On the Saturday just before Easter,
I spent much of the day studying 1 Peter 3:18-22. This study came while the
Roman Catholic Church was still reeling over Pope Francis’ admission and
subsequent retraction of his view that unbelievers do not go to “hell” when
they die. This Catholic incident caused many Christian theologians, scholars,
and bloggers to discuss the issue, and, particularly since it was close to
Easter, the issue of the state of Jesus on the Saturday between his death on
Good Friday and his resurrection on Easter Sunday. There are different
traditions which speculate on what Jesus was doing or not doing that Saturday.
Was he simply dead in the tomb, both body and spirit? Or did his spirit leave
his body at death and go elsewhere? If the latter, then where did it go and
what did it do?
One particular and often popular
theory is that Jesus’ spirit descended into either “hell” or the realm of the
dead and made some form of proclamation to the beings there. There are many
different formulations to this theory, largely dependent upon the identity of
the beings in this otherworldly realm. While I do not feel the need to analyze
the various and sundry scripture verses used as evidence to construct the main
idea of this theory, I did want to tackle the key passage of this theory: 1
Peter 3:18-22. This passage is the lynchpin holding the tradition of Jesus’
“Harrowing of Hell” together. All the other verses mentioned in this tradition
are either used as evidence to buttress or elucidate the central interpretation
of this passage.
Let me start off by saying that if
this passage has been sorely misinterpreted (and it has) it’s only because this
is a very difficult passage, one of the most difficult in the New Testament. Why
is this so? Basically, in order to make his point, Peter delves into some
pretty deep theology and is, perhaps, using some extra-biblical apocalyptic
mythology to make that point.
The first thing that needs to be
mentioned about this passage is its context within the overall purpose of Peter’s
letter. The recipients are Christians living in Asia Minor (1:1) who are suffering
under serious persecution (1:6; 2:4, 7, 11, 19; 3:13-14, 17; 4:4, 12-19; 5:10).
Peter is attempting to encourage them on the one hand and give them wisdom on
how to avoid persecution on the other (2:11-20; 3:1-13; 4:2).
In order to encourage, he likens
them to stones being built into a holy house or temple (2:4-5). This is
significant because the imagery of believers as a temple is common metaphor in
the New Testament for the corporate nature of Christ, and the idea that all
believers are summed up in Christ so that what can be said of him can be said
of them. Allow me to quote myself:
“We have the
voluminous references to people being “in Christ” throughout the New Testament
(Romans 8:2, 39; 12:5; 1 Corinthians 1:2, 30; 15:18, 22; 2 Corinthians 5:17;
Galatians 2:4; 3:28; 6:15; Ephesians 1:3, 10, 12, 20). Indeed, the followers of
Jesus - the Church itself - are frequently called the “body of Christ” (Romans
12:5; 1 Corinthians 12:12-27; Ephesians 3:6; 5:23; Colossians 1:18, 24). Not
only that, Christian believers as a group are referred to as a Temple (1
Corinthians 3:16, 17; 6:19; 2 Corinthians 6:16; Ephesians 2:21). To put this
altogether: believers are in Christ, they are the body of Christ, they are a
Temple, Jesus is a Temple, and believers are a part of that Temple body.”
The corporate nature
of Christ and the Church is a fundamental concept of theology and runs all the
way through the New Testament, being based upon several ancient Hebrew
concepts.
In the context of 1
Peter then, not only is Christ is our example (2:21-25; 3:18; 4:1), but,
because we are incorporated into Christ, we share in his sufferings (4:13-14). Therefore,
if the sufferings of Christ (1:11; 2:7, 21-24; 4:1; 5:1) lead to his glory
(1:11, 21; 3:22; 4:13; 5:1, 4, 10) then our sufferings will also lead to glory in
Christ (1:7-8; 2:5, 9-10; 4:13-14; 5:1, 4, 6, 10). Thus, the sufferings the
recipients of the letter are currently experiencing will lead to glory in
Christ.
Obviously, I’ve given a very brief
summary, skipping over a lot of important detail that is a part of Peter’s
argument. Yet, it is within this context that we have our particular passage.
“For Christ also suffered for the
sins once for all, the just for the unjust, in order that he might bring us to
God, having been put to death in the flesh, but made alive in the spirit; in
which he also went and made proclamation to the spirits now in prison” (v.
18-19).
In verse 18, Peter describes the
sufferings of Jesus unto death and THEN immediately his resurrection: made
alive in the spirit. It was the power of the spirit of God that raised Jesus
from the dead (Romans 1:4; 8:11). Peter then follows this with “in which also”
(en hōi
kai), meaning in the spirit. This sequence makes clear that whatever is
happening is happening after Jesus’ resurrection but by the power of the same
spirit that raised him from the dead. This means that whatever proclamation
Christ is making he did so after his resurrection and not between Good Friday
and Easter Sunday.
