Great and Holy Saturday: Jesus Descended into Hell to Rescue Adam and Eve

 Fr. Garabed Kochakian

In the teaching of the Christian Church, the Harrowing of Hell—also known as the Descent of Christ into Hades—marks the Lord’s triumphant victory over Satan. This profound event stands as one of the two major images of the Resurrection in Armenian theological art. 

The fourth-century holy father St. John Chrysostom, in his many writings, speaks powerfully of Christ’s descent into Hades. In his Homily on the Cemetery and the Cross, he reflects on the gates of brass in hell, describing how Christ’s descent transformed Hades into Heaven, illuminating its darkest regions with His divine Light. 

"Today our Lord goes around all the places of Hades; today He broke into pieces the doors of bronze and cut asunder the bars of iron." St. John emphasizes that Christ did not merely open the gates but shattered them completely—breaking the gates of bronze to demonstrate that death is finite, and cutting through the iron bars to liberate the captives. "Where there is neither door nor lock, there whoever enters will not be guarded… The Lord of angels Himself descended and plundered hell."* Hades, once a place of eternal darkness and despair, was flooded with light when the Sun of Righteousness descended into its depths. "For where Christ is, there also is Heaven." 

Scripture further affirms this truth. In 1 Peter 3:18-22, we read of Christ’s descent into Hades to free Adam and Eve, along with all the righteous who had died before His coming. From the moment of His Crucifixion until His Resurrection, the Holy Scripture reveals the Messiah bringing the Light of salvation to all who had perished since the dawn of creation. 

Matthew 27:52 echoes this miraculous deliverance: "The tombs were also opened, and many bodies of the saints who had fallen asleep were raised, and coming out of the tombs after His resurrection, they went into the holy city and appeared to many."

In the icon of the Harrowing of Hell, we witness the great rescue—Christ, standing victorious upon the shattered gates of Hades, holding the Cross as the instrument of His triumph. Beneath His feet lies the dark abyss of hell, now conquered. With divine authority, He reaches out to Adam and Eve, pulling them from the prison of Sheol and, with them, all of humanity. 

A striking detail in this sacred image is how the Lord grasps Adam not merely by the hand, but by the wrist—a powerful symbol of His firm and unshakable grip on humanity, offering both hope and the absolute assurance of salvation. 

"Trampling down death by death."

Christ, the Mighty God, wielding the victorious Cross, prevails over Hades, rescuing mankind from eternal darkness and leading us into the Kingdom of Light.