Recently, I finished reading Metropolitan Hilarion Alfeyev’s book “Christ the Conqueror of Hell.” This fascinating study focuses on Christ’s descent into Hades and quotes abundantly from Orthodox writers and liturgical texts. My question is not about whether all, most, or some people in Hades came to believe in Christ’s redemption and to be saved. The texts leave this question open.
The quoted texts, in general, describe the event as a resurrection and an emptying of the graves. I know that the Nicene-Constantinopolitan Creed says, “We look forward to the resurrection of the dead.” The general resurrection is yet in the future.
My question is about the sense in which Adam and Eve and other people were resurrected and the graves were emptied. Clearly, the resurrection of the body has not happened and the bodies of the saints remain in the graves.
Could it be the the case that Orthodox writers believed that the soul, which dwelled with the body in the grave, was resurrected?*
In 2Co 5, St Paul says, "We are confident, then, and would prefer to be away from the body and at home with the Lord." And he also says, "Now we know that if the earthly tent we live in is dismantled, we have a building from God, an eternal house in heaven, not built by human hands." These 2 statements seem to indicate some sort of an immediate resurrection after death.
*In this sense, the soul talked about is not Plato’s rational soul, which is akin of the spirit in NT writings, but rather the OT nefesh soul.
The quoted texts, in general, describe the event as a resurrection and an emptying of the graves. I know that the Nicene-Constantinopolitan Creed says, “We look forward to the resurrection of the dead.” The general resurrection is yet in the future.
My question is about the sense in which Adam and Eve and other people were resurrected and the graves were emptied. Clearly, the resurrection of the body has not happened and the bodies of the saints remain in the graves.
Could it be the the case that Orthodox writers believed that the soul, which dwelled with the body in the grave, was resurrected?*
In 2Co 5, St Paul says, "We are confident, then, and would prefer to be away from the body and at home with the Lord." And he also says, "Now we know that if the earthly tent we live in is dismantled, we have a building from God, an eternal house in heaven, not built by human hands." These 2 statements seem to indicate some sort of an immediate resurrection after death.
*In this sense, the soul talked about is not Plato’s rational soul, which is akin of the spirit in NT writings, but rather the OT nefesh soul.