The Harrowing of Hell

It's Easter Sunday. In church today, a strange thought invaded my brain. What if we didn’t have present participles? That is a strange thought, don't you agree? But seriously, what if we weren’t able to say, “Christ is risen!” repeatedly? What if we had to use active verbs or gerunds like “Christ rises” or “Christ is rising”?

Personally, I like these better. Far from announcing a fait accompli, a “done deal” or a state of being that never changes, they suggest a dynamic and continuous movement toward a higher or better level of reality. They are active and open-ended, and incomplete.

In this icon, Christ is one with the rest of us as he rises from hell. Eve and Adam represent all of humanity; Christ holds each one by the hand as he rises. Orthodox theologians agree that this represents the redemption of all humankind, even back to the beginning. There is a latent universalism in this icon, even a primitive D.E.I. (Diversity, Equality, Inclusion). This icon, known variously as The Harrowing of Hell, Christ’s Descent into Hades, Anastasis, or Resurrection, is the primary Easter icon within Orthodox Churches.

For me, “Christ is rising” offers more hope than “Christ is risen.” In Palestine, Ukraine, or Sudan, in the midst of the most horrible political polarization, in hospitals or unemployment offices, “Christ is rising” offers the possibility - even the inevitability - that positive change will yet be realized. If Christ rises, so may we.

© Rev, Gilbert Friend-Jones

See https://www.orthodoxroad.com/christs-descent-into-hell-icon-explanation/