 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).warren, kate mary. "harrowing of hell." the catholic encyclopedia. vol. 7. new york: robert appleton company, 1910.3 mar. 2013 notice that the latin word is inferos not infernos. inferos meaning below, infernos meaning flames of fire.. 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. in some christian theologies, it is believed that jesus's soul remained united to the divinity during this time. the realm into which jesus descended is called sheol or limbo by some christian theologians to distinguish it from the hell of the damned.most, william g. "christ's descent into hell and his resurrection". accessed 7 mar 2013 this nearly-extinct term in christian theology is referenced in the apostles' creed and the athanasian creed (quicumque vult) which state that jesus christ "descended into hell". however, there are no explicit new testament references to christ having descended to the underworld (although mention is made in  of jesus preaching to "the imprisoned spirits"). its near-absence in scripture has given rise to controversy and differing interpretations. it is unclear how it became part of the apostles' creed.d. bruce lockerbie, the apostle's creed: do you really believe it (victor books, wheaton, il) 1977:53â54, on-line text. according to the catholic encyclopedia, the story first appears clearly in the gospel of nicodemus, written by a roman praetorian named ananias circa 425 ad, in the section called the acts of pilate, which also appears separately at earlier dates within the acts of peter and paul.new testament apocrypha, vol. 1 by wilhelm schneemelcher and r. mcl. wilson (dec 1, 1990) isbn 066422721x pages 501-502 the descent into hell had been related in old english poems connected with the names of caedmon and cynewulf. it is s
Christian_iconography Christian_miracle_narrative Christian_mythology Christian_terminology Christian_theology Christianity-related_controversies Christianity_and_death Hell