TEOLOGICAL BASIS FOR ANASTASIS SCENE IN BYZANTINE ART

By Zeliha Senel

Abstract

Anastasis, according to Christian faith, is the event that Jesus descends into the Hell after his
death at the cross. Religious sources claim that Jesus won a victory against death just before his
resurrection and rescued the innocent unbaptized souls staying in the Hell by ascending them
to the Heaven. Although, the meaning of Anastasis event can be complex in religious terms,
Anastasis scene just includes the depiction of Jesus rescuing Adam, Eve and John the Baptist
from Hell. Although resurrection, victory against Satan and evil, breaking Hades’ gates are
often associated with the scene, a narrow implementation depicting Jesus rescuing Adam and
some information in apocryphal sources point out that a different explanation of Anastasis event
can be constructed. The aim of this work is to show the original re-ligious message of Anastasis
and to explain how it had changed due to the effect of Hellenistic Culture.

Keywords: Byzantine Art, Anastasis, Descent into Hell, Resurrection

Introduction

In Christianity, the art of visual painting is a communication tool used to explain the concepts
and important events in the life of Jesus that cannot be conveyed in words to the masses. In
religious painting, scenes are specially designed by clergymen in order to understand the
theological messages to be given correctly and can be adapted according to the new decisions
taken after the discussions that took place over time. Various visual symbols used in the scene
composition and changed over time provide the reinforcement of meaning. For example, the
Holy Spirit is represented by a dove descending from the sky, while the cross signifies the
painful death of Jesus. Due to the importance of symbolism in Christianity, the details, persons,
and symbols in religious paintings may contain theological meanings beyond what is seen.
Understanding the theological rationale behind the compositions of various scenes is possible
by examining the pre-Christian belief systems. Also decisions taken on the issues discussed
over the centuries in religious meetings and counsils are also known to affect those
compositions. Any concept emphasized in the letters written by Paul in the context of early
Christian period can be interpreted differently in the following centuries and a distinct
explanation can arise due to centuries long religious discussions in counsils. It is known that
after the religious rules changed with the discussions in the church council meetings, changes
were made in religious pictures over time and different compositions were used to convey new
theological messages (Şenel, Z. 2019: 169).

In this study, the theological meaning of the scene known as the Anastasis scene, is examined.
In the literature, explanations are made that the Anastasis scene represents the resurrection of
Jesus after his death, tells about his victory over Satan and evil, and brings salvation to the
living people and the dead. The depiction of the saving of only people such as Adam and Eve
in the foreground in examples of the Anastasis scene seen in various religious monuments
indicates that the scene may have a different meaning than the belief of Orthodox and Catholic
Churches. The information acquired from the research on the theology of the scene within the
scope of this study shows that the purpose of making the Anastasis scene and the theological
message given by the scene may be different from the explanations in the literature. The origins
of concepts such as the resurrection of Christ, life after death, descent to Hell, Hell, liberation
of humanity, war against evil, Satan and Hades, which are thought to be expressed in the
Anastasis scene, will be examined and their meanings in Christianity will be explained. Then,
various apocryphal sources that are thought to sources of inspiration of Anastasis will be
summarized and the reason of having Adam, Eve, John the Baptist, Solomon and David figures
in the scene is investigated. The meanings of the symbols and the people that exist in the
Anastasis scene in the early Christian period and the transformation they went through in time
are also examined.

