By which also he went and preached until the spirits in prison. (1 Pet 3:19)
In an attempt to critique Latter-day Saint theology and teaching on posthumous salvation, one Reformed Protestant critic wrote about this verse:
Clearly, there is no allusion to baptism for the dead in 1 Peter 3:19. This verse does say that Christ went to “preach [Greek = “krusso”] to the spirits in prison.” This preaching is done to proclaim, not evangelize. The Greek word that Peter utilizes is kerusso which means “to proclaim.” The Greek word to “preach” for evangelizing is euaggello “to evangelize.” Thus, 1 Peter 3:19 is not about evangelizing the dead. However, 1 Peter 4:6 does use euangello in reference to the dead. This is not a second chance for those who are already condemned. The message is for those that are already saved. (Matthew A. Paulson, Breaking the Mormon Code: A Critique of Mormon Scholarship Regarding Classical Christian Theology and the Book of Mormon [Livermore, Calif.: WingSpan Press, 2006, 2009], 125-26)
The claim that the verb κηρύσσω does not mean “to preach [the gospel]” but a proclamation simply is common in anti-LDS “literature.” Notwithstanding, it is deeply flawed.
Firstly, κηρύσσω is used in the sense of proclaiming the gospel with the intention of converting people. Note these representative examples:
And he preached (κηρύσσω) in their synagogues throughout all Galilee, and cast out devils. (Mark 1:39)
And they went out, and preached (κηρύσσω) that men should repent. (Mark 6:12)
And the gospel must first be published (κηρύσσω) among all nations.(Mark 13:10)
And he preached (κηρύσσω) in the synagogues of Galilee. (Luke 4:44)
Notice that κηρύσσω here and in many other instances refers, not to a proclamation merely, but a proclamation that is the instrumental means of bringing out repentance, salvation, etc.
Secondly, contemporary scholarship supports the more elastic understanding of κηρύσσω that a proclamation merely. Note the following from these lexicons:
BDAG:
β. of contemporary proclaimers (POxy 1381, 35; 144 [II AD]: of the great deeds of the gods; Herm. Wr. 1, 27; 4, 4.—Philo, Agr. 112 κήρυξον κήρυγμα τοιοῦτον. S. κῆρυξ 2.—Also of false prophets: Jos., Bell. 6, 285), of Mosaic tradition and its publication, the preaching of John the Baptist, and propagation of the Christian message in the widest sense: Μωϋσῆν preach (=advance the cause of) Moses i.e. the keeping of the law Ac 15:21. περιτομήν proclaim circumcision i.e. the necessity of it Gal 5:11 (here and 2a the mng. praise publicly is also prob.: X., Cyr. 8, 4, 4; Polyb. 30, 29, 6). κ. μὴ κλέπτειν inveigh against stealing (=preach: No stealing!) Ro 2:21.