In response to another request, here is a reflection on the Christian faith statement known as the Apostles Creed. The Apostles Creed is an ancient expression from the early Church that came about in response to various false teachings (heresies) about who Jesus was, and what he, and his life, meant. Although it is old, this creed was not formulated by the Twelve Apostles who were among the first followers called by Jesus. In fact, the version we now have today was first developed in Gaul (France) in the Fifth Century.
As people in the spiritually and religiously bankrupt Roman Empire came into contact with the teachings of and about this Jesus, known as the Christ, many wanted to join the believers. In order to sort out and prepare those who were serious about becoming Christian, the Church developed a process whereby one could understand this new faith and its implications. It was (and is) called the catechumenate. After extensive instruction and scrutiny by the community and before receiving Baptism, the catechumens were asked a series of questions about the core tenets of the faith.
These questions were based on teachings of the early Church Fathers. They explored God as Father and Creator, Jesus as God-Man, Son and Savior, and the Holy Spirit as Sanctifier. Then they moved on into the nature of Church and of the Communion of Saints, the forgiveness of sins, bodily resurrection, and life in all its fullness with God. The response to these questions formed the first Christian creeds.
There is one line in the Apostles Creed that is difficult for us who live centuries after its origins. “He (Jesus) descended into hell.” What could this possibly mean? First of all, this line was not in the Roman Creed that preceded the Apostles Creed. Secondly, this is a bad translation. The more accurate form is “He descended to the place of the dead.”
To say that Jesus descended to the dead can mean three things: he emptied himself completely unto death; he was buried in a grave; and / or he went to the abode of those who had died prior to him. Jesus did not go to hell. Hell, as later taught, didn’t exist in Jewish or Greek religious thought of the First Century. Sheol (Hebrew) or Hades (Greek) were the names given to where people thought they went after they died. This place was like a dark, timeless waiting area.
The Eastern Orthodox Church has a rich tradition of teaching deep theological and spiritual truths through the use of icons. An icon is a symbolic contemplation on realities of faith that results a profound image in which every detail matters, every aspect speaks. In Orthodox teaching, Jesus’ “three days” after death included a journey to the realm of the dead, where the souls of those who had gone before were. This movement by Jesus is captured in countless icons.
Since the dead were supposed to have gone down somewhere. This journey by Jesus was imagined as a descent. The third descent of Jesus: first from his place with Abba-God into our humanity, second from life to death, and finally to the place of the dead. He went to those who had died to announce to them the Good News (gospel) of God’s stronger-than-death love, to free them from the confines of their old ways of understanding, and to shatter forever death as a “dead-end.” Whatever Jesus accomplished by his faithful living, now through his death is available to all people of all times and places – including us. No matter what realm we find ourselves in!