Holy Saturday

You are probably aware of Good Friday and Easter Sunday, but have you heard of Holy Saturday?

According to Mark’s Gospel, Jesus died Friday afternoon at 3 p.m. Since the Sabbath is Friday at sunset to Saturday at sunset, the day of rest would have begun shortly after Jesus breathed his last. For Jews, all work stops on the Sabbath. Normal routines resume as soon as the Sabbath ends so “When the Sabbath was over [Saturday evening], Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James, and Salome bought spices so that they might go to anoint Jesus’ body” (16:1). Then early Sunday morning they set out for the tomb.

Because Jews strictly observe the Sabbath, we know that Jesus’ followers had to rest during much of his time in the tomb, but what was Jesus doing? If you believe in soul sleep—the idea that we enter an unconscious state after death until we are raised from the dead—your answer will be “nothing.” But that’s the opposite of what many early church leaders or fathers taught.

He showed the way to salvation not only to us, but also to the spirits in hell; having descended, he preached to those once disobedient, as Peter says.[i] (Cyril of Alexandria, AD 378-444)

Do not [the Scriptures] show that the Lord preached the Gospel to those that perished in the flood, or rather had been chained, and to those detained ‘in ward and guard’?[ii] (Clement of Alexandria, AD 150-215)

after he had freed those who had been bound for ages, straightway he rose again from the dead, showing us the way of resurrection.[iii] (John Damascene, AD 676-749)

What are they talking about? They are referring to Christ’s descent to the underworld or Hades. What was he doing there? He was preaching to disobedient people, freeing them, and “showing us the way of resurrection.”

1 Peter

Cyril mentions Peter because much of the early church’s thinking on this topic was derived from statements in 1 Peter. Here’s what Peter writes:

For Christ also suffered for sins once for all, the righteous for the unrighteous, in order to bring you to God. He was put to death in the flesh, but made alive in the spirit, in which also he went and made a proclamation to the spirits in prison, who in former times did not obey, when God waited patiently in the days of Noah, during the building of the ark, in which a few, that is, eight persons, were saved through water. (1 Peter 3:18–20 NRSV)

Later he says:

But they will have to give an accounting to him who stands ready to judge the living and the dead. For this is the reason the gospel was proclaimed even to the dead, so that, though they had been judged in the flesh as everyone is judged, they might live in the spirit as God does. (1 Peter 4:5–6 NRSV)

Peter’s Main Points

Peter’s statements have been the source of much debate. Here’s what we know or most likely know from his statements and the story of Noah in Genesis.

• Christ proclaimed a message to imprisoned spirits.
• The spirits were disobedient during the time of Noah: “they did not obey, when God waited patiently in the days of Noah, during the building of the ark.” Noah lived more than two millennia before Christ.
• Disobedient humans grieved God during Noah’s time and were wiped out in the flood. Although the flood narrative in Genesis may contain a reference to angelic rebellion (some view the “sons of God” in Genesis 6 as fallen angels), the primary focus and the cause for divine judgment is human wickedness. Peter’s reference to the spirits in prison, then, is most likely referring to rebellious humans who lived during Noah’s time.
• The gospel was proclaimed to the dead. Gospel means good news of Christ. Linking “the dead” in 1 Peter 4:6 with the rebellious imprisoned spirits in 1 Peter 3:19–20 leads to the conclusion that deceased humans heard the good news of Christ.[v] And that was the standard view of the church fathers.

Identity of the Prisoners

While these points were commonly accepted by early church leaders, they did not all agree on the identity of the imprisoned spirits. Some believed they were Old Testament saints, while others thought they were sinners. But Peter specifies Christ’s audience as those who “did not obey, when God waited patiently in the days of Noah, during the building of the ark” (3:20). Thus, they were not righteous; they were the disobedient people who were destroyed in the flood.

Why does Peter only name those who were disobedient during Noah’s time? What about all the others who died later? That question bothered Augustine (AD 354-430). He thought that such a visit to only that one generation didn’t make sense so Peter must be talking about something other than Christ’s descent to Hades. What was Peter talking about? Augustine devised a novel interpretation that does not correspond with the text: Christ’s spirit was in Noah when Noah was preaching to the wicked people of his day before the flood.

