Christ’s Descent into Hell, Text (Descensus Christi ad Inferos). The noncanonical text that comprises the second half of the Gospel of Nicodemus (the first half of the Gospel of Nicodemus is the Acts of Pilate, the central text of the Pilate Cycle). Christ’s Descent Into Hell was never widely authoritative in the early church period, nor could it have been based on its late date.

The text Christ’s Descent Into Hell claims Jesus descends into hell accompanied by Dismas, the penitent thief on the cross. Not only does Christ “descend,” but he enters as the king of glory to establish victory there. This “harrowing of hell” takes place between Christ’s death and resurrection. The text names the authors as Leucius and Karinus (Charinus), which may be the same Leucius Charinus to whom many of the noncanonical, apocryphal acts are often attributed.

This extrabiblical account—likely an early medieval text (fifth—sixth century; Klauck, Apocryphal Gospels, 91)—was written to supplement details only hinted at in the New Testament (1 Pet 3:19; Elliott, Apocryphal New Testament, 165).