In Christianity, it is believed that Jesus 'coming to Earth as the savior was prophesied long ago
by Old Testament prophets and that almost every moment in Jesus' life happened according to
prophecies in the Old Testament. Although the death of Jesus is seen as a defeat in terms of his
mission in the world at first glance, his death and his subsequent resurrection is accepted as a
victory in Christianity. The events between Jesus' descent into Hell after his death and his
resurrection are only implied in the New Testament and the subject of what actually happened
is not told. The sources used to overcome the lack of information are generally apocryphal, in
other words information is generally accepted as questionable. When the pictures of Descent to
Hell and Apocalypse in religious monuments are examined, it is observed that these apocryphal
works have a great effect on the creation of the scenes.
The resurrection of Jesus after his death on the cross is accepted as one of the basic beliefs of
Christianity because it proves that he is the son of God (Wright, N.T. 2003: 728). It is known
that three different scenes are used to express the resurrection of Jesus in religious painting.
These scenes are : “The women burning incense in front of the empty tomb of Christ”,
“depictions of Christ coming from his grave among the fallen soldiers” and “Christ's descent
into the underworld”, also known as Anastasis. Examples of the scene of women in the tomb
are thought to have emerged before the other two because the event takes place in four Gospels
(Matthew 28, Mark 16, Luke 24, and John 20). It is thought that the Anastasis scene was added
to the painting programs, with the idea that the resurrection of Jesus cannot be fully expressed
by just depicting an empty tomb or Christ's exit from his tomb (Andreopoulos, A. 2013: 72).
The fact that the meaning of the word Anastasis means "standing up" and "ascension" in Greek
indicates that the scene expresses Jesus' resurrection rather than depicting the descent to Hell.
Placing Anastasis at the end of the scenes about the death of Christ in painting programs also
reinforces the idea that the scene was created to represent the resurrection iconographically.
However, instead of depicting the resurrection of Jesus on the stage, the artists seem to prefer
to depict the moment when Jesus saves Adam and the other people waiting in Hell. This
situation leads to the question of whether the main theological message given by the Anastasis
scene is really resurrection (Kartsonis, A. D. 1986: 4-5).

In this study, the people, entities, objects and reasons in the Anastasis scene will be presented
and the theological concepts not shown in the pictures will be analyzed. Examining the concepts
such as Satan and resurrection, which are unique to Christianity and have no equivalent in
Judaism, and the changes in theology after the early Christian period will facilitate the
understanding of the Anastasis scene in a wider perspective. Historical events and theological
debates have led to the emergence of various changes on the Anastasis scene over time. It is
thought that this study will contribute to the understanding of the theological concepts related
to the Anastasis scene in the field of Byzantine Art. In addition, it will be shown that an
alternative interpretation can be made to the explanations accepted in the literature.

A. Iconography

Although it is not known when the Anastasis scene was first featured in Byzantine painting in
religious monuments, it is thought that it may have emerged at the same time as the resurrection
scenes. It is known that the first examples of resurrection symbols were seen in the works made
in the 5th century and that the Anastasis scene gained a depiction close to its traditional form
seen after the 13th century from the 7th century. It is understood that the origin of the scene is
Byzantine Art and, after the Iconoclasm period, in the 8th and 9th centuries, Anastasis scenes
were widespread in churches in Sinai and Cappadocia (Strezova, A. 2014: 136). The main
reason for this is that the resurrection of Jesus has an important place in the theological
explanations presented for the lifting of the prohibition of depiction after the Iconoclasm period.
In the discussions that ended the iconoclasm, it was decided that it was possible for a spiritual
being to materialize through an icon or a picture and hope for intercession, just as Jesus, the
God, made the transition to the material world through Mary. Şenel suggested that the
resurrection of Jesus gaining importance in terms of religion caused the proliferation of
resurrection scenes in religious monuments (Şenel, Z. 2019: 290).

Jesus is in the center of the stage as the dominant figure in all Anastasis scenes. In many
depictions, Jesus holds Adam's hand with one hand and a cross in the other. Behind Adam, Eve
is also traditionally shown in the scenes. One of the most beautiful examples of the scene is in
the Dark Church in Cappadocia, which is was built between 1060 and 1070 (Picture 1.a). It has
been suggested that the purpose of Adam and Eve being featured on the stage is that these two
people represent righteous people who deserve Paradise since the beginning of human history.
According to this idea, Jesus' resurrection of Adam shows that there is resurrection for all
people. (Kartsonis, A. 1986: 5). In Hell, which is generally depicted as a dark environment, it
is observed that Jesus stabs the cross into Satan in chains in some compositions. In some wall
paintings, for example, in the church in Daphni Monastery built in the middle of the 11th
century in Greece, Hades, the personalized form of the underground world, appears in the scene
(Figure 1.b). In this picture, Hades is depicted as a Greek god. There are also paintings, where
Hades is depicted along with Satan. Besides Adam, the prophets David and Solomon (Picture
1.c) took their place in Anastasis scenes starting from 9th century (Kartsonis, A. 1986: 13). One
of the scenes where David and Solomon are seen is in Hosios Lukas Monastery in Greece, built
in the first half of the 11th century. Two kings in their crown and imperial robes symbolically
represent the ancestors of Jesus and the people of Old Testament. It is seen that the composition
was enriched by the addition of various symbols to the scene over time. In this new composition,
John the Baptist (Picture 1.b) can be seen behind the two kings and Abel took his place behind
Eve. Abel is also the first murdered victim and is naturally the precursor of the murder of Jesus
(Akyürek, Engin, 1995: 99).
An important change took place in the iconography of the Anastasis scene after the second half
of the 11th century and the 12th century. Kartsonis says that before this time period, the
Anastasis scene was depicted as Jesus taking Adam out of his tomb and later shown holding
Adam and Eve with both hands (Kartsonis, A. 1986: 8-9). One of the most beautiful examples
of post-transition period can be seen in Chora (Chora Museum) Monastery Church (Figure 2.b).
In the scene in Chora, Adam and Eve, who were seen standing on one side of Jesus in previous
periods, were placed on both sides of Jesus raising two from Hell with his both hands, and thus
a symmetrical composition was created.

