To Hell and Back: Christ's Descent into Hell as Interpretive Key to Current Hell-Talk

The doctrine of hell represents the dark side of traditional Reformed eschatology, which many reject or ignore. Meanwhile, the language of hell is on the rise in society ("climate hell", mental health issues, wars). This paper seeks to connect traditional understandings of hell with present-day "hell talk" by a reinterpretation of Christ's descent into hell. Eastern traditions understand this as Christ's victory over death, and John Calvin interpreted it as the depth of Christ's sufferings. This paper adds the exclusion of humans by humans as third layer. In dialogue with Hannah Arendt's reflections on hell and punitive methods, this paper reinterprets hell christologically.