Christ brings Adam and Eve out of hell. Orthodox faith - sv about the descent into hell. In the Catholic Church

), Fr. Sergiy Pometnev, very relevant to the current Easter days.
"In the writings of the holy fathers, we do not find a consensus on certain aspects of the teachings of the Orthodox Church. One of these controversial dogmatic issues is the question of the state of hell after the Savior visits it..."
The author refers to Prot. Oleg Davydenkov, teacher at PSTGU and author of a modern textbook on dogmatic theology:
“Whom did Jesus Christ bring out of hell? The Long Catechism says that those who waited in faith for His coming were set free. The wording is not clear enough, we cannot say with accuracy whether only the Old Testament righteous or the righteous of all tribes and peoples were brought out of hell. Indication of St. The Scriptures that the Lord, having descended into hell, preached, testifies in favor of the fact that He brought out not only the righteous of the Old Testament, but also all the righteous in general, because otherwise the sermon would be superfluous. Church hymns even say that "hell is empty." Ultimately, we do not know whether all those who were in hell followed the Lord and whether it was possible for all of them because of their moral condition. In any case, a significant number of those held in hell were released, and there are no sufficient grounds to assert that they were only the Old Testament righteous.”

Using the example of the parable of the rich man and Lazarus, the author also tries to analyze why the rich man does not ask to be taken out of hell himself:
"... what or who is keeping him there? The gates are crushed, the locks are broken, the guards fled. Suppose that this is the abyss that Abraham speaks of, but then the request of the rich man to send Lazarus to hell becomes illogical. Yes, and Abraham's answer to the rich man: “and over all these between us and you a great gulf is established”, give us the right to assert that the latter did not see this very separating, impassable abyss."
The author analyzes the state of hell and paradise not in the light of the Old Testament, as it might have seemed to the listeners of Jesus, but precisely in the subsequent perspective of the descent of Christ into hell and the Resurrection of Christ. Of course, the parable is just an allegory, but not a detailed description of the structure of the afterlife and the state of the souls of those who died in it, so a punctual textual study of gospel phrases is not always appropriate here. But, nevertheless, many of the author's considerations seem interesting (although some can be argued with). For example:

However, the author left one of the quite appropriate comments unanswered, although he answered many others.
This is a comment from a reader Igor Lysenko from Kharkov:

"1. Situation.
God-fearing parents throughout their lives tried to educate their
child in the "instruction of the Lord" (Ephesians 6:4), but he subsequently received
a conscious decision not to live according to God's standards and to sin (not so rare and
far from hypothetical). Can these people, having received God's approval
and the reward of eternal life, to be happy knowing that their child will be forever and
deliberately tormented in hell?

2. Adam and Eve are definitely conscious
disobeyed God and, therefore, lost the opportunity to live forever, having suffered
deserved punishment. But what? Why didn't God warn Adam that if he
If he sins, he will experience eternal torment in hell? Why was he only
is it said that he will die and return to dust? Would it be fair to condemn
Adam because of disobedience to eternal torment without any warning?!

3. If the idea of ​​hell and eternal
torments of sinners in it are true, then why then those who hold such views are literally
do not disturb people by warning them of what they will face in
future if they do not turn to God? Would it be a manifestation of love for one's neighbor - to know that people
eternal torment threatens, and not to warn them about it, putting everything
their strength and using all their capabilities for this?

4. If hell with eternal torment exists, since when has it existed? When
it arose: before the appearance of people or after? Whatever the answer to this question,
or otherwise, it implies that God, by reason of His omniscience, provided for the creation of hell for those who
will not want to obey him, knowing that someone there will surely suffer forever
(after all, it is very difficult to assume that God could not foresee that there would be those who
will knowingly reject His laws). Doesn't this remind of a situation when a father, even before the birth of a child, prepares a belt to use it, so to speak, for its intended purpose, knowing that someday a situation may arise when the child will show disobedience? True, this analogy is not completely complete, because. in the case of real parents, the process of punishment with a belt is limited in time (well, let's say, a few seconds), and in the case of God, who provided for the existence of hell, this process is endless.

