Holy Saturday and the Harrowing of Hell

Holy Saturday is perhaps the quietest and most mysterious day in the Christian calendar. It is the day between the agony of Good Friday and the glory of Easter Sunday—a day of silence, grief, and waiting. The tomb is sealed. Christ is dead. The disciples are scattered. And yet, the Church confesses that something profound is taking place: Christ has descended into the place of the dead.

This descent, traditionally known as the Harrowing of Hell, is a central but often overlooked part of the Christian story. It affirms that Christ, truly dead, did not remain passive in the grave. Instead, he entered into the realm of the dead not as a victim, but as a victor. Scripture hints at this mystery in passages like 1 Peter 3:19, which speaks of Christ “preaching to the spirits in prison,” and Ephesians 4:9, which speaks of him descending “into the lower parts of the earth.” These verses, along with Psalm 88, formed the scriptural foundation for the Church’s early teachings on Christ’s descent to the dead. The Apostles’ Creed proclaims, “He descended to the dead,” and early Christian writers saw this as a moment of triumph—a cosmic rescue mission in which Christ broke the gates of Hades, bound the powers of evil, and led forth the righteous who had waited in hope.

One of the earliest witnesses to this doctrine in early Christianity, comes from a homily of Origen, the great third-century theologian and author. In his first homily on Psalm 73, Origen captures the drama of this moment. His sermon rises to a crescendo as he proclaims, 

“But I say that the enemy also acted arrogantly against the savior, ‘after he humbled himself and became subject unto death, even death on a cross’ (Phil 2:8). And because he did not understand the divine plan of our savior and his humility, acted arrogantly against him as if he had defeated him, as if he had overcome him. For he did not know the wisdom of God, for if he knew, he would not have crucified him, God’s Christ (1 Cor 2:8). Nevertheless, even if he acted arrogantly against him, for how long did he act arrogantly? I dare to say that it was for a single moment. For at once the Savior went out…seeking the devil and his angels, whom he did not have under his command in this way when he bore the body. See him with me, wandering around, see him with me descending into Hades and, after he descended into Hades, see those who it was necessary for him to bind there, and after he bound them, see him in Hades as free among the dead and ascending alone from there and saying, ‘I have become as a man without assistance, free among the dead’ (Ps 88:5).” 

Holy Saturday proclaims that there is no corner of creation, not even the grave, untouched by the reach of Christ. In silence and stillness, the world waits. And in that silence, Christ wages his final battle, not with weapons, but with the power of self-giving love, liberating the captives and preparing the way for resurrection.