Whether Christ Went Down into the Hell of the Lost?
Objection 1: It would seem that Christ went down into the hell of the
lost, because it is said by the mouth of Divine Wisdom (Ecclus.
24:45): "I will penetrate to all the lower parts of the earth." But
the hell of the lost is computed among the lower parts of the earth
according to Ps. 62:10: "They shall go into the lower parts of the
earth." Therefore Christ who is the Wisdom of God, went down even
into the hell of the lost.
Obj. 2: Further, Peter says (Acts 2:24) that "God hath raised up
Christ, having loosed the sorrows of hell, as it was impossible that
He should be holden by it." But there are no sorrows in the hell of
the Fathers, nor in the hell of the children, since they are not
punished with sensible pain on account of any actual sin, but only
with the pain of loss on account of original sin. Therefore Christ
went down into the hell of the lost, or else into Purgatory, where
men are tormented with sensible pain on account of actual sins.
Obj. 3: Further, it is written (1 Pet. 3:19) that "Christ coming in
spirit preached to those spirits that were in prison, which had some
time been incredulous": and this is understood of Christ's descent
into hell, as Athanasius says (Ep. ad Epict.). For he says that
"Christ's body was laid in the sepulchre when He went to preach to
those spirits who were in bondage, as Peter said." But it is clear
the unbelievers were in the hell of the lost. Therefore Christ went
down into the hell of the lost.
Obj. 4: Further, Augustine says (Ep. ad Evod. clxiv): "If the sacred
Scriptures had said that Christ came into Abraham's bosom, without
naming hell or its woes, I wonder whether any person would dare to
assert that He descended into hell. But since evident testimonies
mention hell and its sorrows, there is no reason for believing that
Christ went there except to deliver men from the same woes." But the
place of woes is the hell of the lost. Therefore Christ descended
into the hell of the lost.
Obj. 5: Further, as Augustine says in a sermon upon the Resurrection:
Christ descending into hell "set free all the just who were held in
the bonds of original sin." But among them was Job, who says of
himself (Job 17:16): "All that I have shall go down into the deepest
pit." Therefore Christ descended into the deepest pit.
_On the contrary,_ Regarding the hell of the lost it is written (Job
10:21): "Before I go, and return no more, to a land that is dark and
covered with the mist of death." Now there is no "fellowship of light
with darkness," according to 2 Cor. 6:14. Therefore Christ, who is
"the light," did not descend into the hell of the lost.
_I answer that,_ A thing is said to be in a place in two ways. First
of all, through its effect, and in this way Christ descended into
each of the hells, but in different manner. For going down into the
hell of the lost He wrought this effect, that by descending thither
He put them to shame for their unbelief and wickedness: but to them
who were detained in Purgatory He gave hope of attaining to glory:
while upon the holy Fathers detained in hell solely on account of
original sin, He shed the light of glory everlasting.
In another way a thing is said to be in a place through its essence:
and in this way Christ's soul descended only into that part of hell
wherein the just were detained. so that He visited them "in place,"
according to His soul, whom He visited "interiorly by grace,"
according to His Godhead. Accordingly, while remaining in one part of
hell, He wrought this effect in a measure in every part of hell, just
as while suffering in one part of the earth He delivered the whole
world by His Passion.
Reply Obj. 1: Christ, who is the Wisdom of God, penetrated to all the
lower parts of the earth, not passing through them locally with His
soul, but by spreading the effects of His power in a measure to them
all: yet so that He enlightened only the just: because the text
quoted continues: "And I will enlighten all that hope in the Lord."
Reply Obj. 2: Sorrow is twofold: one is the suffering of pain which
men endure for actual sin, according to Ps. 17:6: "The sorrows of
hell encompassed me." Another sorrow comes of hoped-for glory being
deferred, according to Prov. 13:12: "Hope that is deferred afflicteth
the soul": and such was the sorrow which the holy Fathers suffered in
hell, and Augustine refers to it in a sermon on the Passion, saying
that "they besought Christ with tearful entreaty." Now by descending
into hell Christ took away both sorrows, yet in different ways: for
He did away with the sorrows of pains by preserving souls from them,
just as a physician is said to free a man from sickness by warding it
off by means of physic. Likewise He removed the sorrows caused by
glory deferred, by bestowing glory.
Reply Obj. 3: These words of Peter are referred by some to Christ's
descent into hell: and they explain it in this sense: "Christ
preached to them who formerly were unbelievers, and who were shut up
in prison"--that is, in hell--"in spirit"--that is, by His soul.
Hence Damascene says (De Fide Orth. iii): "As He evangelized them who
are upon the earth, so did He those who were in hell"; not in order
to convert unbelievers unto belief, but to put them to shame for
their unbelief, since preaching cannot be understood otherwise than
as the open manifesting of His Godhead, which was laid bare before
them in the lower regions by His descending in power into hell.
Augustine, however, furnishes a better exposition of the text in his
Epistle to Evodius quoted above, namely, that the preaching is not to
be referred to Christ's descent into hell, but to the operation of
His Godhead, to which He gave effect from the beginning of the world.
Consequently, the sense is, that "to those (spirits) that were in
prison"--that is, living in the mortal body, which is, as it were,
the soul's prison-house--"by the spirit" of His Godhead "He came and
preached" by internal inspirations, and from without by the
admonitions spoken by the righteous: to those, I say, He preached
"which had been some time incredulous," i.e. not believing in the
preaching of Noe, "when they waited for the patience of God," whereby
the chastisement of the Deluge was put off: accordingly (Peter) adds:
"In the days of Noe, when the Ark was being built."
Reply Obj. 4: The expression "Abraham's bosom" may be taken in two
senses. First of all, as implying that restfulness, existing there,
from sensible pain; so that in this sense it cannot be called hell,
nor are there any sorrows there. In another way it can be taken as
implying the privation of longed-for glory: in this sense it has the
character of hell and sorrow. Consequently, that rest of the blessed
is now called Abraham's bosom, yet it is not styled hell, nor are
sorrows said to be now in Abraham's bosom.
Reply Obj. 5: As Gregory says (Moral. xiii): "Even the higher regions
of hell he calls the deepest hell . . . For if relatively to the
height of heaven this darksome air is infernal, then relatively to
the height of this same air the earth lying beneath can be considered
as infernal and deep. And again in comparison with the height of the
same earth, those parts of hell which are higher than the other
infernal mansions, may in this way be designated as the deepest hell."
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