Our Lord came down from high from the midst of the Cherubim and the Seraphim and took on flesh from the Virgin Mary, to save Adam and his descendants from being slaves to death and Satan. We sing about this in our Holy Qurbana [Listen to hymn] . He did this by 'trampling down death by death' . It is this liberation from from being slaves to death (Hades) and Satan, there by freeing us to become more and more like Him, which is the crux of the salvation offered by Christ. Yet there is only very little direct reference to the descent of Christ to Hades and the Harrowing of Hades in the New Testament Bible.
However we are presented with a very good picture of 'Harrowing of Hades' in our liturgical hymns and interpretation of Old Testament passages as given in early christian writings. In this article we will look at some of the New Testament passages that point to the 'harrowing of hades', examine some of our liturgical texts as well as look into one of the early christian writings that interpret the Old Testament for us.
New Testament references:
The following are the New Testament references to the descent of Our Lord Jesus Christ to Hades.
1. Matthew 12:40
"For just as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of the great fish, so will the Son of Man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth."
2. 1 Peter 3:19
"He went and proclaimed to the spirits in prison (in Hades)."
3. 1 Peter 4:6
"For this reason the gospel was preached also to those who are dead, that they might be judged according to men in the flesh, but live according to God in the spirit"
4. Ephesians 4:8-10
Therefore He says: “When He ascended on high, He led captivity captive, And gave gifts to men.” Now this, “He ascended”—what does it mean but that He also first descended into the lower parts of the earth? He who descended is also the One who ascended far above all the heavens, that He might fill all things.
Holy Saturday Prayers.
The following is from the "Qolo" of the evening prayers (vespers) of Holy Saturday.
മരണം ദൈവപുത്രനെ വഹിച്ചുകൊണ്ട് പ്രവേശിച്ചു. തന്‍ വഹിചിരിക്കുന്ന മരിച്ചവന്‍ പാതാളത്തെ നശിപ്പിക്കുമെന്ന്‍ അവര്‍ അറിഞ്ഞില്ല. ദാവീദ് ദൂരത്തുവച്ച് അവനെ കണ്ടുകൊണ്ടു ഉച്ചത്തില്‍ പറഞ്ഞു: "വാതിലുകളെ നിങ്ങളുടെ തലകളുയര്‍ത്തുവിന്‍ മഹത്വത്തിന്റെ രാജാവ് പ്രവേശിക്കട്ടെ." പാതാളം ഉത്തരമായിട്ടു ദാവീദിനൊട് : "ഈ മഹത്വത്തിന്റെ രാജാവ് ആരാകുന്നു " എന്ന് ചോദിച്ചു. "നമ്മുടെ രക്ഷയ്ക്കായി വന്ന ബലവാനായ കര്‍ത്താവാകുന്നു" എന്ന് അവന്‍ പറഞ്ഞു.
തന്റെ സ്വരൂപത്തെ ഉദ്ധരിപ്പാനും നാശത്തില്‍ പഴകി ദ്രവിച്ചുപോയ ആദാമിനെ പുതുക്കുവാനും ദൈവം മരിച്ചവരുടെ ഇടയിലേക്കിര്‍ങ്ങി, താന്‍ മരണത്തിന്റെ മൂര്‍ച്ച തകര്‍ത്ത് , പാതാളത്തെ മറച്ചിട്ട്‌ , അവിടെ ബന്ധിതനായിരുന്ന ആദാമിനേയും മക്കളെയും കരേറ്റി. സ്വര്‍ഗത്തിലേക്കു നമ്മെ കരേറ്റിയവനു സ്തുതി. മരണത്തില്‍നിന്നു നമ്മെ രക്ഷിച്ചവനു സ്തുതി. തന്റെ സ്വന്തരക്തത്താല്‍ സകലരെയും ജീവിപ്പിചവനു സ്തുതി.
This qolo is adapted from "Christ's descent into Hades" , Chapter 5 of the "Gospel of Nicodemus" one of the early Christian writings. This text gives us a very good framework to understand Old Testament passages in the context of the harrowing of Hades.
