INTO HADES : A STUDY IN COMPARATIVE RELIGION. 225 



romantic and striking aspects of the doctrine, the conquest and 

 rescue rather than the preaching, became more popular. 



We do not now believe in a local and underground place of 

 the dead, and we are less prone to dogmatize upon those regions 

 whither we believe the souls of the dead to pass. Obviously, 

 then, the old doctrine of the Descent, whether in its simpler or 

 in its more complex forms, cannot be taken literally. But 

 yet we cannot afford to regard it, as some would do, as mere 

 " dead wood from the tree of Christian doctrine."* Whether 

 we believe that our Lord Himself gave a hint of the truth in 

 this matter, or whether we believe that the whole doctrine, as 

 it comes down to us, rests on supposition, I think it has still an 

 abiding value, for even that supposition is at least so far con- 

 sistent with what we know of the love of God. Interpreted in 

 terms of modern belief we can see in this doctrine the fact that 

 in whatever state the disembodied dead are, thither our Lord 

 passed, and that to them He communicated that Gospel of 

 Love which He preached on earth both in actual words and by 

 His death on the cross ; that the dead, like the common people, 

 heard Him gladly, and with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob 

 rejoiced to see His day. If we believe that beyond the grave 

 it is possible for the soul to obtain forgiveness and to progress 

 in knowledge and enlightenment, it is clear that the presence 

 of our Lord in the Other-world, and His communication with souls 

 there, must have been a great stage of progress in their growth. 

 In some such way as this we may still find abiding value in the 

 old yet beautiful ideas of a Descent to a local Hades, of a 

 preaching, or of a conquest of Satan and a harrowing of Hades. 

 But both the old and the new thoughts afford us ground of 

 confidence that beyond the grave the love of God still exists 

 and still serves to lead souls onwards and ever onwards to Him 

 and to His peace. 



Discussion. 



The Chairman said : We shall all agree that we have listened 

 with great pleasure to this learned and interesting paper. I am not 

 competent to speak on it myself, but the meeting is now open for 

 discussion. 



* Gardner, Exploratio Evangelica 263. 



