wagogl.blogg.se - Christ in limbo

The Epic of Gilgamesh includes such a scene, and it appears also in Odyssey XI. The Hellenistic views of heroic descent into the Underworld and successful return follow traditions that are far older than the mystery religions popular at the time of Christ. The New Testament maintains a distinction between Sheol, the common "place of the dead", and the eternal destiny of those condemned at the Final Judgment, variously described as Gehenna, "the outer darkness," or a lake of eternal fire. Several works from the Second Temple period elaborate the concept of Sheol, dividing it into sections based on the righteousness or unrighteousness of those who have died.

The Old Testament view of the afterlife was that all people when they died, whether righteous or unrighteous, went to Sheol, a dark, still place.

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Unsourced material may be challenged and removed.įind sources: "Harrowing of Hell" – news Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. This section needs additional citations for verification. Īs a subject in Christian art, 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. Middle English dramatic literature contains the fullest and most dramatic development of the subject. 1000 AD, which is the first known inclusion of the word "harrowing".

It is subsequently repeated in Ælfric of Eynsham's homilies c. The descent into Hell had been related in Old English poems connected with the names of Cædmon (e.g. Īccording 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 Harrowing of Hell is commemorated in the liturgical calendar on Holy Saturday. These passages in the Bible have given rise to differing interpretations. The Catechism of the Catholic Church notes Ephesians 4:9, which states that " descended into the lower parts of the earth", as also supporting this interpretation. 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". Jesus 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. In triumphant descent, Christ brought salvation to the souls held captive there since the beginning of the world. In Christian theology, the Harrowing of Hell ( Latin: Descensus Christi ad Inferos, "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. Before his resurrection from the dead, Jesus Christ grants salvation to souls by the Harrowing of Hell.