The Harrowing of Hell in the light of Easter
We are still in the Easter Octave so it’s not too late to talk about something we often forgot to think about during the Triduum: The Harrowing of Hell.
But, before we talk about the Harrowing of Hell, let’s talk about harrowing.
A harrow is a sort of heavy field rake, more imposing, that is used to break up heavy soil and remove weeds. It causes distress to the soil.
If someone tells us they have had a harrowing experience, they’re talking about being distressed, but they’re generally not talking about working in a field. They’re talking about being chased by a rabid dog or getting their shoelaces caught in the wheels of a train.
So, what is the Harrowing of Hell? It is a term we do not hear very much these days, and yet it refers to an event that we mention every time we recite the Apostles’ Creed: “He descended into hell …” It comes right after “He was buried,” – and right before “On the third day He rose again.” It is what happened between the Crucifixion and the Resurrection. There is no direct reference to it in the Gospels, but the First Epistle of St. Peter clearly says that Jesus “preached to the spirits in prison,” (3:19-20) after his death and before he rose from the tomb.
Most theologians argue that the Descent into Hell was to Sheol, the place of the dead, rather than Hell, or the Inferno, Gehenna, the place of the damned. The righteous souls who died before Christ needed to have an encounter with Christ before being released from “prison.” Because even though they were righteous, they weren’t quite. For as Isaiah says and St. Paul repeats, “None are righteous, not one.” They still needed the Grace of God which comes only through the Son of God, the Redeemer.
