It was asked the question of one of you, dear readers, what He descended into hell means.
The words he descended into hell found in the Apostle’s Creed as we read it in the present day are the source of a number of controversies none of which strike at the heart of our evangelical faith, but which exercise the minds of believers in some helpful and in some unhelpful ways. As we may expect concerning such an ancient and important text as the Apostle’s Creed it is unlikely that we can say anything new about it, and what may be said has already been said, probably several times over by many scholars over the past three half millennia and before. The standard comprehensive work, some would perhaps describe it as exhaustive, and it is certainly exhausting where even the footnotes themselves have footnotes, was produced by John Pearson DD (28 February 1613–16 July 1686) a Lord Bishop of Chester, who prepared an exposition of the creed at the insistence of his parishioners at Eastcheap in the City of London. The exposition1 was published in 1659 before he became a bishop. During the Civil War he served on the Royalist side and argued against the Puritans, but we shall not hold that against him.
I have compared Pearson’s exposition with that of William Perkins (1558–1602)2 , which was published in 1595 whilst he was a lecturer at St. Andrew’s Church in Cambridge. He was a well respected man of God who, though he conformed to Elizabeth’s settlement, continued to strive for further reform of the Church of England. One of his more famous works would be The arte of prophesy by which was meant at the time how to read, interpret and preach the Word of God accurately. It is an art which is vital to all who would dare to enter the pulpit still. I do not consider in detail here Perkins’s work.
Pearson may have had regard to Perkins’s writing for they agree in regard to the understandings of the clause which they reject. And they both reach the same conclusion, though expressed slightly differently, that the words descended into hell are a reference to the grave holding him after his burial for the three days before his resurrection.
My summary of Pearson’s work may be found here, together with a brief critique of his conclusion and comparison with Perkins3, and the sections which deal with the article he descended into hell. The full text of both Perkins’s and Pearson’s work may be found using the links in the footnotes.
You may need to log into Google or GoogleDrive to access the documents.- There have been many editions of the exposition among which we have:
Rev. E. Burton, DD Regius Professor of Divinity and Canon of Christ Church. Oxford; Clarendon Press, 1877.
https://anglicanhistory.org/pearson/creed/
Revised by the Rev. W. S. Dobson, A.M., editor of the Attic Greek Orators and Sophists, &c New York;D. Appleton & Company, 200 Broadway, Philadelphia/George S. Appleton, 164 Chestnut St. London 1850
https://dn790002.ca.archive.org/0/items/expositionofcred00pearuoft/expositionofcred00pearuoft.pdf
And the copy which I possess: Edward Walford MA, Balliol College, Oxford; George Bell and Sons, York Street, Covent Garden 1876
There are minor discrepancies between the editions, which do not detract from the value of them but which may cause scholars and academics to raise their eyebrows to question whether the Latin word order, the Greek or Hebrew pointing and orthography is correct but the blame for many of these may lie not with the editors but the typesetters who being skilled in the production of excellent English texts for the nineteenth century may have applied those skills to inadvertently modify a seventeenth century text
↩︎ - An earlier and other important exposition of the creed was prepared by William Perkins a Puritan who lived during the reign of Elizabeth of England.
An exposition of the Symbole or Creed of the Apostles according to the tenour of the Scriptures, and the consent of orthodoxe Fathers of the Church. By William Perkins. Perkins, William, 1558-1602
Printed by Iohn Legatt, printer to the Vniuersitie of Cambridge. 1595. And are to be solde [by R. Bankworth] at the signe of the Sunne in Pauls Church-yard in London
https://quod.lib.umich.edu/e/eebo/A09411.0001.001/1:5?rgn=div1;view=fulltext#backDLPS789
↩︎ - Perkins mentions a possible understanding of the words he descended into hell with the following comment:
This exposition is good and true, and whosoeuer will may receiue it. But yet neuerthelesse it seemes not so fitly to agree with the order of the former articles.
The suggestion is that the former wordes, was crucified, deade and buried, doe con∣taine (say they) the outward sufferings of Christ: nowe because he suffered not onely outwardly in bodie, but also inwardly in soule, therefore these words, he descended into hell, doe set forth vnto vs his inwarde sufferings in soule, when he felt vpon the crosse the ful wrath of God vpō him.
This is a most interesting proposition and begins to fall into the realms of the mystery of the incarnation. David in Psalm 40 says Sacrifice and offering you did not desire, but a body you have prepared for me, which the Apostle tells us in Hebrews are the words of our Lord. Shortly afterwards in Psalm 40 David says For innumerable evils have surrounded me; my iniquities have overtaken me, so that I am not able to look up; they are more than the hairs of my head; therefore my heart fails me.
These also are the words of our Lord. How are we to understand them?
James Allen of Dowlais provides a helpful exposition of them here. I commend it to you.
↩︎
