Expert: Fr. Michael - 6/8/2004

Question
What happened to Jesus and where was his soul/spirit between his cruxifixion and his resurrection? Did he descend to hell as the Apostles' Creed said? If so, did he suffer hellfire for us? It seems reasonable to me that in order to us from hell, Jesus might have to suffer in our behalf there. But if this was so, why did he said "It's finished" when he breathed his last on the cross?

Answer
This is just another example of how translations can be so misleading.  That is why the Church uses only Latin for official purposes.  The Apostles Creed says "ad inferos," to the regions below.  Christ did not descend to the Hell of the Damned.  There would have been no purpose in that, as those souls are judged and lost for eternity.

Instead, Christ descended to the Limbus Patrum, the Limbo of the Fathers, that is, to those souls that were just, but died before the Resurrection.  These were then able to enter Heaven.  Christ descended to give the Good News to these just souls.