Well,
Finally, I will point out the point of view of some Orthodox clergy on
about this issue.

So, A. Men in his book “The Son of Man” (M .: Pravda ed.,
1991, p. 72) writes: “The whole New Testament
testifies against the idea that Gehenna is some permanent reality,
opposite of the Kingdom. She is
“Second death”, non-existence, disappearance into nothing”.

Authors of the publication God Lives. Orthodox catechism. Per. from French arch. George Sidorenko
ed. Prot. Kirill Fotieva, 1990 on p. 426 write: “To put it bluntly: the idea of ​​an eternal hell and eternal
torment for some, eternal bliss for others - indifferent to suffering
others, can no longer remain in a living and renewed Christian consciousness
such as it was once portrayed in our catechisms and our official textbooks
theology. This is an outdated understanding, trying to rely on the gospel
texts, interprets them literally rudely, materially, without delving into their spiritual
meaning hidden in images and symbols. This concept is becoming more and more
more intolerable violence against the conscience, thought and faith of a Christian ... For a long time
it's time to put an end to all these monstrous statements of the past centuries,
who create from our God what He is not: an “external” God who is only
"allegory" of earthly kings and nothing more. Pedagogy of intimidation and horror more
not effective. On the contrary, it blocks the entrance to the Church for many of those who
looking for the God of love."

It is interesting to note in this regard,
that Archpriest S. Bulgakov in his book
The Never-Evening Light calls the doctrine of eternal torment in hell the "criminal-correctional code of theology."

Mosaic of the second half of the 11th century, Daphni Monastery

The Byzantine and Old Russian icons of the Resurrection of Christ never depict the very moment of the Resurrection. They depict "the descent of Christ into hell", or rather, how Christ brings Adam, Eve and other heroes of biblical history out of hell; under the feet of the Savior - the black abyss of the underworld, against which are locks, keys and fragments of the gates that once blocked the dead from the path to resurrection.

It is this iconographic type that is canonical, as it reflects the traditional teaching about Christ's descent into hell, His victory over death, His resurrection of the dead and their removal from hell, in which they were kept before His Resurrection. In the last few centuries, when creating the image of the Resurrection of Christ, other subjects were also used, in particular, the image of the resurrected Christ, borrowed from the Western tradition, emerging from the tomb and holding the banner of victory in his hands. However, this image is not traditional for Orthodoxy.

Each Orthodox icon painting is based on one or another liturgical memory. There are no icons or frescoes, the plot of which would not correlate with this or that day of the church calendar. The icon of the Descent into Hell corresponds to the liturgical commemoration of Great Saturday and Pascha. The very doctrine of the Descent into Hell is based on several texts from the Holy Scriptures, primarily on the message of the Apostle Peter: “Christ, in order to bring us to God, once suffered for our sins, the Righteous for the unrighteous, having been put to death in the flesh, but made alive in the Spirit, To whom He came down and preached to the spirits in prison…” (1 Pet. 3:18-19). But the theme of the descent of Christ into hell, which is also reflected in icon painting, is revealed in much more detail in early Christian apocryphal literature.

There is an iconography where Christ tramples not even the gates of hell, but hell itself in the form of a personified image - a bound old man in shackles, and the Lord stands above him, having conquered him. The theme of the personification of hell, death originates precisely in the apocrypha. In the 5th-century apocryphal text “The Gospel of Nicodemus” that has come down to us (which does not contradict Orthodox teaching, although it has not been included in the church canon), the dialogue between Satan and hell occupies a central place. Hell is trying to resist the coming of Christ and orders its demons to "firmly close the gates of brass and locks of iron" and firmly hold the "rivets". But a voice is heard: "Lift up the gate." Hearing this voice, hell asks: "Who is this King of glory?" The angels say: "The Lord is mighty and mighty, the Lord is mighty in battle." And immediately the brass gates are broken, the iron bolts are broken, and all the bound dead are released from their bonds. The king of glory binds Satan and commits him to hell with the words: "Hold him tight until my second coming." Having accepted Satan, hell tells him: "Turn around and see that I don't have a single dead person left." The following describes the bringing of the dead from hell by the incarnate Christ: “The King of glory stretched out His right hand and took and raised up the forefather Adam. Then, turning to the others, he said: “Here, after Me, all who have been slain by the tree that he touched. I resurrect you all again with the tree of the cross.” And then He began to harass everyone out ... As He walked, the blessed fathers, following Him, sang, saying: “Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord; alleluia; to him be the glory of all the saints.”

