While both the Apostles’ Creed and Athanasian Creed continue to provide a solid foundation and helpful parameters for orthodox Christian theology, one statement contained in both creeds that often makes modern evangelical Christians uncomfortable is the phrase “descendit ad inferos” (often translated “He descended into hell” or “He descended to the dead”). Is such a statement biblical? If we choose to incorporate the creeds in our corporate worship, should this phrase be ignored or omitted altogether?
Recent scholarship by Bass and Emerson among others has sought to articulate the doctrine of Christ’s descensus and its implications to contemporary evangelical scholarship. This doctrine holds many theological and practical ramifications, affecting Christology, soteriology, ecclesiology, and eschatology.
The purpose of this paper is to explore the various interpretations of this phrase and evaluate their validity based on the biblical and historical evidence. Along with this, this paper will explore the theological implications and applications of this phrase.
This paper argues that not only is this statement biblical, but also it is one in which all Christians should rejoice together. Rather than avoiding this phrase, Christians should embrace it wholeheartedly as a biblical expression of Christ’s triumph over death.
The value of this study is that it will promote a proper understanding and appropriate theological teaching about this phrase, in both academic settings as well as the local church, which will not only alleviate many concerns modern evangelical Christians hold, but also will allow all Christians to rejoice in its implications. Christ has the victory! Indeed, this is a victory worth celebrating.