On the other hand, it has been suggested that the Anastasis scene in the Kurbinovo Saint
Georgios Church, which has an important place in Byzantine religious art. It was constructed
in 1191 (Figure 2.a) and reflects a transitional style towards the form seen in Khora. While
Satan is not seen in chains in Hell lying under the feet of Christ in Khora, it is seen that the
depiction of Satan in black tones is hardly visible in the picture in Kurbinovo. Also in
Kurbinovo while Jesus was holding the cross with his left hand, the cross is missing in Chora
and he was depicted as taking Eve out of Hell with the other hand (Şenel, Z. 2019: 290-291).

In various examples of the Anastasis scene in Byzantine Art, one or two creatures bound in
chains are seen on the stage. It is thought that this figure does not represent Satan in the pictures
with a single creature. The display of the creature as Hades is seen in the scenes in some
Cappadocia churches (Açıkelağa, Soğanlı Saint Barbara and Cemil Archangel Church)
(Kartsonis, A.D. 1987: 14-15). However, it is thought that some artists depict both of them
separately in the same painting by referring to the conversations of Satan and Hades in
apocryphal works describing the descent of Jesus to Hell after the death of Jesus. However, the
number of scenes depicting Satan and Hades together is quite low (Şenel, Z. 2019: 291-292).
Picture: 2 a) Chora Monastery (Strezova, A. 2014: 141) and St. Georgios Church Anastasis
Scenes (Şenel, Z. Painting archive)

B. Theological Evaluation

The festival cycle, which consists of scenes made in a certain order in monuments in Middle
Period Byzantine Art, focuses on the important moments in the life of Christ. It is known that
the liturgical importance of the scene is taken into consideration instead of historical events in
the selection of the scenes in the cycle. The presence of Anastasis in the main cycle emphasizes
the importance of the message given by the scene of Jesus' descent to Hell for Christianity
(Kartsonis, A. D. 1986: 16). However, the scene is evaluated differently by the Byzantine and
Roman Churches. For Orthodoxy, Christ's Descent into Hell symbolizes Jesus' victory over
Satan, defeating death and evil, saving the righteous from Hell, and his resurrection on the
morning of Easter. The descent to Hell and the resurrection of Christ are celebrated in Eastern
Christianity on the same day. On the other hand, according to the Roman Church, with his
descent to Hell, Jesus declared his victory over Satan and evil. However, the Roman Church
does not establish a connection with the resurrection of Christ for his descent to Hell (Şenel, Z.
2019: 208-209). The differences about the meaning of the scene of big Churches reveal that the
Anastasis event may have a different meaning.

Acceptance of Christianity by Greek speaking people caused the merge of the beliefs of
Judaism and early Christianity with the Greek culture and a shift change in religious beliefs
occured. It seems that some concepts and mythological elements from ancient Greek culture
found its way in the Anastasis scene and pagan gods such as Hades were included in the scenes.
It should be pointed out that the belief of afterlife in Heaven and Hell in Christianity is quite
different from Judaism. Also Greek and Christian beliefs are also distinct from each other. On
the other hand, the resurrection of Jesus' soul after death is not acceptable in Greek culture
(Clark-Soles, J. 2006: 9).