The Gospel of Nicodemus contains all the ideas and images used in the Christian literature of the following centuries to depict what modern European theologians call the term Hollensturm (lit. "storming of hell"): Christ does not just descend into hellish abysses - He invades there, overcoming the resistance of the devil and demons, crushing the gates and tearing locks and locks from them, like a Conqueror, before whom the forces of evil are powerless.

Let us pay attention to one phrase from the "Gospel of Nicodemus" - the words of hell spoken to Satan: "Turn and see that I have not a single dead man left." In the iconography of the Descent into Hell, Christ is often depicted stretching out his hands to Adam and Eve, whom he leads out of hell; sometimes, besides Adam and Eve, other people are also depicted as coming out of hell - in white clothes, with and without halos. Who are these people? Is it really, as the apocrypha tells us, that hell is empty? Did Christ bring all the people who were in hell before the Resurrection of Christ?

This question has been repeatedly reflected in the iconography of the Resurrection. On the famous fresco "Resurrection" from the Constantinopolitan monastery of Chora (1315 - 1320), the traditional theme of the Descent into Hell is treated with special drama. In the middle of the composition - Christ in white clothes; Christ holds the hand of Adam with his right hand, and the hand of Eve with his left. Adam is depicted almost running towards Christ, Eve - with an effort rising from the depths of hell. On the right hand of Christ (to the left of the viewer), John the Baptist and the Old Testament righteous with halos are depicted. On the left hand - the Old Testament sinners, led by Cain, the son of Eve, standing in indecision. Does the preaching of Christ apply to them? Will Cain follow her, will he be saved? What about other sinners? The iconography reflects the ambiguity of the solution of the issue of salvation, as if reminding us that our judgments are not the judgments of God.

The dogma of Christ's descent into hell is part of the Orthodox doctrine of salvation. However, the solution of this issue largely depends on how we understand the preaching of Christ in hell and its saving effect on people. If we are talking about preaching only to the elect, only to the righteous of the Old Testament, then the saving significance of the dogma is minimal; if the sermon was addressed to all who were in hell, its significance increases significantly. It seems that we have enough reason to assert, following the Greek Orthodox theologian I. Karmyris, that “according to the teachings of almost all the Eastern Fathers, the Savior’s preaching extended to everyone without exception and salvation was offered to all the souls of the departed from the age, whether Jews or Greeks, righteous or unrighteous." The same opinion is shared by another Greek theologian, Professor N. Vasiliadis:

“... The Lord voluntarily and victoriously descended into hell, the “common receptacle” of souls. He visited all the souls that were there, and preached to sinners and the righteous, Jews and non-believers. And just as “the Sun of righteousness shone out on those who dwell on the earth,” so did His light shine on those who were “under the earth in darkness and the shadow of death.”<...>

Thus, not only for the righteous, but also for the unrighteous, the preaching of the Savior in hell was a good and joyful message of deliverance and salvation, and not a preaching of “reproof for unbelief and malice,” as Thomas Aquinas thought.

But did all or only some respond to the call of Christ and were taken out of hell? This question remains open. There is an opinion according to which Christ brought out of hell only the Old Testament righteous. And there is an opinion according to which all who wished to follow Christ followed him when He opened the gates of hell, broke the locks and crushed faiths. The liturgical texts repeatedly speak of Christ's salvation of all those who were in hell: "and from hell all is freed." But since God does not violate the free will of people, at least those who did not want to follow Christ remained in hell, including the devil and demons.

