He Descended into Hell

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.

Author Biography

Charles F. Camlin holds a PhD from the University of Middlesex centring on English Reformation controversies around the Apostles’ Creed, as well Master of Theology degrees from Dallas Theological Seminary and Cranmer Theological House, Texas. He is the Dean of Cranmer Theological House, editor of Cranmer Theological Journal, co-editor of the book Re-formed Catholic Anglicanism, and is a member of the Society of Anglican Theologians. He is married to Kimberly and they have three children and five grandchildren.