Gospel of Nicodemus (Part II Christ's descent into Hades, Chapter 5)
And as Prince Satan and Hades were thus speaking to each other in turn, suddenly there was a voice as of thunders, and a shouting of spirits:
Lift up your heads, O you gates!
And be lifted up, you everlasting doors!
And the King of glory shall come in. (Ps 24:7)
Hades hearing this, said to Prince Satan: Retire from me, and go outside of my realms: if you are a powerful warrior, fight against the King of glory. But what has you to do with Him? And Hades thrust Satan outside of his realms. And Hades said to his impious officers: Shut the cruel gates of brass, and put up the bars of iron, and resist bravely, that we, holding captivity, may not take Him captive.
(refer to Ps 68:18 which says: You have ascended on high, You have led captivity captive;).
And all the multitude of the forefathers, hearing this, said to Hades, with the voice of reproach:
Lift up your heads, O you gates!
And be lifted up, you everlasting doors!
And the King of glory shall come in. (Ps 24:7)
And David cried out, saying: Did I not, when I was alive upon earth, prophesy to you:
Oh, that men would give thanks to the LORD for His goodness,
And for His wonderful works to the children of men!
For He has broken the gates of bronze,
And cut the bars of iron in two. (Ps 107:15–16)
And after this, in like manner, Isaiah said: Did not I, when I was alive upon earth, prophesy to you:
Your dead shall live;
Together with those in the tombs they shall arise.
Awake and sing, you who dwell in dust;
For your dew is like the dew of herbs,
And the earth shall cast out the dead. (Is 26:19)
And again is it not prophesied,
“I will deliver them from the power of hades;
I will redeem them from death.
O Death, where is your sting?
O Hades, where is your victory ? (Ho 13:14, 1 Cor 15:55)
And when all the saints heard this from Isaiah, they said to Hades: Open your gates. Since you are now conquered, you will be weak and powerless.
And there was a great voice, as of thunders, saying:
Lift up your heads, O you gates!
And be lifted up, you everlasting doors!
And the King of glory shall come in. (Ps 24:7)
Hades, seeing that they had twice shouted out this, says, as if not knowing: "Who is the king of glory?" (Ps 24: 8)
David says, in answer to Hades: "I recognize those words of the shout, since I prophesied the same by His Spirit. And now, what I have said above I say to you,
The LORD strong and mighty,
The LORD mighty in battle.
The LORD of hosts,
He is the King of glory (Ps 24: 8-10)
For the LORD looked down from the height of His sanctuary;
From heaven the LORD viewed the earth,
To hear the groaning of the prisoner,
To release those appointed to death, (Ps 102: 19-20)
And now, most filthy and most foul Hades, open your gates, that the King of glory may come in."
While David was thus speaking, there came to Hades, in the form of a man, the Lord of majesty, and lighted up the eternal darkness, and burst asunder the indissoluble chains; and the aid of unconquered power visited us, sitting in the profound darkness of transgressions, and in the shadow of death of sins.
(Just as Isaiah had prophesied:
The people who walked in darkness
Have seen a great light;
Those who dwelt in the land of the shadow of death,
Upon them a light has shined. (Is 9:2) )
Holy Saturday Hymn
The following hymn from the Holy Saturday service of the Greek Orthodox Church gives us a very beautiful picture of the 'harrowing of hades.'
Today Hell cries out groaning;
I should not have accepted the Man born of Mary.
He came and destroyed my power.
He shattered the gates of brass.
As God, He raised the souls that I had held captive,
Glory to Thy cross and resurrection, O Lord!
Today, Hell cries out groaning:
My dominion has been shattered.
I received a dead man as one of the dead,
but against Him I could not prevail.
From eternity I had ruled the dead,
but behold, He raises all.
because of Him do I perish.
Glory to Thy cross and resurrection, O Lord!
Today, Hell cries out groaning:
My power has been trampled upon.
The shepherd is crucified and Adam is raised.
I have been depried of those whom I ruled.
Those whom I swallowed in my strength I have given up.
He who was cruciied has emptied the tomb.
The power of death has been vanquished.
Glory to Thy cross and resurrection, O Lord!