If we take the point of view of those church writers who asserted that Christ brought out of hell only the Old Testament righteous, then the salvific work of Christ comes down only to the restoration of justice. In this case, we are no longer talking about a miracle before which angels tremble and which is sung in church hymns, nor about the mercy of God. Orthodoxy admits the possibility of salvation from hellish torment not only for those who believed during their lifetime, but also for those who were not worthy of the true faith, but pleased God with good deeds. According to the teaching of the Orthodox Church, all the dead - believers or non-believers - appear before God. Therefore, even for those who did not believe during their lifetime, there is hope that they will recognize God as their Savior and Redeemer, if their entire previous earthly life led them to this recognition.

We do not know if everyone followed Christ when He came out of hell, just as we do not know if everyone will follow Him into the eschatological Kingdom of Heaven. But we know that from the moment of Christ's descent into hell, the way to the resurrection from the dead is open to "all flesh", salvation is granted to every person, and the gates of paradise are open to all those who want it. Such is the mystery of Great Saturday, the veil over which is lifted by Orthodox worship, such is the theology of the icon of the Resurrection.

The descent of Christ into hell is mentioned in many religious texts. This episode is also reflected in icon painting. But how did Jesus end up in hell? And, most importantly, why did he go down there?

How did Christ get to hell?

According to the Bible, for the fall and the apostasy of people from God, for a long time the road to paradise was closed for both sinners and the righteous. All people, regardless of their deeds committed during life, after death fell exclusively into hell. It is noteworthy that the righteous had a separate place in the underworld called Abraham's bosom. Some theologians, such as Ignatius Brianchaninov, consider Abraham's bosom to be a kind of branch of heaven in hell.
Monk Simeon the New Theologian writes, “once Christ our God, after being hung on the cross and nailing the sin of the whole world on it, descended into the underworld of hell, then rising from hell, again entered into His immaculate body and immediately rose from the dead and then, Finally, he ascended to heaven with power and much glory, died, descended into the underworld, and then, having risen from there, again “entered into His immaculate body and rose again.”

What did Jesus do in hell?

Having descended into hell, Christ thus confirmed the prediction of the prophet Isaiah: "On those living in the land of the shadow of death (in the underworld), light will shine." Knowing this prophecy, the dead waited for the Messiah. Because, according to Christian teaching, Jesus suffered martyrdom not only for the sake of the living, but also for the sake of the dead.
Before entering the underworld, Christ, as John Chrysostom writes, destroyed the brass gates of hell. Thus, the Savior completely crushed death itself and opened the way to paradise for people.
At the same time, Chrysostom claims that the sins of the people remained with them. In order for sinners to repent and the ignorant to know God, Christ reads a sermon to the souls of the dead. “Jesus descended and preached,” writes the apostle Peter.

The Greek theologian Karmyris claimed that the Messiah read a sermon for everyone so that everyone had the opportunity to be saved: “The Savior’s sermon extended to everyone without exception and salvation was offered to everyone,” the righteous and sinners, Jews and non-believers. Thomas Aquinas suggested that that sermon was not accusatory and condemning, but only joyful good news about the possibility of salvation.

Who did Christ take to heaven?

After destroying death, Jesus went to where he was supposed to be, that is, to paradise. However, he did not leave hell alone. St. Gregory the Theologian says this about the Savior: (Jesus) “is buried, but rises, descends into hell, but brings up souls from it.”
Christian commentator Marcion of Sinope claimed that Christ completely devastated hell, that is, he brought out everyone who was there. However, another theologian, Irenaeus of Lyon, stated that the Savior brought out of the underworld only those who gained faith and repented of their sins. Most Christians agree with him.
So, following Christ, all the Old Testament righteous ascended to heaven. As soon as they saw the Messiah in the underworld, “the Holy Prophets, Moses, Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, David, Samuel, Isaiah and John the Baptist” rushed to him (Gospel of Matthew).
However, Jesus still took some sinners from hell. So, together with Christ, the first people Adam and Eve left hell, from whom the fall began. But both of them repented of their deeds long ago, and therefore, by the grace of the Lord, they were forgiven. On the icon, which is called “The Descent into Hell,” Jesus is depicted against the backdrop of a broken gate of hell, holding Adam and Eve by the hands.

