Harrowing of Hell
The Harrowing of Hell is a Christian theological doctrine referenced in the Apostles' Creed and the Athanasian Creed, which states that Jesus, upon his death, "descended into Hell". The Harrowing of Hell was taught by theologians of the early church: St. Melito of Sardis, Tertullian, Hippolytus, Origen, and St. Ambrose all wrote of the Harrowing of Hell.
|
|
|
"Harrowing of Hell" is an Old English and Middle English term for the triumphant descent of Christ into hell between the time of His Crucifixion and His Resurrection, when, according to Christian belief, He brought salvation to the souls held captive there since the beginning of the world, particularly Adam and Eve, and the righteous men and women of Old Testament times.
The word Harrowing first occurs in connection with Christ's descent into Hades in Aelfric's homilies, about A.D. 1000. Old English writers of prose homilies and lives of saints employ the subject frequently, but it is in medieval English literature -- prose and verse and particularly in the drama -- that it is found most.
European art and literature, from early times forward, portrayed in many forms the Descent into Hell. However, it is in Middle English dramatic literature that we find the subject's fullest and richest development.
The Old Testament states that Job and other righteous men went to Sheol when they died, as did David and the other psalmists. However, no Hebrew figure was ever claimed to have made the descent into Sheol and to have returned. Several passages of the New Testament can be read as drawing a distinction between Sheol, the common "place of the dead" in Hebrew, and Gehenna (Hades or Hell), the "lake of eternal fire" where the evil dead are tormented. English accounts are not always mindful of this distinction, and the two destinations may both be rendered Hell.
Hellenistic accounts of heroic descent into the Underworld and the successful return of those heroes are plentiful. In addition, those ancient tales are much older than than those put forth by the mystery religions popular at the time of Christ. What little we know of the beliefs of many of those ancient mystery religions, such as the Eleusinian Mysteries and Mithraism, suggests that ritual death and rebirth were an important part of their liturgy. But even the traditions of those mystery religions have earlier parallels, such as in the Egyptian worship of Osiris, a god whom the Egyptians' believed died, descended in the underworld, and was resurrected back to life.
