by an impassable abyss. The section for the unjust was named Gehenna, where the souls would suffer eternal torment by fire.

Our Lord attested to this “land of the dead” understanding of hell. Recall the parable of Lazarus, the poor beggar, who sat at the gate of the rich man, traditionally called Dives (cf. LK 16:19ff). Lazarus dies and is taken to the “land of the dead.”; however, he finds eternal torment, being tortured by flames. Dives sees Lazarus and cries out to Abraham for relief. However, Abraham replies, “My child, remember that you were well off in your lifetime, while Lazarus was in misery. Now he has found consolation here, but you have found torment.

There is a bit more to the story, and we are reminded once again how the sin of Adam and Eve was involved in God closing the Gates of Heaven. We were born bearing the sins of our parents.

This is what we can take from this information:

He (Jesus Christ), after His death on the Cross, “He who descended is the very one who ascended high above the heavens, that He might fill men with His gifts.” (Eph 4:9-10). His descent among the dead brought to completion the proclamation of the Gospel and liberated those holy souls who had long awaited their Redeemer. The Gates of Heaven were now open, and these holy souls entered everlasting happiness, enjoying the beatific vision. It is important to understand that Jesus did not deliver those souls damned to eternal punishment in hell, nor did He destroy hell as such; they remained in that state and place of damnation begun at the time of their particular judgment. Our Catechism highlights the importance of this event: “This is the last phase of Jesus’ messianic mission, a phase which is condensed in time but vast in its real significance: the spread of Christ’s redemptive work to all men of all times and all places, for all who are saved have been made sharers in the redemption.”