"He descended into hell to deliver the righteous from there."

“The holy prophets and Moses the legislator, and Abraham, and Isaac, and Jacob, David and Samuel and Isaiah, and the baptist John ran away ... All the righteous who were swallowed up by death were redeemed. For it befitted the preached King to become the redeemer of good preachers. Then each of the righteous said: “Death, where is your victory? Hell, where is your sting? For the Conqueror has redeemed us.”

Venerable Ephraim the Syrian wrote that the Lord Jesus Christ “drew the souls of the saints out of hell.”

Blessed Jerome says that the Savior descended into hell "in order to victoriously lead with Himself to heaven the souls of the saints who were imprisoned there."

Rev. John Cassian:

“Having penetrated into hell, Christ ... crushed the iron faiths, and raised the holy captives, who were kept in the impenetrable darkness of hell, from captivity with Himself to heaven.”

Saint Epiphanius of Cyprus:

"What? Does God save everyone by appearing in hell? No, but even there – only believers.”

Saint John Chrysostom, speaking of the descent of Christ into hell, he explained:

“It only shows that the power of death is destroyed by Him, and the sins of those who died before His coming were not blotted out. Otherwise, if He freed all those who had previously died from Gehenna, then why did He say: “It will be more pleasant for the land of Sodom and Gomorrah”? By this it is given to understand that even though it is easier, they will still be punished. And although they have already suffered extreme punishment here, this will not save them.”

Saint John of Damascus wrote that the Lord in hell preached to everyone, but for some this sermon was for salvation, and for others it was a denunciation:

“The deified soul descends into hell, so that, just as the Sun of righteousness shines on those who are in the earth, so the light shines on those who are under the earth, who are in darkness and the shadow of death; so that, just as the Lord preached peace to those who were on earth, enlightenment to the captives and the blind, and for those who believed became the cause of eternal salvation, and for those who did not believe - a reproof of unbelief, in the same way he preached to those who were in hell.

“After your departure, I learned ... that your love said that the Almighty Lord our Savior Jesus Christ, having descended into hell, saved all who there confessed Him to be God, and freed them from deserved punishments. I wish your brotherhood to think about it quite differently, namely, that He who descended into hell freed by His grace only those who both believed that He would come and lived according to His commandments. For it is known that even after the incarnation of the Lord no one can be saved, even of those who believe in Him, unless they live by faith, as it is written: “Whoever says, ‘I have known Him,’ but does not keep His commandments, is a liar.” ” (1 John 2, 4); “faith without works is dead” (James 2:26). So, if now believers are not saved without good deeds, and unbelievers and the condemned are saved without good deeds by the Lord who descended into hell, then the fate of those who did not see the Lord incarnate is much better than those who were born after the mystery of the incarnation. How stupid it is to speak and think like that, the Lord himself testifies to this when he says to his disciples: “Many prophets and kings desired to see what you see, and did not see” (Luke 10:24). But in order not to occupy your love for a long time with my reasoning, I advise you to read what Philastrius wrote about this heresy in his book on heresies. Here are his words: “There are heretics who say that the Lord, having descended into hell, preached there about Himself to everyone after their death, so that those who confess Him there would be saved, while this is contrary to the words of the prophet David: in hell, who confess to You (Ps. 6:6), and to the words of the Apostle: Those who, having no law, have sinned, are outside the law and will perish (Rom. 2:12). Blessed Augustine agrees with his words in his book on heresies. Therefore, considering all this, hold nothing but what the true faith of the Catholic Church teaches."

