there dissolving all the power by which they were detained below, translated them into a far more glorious place, and estated them in a condition far more happy in the heavens above.

Others of them understood no such translation of place, or alteration of condition there, conceiving that the souls of all men are detained below still,* and shall not enter into heaven μυστήριον τοῦ πάθους, καὶ σὺν τῇ ψυχῇ fectus autem omnis erit sicut magiκατελθεῖν εἰς τὰ καταχθόνια, ἐπὶ τὸ ἐρ- ster ejus. Quomodo ergo magister γάσασθαι τὴν ἐκεῖ τῶν προκεκοιμημένων noster non statim evolans abiit, sed σωτηρίαν, φημὶ τῶν ἁγίων πατριαρχῶν. sustinens defnitum a Patre resurre'Translatus erat Enoch, raptus Elias: ctionis suæ tempus,(quod et per Jonam sed non est servus supra Dominum. manifestum est) post triduum resurNullus enim ascendit in cœlum, nisi qui gens assumptus est; sic et nos sustidescendit de cœlo. Nam et Moysen, nere debemus definitum a Deo resurlicet corpus ejus non apparuerit in rectionis nostræ tempus prænunciaterris, nusquam tamen in gloria cœe- tum a Prophetis, et sic resurgentes lesti legimus, nisi postquam Dominus assumi, quotquot Dominus hoc dignos suæ resurrectionis pignore vincula sol- habuerit.' Adv. Hæres. 1. v. c. 26. vit inferni, et piorum animas elevavit.' Tertullian followeth Irenæus in this S. Ambros. 1. iv. de Fide ad Gratia- particular: Habes et regionem innum, c. 1. 'Qui in eo loco detine- feram subterraneam credere et illos bantur sancti, vinculorum solutionem cubito pellere, qui satis superbe non in Christi adventu sperabant. Nemo putent animas fidelium inferis dignas, enim ab inferni sedibus liberatur nisi servi super Dominum et discipuli super Christi gratiam. Eo igitur post per magistrum, aspernati si forte in mortem Christus descendit. Ut An- Abrahæ sinu exspectandæ resurrectigelus in caminum Babylonis ad tres onis solatium carpere.' De Anim. c.55. pueros liberandos descendit, ita Chri- Nulli patet coelum, terra adhuc salva, stus ad fornacem descendit inferni, in ne dixerim clausa. Cum transactione quo clausæ justorum animæ teneban- enim mundi reserabuntur regna coetur. Postquam eo descendit, infero- lorum." Ibid. 'Eam itaque regionem rum claustra perfodit, diripuit, vasta- sinum dico Abrahæ, etsi non coelevit, spoliavit, vinctas inde animas li- stem, sublimiorem tamen inferis, inberando.' S. Hier. in Ecclesiasten. terim refrigerium præbituram animabus justorum, donec consummatio rerum resurrectionem omnium plenitude mercedis expungat. Adv. Μarcion. l. iv. c. 34.

* Justin Martyr in his Dialogue with Trypho first begins: 'AMà μέv οὐδὲ ἀποθνήσκειν φημὶ πάσας τὰς ψυχὰς ἐγὼ (ἕρμαιον γὰρ ἦν ὡς ἀληθῶς τοῖς κακοῖς)· ἀλλὰ τί ; τὰς μὲν εὐσεβῶν ἐν κρείττονί ποι χώρῳ μένειν, τὰς δὲ ἀδίκους καὶ πονηρὰς ἐν χείρονι, τὸν τῆς κρίσεως ἐκSexoμÉvas XPÓVOV TÓTε. p. 223. After him Irenæus: Cum Dominus in medio umbræ mortis abierit, ubi animi mortuorum erant, post deinde corporaliter resurrexit, et post resurrectionem assumptus est; manifestum est quia et discipulorum ejus, propter quos et hæc operatus est Dominus, animæ abibunt in invisibilem locum definitum eis a Deo, et ibi usque ad resurrectionem commorabuntur, sustinentes resurrectionem; post recipientes corpora et perfecte resurgentes, hoc est, corporaliter, quemadmodum et Dominus resurrexit, sic venient in conspectum Dei. Nemo enim est discipulus super magistrum: per

