All Souls Day

Like last year, I honor today's solemn observance in the spirit of Christian universalism. I especially call to mind a few of the early Christian scholars and saints who advocated this view. Here are some of their own words about what they believed regarding the universal extent of Christ's redemption, the temporary & disciplinary nature of Hell, and the final destiny of all mankind:

Clement of Alexandria- 2nd century theologian, sometimes referred to as the first Christian philosopher

     "For all things are ordered both universally and in particular by the Lord of the universe, with a view to the salvation of the universe."

     "If in this life there are so many ways for purification and repentance, how much more should there be after death! The purification of souls, when separated from the body, will be easier. We can set no limits to the agency of the Redeemer; to redeem, to rescue, to discipline, is his work, and so will he continue to operate after this life."

Origen- 3rd century theologian, offered the first comprehensive theological, philosophical, and intellectual defense of Christianity

     "But our belief is that the Word [Christ] shall prevail over the entire rational creation, and change every soul into his own perfection..."

     "For stronger than all the evil in the soul is the Word, and the healing power that dwells in him; and this healing he applies, according to the will of God, to every man."

St. Gregory of Nyssa- 4th century theologian, sometimes referred to as the "flower of orthodoxy"

     "...the nature of evil shall one day be wholly exterminated, and divine, immortal goodness embrace within itself all intelligent creatures; so that of all who were made by God, not one shall be exiled from his kingdom..."

     "For it is evident that God will in truth be 'in all' when there shall be no evil in existence, when every created being is at harmony with itself, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, when every creature shall have been made one body. Now the body of Christ, as I have often said, is the whole of humanity."

     "Whoever considers the divine power will plainly perceive that it is able at length to restore by means of aionion purgation and expiatory sufferings, those who have gone even to this extremity of wickedness."

St. Macrina the Younger- 4th century nun, older sister of St. Gregory of Nyssa

     "When the evil has been extirpated in the long cycles of the aeons nothing shall be left outside the boundaries of good, but even from them shall be unanimously uttered the confession of the Lordship of Christ."

     "The process of healing shall be proportioned to the measure of evil in each of us, and when the evil is purged and blotted out, there shall come in each place to each immortality and life and honor."

Titus of Bostra- 4th century theologian

     "Thus the mystery was completed by the Savior in order that, perfection being completed through all things, and in all things, by Christ, all universally shall be made one through Christ and in Christ."

     "The very abyss of torment is indeed the place of chastisement, but it is not eternal (aionion) nor did it exist in the original constitution of nature. It was afterwards, as a remedy for sinners, that it might cure them. And the punishments are holy, as they are remedial and salutary in their effect on transgressors; for they are inflicted, not to preserve them in their wickedness, but to make them cease from their wickedness..."

St. Isaac of Syria- 7th century theologian

     "...He [God] has devised the establishment of the Kingdom of Heaven for the entire community of rational beings...Nevertheless Gehenna [Hell] is grievous even if it is thus limited in its extent:"

With these sentiments in mind, we call to mind all human souls who have died, righteous and wicked, believer and unbeliever, and we entrust them to Christ, the Divine Mercy. Lord have mercy, Christ have mercy, Lord have mercy.

"I am he that liveth, and was dead; and behold, I am alive for evermore, Amen; and have the keys of hell and of death." Jesus Christ, Revelation 1:18

"For you, Christ our God are compassionate and love mankind..." Prayer of St. John of Damascus

Feast of Pentecost

Pentecost, which took place 50 days after the Resurrection, is the day when about 3,000 people were baptized into the Christian faith (Acts 2:41).

Historically speaking, Christianity grew rapidly. By AD 60, the faith had already spread throughout the Middle East, much of the Mediterranean, and possibly as far as the Caucuses. About 300 years after Christ, Christianity would become the dominant religion of the Roman Empire under Constantine. Today, there are about 2.2 billion Christians on the planet, making Christianity the world's largest religion. Islam is second with about 1.6 billion.

As a side note, the Eastern Orthodox Church says a special prayer for those in Hell during Vespers on Pentecost. This would seem to suggest that at least one major branch of traditional Christianity is open to the possibility that Christ's mercy and redemptive power can even reach into Hell, a concept that is consistent with both ancient and contemporary Christian Universalism.

Divine Mercy Sunday

The second Sunday of Easter is called 'Divine Mercy Sunday' in the Roman Catholic Church. It is a very special day. Here's The Divine Mercy website for further info.

