Saturday, November 13, 2021

Jacob of Serug (451-521) on the Descent of Christ into Hades

In his Homily III on the Mother of God, Jacob of Serug wrote:

 

“This one makes his light shine in Sheol amidst the darkness,
and loosens and brings forth Adam who was bound in the
house of perdition. (Jacob of Serug, On the Mother of God [trans. Mary Hansbury; Popular Patristic Series 19; Crestwood, N.Y.: St. Vladimir’s Seminary Press, 1998], 75)

 

In a footnote to the above, we read that:

 

In Syriac literature, the theme of Christ’s descent into Sheol is found already in the 2nd century Odes of Solomon. As depicted in the icon of the Resurrection, Christ in his descent frees Adam and the righteous of the Old Testament, see 1 Pet 3:19. (Ibid., 75, 13)