Landing in the land of the dead (catabasis) and being able to go up from there (anabasis) has
always been seen as one of the notions that attract the curiosity of people. The views on
resurrection and life after death date back to ancient Greek and Roman cultures, as seen in
events such as the descent of Odysseus and Aeneas to Hades in Homer's epics. On the other
hand, stories of Mesopotamian origin, such as the example of the Gilgamesh Epic, show that
issues such as descent into the world of the dead and resurrection can be dated back much longer
(Ekroth, G. and I. Nilsson 2018: 1-2).

It is known that there are various hesitations about the resurrection after death in the ancient
Greek culture and pagan beliefs in the Roman Empire, and it is believed that the decayed body
cannot be revived. On the other hand, in some mythological stories, it is mentioned that mortals
go to the underworld or heroes bring the dead to the earth. One of these is the work of Euripides
named Alkestis (438 BC). According to the story, Heracles returns Alkestis from death by
fighting God Tanatos, the god of death, and brings her back to her husband. This story is thought
to be one of the sources of inspiration for the Anastasis scene in Christianity. The oldest known
catabasis event is included in the eleventh book of Homer's Odysseia. It is understood from
these stories that going and returning to the land of the dead can only be made by the heroes in
flesh and blood without dying. Return from death is generally seen as an unlikely event in
Roman culture. Exceptionally, however, it is known that their apotheosis is depicted in some
monuments, showing only heroes and kings ascending into the sky after death (Wright, N. T.
2002: 615-635).
In Judaism and therefore in the Old Testament, there is no systematic doctrine based on
concepts such as life after death or the resurrection of the dead (Bush, G. 1845: 92). The Old
Testament (Psalm 88: 4-5) suggests that "when you die, you are deprived of the grace of God",
for death and life after death God cuts off the relationship with the dead (Clark-Soles, J. (2006:
12). However, the Old Testament chapters Daniel's Book and 2 Maccebees, which are thought
to have been written in the 2nd century BC, in other words, during the Hellenistic period of
Greek civilization, revived the concept of afterlife and resurrection. For example, in Daniel 12:
2 there are expressions like "Many of those who sleep in the earth will awaken: Some will be
sent to eternal life, some to shame and endless abomination" (Nicklas, T. 2010: ix-x). The belief
of afterlife especially in Daniel's book, is somewhat similar to the ideas defended by Jesus
(Matthew 22: 22-33). Jesus says that the dead will rise on the last day of judgment, those who
return to life will be judged for their sins, and eternal life will be given to the good.

In Ancient Greek Culture, as can be seen in the works of writers such as Homer, it is suggested
that the meaning of life after death is that the souls who do not have a physical body but they
have consciousness lives in Hades forever. resurrection after death is also described as a
situation specific to only a limited number of heroes (Endsjø, D. 2009: 1). In the early Christian
period, contrary to the Greek Culture, it is claimed that Jesus was resurrected after spiritually
descending to Hades. In Acts 17: 16-34, in which Paul tried to tell the philosophers he met
during his visit to Athens that Jesus was resurrected after his death, "Acts 17: 16-34, he was
ridiculed by some and they said," We would like to hear you again on this matter. Thereupon
Paul left among them”. The Athenians accused Paul of defending foreign gods because of the
presentation of ideas contrary to their beliefs (Bowersock, G. 1994: 103).

According to some researchers, the statements about the resurrection of Jesus in Paul's letters,
which have survived unchanged until today and are known to be the first original writings of
Christianity, contradict the canonical Bibles that are accepted to be written down later (Endsjø,
D. 2009: 159-160). According to Gregory Riley, who is known for his research on early
Christianity, the Church denounced the idea that Jesus descended to Hell spiritually, as
described in Paul's letters and Jesus’ body remained intact after he died (Riley, G. 1995: 8- 9).
While Paul says that the spirit of Jesus was reincarnated, the Gospels describe that Jesus was
put in the tomb after the crucifixion and his body disappeared (Endsjø, D. 2009: 159-160). From
this point of view, despite ideas that caused the Athenian objection to Paul's resurrection, such
a narration in gospels is similar to the beliefs of Greek Culture (Segal, A. F. 2004: 442 444).

