Harrowing of Hell

 

What is the Harrowing of Hell?

    According to New World Encyclopedia (NWE), texts about the Harrowing of Hell have existed as early as third century C.E., but what exactly is the Harrowing of Hell that inspired so many works for so long? The Harrowing of Hell refers to how Jesus descended into hell after his death to free the souls who were trapped there before his time on Earth (Moon). This was believed to be how the original sin was undone so that humans could receive salvation (Moon). The understanding of the Harrowing of Hell comes from a selection of Bible verses from both the old and new testaments. The verses would describe the prison in which the souls were kept and it is thought that the phenomenon that occured when Jesus died, such as the earthquake and sky going dark, is when he entered Hell (Moon).

Differences Amongst Churches

  

 Despite coming from the same source material, different branches of christianity handle the Harrowing of Hell in their own ways. The early church, according to NWE, believed that the revival of Lazarus was a sign of the upcoming Harrowing of Hell, and that John the bapist went before Jesus to make his journey into Hell easier. The Roman Catholics believe that Jesus had his human soul join his divine prescence during this journey, which is symbolic of the body and soul concept common in catholicism (Moon). The Protestant church views the Harrowing of Hell as indicator of how much redemption as Jesus had to carry the weight of sin to Hell.

Presence in other works

    Being such an influential subject, the Harrowing of Hell's influence can be found in other works. Dante's Inferno, or as Red from Overly Sarcastic Productions refers to it, Dante's fanfic, is the story of a man named Dante taking a journey through the layers of Hell. The journey Dante takes is a direct reference to Jesus's own descent in the Harrowing of Hell.

Overly Sarcastic Productions Summary

Also, more modern works have taken inspiration from the Harrowing of Hell. Giovanni C. Costable wrote on how Tolkien's The Tale of Beren and Lúthien Hall of Mandos escape takes inspiration from the Harrowing of Hell (pp. 63). Costable says the deceased escaping the Hall of Mandos is similar to how Jesus freed the souls trapped in Hell.

Works Cited

"Classics Summarized: Dante's Inferno." YouTube, uploaded by Overly Sarcastic Productions, 21 March 2015, youtube.com/watch?v=gp8JGQk0CFQ

Costable, Giovanni C. "Orpheus and the Harrowing of Hell in the Tale of Beren and Lúthien" Mythlore,          422(144), 2024, pp. 61-84.

ImgFlip. Spiderman Pointing at Spiderman Meme. 2024. Spiderman Pointing at SPiderman Meme                   Generator, imgflip.com/i/92qc6f

Lees, Maurizia. The Harrowing of Hell. 2010, Our Lady of the Rosary, Brixton.                           

        loandbeholdbible.com/2023/03/30/the-harrowing-of-hell-1-peter-318-20-46/

Moon, Sun M.. "Harrowing of Hell." New World Encyclopedia, Edited by Jeff Anderson, Scott Dunbar,          Rosie Tanabe, Dan Voltz, Paragon House Publishers