On the Apostle's Creed

[Silvereel]

I’ve been saying the rosary of late and it got me rather curious. The Apostle’s Creed says Christ desescended into hell, presumably to bear suffering for us. Now, what I don’t understand is why he told the good thief on the cross “You will be in Paradise with me this day”. This implies an immediate ‘trip to heaven’, if you will, yet the Creed says otherwise. How does one clear this up?

 

[tobinatorstark]

I’ve been saying the rosary of late and it got me rather curious. The Apostle’s Creed says Christ desescended into hell, presumably to bear suffering for us. Now, what I don’t understand is why he told the good thief on the cross “You will be in Paradise with me this day”. This implies an immediate ‘trip to heaven’, if you will, yet the Creed says otherwise. How does one clear this up?

I would assume that he had forgiven this man’s sins posthumistly (sp??)

 

[1edyson]

I’ve been saying the rosary of late and it got me rather curious. The Apostle’s Creed says Christ desescended into hell, presumably to bear suffering for us. Now, what I don’t understand is why he told the good thief on the cross “You will be in Paradise with me this day”. This implies an immediate ‘trip to heaven’, if you will, yet the Creed says otherwise. How does one clear this up?

Welcome to CAF!

The first thing I would say is that Christ didn’t descent into Hell to bear our suffering per se He died on the Cross for that, but rather to set those free that were promised Heaven, but were not able to enter for the Gates of Heaven had not yet entered. This is the place that was called Limbo, or the Bossom of Abraham. Christ didn’t descened into the Hell of the lost or damned but into Sheol.
Now to the thief, since Christ had not yet risen on that very same day and in turn hadn’t opened the Gates of Heaven, he rose three days later, he may have promised the theif that he was going to paradise, as in the Bossom of Abraham, but not Heaven until he himself rose from the dead inturn opening the Gates. I’ve heard other interpretations but this is the one that best meshes with the Greek and Hebrew translations IMHO.