He Descended into Hell: An English Reformation Controversy

The phrase 'he descended into hell' in the Apostles' Creed caused a major controversy in England during the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries, yet this debate has been largely overlooked in modern scholarship. Camlin reapproaches the descensus clause in the context of its initial composition, before exploring the Reformation context, and especially, the debates during the Tudor period. He Descended into Hell considers how closely the English church aligned with the Patristic understanding of the doctrine during the Tudor period. It also considers how the English view correlated with the views of the Continental Reformers, as well as pressures within Protestantism to distance this view from that of the Roman church. Drawing on doctrinal, liturgical, catechetical and devotional material, Camlin shows how understandings of the purpose of Christ's descent were debated, leading to the established Anglican creeds we see today. Camlin's investigation thus offers new insight into this often overlooked or even misunderstood part of the Creed.