The Descent into Hell as a Solution for the Problem of the Fate of Unevangelized Non‐Christians: Balthasar's Hell, the Limbo of the Fathers and Purgatory

I critically examine Edward Oakes' claim that Hans Urs von Balthasar's theology of the descent into hell provides the best answer regarding the possible salvation of the unevangelized non‐Christian. First, I contest Oakes' claim based on christological and trinitarian difficulties in Balthasar's descent theology. Second, I utilize the early Christian tradition's understanding of Christ's descent into the limbo of the just to address the problem of the salvation of the unevangelized. Third, I draw on Joseph DiNoia's use of purgatory to further elaborate upon the ‘descent’ tradition as a resource to address the question of the salvation of the unevangelized. My overall claim is that the descent into hell is indeed an important theological resource for addressing the question of the possible salvation for the unevangelized, but not in the way that Balthasar and Oakes construe it.