Omnes ergo ani

mæ penes inferos? Inquis. Velis et nolis, et supplicia jam illic et refrigeria habes, pauperem et divitem. Cur enim non putes animam et puniri et foveri in inferis, interim sub exspectatione utriusque judicii in quadam usurpatione et candida ejus?' De Anima, c. 58. St. Hilary, in his Commentary upon these words of the Psalm, Dominus custodiet et introitum tuum et exitum tuum ex hoc et usque in seculum: Non enim temporis hujus et seculi est ista custodia, non aduri sole atque luna, et ab omni malo conservari; sed futuri boni exspectatio est, cum exeuntes de corpore ad introitum illum regni cœlestis per custodiam Domini fideles omnes reservabuntur, in sinu scilicet interim Abrahæ collocati, quo adire impios

until the general resurrection. They made no such distinction at the death of Christ, as if those which believed in a Saviour to come should be kept out of heaven till he came, and those which now believe in the same Saviour already come, should be admitted thither immediately upon their expiration.

But such as thought the place in which the souls of the patriarchs did reside could not in propriety of speech be called hell, nor was ever so named in the Scriptures, conceived, that as our Saviour went to those who were included in the proper hell, or place of torment, so the end of his descent was to deliver souls from those miseries which they felt, and to translate them to a place of happiness and a glorious condition. They which did think that hell was wholly emptied, that every soul was presently released from all the pains which before it suffered, were branded with the name of heretics:*

interjectum Chaos inhibet, quousque introeundi rursum in regnum coelorum tempus adveniat. Custodit ergo Dominus exitum, dum de corpore exeuntes secreti ab impiis interjecto Chao quiescunt. Custodit et introitum, dum nos in æternum illud et beatum regnum introducit.' Tract. in Psal. cxx. §. 16. And at the end of the second Psalm; ‘Judicii enim dies vel beatitudinis retributio est æterna, vel pœnæ : tempus vero mortis habet unumquemque suis legibus, dum ad judicium unumquemque aut Abraham reservat aut poena.' §. 48. Thus Gregory Nyssen still leaves the patriarchs in Abraham's bosom, in expectation of admittance into heaven: Καὶ γὰρ οἱ περὶ τὸν ̓Αβραὰμ πατριάρχαι τοῦ μὲν ἰδεῖν τὰ ἀγαθὰ τὴν ἐπιθυμίαν ἔσχον, καὶ οὐκ ἀνῆκαν ἐπιζητοῦντες τὴν ἐπουράνιον πατρίδα καθώς φησιν ὁ ̓Απόστολος· ἀλλὰ ὁμῶς ἐν τῷ ἐλπίζειν ĕri Tηv xápiv ɛioì, toũ Đεov кρεттóν τι περὶ ἡμῶν προβλεψαμένου, κατὰ τὴν τοῦ Παύλου φωνὴν, ἵνα μὴ, φησὶ, χωρίς ÝμV TEXELWOσL. De Hominis Opificio, c. 22. These therefore which conceived that the souls of the godly now after Christ's ascension do go unto the bosom of Abraham, where the patriarchs and prophets were and are, and that both remain together till the general resurrection, did not believe that Christ did therefore descend into hell, that he might, translate the patriarchs from thence into heaven.

