As Christ died for us, and was buried, so also is it to be believed, that he went down into hell.—Articles of Religion—Church of England—Art. III, Book of Common Prayer, p. 311.
These "spirits in prison" are supposed to be the holy dead. * * * The most intelligent meaning suggested by the context is, however, that Christ by his spirit preached to those who in the time of Noah, while the Ark was a preparing, were disobedient, and whose spirits are now in prison, abiding the general judgment. The prison is doubtless hades, but what hades is must be determined by other passages of scripture; and whether it is the grave or hell, it is still a prison for those who yet await the judgment day.—Cyclopedia Biblical Literature (Kitto), p. 798.
3. Baptism for the Dead.—While not maintaining the view that there is such a thing as a living man being baptized for one who is dead, the writer in Biblical Literature (Kitto), expresses these views: "From the wording of the sentence [why then are they baptized for the dead?] the most simple impression certainly is, that Paul speaks of a baptism which a living man receives in the place of a dead one. This interpretation is particularly adopted by those expounders with whom grammatical construction is of paramount importance, and the first thing to be considered." This view is also upheld by Ambrose among the early Christian writers; and by Erasmus, Scaliger, Grotius, Calixtus among the moderns; and still more recently by Augusti Meyer, Billroth and Ruckert. De Wette considers this the only possible meaning of the words.
4. Epiphanius, a writer of the fourth century, in speaking of the Marcionites, a sect of Christians to whom he was opposed, says: "In this country—I mean Asia—and even Galatea, their school flourished eminently; and a traditional fact concerning them has reached us, that when any of them had died without baptism, they used to baptize others in their name, lest in the resurrection they should suffer punishment as unbaptized" (Heresies xxviii:7). This proves beyond controversy the fact that vicarious baptism for the dead was practiced among some sects of the early Christians. Another fact proves it still more emphatically than this statement by Epiphanius. The Council of Carthages, held A. D. 397, in its sixth canon, forbids the administration of baptism and holy communion for the dead; why should this canon be formed against these practices if they had no existence among the Christians of those days?—The Gospel, page 246.
REVIEW.
1. What great work did Elijah's visit to the Kirtland Temple introduce?
2. What was the Christian belief previous to this in respect to those who died without conversion to the Christian religion?
3. Through what cause did this error arise?
4. Explain the meaning of "Eternal" punishment—"Endless" punishment.
5. What scripture teaches that Jesus preached to the spirits in prison?