Apocrypha
Descent of Christ to Hell
Descensus Christi
4 chapters · read and listen
Reading note
An apocryphal or pseudepigraphal text — outside the canon of the Western churches, yet widely circulated among ancient Jews and Christians. Published here from a public-domain translation, edited for continuous reading.
Chapters
Dossier
The account of the two sons of Simeon, who died, saw Christ arrive in the world of the dead, and were returned to life to write down what they witnessed.
Where this text comes from
It circulates as the second part of the Gospel of Nicodemus and also independently, in Latin and Greek, from the 4th and 5th centuries AD.
Why it is not in the Bible
Outside the canons. Even so, it is the narrative behind the line in the Apostles' Creed about the descent into hell.
What you will find
- Karinus and Leucius, the two who came back, are recognised by witnesses from Galilee — and the whole account comes from them.
- The question that opens the text and that nobody can answer: what are this soul and this body, if you died so long ago?
- The answer in one line: we rose from the dead with Christ, and He brought us out from among them.
- It is testimony rather than vision: the narrator claims to have been there and come back.
Frequently asked questions
- Is Christ's descent into hell in the Bible?
- There are allusions, such as 1 Peter 3:19, but the developed narrative comes from this text and the Gospel of Nicodemus, not from the canonical gospels.