title: The Battle for the Keys: Revelation 1:18 and Christs Descent into the Underworld (Paternoster Biblical Monographs)
author: Justin W. Bass
description: 'In <i>The Battle for the Keys</i> Justin Bass leads us through an exceptional exegetical, historical, and theological exploration of the question of both the whether and whither of Christ's descensus ad inferos. Besides providing a thorough and compelling history of the doctrine of Christ's mysterious exploits between his death and resurrection, Dr. Bass drives a foundational pier in the ground of the exegetical and doctrinal debates through a careful and comprehensive examination of Revelation 1:18. By explaining rich imagery that would have been both accessible and meaningful to a first-century Graeco-Roman audience steeped in the claims of Christianity, Dr. Bass demonstrates that the ancient and enduring confession that Christ ''descended into hell''--whatever that entailed--reflects the beliefs of the identity-forging leaders and communities of the first century Church. Whatever doubters or believers choose to do with Dr. Bass's competent and convincing evidence, arguments, and conclusions, they cannot choose to ignore them.'<br />--Michael J. Svigel, Associate Professor of Theological Studies, Dallas Theological Seminary<br /><br /><br /><br />'This is a book that deserves to be read! While the subject of where Christ spent the time between his death on the cross and his resurrection has been a topic of discussion since the early church fathers, until now no book or article has dealt specifically with the meaning of Revelation 1:18. The present work is a valuable contribution to the study of afterlife and underworld imagery in the New Testament in terms of biblical theology.'<br />--W. Hall Harris III, Professor of New Testament Studies, Dallas Theological Seminary --Wipf and Stock Publishers
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  Dedication
   To Jill
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  Epigraph
  The key to hell picks all locks
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  Contents
  Cover
  Title Page
  Dedication
  Epigraph
  Part I: Departure
  1 
   The Stranger
  2 
   Sold for a Prayer
  3 
   Rib Tooth Thumb Shin Dust Skull Tomb
  4 
   Pestilence
  5 
   The Stone Bridge
  6 
   Saint-Peter’s-Step
  7 
   Feast Day
  8 
   A Fork in the Road
  Part II: The Relic Thief
  9 
   Tooth, the Second
  10 
   A Bath
  11 
   The Story of the Tear-Soaked Veil
  12 
   Thievery
  13 
   Thumb, the Third
  14 
   A Little Boy with a Cold
  15 
   Trouble
  16 
   Angelus
  Part III: Deceit and Calamity and Ruin
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  17 
   One Thousand Years of Devising
  18 
   Downstream
  19 
   Newly Hatched Chick
  20 
   Kicked in the Shin
  21 
   At Sea
  22 
   The End of the World
  23 
   Scrabbling
  24 
   Dust, the Fifth
  Part IV: Arrival
  25 
   Red Beard and Gray
  26 
   A Roughly Sketched Figure
  27 
   The Heads of Saint Peter and Saint Paul
  28 
   Skull, the Sixth
  29 
   Brigands and