"For Christ died for sins once for all, the righteous for the unrighteous, to bring you to God. He was put to death in the body but made alive by the Spirit, through whom also he went and preached to the spirits in prison who disobeyed long ago when God waited patiently in the days of Noah while the ark was being built. In it only a few people, eight in all, were saved through water." - 1Peter 3:18-20
Early Christians believed that the just who died before the coming of Christ awaited redemption in a shadowy existence, referred to the Old Testament as Sheol. This belief is alluded to in First Peter 3:18-22, where the place is described as a prison. The statement " he descended into hell" in the Apostles' Creed refers to this belief. It expresses our faith that, after his death but before his resurrection, Jesus went to announce to those in "prison" that they had been saved and were invited to heavenly life.
Holy Saturday evolved in the church after the fourth century. Before that time, only Easter was recognized as a holy day. But during the fourth century all the days of the week before Easter were established as holy days.
Some churches reserve Holy Saturday as a traditional time for baptism.
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