A Study of 1 Peter 3:18-4:6

The aim of this book is to prove that neither 1
Peter 3:19 nor 1 Peter 4:6 refers to the Christian
doctrine the Descensus Christi ad Inferos . The
meaning of these two verses has long been debated,
and is very often seen as references to Christ s
descent into Hades. These questions will be answered
by means of a parallel study. The first part of this
book involves the doctrine of the Descensus ;
looking at its origin and its development. It is
argued in this section that the roots of this
doctrine can be found in Jewish-Christianity and not
pagan mythology as has been suggested. The second
part of the book then engages in the meaning of 1
Peter 3:19 and 4:6. This section starts with an
introduction to 1 Peter, discussing all the
preliminary questions . This will be followed by a
structural analysis of 1 Peter. By means of an
analysis of these verses,
and the influence of the pseudepigraphal book 1
Enoch, it is shown that these verses do not allow
themselves to be interpreted as references to the
Descent of Christ into Hades.

Autorentext
Marietjie du Toit is a young upcoming researcher in both Greek and New Testament studies. She completed her MA in Ancient Languages and Cultures Cum Laude in 2007. Currently she is busy with her MA in New Testament. Marietjie is also a Lecturer in Greek and Hebrew at the Mukhanyo Theological College in South-Africa.

Klappentext
The aim of this book is to prove that neither 1 Peter 3:19 nor 1 Peter 4:6 refers to the Christian doctrine the 'Descensus Christi ad Inferos'. The meaning of these two verses has long been debated, and is very often seen as references to Christ's descent into Hades. These questions will be answered by means of a parallel study. The first part of this book involves the doctrine of the 'Descensus'; looking at its origin and its development. It is argued in this section that the roots of this doctrine can be found in Jewish-Christianity and not pagan mythology as has been suggested. The second part of the book then engages in the meaning of 1 Peter 3:19 and 4:6. This section starts with an introduction to 1 Peter, discussing all the preliminary questions . This will be followed by a structural analysis of 1 Peter. By means of an analysis of these verses, and the influence of the pseudepigraphal book 1 Enoch, it is shown that these verses do not allow themselves to be interpreted as references to the Descent of Christ into Hades.