The Catechism of the Catholic Church teaches us, according to Saint Paul’s teaching in the Letter to the Ephesians, that Jesus “descended into the lower parts of the earth. He who descended is he who also ascended far above all the heavens.” In the Apostles’ Creed we profess that Jesus descended into hell and that on the third day He rose again from the dead.
Since apostolic times, the Church has taught that Jesus descended into the realm of the dead before his resurrection. Jesus, like all before him, experienced death and joined others in the realm of the dead, but Jesus descended there as a Savior, proclaiming the Good News to the spirits imprisoned there. (CCC 632).
The Catechism further explains that Scripture calls the abode of the dead where Christ descended to “hell,” Sheol in Hebrew or Hades in Greek. There in Abraham’s bosom, all the dead, evil and righteous together, awaited the redeemer. Jesus descended into Abraham’s bosom to deliver the just who had gone before him. (CCC 633)
An ancient homily for Holy Saturday teaches that today, on Holy Saturday, “a great silence reigns on earth, a great silence and a great stillness. A great silence because the King is asleep. The earth trembled and is still because God has fallen asleep in the flesh and he has raised up all who have slept ever since the world began. . . He has gone to search for Adam, our first father, as for a lost sheep. Greatly desiring to visit those who live in darkness and in the shadow of death, he has gone to free from sorrow Adam in his bonds and Eve, captive with him – He who is both their God and the son of Eve. . . ‘I am your God, who for your sake have become your son. . . I order you, O sleeper, to awake. I did not create you to be a prisoner in hell. Rise from the dead, for I am the life of the dead.'”
The scene of Jesus breaking the gates of hell and calling the righteous to eternal life with God has been depicted by artists throughout the centuries. None however is as famous as the Anastasis in the Chora Church in Istanbul, Turkey. Originally built in the 5th century outside the walls of Constantinople, the beautiful monastery has been filled with mosaics and frescoes throughout the centuries. This depiction of Jesus’ descent into the netherworld was painted between 1315 and 1321. Like other depictions of this scene, it portrays Jesus Christ in the middle standing over the broken gates of hell. Dressed in white, he reaches out to Adam and Eve who are being raised from their graves. John the Baptist stands behind Adam, close to Jesus since he announced his coming. David, Solomon, and other kings of Israel stand behind John. On the other side behind Eve, stand Abel and other righteous people from the Old Testament.
In the Anastasis of the Chora Church, Jesus is dressed luminously, recalling his transfiguration and resurrection. He also stands in the middle of the depiction showing great strength.
Today, as we await the resurrection of Jesus Christ, we pray for all those who have died and have gone before us marked with the sign of faith. May they, and all who sleep in Christ, find light, happiness, and peace.
Pictures are mine, all rights reserved.
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