The Harrowing of Hell
When Christ broke through the gates of death...
What Is the Harrowing of Hell?
Between the Crucifixion and the Resurrection, Christian tradition holds that Christ descended into the realm of the dead to rescue Adam, Eve, and the righteous dead into new life…
This moment is known as the Harrowing of Hell: Christ shattering the gates of Hades, binding Satan.
While rarely emphasized in modern Western Christianity, the Harrowing remains a central image in Eastern Orthodoxy, Byzantine iconography, and ancient Christian imagination, the art is some of the most unusual and powerful in all of Christendom, the story even more.
Christ Enters the Place of the Dead
After Jesus died on the cross, His body was laid in the tomb. His soul descended into Sheol, or Hades, the shadowed realm of the dead. This place was not hell in the sense of final damnation, but a waiting ground for all who had died, both just and unjust.
“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.”
- Matthew 12:40
This descent was part of the plan from the beginning. Christ entered death fully alive in spirit, with authority.
He Proclaims His Victory
While in the realm of the dead, Christ made a proclamation to the souls who were there. As recorded in 1 Peter, He preached to the "spirits in prison." This was a declaration and invitation, a breaking of the curse of death. His mission was fulfilled. The enemy was defeated, demons running and hiding scared as shown below. The long captivity was ending.
“He was put to death in the body but made alive in the spirit.
After being made alive, He went and made proclamation to the imprisoned spirits…”
- 1 Peter 3:18–19
This was the moment when death began to break apart. Its silence interrupted by the voice of the risen Christ.
The Righteous Are Set Free
In Christian art and liturgy, Christ is often shown standing above broken doors, with keys and chains scattered at His feet. This image reflects the belief that the power of death was dismantled by Christ’s presence. He did not pass through Hades as a guest.
According to tradition, the souls of the righteous who died before Christ were waiting in hope for this moment. These included figures like Adam and Eve, David, the prophets, and John the Baptist. They could not yet enter heaven, because redemption had not yet been accomplished. Now, Christ came to release them.
“When He ascended on high, He led captivity captive…”
- Ephesians 4:8“The tombs also were opened. And many bodies of the saints who had fallen asleep were raised…”
- Matthew 27:52
In many icons, Christ is shown taking Adam and Eve by the wrist and lifting them out of their graves. The gesture is deliberate, indicating Jesus helping us achieve redemption, we are not alone.
Christ Rises from the Dead
On the third day, Jesus rose bodily from the tomb. His resurrection was not a reversal of death. It was the beginning of something entirely new. A new creation had been born in the grave.
“Why do you seek the living among the dead? He is not here, but has risen.”
- Luke 24:5–6
The same Christ who descended to the dead now stood in the garden, alive in the flesh, triumphant over hell and death.
Why did the Nicene creed change for Roman Catholic mass to omit His descent into hell?
It’s mythological, move along and get a good Bible!