Interestingly, back in 2008, a leading Russian Orthodox Bishop, Hilarion Alfeyev, was invited to deliver a speech to the Catholic Church's first World Congress on Divine Mercy. In his speech, Bishop Alfeyev discussed St. Isaac of Syria's writings on the mercy of God. It's interesting because Isaac, a 7th century saint, was a Christian universalist who believed that Hell was limited in its duration and expressly for the purpose of cleansing, reforming, and restoring the sinner to God's good graces. As a Christian universalist, St. Isaac believed that through Christ's unfathomable mercy, all mankind would eventually be saved. While this is not the official view of the Roman Catholic Church, the Bishop's speech was still relatively well-received.

Ironically, if one closely evaluates many of the prayers associated with Divine Mercy, there is certainly a spirit of 'hopeful universalism' permeating them as Christ's redemptive sacrifice is repeatedly asked to mercifully extend to all of mankind.

Holy Saturday: Christ's Descent to Hell, aka The Harrowing of Hell

Holy Saturday, the time between Christ's crucifixion and resurrection, is a bit of a theological mystery in Christianity. There are probably five main views, which derive from scripture, the Apostles Creed, apocryphal writings, and scholarly tradition:

1. Christ descended to Hell (or Hades, or the place of the dead, depending upon the particular translation) and preached His Gospel to both the righteous and unbelieving & wicked who had died before His advent.  All were saved and entered heaven. This view is held by some in Eastern Orthodoxy.

2.  Christ descended to Hell, preached His Gospel to both the righteous and unbelieving & wicked. Some repented and believed, others did not. This view is held by some in Eastern Orthodoxy as well.

3.  Christ descended to Hell and retrieved only the 'Old Testament righteous', both Jewish and Gentile.  This is the Roman Catholic view.

4.  Christ descended to Hell simply to declare His victory over sin, death, and Satan. No one exited. This view is held by some in Protestant circles.

5.  Christ's descent was strictly metaphorical, i.e. the 'descent' was merely an expression of his sacrificial death on the Cross. This view is held by some Protestants.

Personally, I hold to view #1. The following early church fathers strongly suggested or explicitly believed that Christ preached to and saved all of those in Hell during His descent:

- Athanasius of Alexandria, 4th century
- Gregory of Nazianzus, 4th century

- John Chrysostom, 4th century
- Jerome, 5th century

-  Cyril of Alexandria, 5th century

This 4th century Holy Saturday liturgical prayer also seems to suggest that the impact of Christ's descent was universal in nature, extending to all of departed humanity at the time.

And the way I see it, if Christ truly harrowed Hell once before, then He can certainly do it again at the end of time.

All Souls Day: apokatastasis style

Today, I pay tribute to All Souls Day in the context of Christian/Trinitarian Universalism. The Greek word, apokatastasis, means restoration to the original (good) condition. In modern English, the terms 'universal salvation' or 'universalism' are more commonly used to describe this particular theology. Basically, it is the belief that all rational beings, namely human beings, will eventually get into heaven because of Christ's all-merciful death and all-powerful resurrection.

While only a small percentage of modern-day Christians hold to this position, it was actually a widely held view during the first 400 years of Christianity, as documented by St. Basil, St. Augustine, and St. Jerome. Big names in early Christianity, such as Clement of Alexandria, Origen, Macrina the Blessed, Titus of Bostra, and Gregory of Nyssa, to name a few, taught this doctrine.

Generally speaking, modern-day adherents of Christian/Trinitarian Universalism believe the following:

- The Bible is divinely inspired
- The Trinity is the one true God
-  Jesus Christ was born of the Virgin Mary
-  Jesus was God in human flesh
-  Jesus performed miracles
-  Jesus died for the sins of all mankind
-  Jesus physically rose from the dead
-  Salvation is a gift from God
-  Jesus is mankind's only Savior
-  Hell is real and terrible, but limited in duration and disciplinary/reformative in nature
-  All mankind, including atheists, agnostics, Muslims, Hindus, Buddhists, and Jews, will eventually come to believe in Christ as Lord and Savior, of their own free will

While this is not an exhaustive list, here are some scholarly resources worth exploring on the topic:

Universalism the prevailing doctrine of the Christian church during its first 500 years

Tracing Universalist thought through church history

The Evangelical Universalist: second edition

The Christian Doctrine of Apokatastasis

Bishop Hilarion Alfeyev: Christ the Conqueror of Hell

The Congress Catches Fire- Divine Mercy

The Harrowing of Hell: Salvation for the dead in early Christianity

In the Roman Catholic, Eastern Orthodox, and conservative Anglican traditions, All Souls Day is a prayerful remembrance of only the 'faithful departed'. In the context of Christian Universalism, however, All Souls Day would be celebrated as a prayerful remembrance of all departed human souls, due to the belief that Christ died to redeem all of humanity.

That being said, without further adieu, here's the display: