Where was Jesus on Holy Saturday?
- Paul Coulter
- 18 hours ago
- 15 min read
I have been asked to provide a comment on this question for Premier Christian Radio to air on Holy Saturday 2026 (4 April). I thought I would put it into a blog post for the benefit of anyone who wants to explore the question.
Holy Saturday is the name sometimes given to the Saturday between Good Friday and Easter Sunday. Every Christian knows what happened on the days either side of it – Jesus was crucified and buried on the Friday, and he rose again and was seen on the Sunday. But what about the Saturday?
What were the disciples doing on Holy Saturday?
We have a good idea what the disciples were doing that day. Luke tells us that, as first century Jews, they were observing the Sabbath (Luke 23:56). Strictly speaking he is writing about the women – explaining why they did not come to anoint Jesus’ body until the Sunday morning – but it would also have been true for the men among Jesus’ closest followers. We can also surmise from John’s Gospel that the disciples were hiding behind locked doors for fear that those who had arrested Jesus and handed Him over to be killed would come for them next. Certainly, that was the case on the Sunday evening (John 20:19), so it seems likely it was true on Saturday too. They were grief-stricken and confused (Luke 24:17-21).
To mark Holy Saturday, in our house we have an unusual tradition. Ever since the children were very young, it has been the one day in the year when we do not do family devotions (reading the Bible and praying together). I have always taught them that this is to give some sense of what life would be like if Jesus had not risen from the dead. Like the disciples on Holy Saturday, our lives would be without hope and, as the apostle Paul wrote, our faith would be “in vain” – meaningless and pointless (1 Corinthians 15:14).
What does the tradition say about Jesus on Holy Saturday?
So much for the disciples, but where was Jesus on Holy Saturday? In the physical sense, the answer is clear. His body was laid in the tomb on Friday evening, and He rose again in the same body – only transformed – on Sunday morning. On Saturday, His body was enclosed, lifeless, behind the stone that was rolled across the doorway. So, our question is not about Lord’s body but about His soul.
There is a very strong tradition – depicted in paintings and icons – that Jesus entered into the place where the souls of dead people were and liberated the souls of righteous people who lived before him. This is often called “the harrowing of Hell” – a phrase that originated in English sometime around the 10th Century, when it was used as the title of an anonymous poem, and became popular during the Middle Ages – although it is misleading for reasons we will explore shortly.
Still, the idea that Jesus did this finds strong support from many of the Church Fathers:
Irenaeus (c.180 AD) wrote that Christ: “descended into the regions beneath the earth, preaching His advent and the remission of sins to those who believe in Him,” and that He, “did not rescue only those who believed in Him during His lifetime, but all who from the beginning feared God and lived justly.”
Tertullian (c. 200 AD) wrote that Christ, “did not ascend into the heavens before descending into the lower parts of the earth, that is, into the regions below, where the souls of the dead were.”
Hippolytus of Rome (c. 200–235 AD) describes Jesus declaring to the place of the dead: “You have swallowed One who is stronger than you… I will release those you have held.”
Origen (c.185-254 AD) says that Christ, “went to the spirits in prison to preach the gospel to those who died in former times.”
Cyril of Jerusalem (c. 350 AD) wrote that, “He was truly laid in the tomb, and descended into the regions beneath the earth, that from there also He might redeem the righteous.”
Augustine of Hippo (3540430 AD) said that Christ, “freed the souls of the saints who were held in the lower regions.”
This traditional view was also taught by the Reformer Martin Luther (1483-1546 AD). This is a strong tradition, but tradition alone is not a strong basis for any doctrine if it is not clear from Scripture. John Calvin (1509-1564), however, was less certain that the Church Fathers were correct. He wrote that, “Nothing is said in Scripture of Christ’s going to the dead except that he tasted death for us.”
What do creeds mean by, “He descended into hell”?
Before turning to the evidence of Scripture, it is important to acknowledge a clause in the Apostles Creed that says, “He descended into hell”. This claim is also repeated in the Anglican Articles of Religion (1571). As mentioned above, the wording of this clause in English is problematic.
When we speak about “Hell”, we normally refer to the place where those who are not saved will be separated from God in eternal punishment. That is not, however, what the Creed refers to. The confusion arises from the fact that the King James Version of the Bible used the word ‘hell’ to translate four different words from the original languages:
Sheol – this Hebrew word occurs 65 times in the Old Testament to refer to the place where the souls of people go after death. In 31 of these, the KJV translates it ‘hell’. In 31 it is ‘grave’ and in three it is ‘pit’. In modern versions, Sheol is never translated as ‘hell’. It is normally either translated as ‘grave’ or ‘realm of the dead’ (NIV) or simply written as Sheol (ESV).