—κ. τι proclaim, someth. e;[να θεὸν παντοκράτορα καὶ ἕνα μονογενῆ Χριστὸν Ἰησοῦν κ. Iren. 1, 9, 2 [Harv. I 82, 5]; τὸν ἄγνωστον πατέρα 1, 26, 1 [Harv. I 211, 11]; Hippol., Ref. 1, Prol. 7; Did., Gen. 183, 6; 209, 13) Mt 10:27; pass. Lk 12:3. ἐνιαυτὸν κυρίου δεκτόν 4:19 (cp. Is 61:1f). τὸν λόγον 2 Ti 4:2. τὸ ῥῆμα τῆς πίστεως the message of faith Ro 10:8. τὴν βασιλείαν τοῦ θεοῦ Lk 8:1; 9:2; cp. Ac 20:25; 28:31. τὸ εὐαγγέλιον Mk 16:15; Ac 1:2 D; Gal 2:2; B 5:9; GMary Ox 3525, 28; 32. τὸ εὐ. τ. βασιλείας Mt 4:23; 9:35 (cp. τὸν περὶ τοῦ θεοῦ καὶ τῆς βασιλείας αὐτοῦ λόγον Orig., C. Cels. 3, 40, 20); τὸ ὄνομα τοῦ υἱοῦ τοῦ θεοῦ Hs 9, 16, 5. W. dat. of pers. (Hippol., Ref. 5, 26, 30) 1 Cor 9:27 (on the topic of dreaded failure s. APapathomas, NTS 43, ’97, 240); 1 Pt 3:19 (CCranfield, ET 69, ’57/58, 369-72; see lit. s.v. πνεῦμα 4c); GPt 10:41. εἰς τὰς συναγωγάς in the synagogues Mk 1:39; Lk 4:44. τινί τι someth. to someone (of Jesus κ. μετάνοιαν ὅλῳ τῷ κόσμῳ Orig., C. Cels. 7, 57, 4; τὸ κηρῦξαι αὐτοῖς τὸ εὐαγγέλιον Did., Gen. 53, 13) 4:18; B 14:9 (both Is 61:1). τὶ εἴς τινα someth. to someone τὸ εὐαγγέλιον εἰς ὑμᾶς 1 Th 2:9. εἰς ὅλον τὸν κόσμον Hs 9, 25, 2. Pass. εἰς τὰ ἔθνη Mk 13:10 (DBosch, Die Heidenmission in der Zukunftsschau Jesu ’59, 159-71); κ. τὸ εὐ. Mt 24:14; 26:13; Mk 14:9; Col 1:23.—βάπτισμα proclaim baptism i.e. the necessity of it Mk 1:4; Lk 3:3; Ac 10:37. ἐκηρύχθη ἡ σφραγὶς αὕτη H 9, 16, 4. κηρυχθῆναι … μετάνοιαν εἰς ἄφεσιν ἁμαρτιῶν repentance for the forgiveness of sins Lk 24:47. ἵνα μετανοῶσιν Mk 6:12. [ἀνδρῶν τῶν] κηρυσσόντων, ἵνα μετανοῆται (read: -ῆτε) AcPl Ha 1, 17.—τινά (τινι) someone (to someone) Χριστόν Ac 8:5; cp. 1 Cor 1:23; Phil 1:15. Ἰησοῦν Ac 19:13; 2 Cor 11:4. οὐχ ἑαυτοὺς κηρύσσομεν ἀλλὰ Χριστὸν Ἰησοῦν κύριον we do not publicize ourselves, but Christ Jesus as Lord 4:5. Pass. ὃς (Χριστός) … ἐκηρύχθη 1 Ti 3:16; cp. Hs 8, 3, 2; 9, 17, 1; Dg 11:3. διά τινος through someone (cp. Epict. 3, 13, 12) Χρ. ᾽Ι ὁ ἐν ὑμῖν δι᾽ ἡμῶν κηρυχθείς 2 Cor 1:19. W. an addition that indicates the content of the proclamation, introduced by ὅτι (cp. Epict. 4, 5, 24): κ. w. acc. and ὅτι foll. Mk 1:14 v.l.; Ac 9:20; pass. Χρ. κηρύσσεται ὅτι ἐκ νεκρῶν ἐγήγερται Christ is proclaimed as having risen fr. the dead 1 Cor 15:12. κ. τινί, ὅτι Ac 10:42; οὕτως κ. 1 Cor 15:11. The content of the proclamation is introduced by λέγων Mt 3:1f; 10:7; Mk 1:7; cp. vs. 14; IPhld 7:2. Beside λέγειν w. direct discourse (Epict. 4, 6, 23) Mt 4:17. Abs. Mt 11:1; Mk 1:38; 3:14; 16:20; Ro 10:15; 1 Cl 42:4; B 5:8 (Jesus’ proclamation defined as teaching and the performance of wonders and signs); 8:3. κηρύσσων a proclaimer Ro 10:14.—S. lit. under κήρυγμα; also MGrumm, translating kerusso and Related Verbs: BT 21, ’70, 176-79.—B. 1478. DELG s.v. κῆρυξ. M-M. EDNT. TW. Sv.