Toledo Cathedral 625 year decided:

"He descended into hell to cast out the saints who were kept there."

In the middle of the 8th century, Pope Boniface accused the Irish monk Clement of heresy, who claimed that Christ, having descended into hell, freed everyone from there - both believers and pagans. The Council of Rome in 745, convened by Pope Boniface, condemned Clement and recognized that the Lord descended into hell not in order to free the damned from it or destroy the hell of condemnation, but to free the righteous who preceded Him.

Blessed Theophylact of Bulgaria explained:

“Those who had a good time of their lives, and then received salvation through the descent of the Lord into hell, as St. Gregory [the Theologian] thinks. He says: "Christ, appearing to those in hell, does not save everyone without exception, but only believers." For it depended on the will of each not to remain insensitive to the rich gift of the Creator, but to present oneself worthy of the goodness of the Giver.

Saint Demetrius of Rostov:

“When our Lord, having put on human nature, ascended to heaven, he immediately showed the way to heaven for the whole human race, the souls of the holy forefathers and prophets, led out of hell, followed Christ along it.”

Saint Philaret of Moscow:

“The Lord Jesus Christ descended into hell in order to preach victory over death and free the souls who with faith awaited His Coming” (Large Orthodox Catechism of the Eastern Orthodox Church).

Saint Nicholas of Serbia:

“To the invisible Church belong ... all Christians who have died in the true faith in Christ over the past 20 centuries, as well as the Old Testament righteous, whom the Lord saved during His descent into hell” (Catechism of the Eastern Orthodox Church).

Saint Innocent of Kherson: "Our Savior descended into hell Himself, by His will and His power, descended in order to soon leave hell, descended alone, in order to bring out from there all who with faith awaited His coming."

It is also written in the liturgical books of the Orthodox Church. So, at Paschal Matins in Synaxar, according to the 6th ode, it is said: “The Lord has now stolen human nature from hellish treasures, raised us to heaven and brought incorruptibility to the ancient heritage. Both having descended into hell, do not resurrect everyone, but deign to believe in Him. Souls from the age of saints, held by need, free from hell.

Venerable Barsanuphius the Great says that repentance in hell is impossible:

“Regarding the knowledge of the future, do not be deceived: what you sow here, you will reap there. After leaving here, no one can succeed anymore ... Brother, here is the deed - there is the reward, here is the feat - there are the crowns.

Saint John Chrysostom writes the same: “Only real life has time for exploits, and after death there is judgment and punishment. “In hell,” it is said, “who will confess you?” (see: Ps. 6, 6).

And in liturgical texts of the Orthodox Church and the same thought is expressed: “There is no repentance in hell, there is no other weakness there: there is an indestructible worm, there the earth is dark, and all is darkened” (The rite of burial of priests).

The Byzantine and Old Russian icons of the Resurrection of Christ never depict the very moment of the Resurrection. They depict “the descent of Christ into hell”, or rather, how Christ brings Adam, Eve and other heroes of the biblical story out of hell; under the feet of the Savior is the black abyss of the underworld, against which are locks, keys and fragments of the gates that once blocked the dead from the path to resurrection.

It is this iconographic type that is canonical, as it reflects the traditional teaching about Christ's descent into hell, His victory over death, His resurrection of the dead and their removal from hell, in which they were kept before His Resurrection. In the last few centuries, when creating the image of the Resurrection of Christ, other subjects were also used, in particular, the image of the resurrected Christ, borrowed from the Western tradition, emerging from the tomb and holding the banner of victory in his hands. However, this image is not traditional for Orthodoxy.