Hades – this Greek word refers in the New Testament – as it did in wider Greek usage – to the same concept as Sheol in the Old Testament – the place of the dead. In the KJV t is translated ‘hell’ ten times and ‘grave’ once (in 1 Corinthians 15:55). In modern versions (both NIV and ESV), Hades is usually written as Hades and seldom translated as ‘hell’, although the ESV does so in Matthew 16:18.
Gehenna – this word, which derives from the name of the Valley of Hinnom, is used eleven times by Jesus in the Gospels to refer to a place of eternal punishment in “unquenchable fire”. It also appears once in James 3:6 as the place that sets the tongue on fire. In all twelve occurrences the KJV translates Gehenna as ‘hell’, and modern versions such as the NIV and the ESV also use the word ‘hell’ exclusively to translate it.
Tartarus – this word only appears once in the Greek New Testament – in 2 Peter 2:4 – where the KJV translates it ‘hell’. Peter uses this word to refer to a place where fallen angels are kept in chains until the coming judgement. Modern versions (including NIV and ESV) often keep the translation ‘hell’ here.
So, we need to distinguish between three places described in the Bible:
Hades or Sheol, where the souls of the dead are held temporarily.
Tartarus, which is a place where rebellious angels are held temporarily.
Gehenna, which is the place of final and permanent eternal punishment in fire. This is also referred to as the “lake of fire” in Revelation 19:20; 20:10, 14, 15, which says that it is the final destiny of the beast and his followers (19:20), the devil and the false prophet (20:10), Death and Hades (20:14), and anyone whose name was not written in the book of life (20:15). This is what we normally mean by the word ‘hell’.
Of course, in describing these as ‘places’ we must remember that we are not necessarily speaking about physical, geographical places, as souls are non-physical. We might be better to use the word ‘realms’.
When the Apostles’ Creed and the Anglican Articles speak of Jesus descending to ‘hell’ they are speaking not of Gehenna but of Hades or Sheol. The original Latin of the Apostles’ Creed makes this clear. The word traditionally translated ‘hell’ in English versions is inferos, which literally means ‘those below’ – either lower places or people in a lower place. For this reason, some modern English translations of the Apostles’ Creed translate that clause, “he descended to the dead.” It is also worth noting that most early creeds – including the Nicene (or Niceno-Constantinopolitan) Creed, which is the most widely accepted across Christian traditions, and the Old Roman Symbol, from which the Apostles’ Creed developed – do not have this clause at all. As such, it is not a universally accepted statement of faith.
The omission of this clause from many creeds is also consistent with the New Testament passage that is often seen as one of the earliest of all creedal statements, 1 Corinthians 15:3-5:
For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures, and that he appeared to Cephas, then to the twelve.
This statement, received by the apostle Paul and now passed on by him, does not say anything about where Christ’s soul went. It moves straight from burial to resurrection. With this passage and the Nicene Creed in mind, we should be careful not to insist on a universal requirement for a statement about the descent even to “the dead” or to “Hades”. If Jesus harrowed any realm after His death, it was not ‘hell’ (Gehenna) but Hades.
What does the Bible say about where Jesus went?
Having established that the tradition and some creeds claim that Jesus’ soul went to Hades after His death, we need to engage with what the Bible. Was Calvin correct to reject the idea that the Bible teaches that Jesus went to the place of the dead? Why did so many early Church Fathers believe and teach this and why did it enter the Apostles’ Creed?
One reason is undoubtedly that these early Christian leaders and theologians wanted to be clear about the fact that Jesus actually died. They saw this as an important consequence of His true and full humanity – a biblical teaching that was challenged by Gnostic heretics. But they were also careful students of Scripture and they found suggestions that Jesus went to Hades in three places in the New Testament.
Key passage 1 – Ephesians 4:9 – descending to lower places
The first key passage is the verse that gave the wording of a descent to the Apostles’ Creed – Ephesians 4:9. Here, the apostle Paul follows a quote from Psalm 68:18 about Christ ascending on high leading many captives with Him, with this statement:
Now that he ascended, what is it but that he also descended first into the lower parts of the earth? (KJV)
What does “he ascended” mean except that he also descended to the lower, earthly regions? (NIV)
In saying, “He ascended”, what does it mean but that he had also descended into the lower regions, the earth? (ESV)
Notice that it says “he ascended.” This clearly means that Christ also descended to our lowly world. (NLT)
I have included four translations for comparison. The key Greek phrase is katōtera merē tēs gēs – literally ‘the lower regions the earth’. The KJV took this to refer to lower parts of the earth, which for those who thought in strictly geographical terms suggested the grave or Hades. The NIV, ESV and NLT all take it to mean not a lower part of the earth, but the lower regions which are the earth. In other words, they see here not a reference to what happened to Jesus upon His death, but to His incarnation, coming into the world. This is the view of most modern commentators. So, Ephesians 4 does not provide clear support for the idea of a descent to Hades.
