Hades Part Deux
Dr dear Dr: Am I to understand your earlier response O Theophilus and to take it that Jesus descended into Hell to free the Just but that he left behind some souls too in Hell, i.e. that he did not out of his munificence free everybody contained thereunder?
Correct. As implied in your Quaesitum and as contained in the original homily of a Second Century Author for Holy Saturday Liturgies in the morning of the Feast Day, the Christ messiah reached out a hand to Adam and Eve and also to the Just contained in the underworld. Others not just, were left behind. Because though Christ is merciful, there is the economy of justice of the Father to consider too. The Father wills the salvation of all human beings, but sadly there are some human beings who do not wish to see the salvation of others and then not even of themselves, quite openly by dint of human free will. There is nothing much that can be done for these, except persuasion. Some humans hope to rule in Hell rather than serve in Heaven. As the goths put it so strangely.