EDNT, vol. 2 pp. 289, 291
According to Paul, “proclaiming” is an activity involving both proclaimer and hearer, and this activity is spoken of, as is the case widely in early Christianity, with the vb. κηρύσσω. Proclamation thus corresponds to the faith that excludes achievement (Bultmann 314ff.), in which the believer, who has been affected by the world that addresses him, becomes enlisted in the liberating service on the basis of the proclamation. In the coordination of “kerygma” and “didache” (Stuhlmacher; McDonald passim) the total aspect of Christian existence becomes visible in the unity of obedient faith, confession, and the concrete conduct of life. The associated word group thus becomes appropriately embedded in the wide current of the terminology of proclamation, which—apparently with the predominant use of κηρύσσω—then takes a special place in the terminology of missions.
Col 1:23, with its reference to the worldwide proclamation of the gospel, points to this missionary association of the terminology. Here, perhaps in the context of existing formulations and in transition to the post-Pauline view of missions, the horizon of the understanding of missions inaugurated by Paul is staked out . . . The interpretation of the statement about proclamation in 1 Pet 3:19 is encumbered by the context (vv. 19-22) and the uncertainty in determining the mythological assumptions in the history of religion behind the passage. It must be congruent with 4:6 (N. Brox, 1 Pet [EKKNT] 196; L. Goppelt, 1 Pet [KEK] 250). Despite the view of, e.g., H.-J. Vogels (Christi Abstieg ins Totenreich und has Läuterungsgericht an den Toten [FTS 102, 1976]) and L. Goppelt (249 etc., but cf. 250n.54), who regard the verse as following early Christian ideas of the cause of the Genesis flood, the indirect reference to the book of Enoch (or its traditions; comprehensive summary in Brox 172) can be concentrated in such a way as to result in traditional “associations of themes . . ., a typical construct of Jewish Christian theology.” When these themes are found in Christian writings, they produce, on the one hand, christological overtones, and, on the other hand, clear lines of separation from Chrisitan usage. “Christ is not and will not be Enoch” (Brox 173). Christ cannot be interpreted as “proclaimer of destruction” (like Enoch), not even among the πνευματα. “Either the cause in the Christian context . . . says that the ‘angels’ in prison were preached to, in which case it remains open whether it was for the purpose of repentance or judgement; or Christ proclaimed his victory to the most distant places of the cosmic scene, even (και) to the “Spirits” (Brox 175; c. 182ff.; on the state of the discussion, 163-89; Goppelt 242ff.; Vogels 88-141).
Commenting on κηρύσσω in 1 Pet 3:19, we read the following in TDNT 3:708:
What is the content of the preaching? This is not given, but it is the same as elsewhere in the NT. If Jesus descended, the aim of His declaration of victory was not to increase the torments of the damned. The Gospel was the content of his κηρύσσειν. This is supported by the section vv. 18ff., which speaks of the benefits of the death and resurrection and ascension of Christ.
So κηρύσσω in 1 Pet 3:19 is not a proclamation merely let alone a proclamation of damnation, but instead, the proclamation and preaching of the Gospel with the possibility that the hearers will receive salvific benefit therefrom. Indeed, as TDNT 6:704 also reads, “it accomplishes that which was expected by the OT prophets. The divine intervention takes place through the proclamation. Hence the proclamation itself is the new thing. Through it the βασιλεια του θεου comes”; in other words, the proclamation is the instrumental means by which God brings about his salvific and eschatological purposes.
Thirdly, understanding Christ’s actions as a “proclamation” is not problematic to Latter-day Saint theology. Indeed, D&C 138, an inspired discussion and expansion upon 1 Pet 3:19-21, uses “proclaim” not “preach” of the work being done for the dead in v. 31:
And the chosen messengers went forth to declare the acceptable day of the Lord and proclaim liberty to the captives who were bound, even unto all who would repent of their sins and receive the gospel.
It is rather obvious that Paulson and other critics who use this argument have not examined modern scholarly lexicons and other resources. Furthermore, the Latter-day Saint understanding of this text, at least on this point, is on solid footing.
For previous responses to Paulson's Breaking the Mormon Code, see:
Listing of articles responding to "Breaking the Mormon Code"