Key passage 2 – 1 Peter 3:18-20 – proclaiming in prison
The second key passage is 1 Peter 3:18-20, which says that after His death, Christ was:
made alive in the spirit, in which he went and proclaimed to the spirits in prison, because they formerly did not obey, when God's patience waited in the days of Noah.
This has often been interpreted – sometimes by linking it to the descent in Ephesians 4:9 – as meaning that the spirit (or soul) of Christ went to the place where spirits who had been alive on earth in the time of Noah were kept in prison to preach to them. Some who take this view think He proclaimed judgement on them – confirming the just judgement of God for their disobedience. Others suggest that the preaching may have included the possibility to repent and be saved.
This idea of Jesus preaching to souls in Hades was also linked with other verses:
His statement that the gates of Hades would not prevail against the Church he would build (Matthew 16:18).
His statement in Revelation 1:18 that He holds the keys of Hades.
The fact that He defeated Satan through His death and delivered those who were in slavery to the fear of death (Hebrews 2:14-15).
These threads were woven together into the idea of Jesus storming the gates of Hades when he died, breaking in and defeating Satan to deliver people held in death, so that He now holds the keys of Hades.
So, what are we to make of this interpretation? Firstly, we must recognise that 1 Peter 3:18-20 is a tricky passage to understand, not least because we do not have any other relevant passages that clearly say that Jesus did this. The other verses that are woven together with it to tell a story of the harrowing of Hades do not clearly teach that – it is a theory with limited biblical support, especially the idea that it was forceful conquest, since it is not Satan but God who keeps the souls of people in Hades.
Secondly, we need to be clear that these verses do not say anything about the possibility of salvation after death and that idea is at variance with what Scripture says consistently elsewhere about the final judgement being on the basis of what we do in this life.
Thirdly, the interpretation raises a major question – why would Jesus only preach to the people who lived in the time of Noah.
Fourthly, there is an alternative interpretation that is at least as plausible – that Peter is referring to the work of the Holy Spirit (who he calls the “spirit of Christ” in 1 Peter 1:10-11) in the time of Noah, through Noah’s preaching, among the people who are now in prison though they were not at the time.
In summary, it is possible that 1 Peter 3 refers to Christ preaching in Hades after His death, but it is by no means clear, and we should hold any such conclusion lightly.
Key passage 3 – Luke 23:43 – the promise of Paradise
The third key passage is Luke 23:43, which tells us that the Lord Jesus said from the cross to the repentant thief: “Truly, I say to you, today you will be with me in Paradise.” This is a promise made by Christ to a man and, as such, it must be taken literally, and Jesus does not say that the dying man will be with Him in Paradise on the third day (when He rises again) but today. This, then, is the clearest statement of where Jesus’ soul was on Holy Saturday. He was in Paradise. But that raises another question – where or what is Paradise?
The word Paradise came into Greek from an old Persian word for a walled Garden. It is the word that the Jews who first translated the Old Testament into Greek used for Eden in Genesis 2-3. By the time of Jesus, Greek speaking Jews were using it to refer to the part of Sheol or Hades where the righteous dead wait for the resurrection. It was understood to be a place of blessing and comfort. By using this word from the cross, Jesus confirms that this thinking was correct.
The idea that Jesus went to Hades when he died also finds support from Acts 2:27, which records the apostle Peter quoting Psalm 16:10 in relation to Jesus – “For you will not abandon my soul to Hades (Sheol in Psalm 16) or let your holy one see corruption”. This verse could be read simply to say that God would not confine Jesus’ soul to Hades, but it may also indicate that Jesus’ soul was in Hades after His death, but God brought His soul back from there at the resurrection to be reunited with His transformed body.
Abraham’s bosom – the rich man and Lazarus
The concept called Paradise in Luke 23:43 is referred to elsewhere by Jesus by a different name – ‘Abraham’s bosom’. In Luke 16:19-31, He tells a story of a beggar named Lazarus and an unnamed rich man who both died. The unrighteous rich man finds himself in a place of torment in fire, from which he can see Lazarus being comforted in ‘Abraham’s bosom’ (sometimes translated ‘Abraham’s side’). This story has sometimes been called a parable – which might cause us to think that it should not be understood literally – but it is not called a parable in the passage, and Jesus never names a character in any other parable, so others take it as a literal description of real events.
Some commentators who take the parable literally claim that ‘Abraham’s bosom’ is a way of saying that righteous people went to the presence of God when they died, but that seems unlikely for three reasons.
First, it seems odd to focus on Abraham as the source of comfort if Lazarus is in God’s presence.
Second, it is hard to see how an unrighteous person in Hades – the rich man – could see into the presence of the holy God.
