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The Harrowing of Hell: Salvation for the Dead in Early Christianity

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The Harrowing of Hell: Salvation for the Dead in Early Christianity Journal of Book of Mormon Studies Volume 19 Number 1 Article 7 1-31-2010 The Harrowing of Hell: Salvation for the Dead in Early Christianity David L. Paulsen Roger D. Cook Kendel J. Christensen Follow this and additional works at: https://scholarsarchive.byu.edu/jbms BYU ScholarsArchive Citation Paulsen, David L.; Cook, Roger D.; and Christensen, Kendel J. (2010) "The Harrowing of Hell: Salvation for the Dead in Early Christianity," Journal of Book of Mormon Studies: Vol. 19 : No. 1 , Article 7. Available at: https://scholarsarchive.byu.edu/jbms/vol19/iss1/7 This Feature Article is brought to you for free and open access by the Journals at BYU ScholarsArchive. It has been accepted for inclusion in Journal of Book of Mormon Studies by an authorized editor of BYU ScholarsArchive. For more information, please contact [email protected], [email protected]. Title The Harrowing of Hell: Salvation for the Dead in Early Christianity Author(s) David L. Paulsen, Roger D. Cook, and Kendel J. Christensen Reference Journal of the Book of Mormon and Other Restoration Scripture 19/1 (2010): 56–77. ISSN 1948-7487 (print), 2167-7565 (online) Abstract One of the largest theological issues throughout Christian history is the fate of the unevangelized dead: Will they be eternally damned? Will they be lesser citizens in the kingdom of God? Will they have a chance to accept Christ postmortally? These issues are related to the soteriological problem of evil. The belief of the earliest Christians, even through the time of the church fathers Origen and Clement of Alexandria, was that postmortal evangelization was possible. One of the origins of this belief is seen in apocalyptic Judaism, in which righteous gentiles are not left to suffer eternally but, however, are given a lesser status than righteous Jews. Early Christian doctrine goes even further through the belief of Christ’s preaching in Hades—all people have a chance, through accepting Christ, to be save in the same state. Later, however, many Christian theologians such as Aquinas, Luther, and Calvin rejected this doctrine and contended that righteousness and unrighteousness are fixed at death. Erich Lessing / Art Resource, NY. , by Fra Angelico (1387–1455). Christ’s DescentChrist’s to Limbo The Harrowing of Hell salvation for the dead in early christianity 1 56 Volume 19,d numberavid 1,l 2010. Paulsen, roger d. cook, and kendel J. christensen ord, are there few that be saved?” (Luke 13:23). This question has troubled lthinkers from Christianity’s beginning. The faithful readily accept that, save Jesus Christ, there is “none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved” (Acts 4:12). Yet, the same loyal followers of Christ wrestle with the puzzling reality that countless numbers of souls have lived and died never having heard of Jesus Christ, let alone having had an adequate chance to accept the salvation he offers. What is their fate in the eternities? Are these forever excluded from salvation? Thomas Morris, philosophy professor at Notre Dame, describes this unexplained “scandal” in his book The Logic of God Incarnate: The scandal . arises with a simple set of questions asked of the Christian theologian who claims that it is only through the life and death of God incarnated in Jesus Christ that all can be saved and reconciled to God: How can the many humans who lived and died before the time of Christ be saved through him? They surely can- not be held accountable for responding appropriately to something of which they could have no knowledge. Furthermore, what about all the people who have lived since the time of Christ in cultures with different religious traditions, untouched by the Christian gospel? . How could a just God set up a particular condition of salvation, the highest end of human life possible, which was and is inaccessible to most people? Is not the love of God better under- stood as universal, rather than as limited to a mediation through the one particular individual, Jesus of Nazareth? Is it not a moral as well as a religious scandal to claim otherwise?2 This “scandal,” otherwise known as the soterio- that reside in each; the fall of some of those angels logical problem of evil, is the logical incoherence of and their introducing evil to the earth; and the the Christian triad of ideas that (1) God is perfectly apocalyptic ascent of chosen prophets and priests loving and just and desires that all his children be to the highest heaven to witness and participate saved, (2) salvation comes only through an indi- in the proceedings of the divine council of God. vidual’s acceptance of Christ’s salvific gifts, and In addition, their writings also detail the coming (3) countless numbers of God’s children have died destruction of the world and the paradise that God without having a chance to hear about, much less