Harrowing of Hell

The Harrowing of Hell (lat. Descensus Christi ad Inferos ) is a doctrine in Christian theology referenced in the Apostles' Creed and the Athanasian Creed (Quicumque vult) , which states that Christ "descended into Hell ". However, because of a lack of explict references in scripture Christ's descent to the underworld has been considered controversial in the Apostles' Creed .

The Harrowing of Hell, depicted in the Petites Heures de Jean de Berry , 14th-century illuminated manuscript commissioned by John, Duke of Berry . In the context of Christian theology , the Harrowing of Hell ( Latin : Descensus Christi ad Inferos , "the descent of Christ into hell") is the Old English and Middle English term for the triumphant descent of Christ into Hell (or Hades ) between the time of his Crucifixion and his Resurrection when he brought salvation to all of the righteous who had died since the beginning of the world (excluding the damned). After his death, the soul of Jesus was supposed to have descended into the realm of the dead, which the Apostles' Creed calls "hell" in the old English usage. The realm into which Jesus descended is called Sheol or Limbo by some Christian theologians to distinguish it from the hell of the damned. The Harrowing of Hell is referred to in the Apostles' Creed and the Athanasian Creed (Quicumque vult) which state that Jesus Christ "descended into Hell ". Christ having descended to the underworld is alluded to in the New Testament only in 1 Peter 3:19–20 , which speaks of Jesus preaching to "the imprisoned spirits". Its near-absence in Scripture has given rise to controversy and differing interpretations. According to The Catholic Encyclopedia , the story first appears clearly in the Gospel of Nicodemus in the section called the Acts of Pilate , which also appears separately at earlier dates within the Acts of Peter and Paul . The descent into hell had been related in Old English poems connected with the names of Cædmon and Cynewulf . It is subsequently repeated in Aelfric 's homilies c. 1000 AD, which is the first known inclusion of the word "harrowing". Middle English dramatic literature contains the fullest and most dramatic development of the subject. As an image in Christian art , the harrowing is also known as the Anastasis (a Greek word for "resurrection"), considered a creation of Byzantine culture and first appearing in the West in the early 8th century. "Harrowing of Hell." The Catholic Encyclopedia .

"Christ in Limbo" and "Descent into Hell" redirect here. The Harrowing of Hell, depicted in the Petites Heures de Jean de Berry , 14th-century illuminated manuscript commissioned by John, Duke of Berry . Christ leads Adam by the hand, depicted in the Vaux Passional , c. 1504 Before his resurrection from the dead, Jesus Christ grants salvation to souls by the Harrowing of Hell. Fresco, by Fra Angelico , c. 1430s In Christian theology , the Harrowing of Hell ( Latin : Descensus Christi ad Inferos , "the descent of Christ into Hell") is the triumphant descent of Christ into Hell (or Hades ) between the time of his Crucifixion and his Resurrection when he brought salvation to all of the righteous who had died since the beginning of the world. After his death, the soul of Jesus descended into the realm of the dead. Christ's Descent into the world of the dead is referred to in the Apostles' Creed and the Athanasian Creed ( Quicumque vult ) , which state that Jesus Christ "descended into the underworld" ( descendit ad inferos ), although neither mention that he liberated the dead. His descent to the underworld is alluded to in the New Testament in 1 Peter 4:6 , which states that the "good tidings were proclaimed to the dead". The Catholic Catechism interprets Ephesians 4:9 with invalid book , which states that "[Christ] descended into the lower parts of the earth", as also supporting this interpretation. These passages in the Christian Bible have given rise to differing interpretations. The Harrowing of Hell is commemorated in the liturgical calendar on Holy Saturday . According to The Catholic Encyclopedia , the story first appears clearly in the Gospel of Nicodemus in the section called the Acts of Pilate , which also appears separately at earlier dates within the Acts of Peter and Paul . The descent into Hell had been related in Old English poems connected with the names of Cædmon and Cynewulf . It is subsequently repeated in Ælfric of Eynsham 's homilies c. 1000 AD, which is the first known inclusion of the word "harrowing". Middle English dramatic literature contains the fullest and most dramatic development of the subject. As an image in Christian art , the harrowing is also known as the Anastasis (a Greek word for "resurrection"), considered a creation of Byzantine culture and first appearing in the West in the early 8th century. "Harrowing of Hell." The Catholic Encyclopedia . The New Testament : a translation .

