1 Peter and Christ’s Descent to the Dead in Its Early Christian Reception

by Chi-Kin Lei

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Extent: 260 pages

Publisher: Mohr Siebeck

Subjects: Biblical Studies, Philosophy, Religious Studies

Series: Wissenschaftliche Untersuchungen zum Neuen Testament 2.Reihe

Language: English

Paperback (Published)

(August 2025)

ISBN: 9783161640414

6.06 x 9.09 inches

Price: $100.00

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Chi-Kin Lei reexamines 1 Peter 3:19 and its early Christian reception, challenging the current scholarly consensus by exploring its association with the doctrine of Christ’s descent into Hades (descensus) and its significance in Christian theology.

In the Christian Bible, there is a mysterious text in the First Epistle of Peter (1 Peter 3:19) which speaks about “Jesus preaching to the spirits in prison”. Traditionally, this text has served as the major scriptural support for the doctrine of Christ’s descent into Hades (the so-called descensus ) in Christian theology. Present scholarship, however, has rejected this traditional understanding and tends to detach 1 Peter 3:19 from the descensus . Such a critical judgment, unfortunately, remains insufficiently examined. Indeed, no previous study has specifically focused on how and why 1 Peter 3:19 came to be associated with the descensus in history, nor what bearing the descensus could have on the text of 1 Peter 3:19 itself. Thus, Chi-Kin Lei fills this lacuna by studying 1 Peter’s early reception in relation to the descensus, ultimately challenging the current scholarly consensus on this issue.

  • By (author) Chi-Kin Lei

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