If these two verses tell us what
this passage is not saying, then what actually is it saying? Who or what are
these spirits? They were once disobedient in the time before Noah (v. 20).
Peter then uses Jesus’ proclamation to them to reference the story of Noah’s
salvation (v. 20) as a metaphor for baptism (v. 21) which symbolizes the death
and resurrection of Jesus Christ (v. 21; see also Romans 6:3-7). Once again, we
have the language of participation in Christ. Baptism symbolizes a believer’s
participation in Christ, specifically participation in his death and
resurrection.
Peter immediately follows this
second reference to Jesus’ resurrection identifying him as one “who is at the
right hand of God, having gone into heaven, after angels and authorities had
been subjected to him” (v. 22).
I believe verse 22 is the key verse
in helping us understand the meaning of this passage.
One of the central beliefs of
Christianity is that God enthroned Jesus as King of the world, following his
death and resurrection. Essentially, Jesus is currently ruling this world,
sitting at the right hand of God (Mark 14:62; Matthew 22:44; 25:33-34; 26:64;
Daniel 7:13; Acts 2:33; 7:55-56; Romans 8:34; Ephesians 1:20; Colossians 3:1;
Hebrews 1:3; Hebrews 8:1; 10:12; 12:2; Revelation 3:21; Psalm 110). Having been
made king over the world, all power and authority has been given to him (Matthew 28:18) and all powers and
authorities have been subjected to him (Ephesians 1:20-22; Philippians 2:8-11; 1
Corinthians 15:24; Colossians 1:13; 2:10, 15; Jude 1:25; Revelation 2:26-27;
12:10; Matthew 9:8; 21:23; Mark 3:15; John 5:27; 17:2; Psalm 110).
This is what Peter is saying in
verse 22. Following is death and resurrection, God enthroned Jesus as King and
ruler of the world and then gave him power and authority over all other power
and authority on earth. Ephesians 1:20-22 is another clear and compact example
of this teaching.
Now what are these powers and
authorities? Here we get into some very deep and complicated theology. Other
than the Hebrew conception of corporate influence (of which this is closely
related), there is probably nothing theologically deeper than the biblical
conception of power relations which was more readily understood in the ancient
world but which seems completely foreign to the contemporary post-Enlightenment
worldview.
Notice how Peter refers to the
subjugation of “angels and authorities” in verse 22. He does so because
“angels” (aggelos) were considered a
form of power alongside numerous others identified by such terms as archai, archontes, thronos, kyriotes, kyrios, dynameis, and exousia among others. Walter Wink has
done immense work in analyzing the power terms of the Bible and they help us
understand the interaction between the “spiritual” and the physical. Since a
significant part of the book I am currently writing is an application of Wink’s
theory of biblical power relations to ministry - specifically the church -
allow me to quote myself.
“Wink proposes that ‘“principalities
and powers” are the inner and outer aspects of any given manifestation of
power. As the inner aspect they are the spirituality of institutions, the
“within” of corporate structures and systems, the inner essence of outer
organizations of power. As the outer aspect they are political systems,
appointed officials, the “chair” of an organization, laws.’ He arrives at this
conclusion by surveying and analyzing the whole range of New Testament usage of
the language of Power with corroborating support from the contemporaneous
literature. He concludes that the Biblical writers employed interchangeable
terms of Power which can refer either to the visible or invisible aspects of
any given manifestation of Power, or even both together, as the context
required. The language employed indicates that, in the Biblical view, the
Powers are both visible and
invisible, both earthly and heavenly,
both spiritual and institutional.
Wink notes the following:
‘The clearest statement of this is
Col. 1:16 which should have been made the standard for all discussions of the
Powers: “For in him [the Son] all things were created, in heaven and on earth,
visible and invisible, whether thrones (thronoi)
or dominions (kyriotētes) or principalities (archai) or authorities (exousia) – all things were created
through him and for him.” The parallelism of the Greek, ably rendered here by
the RSV, indicates that these Powers are themselves both earthly and heavenly, visible and invisible.’
“In
this view, the Biblical thought is that there is a spirituality behind (or
within) physical manifestations of power. Behind every ruler, behind every
nation, behind every administrator, institution, church, and pastor, there is a
spirituality at work. The Powers possess simultaneously both an outer, physical
manifestation and an inner spiritual essence, or gestalt corporate culture, or
collective personality. The spiritual Powers, specifically, then are not to be
understood as separate ‘heavenly entities’ but as ‘the inner aspect of material
or tangible manifestations of power’. … Every business, corporation, club,
organization, school, government, denomination, and church has this combination
of both outer and inner, visible and invisible, physical and spiritual. The
Powers are both spiritual and institutional.