In the periods after the first century, the acceptance of Jesus as the son of God and the idea that
such an immortal body could be resurrected naturally facilitated the acceptance of Jesus'
resurrection by the Greek people (Endsjø, D. 2009: 159-160). In Greek mythology, an event
that can set an example for the resurrection of Jesus is told in the story of half god Perseus, who
was born as the son of Zeus from Virgin Danae. According to mythology, because of the
prophecy that he would be killed by his own grandson, King Aktisius locked his daughter in a
dungeon so that she would not be with any man. But Zeus was able to enter Danae’s chamber
and he was with her. There is an article by St. Justinian, one of the early Church Fathers who
lived in the first half and middle of the second century, emphasizing the similarity between
Jesus and the sons of Jupiter. Justin, who was also a philosopher, was one of the first thinkers
blending Christian dogma with Greek philosophy. In chapter 21 of his First Apology, “Indeed,
God's first hope, our teacher, Jesus Christ, was not born of sexual intercourse and was crucified,
died, born from the dead, and ascended into Heaven, a new or different from what you said
about the so-called sons of Jupiter. we do not recommend anything. You know exactly the
number of sons attributed to Jupiter” and emphasizes that the qualities of Jesus that do not
contradict with Greek culture (Falls T. B. 2008: 56-58,254).

Although it was naturally forbidden to mention Hades, the god of the underworld in the early
period of Christianity, it is seen that Hades concept began to be used to describe the place where
the dead were found, due to the influence of Greek culture. One of the important elements in
Hell is Satan, a personality different from Hades, known as the personified version of the
underworld in Ancient Greek and Roman mythologies. It is understood that the concept of Satan
in Christianity is also associated with Hades and is defined as the entity that rules the
underworld (Ekroth, G. and I. Nilsson 2018: 1-2). In one of the hymns of Romanos Melodos, a
saint who lived in the 6th century, Hades is not mentioned when it is told that Hell was ruled
by Satan. Especially since the 6th century, it is thought that the belief that Satan rules the
underworld has been adopted in Christianity (Ainalis Z. D. 2018: 274). Setting Satan as the
ruler of the Hell indicates that the residents of Hell are aşş sinful people since Jesus already
rescued good but not baptized souls from Hell during Anastasis.
While angels are mentioned in many places in the Jewish Bible Torah, there is not much
information about Satan and similar evil beings. In Jewish faith, Satan is one of God's angels.
Satan, an entity that does not go beyond his command, is an angel sent by God to prevent or
observe some activities of people (Pagels, E. H. 1995: 39). In the Old Testament chapters, which
are thought to have been written during the first temple period (832-420 BC), angels are
mentioned as the messengers of God and the unnamed beings living with him in Paradise.
However, after the first temples of the Jews were destroyed by the Babylonian army and exiled
to Babylon, angels appear to be more central in Jewish belief system. The concept of Satan is
seen in Zechariah's (3: 1-7) and Job's Books (Job 1 and 2), which are known to have been
written after Exile, and is described as an accusing prosecutor. However, it is not defined as the
enemy of God and humanity as known by Christians. Definitions such as evil and the origin of
evil forces that tempts people are found in some apocryphal books such as Enoch's Book, The
Book of the Watchers, and the Book of Jubilees, not included in Torah, the Bible of Judaism
(Himmelfarb, M. 2010: 15-18,27). On the other hand, depicting the concept of Satan, which is
not defined with its function in Judaism and Christianity, as an entity responsible for the evil in
the world can be attributed to the religious developments during the history of Christianity.