And though he gives the heresy without a name, as he found it in Philastrius, yet we find the opinion was not very singular. For Euodius propounded it to St. Augustin as a question in which he desired satisfaction: 'An descendens Christus omnibus evangelizavit, omnesque a tenebris et pœnis per gratiam liberavit, ut a tempore resurrectionis. Domini judicium exspectetur exinanitis inferis? Ep. 98. al. 163. ad S. August. And in his answer to that question, he looks not upon the affirmative part as a heresy, but as a doubtful proposition. His resolution, first, is, that it did not concern the prophets and the patriarchs, because he could not see how they should be thought to be in hell, and so capable of a deliverance from thence: ‘Addunt quidam hoc beneficium antiquis etiam Sanctis fuisse concessum, Abel, Seth, Noe, et domui ejus, Abraham, Isaac, et Jacob, aliisque patriarchis et prophetis, ut cum Dominus in infernum venisset, illis doloribus solverentur. Sed quonam modo intelligatur Abraham, in cujus sinum pius etiam pauper ille susceptus est, in illis fuisse doloribus, ego quidem non video: explicant fortasse qui possunt.' Epist. 99, al. 164. ad Euodium, §. 6, 7. Et paulo post: 'Unde illis justis, qui in sinu Abrahæ erant cum ille in inferna descenderet, nondum quid contulisset inveni, a quibus eum secundum beatificam præsenti* St. Augustin in his book De Ha- am suæ Divinitatis nunquam video resibus reckons this as the seventy- recessisse.' §. 8. And yet in another ninth heresy: Alia, descendente ad he will not blame them that believed infernos Christo credidisse incredulos, the contrary, nor did he think their et omnes inde existimat liberatos.' opinion absurd: Si enim non ab

but to believe that many were delivered, was both by them and many others counted orthodox.

The means by which they did conceive that Christ did free the souls of men from hell, was the application of his death unto them, which was propounded unto those souls by preaching of the Gospel there:* that as he revealed here on earth the

surde credi videtur, antiquos etiam Sanctos, qui venturi Christi tenuerunt fidem, locis quidem a tormentis impiorum remotissimis, sed apud inferos, fuisse, donec eos inde sanguis Christi ad ea loca descensus erueret, &c.' De Civitate Dei, 1. xx. c. 15. His second resolution was, that Christ did by his descent relieve some out of the pains of hell, taking hell in the worst sense: 'Quia evidentia testimonia et infernum commemorant et dolores, nulla causa occurrit, cur illo credatur venisse Salvator, nisi ut ab ejus doloribus salvos faceret.' Epist. 99. al. 164. §. 8. Quamobrem teneamus firmissime quod fides habet fundatissima auctoritate firmata, quia Christus mortuus est secundum Scripturas, et quia sepultus est, et quia resurrexit tertia die secundum Scripturas; et cætera quæ de illo testatissima veritate conscripta sunt. In quibus etiam hoc est, quod apud inferos fuit, solutis eorum doloribus, quibus eum erat impossible teneri; a quibus etiam recte intelligitur solvisse et liberasse quos voluit.' Ibid. §. 14. His third resolution was, that how many these were which were delivered out of hell was uncertain, and therefore temerarious to define: 'Sed utrum omnes quos in eis invenit, an quosdam quos illo beneficio dignos judicavit, adhuc requiro.' Ibid. §. 8. Hoc scilicet quod scriptum est, Solutis doloribus inferni, non in omnibus, sed in quibusdam accipi potest, quos ille dignos ista liberatione judicabat: ut neque frustra illic descendisse existimetur, nulli eorum profuturus qui ibi tenebantur inclusi; nec tamen sit consequens, ut quod Divina quibusdam misericordia justitiaque concessit, omnibus concessum esse putandum sit.' Ibid. §. 5, 'Potest et sic, ut eos dolores eum solvisse credamus quibus teneri ipse non poterat, sed quibus alii tenebantur quos ille noverat liberandos. Verum quinam isti sunt temerarium est definire. Si enim omnes omnino dixerimus tunc esse liberatos qui illuc inventi sunt, quis non gratuletur, si

