“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 1 Peter 3:19–20 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.[3] According to The Catholic Encyclopedia, the story first appears clearly in the Gospel of Nicodemus, written by a Roman praetorian named Ananias circa 425 CE, in the section called the Acts of Pilate, which also appears separately at earlier dates within the Acts of Peter and Paul[4] . The descent into hell had been related in Old English poems connected with the names of Caedmon and Cynewulf. It is subsequently repeated in Aelfrics homilies c. 1000 CE, which is the first known inclusion of the word harrowing. Middle English dramatic literature contains the fullest and most dramatic development of the subject.[1] 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.[5]”: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harrowing_of_Hell
Posted on: Sat, 19 Apr 2014 13:32:45 +0000
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