Posted on 04/23/2011 1:27:26 PM PDT by NYer
Where is Christ after he dies on Friday afternoon and before he rises on Easter Sunday? Both Scripture and Tradition answer this question. Consider the following from a Second Century Sermon and also a mediation from the Catechism of the Catholic Church.
An Ancient Sermon:
Today a great silence reigns on earth, a great silence and a great stillness. A great silence because the King is asleep. The earth trembled and is still because God has fallen asleep in the flesh and he has raised up all who have slept ever since the world began. . . He has gone to search for Adam, our first father, as for a lost sheep. Greatly desiring to visit those who live in darkness and in the shadow of death, he has gone to free from sorrow Adam in his bonds and Eve, captive with him – He who is both their God and the son of Eve. . . “I am your God, who for your sake have become your son. . . I order you, O sleeper, to awake. I did not create you to be a prisoner in hell. Rise from the dead, for I am the life of the dead.” [From an Ancient Holy Saturday Homily ca 2nd Century]
Nothing could be more beautiful than that line addressed to Adam and Eve: I am your God, who, for your sake, became your Son.”
Scripture also testifies to Christ’s descent to the dead and what he did: For Christ also suffered once for sins, the righteous for the unrighteous, that he might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh but made alive in the spirit, in which he went and proclaimed to the spirits in prison….For this is why the gospel was preached even to those who are dead, that though judged in the flesh the way people are, they might live in the spirit the way God does. (1 Peter 3:18; 1 Peter 4:6).
Consider also this from the Catechism on Christ’s descent to the dead, which I summarize and excerpt from CCC # 631-635
[The] first meaning given in the apostolic preaching to Christ’s descent into hell [is] that Jesus, like all men, experienced death and in his soul joined the others in the realm of the dead.
But he descended there as Savior, proclaiming the Good News to the spirits imprisoned there [1 Peter 3:18-19; 1 Peter 4:6; Heb. 13:20]. Scripture calls [this] abode of the dead, to which the dead Christ went down, “hell” – Sheol in Hebrew, or Hades in Greek – because those who are there are deprived of the vision of God [1 Peter 3:18-19].
Such [was] the case for all the dead, whether evil or righteous, while they awaited the Redeemer: It is precisely these holy souls, who awaited their Savior …whom Christ the Lord delivered when he descended into hell.”[cf Psalms 89:49; 1 Sam. 28:19; Ezek 32:17ff; Luke 16:22-26]
Jesus did not descend into hell to deliver the damned, nor to destroy the hell of damnation, but to free the just who had gone before him.
[So] the gospel was preached even to the dead. The descent into hell brings the Gospel message of salvation to complete fulfillment. This is the last phase of Jesus’ messianic mission, a phase which is condensed in time but vast in its real significance: the spread of Christ’s redemptive work to all men of all times and all places, for all who are saved have been made sharers in the redemption.
Christ went down into the depths of death so that “the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God, and those who hear will live.”[1 Peter 4:6] Jesus, “the Author of life”, by dying, destroyed “him who has the power of death, that is, the devil, and [delivered] all those who through fear of death were subject to lifelong bondage” [John 5:25; Mt 12:40; Rom 10:7; Eph 4:9].
Henceforth the risen Christ holds “the keys of Death and Hades”, so that “at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth.”[Heb 2:14-15; Acts 3:15]
Delph
“I am not here to hijack the thread.”
Really?
“Not gonna go there.”
Why not, how can your own beliefs “hijack a thread”?
“I just wanted to understand a doctrine from the Catholic perspective that seemed to contradict what I had learned previously.”
What was your previous understanding?
Fascinating. By this do you mean that God was not omniscient before?
Please don't hijack threads about Catholicism just because I posted a question that would be really rude to the Catholics here.This is an open thread. You are most welcome to post your beliefs here.
Yes. According to the eyes of man.
:)
John 3:3 - Unless a man be born again of water and the spirit, he cannot enter into the Kingdom of Heaven. IWO, Baptism was necessary.
I just wanted to understand a doctrine from the Catholic perspective that seemed to contradict what I had learned previously.
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DU let me help you out here...
everything from a Catholic perspective contradicts what you have learned previously in your mormon doctrines...
you mormon doctrines are lies
This article states that no one was judged until Jesus was resurrected. I Just want clarification and the logical support. Even if the answer is “because we believe it's that way” you will have no argument from me for I am not Catholic and can't speak to what you believe.
Thanks for your permission...
It would be rude and IMHO un-christlike to go to a post about, and for Catholics and start spouting either my beliefs, or telling them what they believe.
It’s Easter I’d rather spend more time with my family then post from my phone...
You are correct that it could have been Wednesday. One negative to a Wednesday crucifixion is: one Sabbath would be sunset Wed through sunset Thursday and the next sunset Friday through sunset Saturday. If Thursday (sunset) to Friday (sunset) were a ‘normal’ week day it seems that the women would have gone to the tomb then instead of early on the first day of the week.
Eventually the priest offered to sponsor me into the priesthood, because of my exceptional understanding of the Bible.
When I told him I was not Catholic but Mormon, he kicked me out. He was afraid of what would happen if people found out he had a Mormon attending.
I have attended more churches than I could list. Religion of all stripes is an abiding interest, and as a rule I have no problem keeping the tenets of each faith separate.
Thanks for the “attempt” at helping me.
Have a wonderful Easter, God bless
I am sorry DU, if you had exceptional understanding you would not be lds. Thanks for the chuckle.
It is 10 months, in the sense that it is nine months “inclusive.” It depends whether you count the entire number of months, or rather the number of months “from” the starting time.
This is a confusing thing about counting. Thus, in many languages, a week is referred to as “eight days” and a fortnight as “fifteen”.
Nanna, FYI I attended a Catholic Bible study with a friend for almost a year and went to mass with him about once a month.
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Deafi, FYI Joey Smith attended a Methodist Sunday School for almost a month and the whole Smith family attended Palmyra Presbyterian Church in NY until they were excommunicated...
The Presbyterian pastor was not afraid of the blasphemy Smith was trying to introduce into the Christian Church
Rather he stood up for what the LORD jesus Christ taught about Himself as God incarnate...God come in the flesh...
and kicked out the doctrines of devils...
and thats why Deafi, Joey Smith hated the Presbyterian Church
Because Christianity is strong, being of God Almighty, and Joey Smith could not penetrate it with his idolatry...
2 weeks later in April 1830, Joey Smith invented his Anti-Christianity religion, in which he introduced doctrines which broke every one of the Ten Commandments of God ...
and slurred the Catholic Church and the Protestant Church as “apostates” and “Whores of Babylon” etc
You admit that you lied and attended that Catholic Church under false pretenses...
Unpenitent and with as heart still full of error and judgement and sin...
The priest was right to ask you to leave
Simce you say you were there a whole year, there was prove enough to that good man that you were not there to worship the LORD Jesus Christ as God and LORD of lords and King of kings and the Savior...
But you were there only to critise and mock...
I commend him for his patience and kindness towards you...
But the Catholic Church is God’s House...
Not a PC playground for bored illegal alien “believers”
my exceptional understanding of the Bible.
I am sorry DU, if you had exceptional understanding you would not be lds. Thanks for the chuckle.
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That was eye popping wasnt it ???
Either God is omniscient or He is not. We Catholics believe (according to Scripture) that He is. What do you mean according to the eyes of man? God's being does not depend on man.
Our knowledge of him does.
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