hoc possimus ostendere? Ibid. §. 3,4. Thus the opinion of St. Augustin is clear, that those which departed in the faith of Christ were before in happiness and the beatifical presence of God, and so needed no translation by the death of Christ; and of those which were kept in the pains of hell, some were loosed and delivered from them, some were not; and this was the proper end or effect of Christ's descent into hell. Thus Capreolus: Ipse in homine est visitare inferorum dignatus abstrusa, et præpositos mortis præsentia invictæ majestatis exterruit, et propter liberandos quos voluit, inferorum portas reserari præcepit.' Epist. ad Hispanos, p. 49. St. Ambrose: Ipse autem inter mortuos liber remissionem in inferno positis, soluta mortis lege, donabat.' De Incarn. c. 5. "Oλov yàp εvlùç oкvλεvoas τὸν ᾅδην, καὶ τὰς ἀφύκτους τοῖς τῶν κεκοιμημένων πνεύμασιν ἀναπετάσας πύλας, ἔρημόν τε καὶ μόνον ἀφεὶς ἐκεῖσε τὸν diáßolov åvέorη. S. Cyril. Homil. Pasch. 7. t. v. par. 2. p. 91. Who speaks full as high as those words of Euodius, or that heretic, whosoever it was, which is mentioned, though not named, by Philastrius, lib. de Hæres. 74. For onμos kai μóvos diáßoλoç, is as much as, inferi exinaniti ; and kɛvwoaç roỡ Javátov μvxòv (which he useth in another homily) is the same.

This preaching of the Gospel to the dead, was the general opinion of the fathers, as the end of his descent, or means, by which that good was wrought for the souls below, which was effected by his death. Eapro-.. pter Dominum in ea quæ sub terra descendisse, evangelizantem et illis adventum suum, remissam peccatorum exsistentem his qui credunt in eum. Crediderunt autem in eum omnes qui sperabant in eum, id est, qui adventum ejus prænunciaverunt, et dispositionibus ejus servierunt, Justi, et Prophetæ, et Patriarchæ, quibus similiter ut nobis remisit peccata.' Irenæus, adv. Hær. l. iv. c. 45. 'Evɛpyet γὰρ, οἶμαι, καὶ ὁ Σωτὴρ, ἐπὶ τὸ σώζειν

will of God unto the sons of men, and propounded himself as the object of their faith, to the end that whosoever believed in him should never die; so after his death he shewed himself unto the souls departed, that whosoever of them would yet accept of and acknowledge him should pass from death to life. Thus did they think the soul of Christ descended into hell to preach the Gospel to the spirits there, that they might receive him who before believed in him, or that they might believe in him who before rejected him. But this cannot be received as the end, or way to effect the end, of Christ's descent: nor can I look upon it as an illustration of this Article, for many reasons. For, first, I have already shewn that the place of St. Peter, so often mentioned for it, is not capable of that sense, nor hath it any relation to our Saviour after death; secondly, The ancients seem upon no other reason to have interpreted this place of St. Peter in that manner, but because other Apocryphal Writings led them to that interpretation, upon the authority whereof this opinion only can rely. A place of the prophet Jeremy was first produced,* that 'The ἔργον αὐτοῦ· ὅπερ οὖν καὶ πεποίηκεν, with Trypho the Jew: Καὶ ἀπὸ τῶν τοὺς εἰς αὐτὸν πιστεῦσαι βεβουλημένους διὰ τοῦ κηρύγματος, ὅποι ποτ ̓ ἔτυχον γεγονότες, ἑλκύσας εἰς σωτηρίαν. Εἰ μὲν οὖν ὁ Κύριος δι ̓ οὐδὲν ἕτερον εἰς ᾅδου κατω ῆλθεν, ἢ διὰ τὸ εὐαγγελίσασθαι, ὥσπερ κατῆλθεν,ἤτοι πάντας εὐαγγελίσασθαι, ἢ μόνους Εβραίους. Εἰ μὲν οὖν πάντας, σωθήσονται πάντες οἱ πιστεύσαντες, καν ἐξ ἐθνῶν ὄντες τύχωσιν, ἐξομολογησάμενοι ἤδη ἐκεῖ. Clem. Αlex. Strom. l. vi. c. 6. Τριήμερος γὰρ ἀνεβίω κηρύξας καὶ τοῖς ἐν φυλακῇ πνεύμασι. Πληρεστάτη γὰρ οὕτως ἡ τῆς φιλανθρωπίας ἐπίδειξις ἦν, τῷ μὴ μόνον ἀνασῶσαι φημὶ, τοὺς ἔτι ζῶντας ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς, ἀλλὰ καὶ τοῖς ἤδη κατοιχομένοις, καὶ ἐν τοῖς τῆς ἀβύσσου μυχοῖς καθημένοις ἐν σκότῳ, κατὰ τὸ γεγραμμένον, διακηρύξαι τὴν ἄφεσιν. S. Cyril. Alex. in Ïoan. 1. xi. c. 2. p. 933. Πολλαχοῦ διαμαρτύρεται ἡ γραφὴ, ὃν τρόπον τοῖς τηνικάδε ζῶσι, τὸν αὐτὸν καὶ τοῖς ἐν ᾅδου διὰ Χριστοῦ τὴν ἀπολύτρωσιν παραγενέσθαι. Λέγει γὰρ ὁ τῶν μαθητῶν κορυφαῖος, Εἰς τοῦτο γὰρ ἀπέθανε καὶ ἀνέστη, ἵνα καὶ νεκρῶν καὶ ζώντων κυριεύση" καὶ πάλιν, Τοῖς ἐν φυλακῇ πορευθεὶς ἐκήρυξε πνεύμασιν, ἵνα κριθῶσι μὲν σαρκί, ζῶσι δὲ πνεύματι· τουτέστιν, ὅπως οἱ μὲν ἄπιστοι, καὶ διὰ τοῦτο ἁμαρτωλοὶ, μεμενηκότες κατακριθῶσιν, ἅτε δὴ ὁλοκλήρως σὰρξ γεγονότες, καὶ διχοτομηθέντες του πνεύματος· ὅσοι δὲ καν ἐν ᾅδου Χριστῷ τῇ δικαιοσύνῃ πεπιστεύκασι, τῆς πνευματικῆς εὐφροσύνης ἀπολαύωσι. Jobius apnd Photium, l. ix. cap. 38.

