What does Jesus “descended into hell” in the Apostles’ Creed mean?

The answer to this question was in the bulletin two Sundays ago and I thought it was very interesting. It was something I hadn’t taken time to think about, I just said the words and accepted it without questioning. I thought I would share it again here because likely I’m not the only one who needed more background on a prayer we say, at the very least, weekly at Mass and whenever we pray the rosary.

(From Dear Padre: Questions Catholics Ask, Liguori Publications)

In the Old Testament, everyone who died, good or bad, ended up in Sheol. Sheol was portrayed as a shadowy place where the dead dwelt in a miserable existence, deprived of God. In the New Testament, this place was referred to as Hades or Gehenna. Hades is the Greek word for “the land of the dead.” Gehenna is a word with Hebrew origins that referred to the valley of Hinnom. This valley was a narrow gorge, south of Jerusalem, used for a garbage dump. This image was used by Jesus for the place of punishment for the wicked after death (Matthew 5:22. 18:8).

When the Apostles’ Creed states: “he descended into hell,” it means Jesus really suffered the effects of death – and did, indeed, die – and that everyone must suffer. Jesus died and went to Hades, where all the dead go. The Church has traditionally taught that Jesus also had a mission to perform when he went to Hades. Because everyone, whether evil or righteous, ended up in Hades, Jesus came to free the just ones who had gone before Him. This is the so-called “harrowing of hell,” which was a popular devotion in medieval times (the “harrowing of hell” is a medieval English word used to describe the plundering and ravaging that takes place during times of war). It proclaims total victory of the divine conqueror over Satan – Jesus went to hell and released those holy souls stranded there.