Third, this is not how first century Jews understood where people’s souls went when they died to await the resurrection – they believed they went to Hades and that part of Hades was a place of comfort, which Jewish writings call being “gathered to Abraham”, “resting with the patriarchs”, or being in “the bosom of Abraham”.
Whether we read Luke 16 literally or think it is a parable that should not be read literally, it is still saying something true about the destiny of the dead. When we put it together with Jesus’ promise to the dying thief, it seems clear that Jesus endorsed the Jewish understanding that Hades included a place for the souls of those who had believed in God, where they were comforted, which is separate from the realm where the unrighteous souls are kept.
Did Jesus lead righteous souls from Hades?
This brings us to the question of whether Scripture ever describes Jesus leading the righteous dead out of Hades, as the traditional view suggests. Returning to the quote from Psalm 68:18 in Ephesians 4:8 – “When he ascended on high he led a host of captives” – it seems plausible, although not certain, that this refers to Jesus leading the souls from Paradise / Abraham’s bosom with Him into the presence of God when he rose and ascended to His Father.
This interpretation also makes sense theologically. Romans 3:25 says that God had patiently passed over “former sins” until Jesus died, meaning that His death paid for the sins of believers both before and after Him. It seems logical that believers who died before Jesus could not enter directly into God’s presence until He had atoned for their sins. After His death and resurrection, it also seems logical that they could go to be with Jesus in the presence of His Father.
Importantly, however, for the reasons explained above when discussing the phrase ‘the harrowing of hell’, there is no biblical support for the idea that this process involved a struggle by Jesus. Souls were not kept in Paradise by Satan – they were comforted there with Abraham. Christ had already won His victory on the cross on Good Friday. He did not need to fight on Holy Saturday. The Father raised Him on Easter Sunday. In between, we can trust that he was resting with the souls of the righteous – observing Sabbath, if you like, just as His disciples were doing – until Sunday dawned. This was not a harrowing – it was a homecoming.
This also fits with what the New Testament says about what happens to believers in Jesus who die. The apostle Paul described the death of a believer in terms of being “with Christ” (Philippians 1:23) or being “absent from the body; present with the Lord” (2 Corinthians 5:8). This is a source of great comfort as we mourn believers who have died. It is also supported by the declaration in Hebrews 12:23 that Christians on earth have come to, “the assembly of the firstborn who are enrolled in heaven […] and to the spirits of the righteous made perfect”.
The word Paradise – used by Jesus on the cross – is also used two other times in the New Testament in ways that support the view that Paradise is now the direct presence of God. In 2 Corinthians 12:4, the apostle Paul refers to being caught up to paradise, which he also calls “the third heaven” – which was a way of describing the dwelling place of God – although he was unsure if this was in the body or only spiritually. Finally, in Revelation 2:7, the tree of life is said to be in “the paradise of God”, which is revealed in Revelation 22 to be the new creation. Taking these three references together, we can suggest that Paradise before Jesus died was the part of Hades where the righteous souls were (Abraham’s bosom), but that He took Paradise to be in the “third heaven” (where God dwells), and that He will bring Paradise to be in the new creation when it is revealed. Or, more simply, Paradise is now wherever Jesus is.
Conclusion – piecing the picture together
Tying all of these biblical passages together with theological threads to form a unified picture, I suggest the following:
Before Jesus died, the souls of all who died were kept by God, awaiting resurrection, in the realm called Sheol in the Old Testament and Hades in the New Testament.
Hades had two divisions – Paradise or Abraham’s bosom where the souls of believers were comforted and the rest of Hades where the souls of non-believers were in torment.
When Jesus died, He went to Hades, and specifically to Paradise. Whether he preached there is unclear from Scripture.
When God raised Jesus, He led the souls of believers – for whose sins He had now atoned – from Paradise and took them with Him in His ascension to be in the presence of His Father.
The souls of believers who die after Jesus’ resurrection go to be with Jesus to be in the presence of His Father.
The souls of non-believers who die after Jesus’ resurrection continue to go to Hades, which is now exclusively a place of waiting in torment for them.
When Christ returns, the souls of all people will be raised and given new bodies to face the final judgement. Believers who lived before and after Jesus’ death and resurrection will enter into the new creation to live eternally with Him, while non-believers will be consigned to the lake of fire, which we commonly call Hell and which Jesus referred to as Gehenna – a place of eternal judgement.
This view is accepted across most Christian traditions including Protestant (most classical Protestant theologians), Roman Catholic (e.g., the Catholic Catechism) and Orthodox (e.g., the Eastern Fathers). However, I would not insist upon it as a mark of orthodox theology. It is enough to confess that Christ died and rose again, as Paul emphasises in 1 Corinthians 15.
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