St. Thomas Aquinas’ Doctrine of Christ’s Descent into Hades and its implications for African Ancestor Christological discourse
The statement “he [Christ] descended into Hades” in the Apostles’ Creed has generated theological debate concerning the nature and purpose of the descent and the relationship of Christ to ancestors. Given St. Thomas Aquinas’ outstanding contribution to the development of this doctrine, this article...
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University of the Free State
2024-12-01
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| Series: | Acta Theologica |
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| Online Access: | https://journals.ufs.ac.za/index.php/at/article/view/7925 |
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| author | I. Boaheng |
| author_facet | I. Boaheng |
| author_sort | I. Boaheng |
| collection | DOAJ |
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The statement “he [Christ] descended into Hades” in the Apostles’ Creed has generated theological debate concerning the nature and purpose of the descent and the relationship of Christ to ancestors. Given St. Thomas Aquinas’ outstanding contribution to the development of this doctrine, this article explores Aquinas’ contributions to the doctrine of Christ’s descent into Hades. It then critiques ancestor Christology through the lens of the descent doctrine. A desktop research approach is used to gather and analyse data from journal articles, books, and theses. The article argues that Christ died in place of sinful humanity and bore the total punishment for sin; therefore, there is no sacrifice for salvation except that which Christ offered. This emphasises that salvation is solely through Christ, and no rituals, sacrifices, or ancestors can replaceHis redemptive work. The article also asserts that Christ,as the Son of God, surpasses any human ancestor in
importance and power, making ancestor Christology invalid. It encourages Akan Christians to place their faith solely in Christ.
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| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-cda54e4d5213423ea5e86fb098b37ff4 |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 1015-8758 2309-9089 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2024-12-01 |
| publisher | University of the Free State |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Acta Theologica |
| spelling | doaj-art-cda54e4d5213423ea5e86fb098b37ff42025-02-11T09:27:31ZengUniversity of the Free StateActa Theologica1015-87582309-90892024-12-0144210.38140/at.v44i2.7925St. Thomas Aquinas’ Doctrine of Christ’s Descent into Hades and its implications for African Ancestor Christological discourseI. Boaheng0Christian Service University, Ghana The statement “he [Christ] descended into Hades” in the Apostles’ Creed has generated theological debate concerning the nature and purpose of the descent and the relationship of Christ to ancestors. Given St. Thomas Aquinas’ outstanding contribution to the development of this doctrine, this article explores Aquinas’ contributions to the doctrine of Christ’s descent into Hades. It then critiques ancestor Christology through the lens of the descent doctrine. A desktop research approach is used to gather and analyse data from journal articles, books, and theses. The article argues that Christ died in place of sinful humanity and bore the total punishment for sin; therefore, there is no sacrifice for salvation except that which Christ offered. This emphasises that salvation is solely through Christ, and no rituals, sacrifices, or ancestors can replaceHis redemptive work. The article also asserts that Christ,as the Son of God, surpasses any human ancestor in importance and power, making ancestor Christology invalid. It encourages Akan Christians to place their faith solely in Christ. https://journals.ufs.ac.za/index.php/at/article/view/7925AkanAquinasChristDescent into Hades/hell |
| spellingShingle | I. Boaheng St. Thomas Aquinas’ Doctrine of Christ’s Descent into Hades and its implications for African Ancestor Christological discourse Acta Theologica Akan Aquinas Christ Descent into Hades/hell |
| title | St. Thomas Aquinas’ Doctrine of Christ’s Descent into Hades and its implications for African Ancestor Christological discourse |
| title_full | St. Thomas Aquinas’ Doctrine of Christ’s Descent into Hades and its implications for African Ancestor Christological discourse |
| title_fullStr | St. Thomas Aquinas’ Doctrine of Christ’s Descent into Hades and its implications for African Ancestor Christological discourse |
| title_full_unstemmed | St. Thomas Aquinas’ Doctrine of Christ’s Descent into Hades and its implications for African Ancestor Christological discourse |
| title_short | St. Thomas Aquinas’ Doctrine of Christ’s Descent into Hades and its implications for African Ancestor Christological discourse |
| title_sort | st thomas aquinas doctrine of christ s descent into hades and its implications for african ancestor christological discourse |
| topic | Akan Aquinas Christ Descent into Hades/hell |
| url | https://journals.ufs.ac.za/index.php/at/article/view/7925 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT iboaheng stthomasaquinasdoctrineofchristsdescentintohadesanditsimplicationsforafricanancestorchristologicaldiscourse |