For Christians and some Jewish groups, Satan started to be of great importance for their belief
systems after the first century. In the Gospel of Mark, known as the oldest bible, angels are
mentioned only in the first (Mark 1:13) and sixteenth (16: 5-7) chapters, while the concept of
Satan is presented as the cause of every negative event that occurs. Mark attributed the defeat
attempt of his son Jesus, who was sent by God as the king of the Jews, to Satan rather than to
humans. His idea is that the struggle of good forces and evil on Earth is the main caused of the
death of Jesus (Mark 3-23-27) (Pagels, EH 1995: 3-10). The traces of this idea can be seen in
the Anastasis scene. After the resurrection, Jesus did not punish the Jews and Romans although
he had the power as the son of God, but he punished Satan, whom he saw as the only source of
evil. Satan is also the king of Hades, where sinners were punished. While Jesus' descent
underground after death and then his coming out of Hades by breaking his doors symbolizes
his resurrection. He puts Satan in chains symbolizing his triumph over evil. However, on emay
think that evil still exists on Earth despite his victory over Satan. This situation shows that
Anastasis's goal is not to gain victory over Satan and therefore against evil. It is understood that
the resurrection of Jesus and the rescue of honest people that lived vefore Jesus from Hell are
the central concepts around Anastasis scene.
The figure of Satan has an important place in the Anastasis scene, especially in first historical
examples. In some pictures, it is depicted that Jesus stabs the cross to Satan and thus triumphs
over evil. However, looking at the historical development of the Anastasis scene, it can be seen
that the figure of Satan has been depicted vaguely in most scenes after the 12th century and
Satan mostly were not included in scenes. It should be noted that the Devil's disappearance
from paintings over time may be related to the fact that icons and pictures in Byzantine Art are
tools used to obtain intercession from divine power. Maguire states that in Byzantine art icons
and paintings are objects used to gain the intercession of the being depicted and to feel their
divine power. In other words, the power of the divine being pictured materializes through the
icons and paintings bring intercession to people who pray before them (Maguire, H.2018: 304-
321). In Byzantine Art, it is thought that the purpose of drawing Satan in small proportions
vaguely in Anastasis scenes is to prevent him from being materialized through its picture and
to be worshiped. In this way, worshipping Satan or Hades is prevented. On the other hand, such
a change in Byzantine painting might be caused by precautions taken by the Orthodox Church
against the Bogomil movement, which is seen in the Balkans between 10th and 12th centuries
since Bogomils believed that Satan is the other son of God and the brother of Jesus (Şenel, Z.
2019: 335). -341).

The nature of Hell and its inhabitants have been one of the most interesting subjects in
Christianity after the 2nd century. Christians wondered what Jesus did in the three days after
his death in the underworld and what happened until he was seen alive by his apostles on Earth
(Ainalis Z. D. 2018:273-275). Details such as what kind of place Hell is and who are the
residents only exist in various apocryphal works. Canonical books do not contain satisfactory
information. In Christianity, it is thought that the description of Hell was first included in the
book "Peter's Revelation"1, which is thought to have been written in the first half of the 2nd
century (Detlef, M. 2003: 620-635). The book begins with the event that his students on the
Mount of Olives approaching Jesus and asking the signs of the Judgment Day and the last days
of the world. In the book, Jesus showed Peter the images of the Judgement day in the palm of
his right hand. He showed his magnificent landing in the clouds, and finally the judgment. The
book also describes the rate of punishments to be given to certain sins (Czachesz, I. 2014: 10-
11). Another work depicting Hell is the book "The Revelation of Paul", which is written in the
5th century. The book is about Paul's ascension to the third layer of Paradise and what he saw

1
  
in Heaven and Hell (2 Corinthians, Chapter 12). It is thought that this book was the source of
the inspiration for the depictions of Hell in various artworks made in the West and under
Byzantine influence and also inspired Dante's famous work Inferno (Duensing, H., and Otero,
A. 2003: 27-29,712-743).

It is understood from the Revelation books of Peter and Paul that the people who will suffer for
their sins in Hell are those who deny Christian faith. When evaluated in general, this situation
is also emphasized in the New Testament and it is clearly stated that the place of those who do
not accept the Christian faith is Hell. John states in chapter 3 with the words "… a person cannot
enter the Kingdom of God unless he is born of water and Spirit." Jesus descended to Hell and
saved the righteous who lived before him from Hell, and then emphasized that those who were
baptized by believing in him would be saved. The exception to this are honest people whom
Jesus saved by descending to Hell. In other words, it is stated that those who are not baptized
even though their souls are pure and who do not believe that Jesus is the Messiah will end up
in Hell (Polzer, J. 1964: 457-469). Although it is known that Adam and Eve, who are among
the people saved by Jesus, committed the First Sin, being taken out of Hell and showing this in
Anastasis scenes can be considered as a situation that contradicts the concept of "clean spirit".
According to the second century Christian philosopher Origen, respectable people, prophets
and all honest people waited here for Jesus to come down to Hell and to save them (Trigg, J.
W. 1998: 208).

