The Christ: A Critical Review and Analysis of the Evidences of His Existence

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About This Book

A skeptical, systematic critique argues that the Christ of the New Testament is a constructed myth rather than a reliably attested historical person. It assesses the silence of contemporary writers, the anonymous and late character of the gospels, and the contradictions within infancy narratives, ministry accounts, crucifixion, and resurrection reports. The author evaluates the moral portrait and teachings attributed to the figure and traces parallels with older pagan religions and divinities as possible sources of the myth. The conclusion asserts that supernatural claims lack sufficient historical support and that veneration rests on literary and theological fabrication rather than firm documentary evidence.

524

Did Christ descend into hell?

Peter: He did (Acts ii, 31; 1 Peter iii, 19).

Peter states that “his soul was not left in hell,” which necessitates the assumption of his having gone there. He also declares that after his death he “went and preached unto the spirits in prison [hell].”

The Confession of Faith (Art. III) says: “As Christ died for us, and was buried; so also is it to be believed that he went down into hell.”

For what purpose did Christ descend into hell and preach to its inhabitants? If it was to redeem them his mission was fruitless; if it was not to redeem them his mission was useless.

Early Christian writers almost uniformly spelled the name of Christ, not “Christos” (the Anointed), but “Chrestos.” Chrestos was a Pagan name given to the judge of Hades in the lower world.