<> Ask the Pastor The Rev. Walter Snyder Q: I was just checking out the Christian world on the Internet and I found your page. It is great, a lot of interesting links. Thanks for the hard work. I have been searching for a passage I read once, but can't find it. After Jesus was crucified, he did not ascend into Heaven for three days. I thought I read once that He spent those days in Hell, suffering for all of our sins. Can you tell me where this passage is? I would appreciate it. God bless you! A: You're welcome, and thank you for the kind words. The Apostles' and the Athanasian Creeds both confess the doctrine of Christ's descent into Hell. However, the descent was not into torment, since the payment for our sins was completed on the cross. This is why Jesus could say, "It is finished." His true agony was expressed in the words, "My God, why have you forsaken me?" This quote from Psalm 22 underscores the seriousness with which God views human transgression. He made Jesus, who knew no sin, to be sin for us--and he then punished that sin with ruthlessness. Being abandoned by God must be the greatest torment that even Hell has to offer, yet Jesus willingly accepted this to bring us reconciliation with his Father. The passage which speaks of Christ's descent into hell is 1 Peter 3:18-22. The sequence is, "He was put to death in the flesh but made alive in the spirit, in which He also went and preached to the spirits kept in prison, who disobeyed long ago in the days of Noah...." Evidently, he was alive but not out of the grave, and used this time to proclaim his victory in the heart of Satan's domain. What Peter emphasizes in this section is not the descent into hell. He illustrates by contrast that just as water saved Noah's family in the Flood while drowing evildoers, so the water of Baptism saves us by incorporating us into the Resurrection of Jesus Christ. Q: A former President's sister was a minister and I believe her last name was Stapleton. She died of cancer several years ago. What was her full name and what religion was she affiliated with? Is there a picture of her available? A: Her name was Ruth Carter Stapleton, sister of President Jimmy Carter. She was a proponent of "inner healing," an occultic offshoot of Freudian and Jungian theories. This system seems to have begun with Agnes Sanford, and spread through Ruth Carter and others. Carter apparently left her Baptist roots and became a nondenominational lay faith healer. Sanford's unbiblical teachings further spread into the Christian mainstream, and much of the psychologically oriented preaching in some modern pulpits can be traced to her. Most so-called "Christian" self-healing therapies and programs are based less on the Bible than they are on the pronouncements of Agnes Sanford, Ruth Carter Stapleton, and others who have followed their lead. Many orthodox Christian writers would include such people as David Yonggi Cho, Robert Schuller, and Norman Vincent Peale among the heirs of these women. As for pictures, I'm sorry, but I don't know where you might find one. Q: I am trying to find the background of Judas Iscariot, son of Simon. Can you tell me anything else about his family background? A: Simon was such a common name that Jesus not only had this son of Simon, but also Simon (called "Peter") and Simon the Zealot as disciples. We know nothing about him besides a few early mentions among the disciples, his complaints about the waste during the anointing of Jesus' feet, and his pivotal role in the arrest of Jesus and subsequent suicide. The best clue we have is in his name. Several theories, based upon similar sounding words from Latin, Hebrew, or Aramaic have been proposed. Some say Judas of the "bag," since he carried the disciples' money, or "strangling," because of his suicide by hanging. Others say "man of Kartan" (a Galilean town), or "dagger," since he may have been a Zealot, a member of a radical Jewish political party dedicated to overthrowing the Roman oppressors. Most likely, however, is that Iscariot comes from the Hebrew *ish Kerioth* ("man of Kerioth"). This could be a town in Judea south of Hebron (see Joshua 15:25) or possibly in Moab (see Jeremiah 48:24). Until next week, when, Lord willing, we enjoy more of your questions, remember to "Ask the Pastor" at P.O. Box 1080, Jasper, Texas, 75951; E-mail xrysostom@aol.com; or catch me around town. Pastor Snyder serves St. Paul and Faith Lutheran Churches, Jasper and Woodville, Texas and is the coauthor of "What Do Lutherans Believe? A Study Guide in Christian Teachings for Adults." Copyright (c) 1997 by Walter P. Snyder Permission is granted by author to reproduce or retransmit this by any means, provided that its content is not altered, that this notice of copyright and permission is included, and that no financial gain is realized.