Paul's letter to the Ephesians tells us the Jesus descended into the lower regions of the earth. Scholars have proposed many interpretations of this passage, one of which has come to be known as the "harrowing" of Hell, the descent of Christ into the netherworld between the time of his Crucifixion and Resurrection, to free Adam and Eve, Abraham and Sarah, and all the patriarchs. Artistic representations of this event most often show Jesus standing on the doors to hell, with keys scattered around him on the ground. Why? Because the only key that would work was the one Jesus himself embodied: Love.
Jesus himself delved into the deepest, darkest regions of human existence so that he might gather all, save all, take all with him into union with God. His action is that of gathering us all together, as one body -- an action that we participate in, when we love.
Jesus himself delved into the deepest, darkest regions of human existence so that he might gather all, save all, take all with him into union with God. His action is that of gathering us all together, as one body -- an action that we participate in, when we love.
The image above is an Anatolian church fresco. When the Christian population of Caesarea (modern Kayseri in central Anatolia-Turkey, the capital of ancient Cappadocia) was forced to migrate to the west at the time of the Turkish invasions in the beginning of the 7th century AD, they carved homes and churches in the rocks. Many churches were built by carving the soft blocks of rocks formed of volcanic lava. Magnificent frescoes depicting mainly Jesus Christ and some well-known scenes from the Bible, including the one above, adorn the walls of those churches (source).
No comments:
Post a Comment