Sinai Monastery. Resurrection icon. 12th century

Each Orthodox icon painting is based on one or another liturgical memory. There are no icons or frescoes, the plot of which would not correlate with this or that day of the church calendar. The icon of the Descent into Hell corresponds to the liturgical commemoration of Great Saturday and Easter. The very doctrine of the Descent into Hell is based on several texts from the Holy Scriptures, primarily on the message of the Apostle Peter: “Christ, in order to bring us to God, once suffered for our sins, the righteous for the unrighteous, being put to death in the flesh, but made alive by the Spirit, by which He descended and preached to the spirits in prison…” (1 Pet. 3:18-19). But the theme of Christ's descent into hell, which is also reflected in icon painting, is revealed in much more detail in early Christian apocryphal literature.

There is an iconography where Christ tramples not even the gates of hell, but hell itself in the form of a personified image - a bound old man in shackles, and the Lord stands above him, having conquered him. The theme of the personification of hell, death originates precisely in the apocrypha. In the 5th-century apocryphal text “The Gospel of Nicodemus” that has come down to us (which does not contradict Orthodox teaching, although it has not been included in the church canon), the dialogue between Satan and hell occupies a central place. Hell is trying to resist the coming of Christ and orders its demons to “firmly close the gates of brass and locks of iron” and firmly hold the “rivets”. But a voice is heard: "Lift up the gate." Hearing this voice, hell asks: "Who is this King of glory?" The angels say: "The Lord is mighty and mighty, the Lord is mighty in battle." And immediately the brass gates are crushed, the iron bolts are broken, and all the bound dead are released from their bonds. The king of glory binds Satan and commits him to hell with the words: "Hold him tight until my second coming." Having accepted Satan, hell tells him: "Turn around and see that I don't have a single dead person left." The following describes the bringing of the dead from hell by the incarnate Christ: “The King of glory stretched out his right hand and took and raised up the forefather Adam. Then, turning to the others, he said: “Here, after Me, all who have been slain by the tree that he has touched. I resurrect you all again with the tree of the cross.” And then He began to harass everyone out ... As He walked, the blessed fathers, following Him, sang, saying: “Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord; alleluia; to him be the glory of all the saints.”

Mosaic from the Cathedral of San Marco, Venice, XII century.

The Gospel of Nicodemus contains all the ideas and images used in the Christian literature of the following centuries to depict what modern European theologians call the term Höllensturm (lit. "storming of hell"): Christ does not just descend into hellish abysses - He invades there, overcoming the resistance of the devil and demons, crushing the gates and tearing locks and locks from them, like a Conqueror, before whom the forces of evil are powerless.

Let us pay attention to one phrase from the "Gospel of Nicodemus" - the words of hell spoken to Satan: "Turn and see that I have not a single dead man left." In the iconography of the Descent into Hell, Christ is often shown stretching out his hands to Adam and Eve, whom he leads out of hell; sometimes, besides Adam and Eve, other people are also depicted as coming out of hell - in white clothes, with and without halos. Who are these people? Is it really, as the apocrypha tells us, that hell is empty? Did Christ bring all the people who were in hell before the Resurrection of Christ?

This question has been repeatedly reflected in the iconography of the Resurrection. On the famous fresco "Resurrection" from the Constantinopolitan monastery of Chora (1315-1320), the traditional theme of the Descent into Hell is treated with special drama. In the middle of the composition - Christ in white clothes; Christ holds the hand of Adam with his right hand, and the hand of Eve with his left. Adam is depicted almost running towards Christ, Eve - with an effort rising from the depths of hell. On the right hand of Christ (to the left of the viewer), John the Baptist and the Old Testament righteous with halos are depicted. On the left hand - the Old Testament sinners, led by Cain, the son of Eve, standing in indecision. Does the preaching of Christ apply to them? Will Cain follow it, will he be saved? What about other sinners? The iconography reflects the ambiguity of the solution of the issue of salvation, as if reminding us that our judgments are not the judgments of God.

