“The Spirit in Prison”: An Exegetical and Theological Study of 1 Peter 3:19

The Phrase “the spirit in Prison” in 1 Peter 3:19 has generated confusion and misunderstanding in the right interpretation of the phrase among scholars. Some translate this phrase to mean disembodied souls that Jesus Christ preached to at His death, others see it as fallen angels and or demons. Against the above, this paper employed historical grammatical method of exegesis to ascertain the meaning of this phrase considering its content and context. It was discovered from the inquiry that the phrase means “people in darkness” with its implications on the theology of: suffering and Justification, death and resurrection, sin, grace, baptism and ascension of Christians. DOI : 10.7176/RHSS/9-12-04 Publication date :June 30 th 2019