Introduction
In the introduction of the sermon, Ferrer states that he wants to clarify, after talking about the burial of Christ's body (cf. sermon T26 Good Friday), where Christ's soul went and what it did before the resurrection. In this way, the preacher can introduce and describe the quatuor loca inferni where Christ's soul descended to visit the souls there: according to the doctrina fidei christiane, in fact, for as long as Christ's body was in the tomb, his soul descended into hell (“Sicut fuit Jonas in ventre ceti tribus diebus et tribus noctibus, sic erit filius hominis in corde terre tribus diebus et tribus noctibus” [Matthew 12, 40] = Jonah as a figuration of Christ). Although Christ's body and soul were separated in those days, nevertheless his divinity was never separated from either body or soul (Ferrer explains this concept through two similarities: the divinity of Christ is not divided by the separation of body and soul, just as an apple that, cut in two, retains its smell in both parts, or a crystal that, cut in two, continues to reflect the light of the sun in both parts).
Divisio1) First part: concerning the first place of hell, i.e. the “prison of the damned” (carcer damnatorum), where the Christ’s soul manifested its divinity “per rigorosam increpationem, non secundum essentiam sed secundum effectum” (reference to Thomas Aquinas, Summa Theologiae III, q. 55 art. 2). Christ’s soul descended to this place for two reasons:
1. “Ad ligandum Luciferum” (to exemplify this reason, Ferrer uses the story of Tobias and the angel Raphael following Beda's interpretation);
2. “Propter rigorosam increpationem”, i.e. to rebuke the souls of the damned (including those of the “magnos philosophos, Platonem, Aristotelem et alios” [reference to Jerome]).
2) Second part: concerning the second place of hell, i.e. the Limbo of the Infants (limbus puerorum), “ubi sunt omnes pueri qui decesserunt cum solo peccato originali”.
Christ’s soul descended to these souls per gloriosam consolationem, telling them to give thanks to God for their condition which, unlike that of the damned, provides exemption from the sensory punishments of hell.
3) Third part: concerning the third place of Hell, i.e. the “place of purgation” (locus purgandorum), “ubi est ignis [that will last until the Judgement Day], sed non sunt ibi demones, qui nullus ibi intrat qui non sit in gratia dei”.
Christ’s soul descended to this place per copiosam liberationem.
Quaestio posed by the Doctors of the Church (reference to Thomas Aquinas, Summa Theologiae III, q. 52 art. 8): did Christ free all the souls that were in purgatory when he descended into it? According to Ferrer, this question can be answered in two ways, namely:
1. “per rigorem iusticie”: in this sense, we must understand that Christ only freed souls who have completed the time of penance (this is the Thomas Aquinas’ interpretation);
2. “per dulcedinem misericordie”: in this sense, we must understand that Christ freed all souls in purgatory (two similarities: Christ as a newly crowned king who, entering the city, frees the prisoners; Christ as a newly elected pope who grants large indulgences and numerous graces).
4) Fourth part: concerning the fourth place of Hell, i.e. the “bosom of Abraham” (sinus Abrae), where the souls of the holy fathers were, without suffering any pain, from the beginning of the world until Christ's resurrection: then, when Christ's soul descended to this place, they saw his divinity and received glory and paradise (reference to Augustine).
... (to exemplify this reason, Ferrer uses the story of
Tobias
and the angel Raphael following Beda 's interpretation);...