Whether the evil spirits in Hell will suffer eternally is one of the issues discussed in Christianity.
Among Anastasis and Judgment scenes, there are some depictions that imply that the souls
depicted with their skeletons disappeared, in other worlds, eternally vanished. The second
century philosopher Origen says that the souls in Hell will perish as they suffer. In Matthew
10:28, "Do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot afford to kill the soul. Fear God,
who is strong enough to destroy both the soul and the body in Hell”, and it is said that the fire
of Hell is capable of killing the soul as well. In the Old Testament, Ezekiel 18:20 mentions that
the sinful souls will perish, saying "the soul that sinned will eventually die" (Van Scott, M.
1998: 17-23).
One of the most beautiful paintings depicting Hell in Byzantine Art is on the west wall of the
Santa Maria Assunta Cathedral on Torcello Island in Venice. It is known that this mosaic work
was made by Byzantine artists in the 11th or 12th centuries. In the mosaic, there is a description
of the region between Hell and Paradise (Figure 3.a) (Pezzoli-Olgiati, D. 2010: 4-8). The
Roman Church acknowledged that the message of the Anastasis scene was the rescue of the
Old Testament prophets waiting between Hell and Heaven2 (Harman, Mürüvet, 2019). The
sections in the scene are similar to the descriptions in the book of Paul's Revelations (Figure
3.b). While the suffering spirits are shown in the upper part, the skulls and skeletons are
depicted in the lower part, and it is implied that the spirits died after being exposed to Hellfire.

The descent of Christ to Hell has been one of the topics covered in religious works since the
first century. Although the work titled "Solomon's Gem" written in the first century presents
the oldest evidence about the event, three synoptic bibles with some expressions about Jesus'
descent to Hell should be considered as the most important sources. In Matthew 27: 51-53, the
events that took place before and after Jesus' descent to Hell are described: “At that moment,
the curtain in the temple was torn from top to bottom and divided into two. The ground shook,
the rocks split. Tombs were opened, the corpses of many deceased holy people were
resurrected. They came out of their graves and entered the holy city after the resurrection of
Jesus and appeared to many people. " Psalm 107: 10-14 shows that Anastasis is actually a
prophecy in the Old Testament. The text in this chapter, which is thought to describe the event,
is as follows: “The prisoners in chains, writhing in pain, sat in the dark, in total darkness.
Because they had disobeyed God's commandments. They despised the advice of the Most High.

2
The Catholic Church calls the place between Heaven and Hell as Limbo.
Then in trouble they cried to the Lord, the Lord saved them from their troubles; He took it out
in the dark, out of the pitch darkness. He broke his chains." The statements in the synoptic
gospels and the 107th chapter of the Psalms in the Old Testament do not explicitly express
Jesus' descent to Hell and only give some clues about the event. However, when the Anastasis
paintings are examined, it is seen the event is narrated in another way. For example, in the
Descent to Hell scene, Jesus extending his hand to Adam and taking him out of Hell is depicted,
but there is no such expression in the New Testament and other canonical works. It is thought
that one of the important sources used in the creation of the Anastasis scene is the apocryphal
work called the Gospel of Nicodemus (Şenel, Z. 2019: 209).

The Gospel of Nicodemus, Acta Pilate, is one of the books used to complete the shortcomings
of the Canonical gospels about the events after the death of Christ. The book is known as the
Gospel of Nicodemus, as the Hebrew original of the work is thought to have been written by
Nicodemus, a member of the Sanhedrin Assembly, which is mentioned in the Gospel of John
and is the religious body that judges Jesus. It is known that it was popular among Christians
especially in the Middle Ages and it was used in the creation of various scenes, especially the
Lament of Mary (Threnos), Descent to Hell (Anastasis) (Şenel, Z. 2019: 210). The use of
apocryphal works in religious painting is not an exception. Many symbols seen in various
scenes are thought to be taken from various non-canonical apocryphal works (Cartlidge, D. R.
and Elliot, J. K. 2001: 8-20).

Although the date of the work of Gospel of Nicodemus is unknown, it is thought that some
parts of it were probably written from the 2nd century onwards and took its final form in the
4th century, when the Christians were oppressed by Rome (O'Ceallaigh, G. C.1963: 21-58).
The Gospel of Nicodemus consists of three parts. The first part includes the events of Jesus'
trial, death, resurrection and ascension to heaven. The story of Joseph of Aramatia, who was
mentioned in the crucifixion of Jesus and donated his own tomb, is told in the second chapter.
The descent of Jesus to Hell and saving the righteous there is the subject of the last chapter. It
is thought that the third part was appended to the book later (Şenel, Z. 2019: 210).

