[Linux4christians] ‭1 Peter 3:19-20a - Clarification

[Pastor David]

CLARIFICATION - ‭1 Peter 3:19-20a

I *should* have further qualified my Commentary re. this.

There is a powerful debate about the specifics of this text
within the scholarly community of Bible students  that 
swirls around the recitation of the Apostles Creed.

In the 16th century "hell" meant hades as such, rather than
the final state of the lost....as it generally is used today.

We also have the varying understanding of the impact of
linear time and timelessness as well as the "hades"
construct that these are "asleep" prior to the judgment.

If one insists upon a timeline of immediate judgment at the
moment of death then one still must allow that this is a
pre-judgment preaching of Jesus to those who are "on hold"
in hades prior to the Great White Throne Judgment.

This, of course, begs the question "Is there any other
example of Jesus preaching to those "who are asleep" as a
post-physical death/pre-judgment form of evangelism or is
this an historically-exclusive event with a unique purpose?

Or does one take Peter's text as purely rhetorical and not
at all intended to be literal?

This text, not carefully considered (which tends to be
beyond the scope of our current survey-type studies), does
create an opportunity for theological mischief in the form
of a "third reality of consciousness" between the flesh and 
eternity - purgatory.

Your thoughts?

> "3:19 In it he went and preached to the spirits in
> prison,
> 
> [Note:  While Jesus was dead in the flesh, yet alive in
> the Spirit, He preached to a subset of the dead - see
> following for a further discussion.]
> 
> 3:20a after they were disobedient long ago when God
> patiently waited in the days of Noah as an ark was being
> constructed. "
> 
> [Note:  Two alternative understandings are greatly
> debated; I am more comfortable with the NET translator's
> preference for the reading that Jesus brought the gospel
> to those who were in Hell due to their pre-Noadic sin and
> who died in it rather than the suggestion that Peter 
> intends that Jesus preached to the unredeemable fallen
> angels, since such would appear to be unproductive
> gloating.]


-- 

Have an http://Ultrafidian.com Day!  Pastor David
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Senior Pastor (Interim) Bethel Missionary Baptist
http://bethelstatesboro.org (new site pending)
Bible Commentary & Daily Reflection-Action-Devotional
http://bibleseven.com/b7/b7studies.html
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~