* Justin Martyr in his Dialogue

λόγων τοῦ αὐτοῦ Ἰερεμίου ὁμοίως ταῦτα περιέκοψαν, Εμνήσθη δὲ Κύριος ὁ Θεὸς ἀπὸ Ἰσραὴλ τῶν νεκρῶν αὐτοῦ τῶν κεκοιμημένων εἰς γῆν χώματος, καὶ κατέβη πρὸς αὐτοὺς εὐαγγελίσασθαι αὐτοῖς τὸ σωτήριον αὐτοῦ. p. 298. This place is first brought by Irenaeus, to prove that he which_died for us was not only man but God: ' Et quoniam non so lum homo erat qui moriebatur pro nobis, ait Esaias, Et commemoratus est Dominus Sanctus Israel mortuorum suorum, quia (leg. qui) dormierant in terra sepultionis, et descendit ad eos, evangelizare salutem quæ est ab eo, ut salvaret eos. Adv. Hares. l. iii. c. 23. Only he names Isaiah instead of Jeremiah, whom he rightly names again: 'Sicut Hieremias ait, Recommemoratus est Dominus Sanctus Israel mortuorum, &c. l. iv. c. 39. And as there, so more plainly, l. v. c. 26. applies it to the soul of Christ while it was absent from his body: “ Nunc autem tribus diebus conversatus est ubi erant mortui, quemadmodum prophetia ait de eo, Commemoratus est Dominus Sanctorum lege, Sanctus Israel) mortuorum suorum, eorum qui ante dormierunt in terra stipulationis (lege, sepultionis), et descendit ad eos, extrahere eos, et salvare eos. Thus did Irenæus make use of this verse, to shew Christ preached unto the dead, rather than that of St. Peter; and yet there is no authority in it.