Peter, however, could have used that one group, known for being especially wicked, as an example of what Christ did during his descent. By naming them, he shows that Christ’s mission included even the most wicked generation.[vi]

Content of Christ’s Preaching

Since Peter’s statement doesn’t mention what Christ proclaimed, how did the church fathers conclude that Christ preached the gospel or the good news of salvation? First, they linked “the gospel was preached to the dead” (1 Pet. 4:6) with Christ’s proclamation to the spirits in prison in 1 Peter 3:19. Second, I believe they connected the theological dots. If Christ preached to imprisoned human spirits, he must have preached the good news of salvation for the following reasons.

First, it corresponds with Christ’s mission. He said, “For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost” (Luke 19:10). And John wrote “God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him” (John 3:17). He came to save so if he went to Hades, or the realm of the dead, he would have gone with the same mission? Yes, he could have announced his triumph over the forces of evil in Hades, but that wouldn’t exclude his goal of saving the lost.

Second, it corresponds with his character. He was despised for spending time with sinners (Mark 2:16). And throughout his ministry, he loved people by healing, restoring, teaching, and serving. From what we know of Jesus in the Gospels, would he have gone to the underworld merely to announce his triumph over deceased humans, leaving them in misery? I don’t think so. If he went to them, he would have gone with the intention to save because that fits with his compassionate heart.

Result of Christ’s Preaching

What happened after Christ preached good news to the imprisoned spirits? That is left to speculation because Peter doesn’t say, but again, if we reason from prior revelation, is it too far of a stretch to imagine that if Christ preached the gospel to them, then, at least some accepted the message and were released? After all, Jesus announced that he was sent “to proclaim freedom for the prisoners” (Luke 4:18). Some church fathers went so far as to say that all followed Christ out of Hades.

What about those who descended to Hades after Christ’s visit? Some of the fathers believed that Christ’s descent was a one-time event, but the effects are still experienced like a flickering light. Others believed that Peter’s words imply that everyone will have an opportunity to receive the light of Christ even in Hades.

Disagreement and Agreement

The early church leaders didn’t agree on every­thing regarding the events of Holy Saturday. They disagreed about the following:

• identity of the imprisoned spirits (saints or sinners)
• the number of those released (some or all)
• the continuing significance of Christ’s descent

But they agreed on something I had not been taught in Protestant churches and schools: Christ descended to the underworld where he preached good news to deceased human beings and, at least some, were released. And that instantly meant two things to me. The dead were not forgotten and the door of death could not stop Christ’s liberating power. How could it? In Revelation he claims, “I was dead, and now look, I am alive for ever and ever! And I hold the keys of death and Hades” (1:18). (For more details on 1 Peter 3:18-20 see this post.)

Hebrews 9:27

What about Hebrews 9:27: “people are destined to die once, and after that to face judgment”? Doesn’t that show that there is no opportunity for salvation after death? I’ll let you think about this one for yourself or see my book: Surprised by Hell: Unexpected Discoveries in the Bible and Church History.

Summary

There is a glimmer of light for the idea that at least some have received God’s mercy in the afterlife. And that light, coming from 1 Peter 3, grows brighter when you read the church fathers.

If you’re a Protestant, do you have to care about what the church fathers taught? No. Protestants pride themselves on staying true to the Bible. Human interpreters can be wrong even if they are church fathers. But if the early leaders almost unanimously agreed on a particular teaching and supported it with Scripture, we should at least consider it. Thinking about these two things left a deep impression on me: (1) It sounds like Peter is saying that Christ descended and preached to deceased humans who were imprisoned and (2) that is how many ancient church leaders interpreted his statement.[vii]

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[i] Archbishop Hilarion Alfeyev, Christ the Conqueror of Hell: The Descent into Hades from an Orthodox Perspective (Crestwood: St. Vladimir’s Seminary Press, 2009), 47.

[ii] Ibid., 77.

[iii] Ibid., 57.

[iv] Ibid., 79-80.

[v] Some object that deceased humans are not called “spirits” in Scripture so they could not be in view here. But the author of Hebrews mentions “the spirits of the righteous made perfect” (12:23). Furthermore, an author is always free to use an uncommon word.

[vi] This does not exclude the idea that Christ made a proclamation to others, but it highlights one generation to make a point.

[vii] Augustine disagreed with that interpretation of 1 Peter 3:18–20, but he did believe that Christ descended to Hades where he preached good news to those predestined to be saved and they received his message.

Les Bridgeman

After graduating from Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary, I served as a high school Bible teacher in Asia. I enjoy traveling, writing, and playing the drums. My latest book focuses on Paul’s work as a tentmaker and what it means for today.