Christ's triumphant descent into the underworld "Christ in Limbo" and "Descent into Hell" redirect here. The Harrowing of Hell , Petites Heures , 14th-century illuminated manuscript commissioned by John, Duke of Berry . Christ leads Adam by the hand, depicted in the Vaux Passional , c. 1504 Before his resurrection from the dead, Jesus Christ grants salvation to souls by the Harrowing of Hell. Fresco, by Fra Angelico , c. 1430s In Christian theology , the Harrowing of Hell ( , "the descent of Christ into Hell " or Hades ) is an Old English and Middle English term referring to the period of time between the Crucifixion of Jesus and his resurrection . In triumphant descent, Christ brought salvation to the souls held captive in Hell since the beginning of the world. Christ's descent into the world of the dead is referred to in the Apostles' Creed and the Athanasian Creed ( Quicumque vult ), which state that he "descended into the underworld" ( descendit ad inferos ), although neither mention that he liberated the dead. His descent to the underworld is alluded to in the New Testament in 1 Peter 4 :6, which states that the "good tidings were proclaimed to the dead". The Catechism of the Catholic Church notes Ephesians 4 :9, which states that "[Christ] descended into the lower parts of the earth", as also supporting this interpretation. These passages in the New Testament have given rise to differing interpretations. The Harrowing of Hell is commemorated in the liturgical calendar on Holy Saturday . According to The Catholic Encyclopedia , the story first appears clearly in the Gospel of Nicodemus in the section called the Acts of Pilate , which also appears separately at earlier dates within the Acts of Peter and Paul . The descent into Hell had been related in Old English poems connected with the names of Cædmon (e.g. Christ and Satan ) and Cynewulf . It is subsequently repeated in Ælfric of Eynsham 's homilies c. 1000 AD , which is the first known inclusion of the word "harrowing". Middle English dramatic literature contains the fullest and most dramatic development of the subject. As a subject in Christian art , it is also known as the Anastasis ( Greek for "resurrection"), considered a creation of Byzantine culture and first appearing in the West in the early 8th century. The New Testament: a translation . Medieval art : a topical dictionary . There are <ref group=lower-alpha> tags or templates on this page, but the references will not show without a template or template (see the help page ).

Christ's triumphant descent into the underworld "Christ in Limbo" and "Descent into Hell" redirect here. The Harrowing of Hell , Petites Heures , 14th-century illuminated manuscript commissioned by John, Duke of Berry Christ leading Adam by the hand, depicted in the Vaux Passional , c. 1504 Before his resurrection from the dead, Jesus Christ grants salvation to souls by the Harrowing of Hell. Fresco, by Fra Angelico , c. 1430s . In Christian theology , the Harrowing of Hell ( Latin : Descensus Christi ad Inferos ; Greek : Ἡ εἰς ᾍδου κάθοδος τοῦ Χριστοῦ – "the descent of Christ into Hell " or Hades ) is the period of time between the Crucifixion of Jesus and his resurrection . In triumphant descent, Christ brought salvation to the souls held captive there since the beginning of the world. Christ's descent into the world of the dead is referred to in the Apostles' Creed and the Athanasian Creed ( Quicumque vult ), which state that he "descended into the underworld" ( descendit ad inferos ), although neither mention that he liberated the dead. His descent to the underworld is alluded to in the New Testament in 1 Peter 4 :6, which states that the "good tidings were proclaimed to the dead". The Catechism of the Catholic Church notes Ephesians 4 :9, which states that "[Christ] descended into the lower parts of the earth", as also supporting this interpretation. These passages in the New Testament have given rise to differing interpretations. The Harrowing of Hell is commemorated in the liturgical calendar on Holy Saturday . According to The Catholic Encyclopedia , the story first appears clearly in the Gospel of Nicodemus in the section called the Acts of Pilate , which also appears separately at earlier dates within the Acts of Peter and Paul . The descent into Hell had been related in Old English poems connected with the names of Cædmon (e.g. Christ and Satan ) and Cynewulf . It is subsequently repeated in Ælfric of Eynsham 's homilies c. 1000 AD , which is the first known inclusion of the word "harrowing". Middle English dramatic literature contains the fullest and most dramatic development of the subject. As a subject in Christian art , it is also known as the Anastasis ( Greek for "resurrection"), considered a creation of Byzantine culture and first appearing in the West in the early 8th century. There are <ref group=lower-alpha> tags or templates on this page, but the references will not show without a template or template (see the help page ). The New Testament: a translation . Deprecated link archived July 9, 2012, at archive.today . Medieval art : a topical dictionary .