The dogma of Christ's descent into hell is part of the Orthodox doctrine of salvation. However, his solution to this issue largely depends on how we understand the preaching of Christ in hell and its saving effect on people. If we are talking about preaching only to the elect, only to the righteous of the Old Testament, then the saving significance of the dogma is minimal; if the sermon was addressed to all who were in hell, its significance increases significantly. It seems that we have enough reason to assert, following the Greek Orthodox theologian I. Karmyris, that “according to the teaching of almost all the Eastern Fathers, the preaching of the Savior extended to all without exception and salvation was offered to all the souls of the departed from the age of eternity, whether Jews or Greeks, righteous or unrighteous.”. The same opinion is shared by another Greek theologian, Professor N. Vasiliadis:

“... The Lord voluntarily and victoriously descended into hell, the “common receptacle” of souls. He visited all the souls that were there, and preached to sinners and the righteous, Jews and non-believers. And just as “the Sun of righteousness shone on those who dwell on the earth,” so His light shone on those who were “under the earth in darkness and the shadow of death.” As on earth He proclaimed peace, forgiveness to sinners, sight to the blind, and those who were in hell, so that “every knee of the heavenly, earthly and underworld” forces would humbly bow before Him. The God-man, descending not only to the earth, but “under the earth”, revealed the true God to everyone and preached the Gospel of salvation to everyone, so that everything would be “full of Divinity” so that He would become the Lord of both the dead and the living(see Romans 14:9).

Thus, not only for the righteous, but also for the unrighteous, the preaching of the Savior in hell was a good and joyful message of deliverance and salvation, and not a preaching of “reproof for unbelief and malice,” as Thomas Aquinas thought.

Christ is the conqueror of hell. This understanding is reflected in the icons and frescoes dedicated to the descent into hell. On the fresco “Descent into Hell” from the Macedonian church of Kurbinovo (XII century), Christ is depicted in the center in a swift movement; with his right hand he holds Adam's hand; in His left hand is a cross with a crown of thorns; head tilted towards Adam; the himation flutters in the wind. The figure of Christ is inscribed in a circle divided by eight rays of light into eight segments; the direction of the main lines that form the figure coincides with the direction of the rays, which gives the entire composition an almost geometric correctness and strict proportionality

But did all or only some respond to the call of Christ and were taken out of hell? This question remains open. There is an opinion according to which Christ brought out of hell only the Old Testament righteous. And there is an opinion according to which all who wished to follow Christ followed him when He opened the gates of hell, broke the locks and crushed faiths. The liturgical texts repeatedly speak of Christ's salvation of all those who were in hell: "and from hell all is freed." But since God does not violate the free will of people, at least those who did not want to follow Christ remained in hell, including the devil and demons.

If we take the point of view of those church writers who asserted that Christ brought out of hell only the Old Testament righteous, then the salvific work of Christ comes down only to the restoration of justice. In this case, we are no longer talking about a miracle before which angels tremble and which is sung in church hymns, nor about the mercy of God. Orthodoxy admits the possibility of salvation from hellish torment not only for those who believed during their lifetime, but also for those who were not worthy of the true faith, but pleased God with good deeds. According to the teaching of the Orthodox Church, all the dead - believers or non-believers - appear before God. Therefore, even for those who did not believe during their lifetime, there is hope that they will recognize God as their Savior and Redeemer, if their entire previous earthly life led them to this recognition.

We do not know if everyone followed Christ when He came out of hell, just as we do not know if everyone will follow Him into the eschatological Kingdom of Heaven. But we know that from the moment of Christ's descent into hell, the way to the resurrection from the dead is open to "all flesh", salvation is granted to every person, and the gates of paradise are open to all who wish it. Such is the mystery of Great Saturday, the veil over which is lifted by Orthodox worship, such is the theology of the icon of the Resurrection.

1 Damascene John. Accurate statement of the Orthodox faith, 3, 29.

2 Damascene John. Commentary on Ephesians 4:6 (PG 95, 841).

3 Vasiliadis N. Mystery of death. pp. 179-180.

Metropolitan Hilarion (Alfeev)

Illustration on the announcement: The Resurrection of Christ. Miniature of a manuscript from the Athos monastery of Iveron. XIII century