Whether It Was Fitting for Christ to Descend into Hell?
Objection 1: It would seem that it was not fitting for Christ to
descend into hell, because Augustine says (Ep. ad Evod. cliv.): "Nor
could I find anywhere in the Scriptures hell mentioned as something
good." But Christ's soul did not descend into any evil place, for
neither do the souls of the just. Therefore it does not seem fitting
for Christ's soul to descend into hell.
Obj. 2: Further, it cannot belong to Christ to descend into hell
according to His Divine Nature, which is altogether immovable; but
only according to His assumed nature. But that which Christ did or
suffered in His assumed nature is ordained for man's salvation: and
to secure this it does not seem necessary for Christ to descend into
hell, since He delivered us from both guilt and penalty by His
Passion which He endured in this world, as stated above (Q. 49, AA.
1, 3). Consequently, it was not fitting that Christ should descend
into hell.
Obj. 3: Further, by Christ's death His soul was separated from His
body, and this was laid in the sepulchre, as stated above (Q. 51).
But it seems that He descended into hell, not according to His soul
only, because seemingly the soul, being incorporeal, cannot be a
subject of local motion; for this belongs to bodies, as is proved in
_Phys._ vi, text. 32; while descent implies corporeal motion.
Therefore it was not fitting for Christ to descend into hell.
_On the contrary,_ It is said in the Creed: "He descended into hell":
and the Apostle says (Eph. 4:9): "Now that He ascended, what is it,
but because He also descended first into the lower parts of the
earth?" And a gloss adds: "that is--into hell."
_I answer that,_ It was fitting for Christ to descend into hell.
First of all, because He came to bear our penalty in order to free us
from penalty, according to Isa. 53:4: "Surely He hath borne our
infirmities and carried our sorrows." But through sin man had
incurred not only the death of the body, but also descent into hell.
Consequently since it was fitting for Christ to die in order to
deliver us from death, so it was fitting for Him to descend into hell
in order to deliver us also from going down into hell. Hence it is
written (Osee 13:14): "O death, I will be thy death; O hell, I will
be thy bite." Secondly, because it was fitting when the devil was
overthrown by the Passion that Christ should deliver the captives
detained in hell, according to Zech. 9:11: "Thou also by the blood of
Thy Testament hast sent forth Thy prisoners out of the pit." And it
is written (Col. 2:15): "Despoiling the principalities and powers, He
hath exposed them confidently." Thirdly, that as He showed forth His
power on earth by living and dying, so also He might manifest it in
hell, by visiting it and enlightening it. Accordingly it is written
(Ps. 23:7): "Lift up your gates, O ye princes," which the gloss thus
interprets: "that is--Ye princes of hell, take away your power,
whereby hitherto you held men fast in hell"; and so "at the name of
Jesus every knee should bow," not only "of them that are in heaven,"
but likewise "of them that are in hell," as is said in Phil. 2:10.
Reply Obj. 1: The name of hell stands for an evil of penalty, and not
for an evil of guilt. Hence it was becoming that Christ should
descend into hell, not as liable to punishment Himself, but to
deliver them who were.
Reply Obj. 2: Christ's Passion was a kind of universal cause of men's
salvation, both of the living and of the dead. But a general cause is
applied to particular effects by means of something special. Hence,
as the power of the Passion is applied to the living through the
sacraments which make us like unto Christ's Passion, so likewise it
is applied to the dead through His descent into hell. On which
account it is written (Zech. 9:11) that "He sent forth prisoners out
of the pit, in the blood of His testament," that is, by the power of
His Passion.
Reply Obj. 3: Christ's soul descended into hell not by the same kind
of motion as that whereby bodies are moved, but by that kind whereby
the angels are moved, as was said in the First Part (Q. 53, A. 1).
_______________________