“Importantly, these Powers are not
fundamentally bad but the good creation of a good God. However, all of them
have fallen into corruption, having turned towards idolatry, becoming more or
less evil in intent. It is when a Power turns towards idolatry, placing its own
will above that of God’s, however consciously or unconsciously, that the Power
becomes demonic. Thus, ‘demons’ are the psychic spiritual powers emanated by
organizations, institutions, individuals or sub-aspects of individuals whose
energies are bent on overpowering others in a radical rejection of and
idolatrous estrangement from God.”
This is
why Peter includes angels, along with authorities and powers, as having been
subjected to Christ at his enthronement following is death and resurrection.
Angels, like demons, are the inner spirituality of a given manifestation of
power. If all power in heaven and on earth, spiritual and physical, has been
given to Jesus and all power has been subjected to him, then, naturally, angels
have been subjected to him.
Now let’s go back to verse 19 of 1
Peter 3. What are these “spirits” in prison to whom Christ made some
proclamation after his death and resurrection? Verse 22 suggests we should
understand these spirits as referring to the inner manifestations of particular
powers. These would have been powers that became disobedient, fell into
corruption, turned towards idolatry, and became evil in intent.
What the proclamation entailed is
somewhat uncertain. The context suggests it probably consisted of a declaration
of Jesus’ victory on the cross and the disarmament of the powers. You can see
this very idea in Colossians 2:9-15. In this passage, Paul speaks about the
incorporation of believers in Christ in which they participate in his death and
resurrection – symbolized in baptism (vv. 10-11) – and how the forgiveness of
sins defeated the rulers and authorities. In doing so, Paul says that Christ
“made a public display of them, having triumphed over them” (v. 15). I think
the proclamation, like the public display and triumph, is a way of Christ’s
victory over the corrupt, disobedient spiritual powers.
But these particular spiritual
powers were in “prison” when Christ’s proclaimed his victory over the powers. What
Peter means by “prison” (phulake) is
a bit ambiguous. The word can mean “prison”, “guard”, “post”, or “hold”. Revelation
refers to spiritual powers being in prison. In this apocalyptic and symbolic
work, the prison (phulake) in 20:7
refers to the “abyss” where the Satan is bound. In the Gospel of Luke’s account
of the Gerasene demonic (8:26-38; cf. Matthew 8:28-34 and Mark 5:1-20), the
demons beg Jesus not to send them to the abyss when he exorcises them from the
man (v. 31). A request Jesus grants. However, in Revelation 18:2, after the
fall of “Babylon”, the place becomes a phulake
for demons and unclean spirits. Again, this could mean prison or post. But if
Peter is referring to these same spirits in 2 Peter 2:4 when he refers to
angels being cast into “pits of darkness” (seirois
zophou) and “consigned to Tartarus” (tararōsas)
then perhaps prison is meant (see also Jude 1:6 and Enoch 20:2). This seems
probable. These would then be disobedient spiritual powers during the events
recorded in Genesis 6 that were somehow spiritually imprisoned. Of course, the
Genesis account does not explicitly mention powers. The idea of disobedient
angels imprisoned before the time of Noah comes from the non-canonical Book of
Enoch (18:14-16). This is a mythological and apocalyptic book that gives a
fictional and symbolic account of spiritual powers. It seems that Peter was speaking
of a forgotten tradition using a literary reference in order to refer to
Christ’s subjugation of the Powers. Why do so?
I believe that Peter, like Paul in
Colossians 2:9-15, is attempting to connect the believers participation in
Christ’s death and resurrection, symbolized in baptism (v. 21), with the
subjugation of the powers that followed that death and resurrection. From 2
Peter 2:5, we know that Peter likes to use the story of Noah as an example. In
verses 20-21 of our present passage, Peter speaks of Noah’s family being
“brought safely through the water” and then says this corresponds with how
baptism saves through the resurrection of Jesus Christ.
Therefore, having understood this
passage this way, we can put Peter’s argument this way:
“You are suffering under
persecution. But because you are believers participating in Christ,
specifically through his death and resurrection, symbolized in baptism, then
you share in his sufferings and he shares in yours. Jesus’ sufferings unto
death led to his resurrection to glory. So shall your sufferings in Christ.
Jesus’ resurrection into glory enthroned him and subjugated the powers of the
world to him, including the ancient powers of the world. And just as in ancient
times God saved Noah’s family from judgment through the waters, so God shall
save you through the water of baptism which symbolizes participation in the
death and resurrection of Jesus Christ which leads to glory and victory. So
follow the example of Jesus Christ, being obedient to God’s will (1:2, 14, 22:
2:14-15, 20; 3:6, 17) which leads to a good conscience (2:19; 3:16, 21), not
disobedient which leads to judgment (2:8; 3:1, 20; 4:17), so you patiently bear
under unjust persecution and find favor with God (2:19-20).”
I think
this interpretation makes sense of this very difficult passage.
"Thinking Eternally, Acting Locally." - Neal August
