ABSTRACT
The significance of the descensus clause is that it forces us to acknowledge the fullness of the incarnation: God the Son not only became truly human but shared our humanity to its endpoint. He was incarnate unto death. The experience of death lends itself to images and poetry more easily than to academic discourse; this is even more the case when the One who is dead is not just a human being but 'true God of true God'. Amidst all the different attempts to interpret the descensus clause, two themes have been consistent: that the clause emphasises the authenticity of Christ's death, and that it has pastoral implications. In the fourth century, Ambrose referred to the descent when preaching at his own brother's funeral. Such knowledge is best acquired before the crisis of death and grief through the regular preaching of the Church.
