PTM WEEKLY UPDATE -- MARCH 16, 2009
Did Jesus suffer in hell?
Q. I have a question about 1 Peter 3:19, which says, ". . . through whom also he went and preached to the spirits in prison . . . ." Logically, I don't see this referring to Jesus suffering in hell (gehenna) before his resurrection. He was dead. And our thoughts or plans perish when we are dead. Some believe that, during this time, Jesus preached to fallen angelic spirits who had committed fornication with human women, but this doesn't seem plausible. It seems to me that Peter is metaphorically referring to Jesus' triumphant victory over sin, death and Satan's grip on this world. Any insights?
A. I have never heard a completely satisfying explanation for what Peter is talking about here. With that in mind, here's my two cents.
1) First of all, the word "hell" is not present in this text. But that doesn't stop many people from assuming that their idea of hell as a location where eternal torture takes place is what Peter was talking about! Even if hell is implied in this passage, at the very least we need to realize that when we hear the word "hell" today, it conjures up an entirely different picture than Peter would have had if hell was part of the issue he was addressing. As you mention, the concept Peter is relating is about the afterlife that Jesus experienced, and perhaps "visited," had to do more with death than it did eternal torture, dancing around on hot coals.
Jesus' ministry was all about releasing those who were spiritually in prison. There is no reason to conclude that Peter is talking about demonic spirits, or about souls/spirits held, against their will, in a hell of eternal torture and torment.
2) Second, in addition to how we understand the word "hell" what further literary understandings do we need to employ? That is, are we talking about a literal or a symbolic meaning for "spirits in prison"? I often employ metaphors to explain the debilitating and toxic effects of "bad news religion" -- so I talk about legalistic swamps, about 40 miles of bad road, about prisons, bondage, slavery, abuse, muggings, etc. -- all within a spiritual context.
For example, what did Paul mean in Ephesians when he said that Jesus has been "seated" at the "right hand" of the Father (1:20)? Still, confining my illustrations to Ephesians only, what did Paul mean when he said that we, as transformed, spiritually reborn children of God are "seated" with Christ in "heavenly realms" (2:6)? What did Paul mean, citing Psalm 68:18 that Jesus ascended on high and "led captives in his train," and gave "gifts to men" (4:8)? In this specific passage (Ephesians 4:8-10) Paul compares and contrasts the words "descended" and "ascended" -- what exactly did he mean? Literal, symbolic, or both, in some combination?
3) The Apostle's Creed and the Athanasian Creed both include the phrase, "descended into hell" -- partially based on 1 Peter 3:19 and upon Ephesians 4:8-10. But later creeds, particularly ones that were more inclusive, left the reference to Jesus having a ministry in hell (while his body was dead and buried) out of their creeds.
4) Some today, whose general impact and preaching at large I would have grave reservations about (I speak primarily of Word Faith advocates) use this reference in Peter and the one in Ephesians to teach that Jesus' atonement on the cross was not complete until he went to "hell" -- and they of course mean the fabricated innovation of Dante's Inferno hell that much of Christendom has accepted for so many centuries. Some Word Faith teachers have even taught that during the time when Jesus was in the tomb Satan held Jesus hostage in the hell of eternal torture until God paid a ransom for his release! Incredible -- but that's what they teach!
5) So, what did Peter mean by Jesus preaching to "spirits in prison"?
a) Jesus' ministry was all about releasing those who were spiritually in prison. There is no reason to conclude that Peter is talking about demonic spirits, or about souls/spirits held, against their will, in a hell of eternal torture and torment. Read from one perspective, all verse 19 may be talking about is that Jesus preached to the spiritually oppressed. When we read the Gospels, that view is upheld. That's exactly what he did. He was consistently at odds with those who attempted to spiritually oppress others with their religion.
b) The New Testament is clear. The resurrection of Jesus was a victory over sin and death. It could be that this passage has reference to the fact that the God part of the God-man Jesus was not dead while his body was in the tomb, and that Jesus, Son of God, could have "preached" -- ie, proclaimed and announced his victory, to demonic powers. I doubt this interpretation, but I would prefer it over the bizarre idea that "spirits in prison" have reference to a hell of eternal torment and that Jesus himself, in some way, actually suffered that hell while his body was in the tomb.
In Christ
Greg AlbrechtRETURN TO PTM WEEKLY UPDATE CONTENTS PAGE
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