will establish, the resurrection of the dead and their accept, those saving gifts. Would a truly loving and exaltation in the hereafter, and the fiery, eternal just God condemn his children simply because they punishment that the wicked will suffer for sins had never heard of his Son? Some very influential committed in mortality.7 As a direct descendant of Christian thinkers have answered in the affirma- apocalyptic Judaism and its unique views,8 early tive,3 and, consequently, some critics have labeled Christianity took an avid interest in the final condi- Christianity as a religion of damnation rather than tion of the dead and in reconciling this final state of salvation.4 affairs with God’s justice. This pessimistic position has not always pre- In the apocalyptic Jewish tradition, of which vailed in Christianity.5 Indeed, in early Christian the New Testament writers who inaugurate the thought, as well as in apocalyptic Judaism that apocalyptic Christian tradition are a part, God is preceded it, the merciful doctrine of salvation for unequivocally understood to be a transcendent, all- the dead, known to early Christians as the “har- powerful, embodied being who seeks the advance- rowing” of hell,6 was advanced as the divine solu- ment of all mankind. He is otherworldly in that he tion to the problem. In this paper, which is the first physically resides in the Holy of Holies of the heav- of a three-part series, we (1) trace the origin and enly temple located in the highest heaven, but his development of this idea in early Christianity and transcendence should not be confused with being its formal articulation in the Apostles’ Creed; (2) set exterior to the universe, for he fully exists within forth the rejection of the doctrine, first by Augus- space and time.9 From his exalted throne he con- tine and later by the Reformers, and their reasons trols the universe, his unmatched power extending for rejecting it; and (3) conclude with a brief survey to each and every corner and affecting all that dwell of some contemporary solutions to the soteriologi- therein.10 Acting on behalf of his children, he shows cal problem of evil. In the sequels to this paper, we them abundant mercy and love balanced with jus- explore the doctrine of baptism for the dead in early tice as he also punishes those who have lived cor- Christianity and elaborate on the restoration of the rupt lives in mortality.11 doctrines of the harrowing of hell and baptism for A theological impasse is created, however, when the dead in modern revelation. one attempts to reconcile the loving and merciful God of apocalyptic Judaism with the harsh, eter- Christian Precursors of Postmortem Rescue nal punishment of Sheol (Greek hades), even if its inhabitants merit some measure of retribution. In of the Dead approximately 400 bc, Enochian Jews began writ- The writers of the New Testament texts are ing the Book of Watchers, a portion of the larger text often described by contemporary Near Eastern now known as 1 Enoch. These are the first apoca- scholars as Jewish or apocalyptic Christians to dif- lyptic Jews to describe portions of Sheol as being a ferentiate them from classical Christians, who place of extreme punishment for the wicked. They appear in the second century ad and whose views describe the “scourges and tortures of the cursed begin to prevail from that time on. They were part forever” (1 Enoch 22:10) and the flaming “abyss” of what scholars now call Second Temple Judaism, into which the fallen angels are thrown and burn or Judaism as it existed from the return of the exiles forever (1 Enoch 21:1–10).12 Prior to this time, some from Babylon to the destruction of the Jerusalem expounders of Israelite religion understood that temple by the Romans (516 bc–ad 70). Their writ- all mortals reside permanently in Sheol after this ings have a heavenly focus, describing in detail life, and it appears that their existence after this multiple, storied heavens and the ranks of angels life could be good or bad, depending upon their 58 Volume 19, number 1, 2010 Christ in Limbo, by Benvenuto di Giovanni. Samuel H. Kress Collection. Image courtesy of the Board of Trustees, National Gallery of Art, Washington. conduct during mortality.13 But Enochian Jews treat created by the Enochian Jews’ view of Sheol’s a portion of Sheol as a temporary holding place eternal punishment also emerges in writings near for the spirits of the righteous departed, placing the end of that period.15 Texts from the apocalyp- the righteous in a place of rest and light and the tic Jewish tradition dated to the late first century wicked in places of darkness and confinement, but bc or early first century ad draw attention to the not physical punishment.14 They also taught of the soteriological problem as their authors attempt to righteous leaving Sheol, their resurrection from the reconcile the endless torment of the underworld dead, and their subsequent existence in an Edenlike with the existence of a loving and merciful God.
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