Lord God of Israel remembered his dead, which slept in the land of the grave, and descended unto them, to preach unto them his salvation.' But being there is no such verse extant in that prophet or any other, it was also delivered that it was once in the translation of the Septuagint, but rased out from thence by the Jews, which as it can scarcely be conceived true, so if it were, it would be yet of doubtful authority, as being never yet found in the Hebrew text. And Hermes, in his book called the Pastor, was thought to give sufficient strength to this opinion;* whereas the book itself is of no good authority, and in this particular is most extravagant: for he taught that not only the soul of Christ, but also the souls of the apostles, preached to the spirits below; that as they followed his steps here, so did they also after their death, and therefore descended to preach in hell.

which he there proved by the authority of his book called Pastor, and attributed to Hermes; '0 'Eoμñs dè

Nor is this only to be suspected in reference to those pretended authorities which first induced men to believe it, and to make forced interpretations of Scripture to maintain it; but also to be rejected in itself, as false and inconsistent with the nature, scope, and end, of the Gospel (which is to be preached with such commands and ordinances as can concern those only which are in this life), and as incongruous to the state and condition of those souls to whom Christ is supposed to preach. For if we look upon the patriarchs and prophets, and all saints before departed, it is certain they were never disobedient in the days of Noah; nor could they need the publication of the Gospel after the death of Christ, who by virtue of that death For it is not to be found in the Hebrew text, and Justin Martyr charges the Jews only of rasing it out of the LXX. which how they could do out · φησὶ τοὺς ̓Αποστόλους καὶ τοὺς of those copies which were in the διδασκάλους, τοὺς κηρύξαντας τὸ ὄνομα Christians' hands is scarce intelligible; τοῦ υἱοῦ τοῦ Θεοῦ, καὶ κοιμηθέντας, τῷ and yet it is not now to be found there. δυνάμει καὶ τῇ πίστει κηρύξαι τοῖς προκε *Clemens Alexandrinus first brings conμévog. Strom. I. ii. c. 9. which a strange place of Scripture to prove words are thus in the old Latin transChrist's preaching in hell, Strom. I. vi. lation of Hermes, l. iii. Sim. 9. Quon c. 6. Διόπερ ὁ Κύριος εὐηγγελίσατο καὶ iam hi Apostoli et doctores qui præτοῖς ἐν ᾅδου. Φησί γ ̓ οὖν ἡ γραφὴ, Λέγει ὁ dicaverunt nomen Filii Dei, cum haᾅδης τῇ ἀπολείᾳ, Εἶδος μὲν αὐτοῦ οὐκ εἴ- Dentes fidem ejus et potestatem deδομεν, φωνὴν δὲ αὐτοῦ ἠκούσαμεν· which functi essent, prædicaverunt his qui he thus interprets: Ovx ò róños díjπov ante obierunt.' And then Clemens φωνὴν λαβὼν εἶπεν τὰ προειρημένα, supplies that authority with a reason ἀλλ' οἱ ἐν ᾅδου καταταγέντες καὶ εἰς ἀπό- of his own, that as the apostles were λειαν αὐτοὺς ἐνδεδωκότες, καθάπερ ἔκ to imitate: Christ while they lived, so revos vews eis Dáλaooav ékóvteg áπoppí- they did also imitate him after death: ψαντες αὐτοὶ τοίνυν εἰσὶν οἱ ἐπακούσαν. Εχρῆν γὰρ, οἶμαι, ὥσπερ κονταῦθα, τες τῆς θείας δυνάμεως· καὶ φωνῆς· and οὕτως δὲ κακεῖσε τοὺς ἀρίστους τῶν ματ then seeming to aim at the place of θητῶν μιμητὰς γενέσθαι τοῦ διδασκάλου. St. Peter, he passes to another proof, Stromat. 1. vi. c. 6. And therefore which he had produced in his second they preached to the souls in hell as book: Aédeiktai dè káv rý devrépy Erpw- Christ did before them. This is the ματεῖ, τοὺς ̓Αποστόλους, ἀκολούθως τῷ doctrine of Clemens Alexandrinus Κυρίῳ, καὶ τοὺς ἐν ᾅδου εὐηγγελισμένους" out of his Apocryphal Authorities.