Descensus Christi ad Inferos: Christ’s Descent to the Dead

Authors

Martin F. Connell, College of Saint Benedict/Saint John's UniversityFollow

Document Type

Article

Publication Date

2001

Disciplines

Arts and Humanities | Christianity | Religion | Religious Thought, Theology and Philosophy of Religion

Abstract

The narrative of Christ’s descent was nearly omnipresent in the early Church. Yet a change of Latin vocabulary from “descensus ad inferos” (Christ’s descent to the dead) to “descensus ad inferna” (Christ’s descent into hell) prompted a change in what was proclaimed. The earlier stratum portrayed Christ preaching to those who, while on earth, did not hear the word of God, while the latter described the reconciliation of sinners. The author here considers the vitality of this creedal statement and what is lost when the descent is absent from Christian experience.

Comments

DOI: 10.1177/004056390106200202

Recommended Citation

Connell, Martin F. “Descensus Christi ad Inferos: Christ’s Descent to the Dead.” Theological Studies 62, no. 2 (2001): 262-282. doi: 10.1177/004056390106200202.