The first chapter begins with the complaint of the Jewish clergy about Jesus in front of the
Roman Governor Pilate. According to the clergy, Jesus introduces himself as the king of the
Jews and is disrespectful of Jewish law. Then Pilate calls Jesus in Jerusalem with a messenger.
Jewish clergymen insist on the punishment of Jesus. A conversation takes place between Pilate
and Jesus. Pilate, who seem to have a positive attitude towards Jesus, speaks to him to dismiss
his ideas and tells Jesus that he will forgive him if he denies them. But when Jesus refuses the
offer, Pilate decides to execute him. Various details are given in chapter 23 of the Gospel of
Luke regarding the events that took place after that. Jesus is crucified on Golgotha Hill and dies
on the cross, along with two thieves named Dismas and Gestas. Joseph of Aramatus, the person
who brought down the body of Jesus from the cross, went to Pilate, asks for permission to put
Jesus in the tomb that he had prepared for himself (O'Ceallaigh, G. C. 1963: 4).

The second part of the book deals with the events of Joseph of Aramatian after the death and
burial of Jesus. Joseph's defense of Jesus and his request to allow Pilate fort he burial angered
Jewish leaders. After the holy day, they have Joseph locked in a dungeon. When the dungeon
is opened the next morning, it is seen that Joseph was not there, although the locks were
untouched. While it is not understood how Joseph escaped from the dungeon, some women
receive news that an angel heralds the resurrection of Jesus. Three rabbis, who tell that they
saw Jesus with his apostles on the Mount of Olives, say that Jesus ascended to the sky. Trying
to prevent the spread of such disturbing news, Jewish leaders start a search in the Mount of
Olives. As a result of the search, Jesus and his apostles cannot be found, but Joseph, who
disappeared from the dungeon, is found in Aramatia and brought to Jerusalem. The aim of the
Jewish clergy is to learn how Joseph got out of the locked dungeon. Joseph says it was Jesus
who took him out of the dungeon. When the three rabbis who said that they saw Jesus and his
disciples do not give up their statements, some of the prophecies in the Old Testament on the
subject are remembered. Joseph tells that the dead came out of their graves with the resurrected
Jesus. He even says that two brothers named Leucius and Karinus in Aramatia similarly
emerged from their graves and resurrected. As a result of the search carried out in the cemetery,
it is seen that the graves of the two brothers in question are actually empty. Two brothers were
found during the search in the village, and as a result of the interrogation, the two brothers asked
for a pen and paper to tell what happened to them and began to write independently
(O'Ceallaigh, G. C. 1963: 5).

The last part of the book is about Jesus' descent to Hell and rescuing the righteous who were in
Hell because they were not baptized, from Hades. The origin of this story is thought to be in
the Old Testament, as told in the 24th chapter of Psalms, because this chapter tells that people
whose hearts are filled with the love of God will be saved by God who broke the old gates
(Cabaniss, A. 1953: 65-74). The brothers Leucius and Karinus wrote their experiences in Hell
independently but with same sentences. According to their story, the brothers were sitting in
the darkness in Hell, then a sudden light removed the shadows and the prophets there rejoiced.
The Prophet started to tell the prophecies about Christ in the chapters of the Old Testament.
Isaiah raised his voice first, then Simeon, and then John the Baptist spoke. Much of this chapter
is devoted to the conversations between Hades and Satan, who are personifications of Hell.
During a long conversation, Satan told Hades the death of Jesus, the son of God, and told him
to prepare for his coming. Throughout this story, it is emphasized that Hades is smarter than
Satan. Having learned that it was Jesus who saved Lazarus from the death, Hades takes Satan
out of Hell when he hears a strong voice saying that the king was coming. When Isaiah and
David utter prophecies from the Old Testament, the powerful voice that says the King is coming
is heard again, and when Jesus enters the underworld in splendor, light is everywhere. Brass
gates crumble and iron bars break. Jesus binds Satan and pulls him over the burning coals
(Gorgievski, D. 2015: 67-76). Those in Hell feel great fear. Satan is captured by Jesus, chained
and handed over to Hades. Then, extending his hand to Adam, Jesus makes the sign of the cross
on all the prophets with Adam. Taking the righteous out of Hell, Jesus orders the archangel
Michael to take them to Heaven. Meanwhile, many people emerge from their graves, along
with the two brothers who tell the story. Leucius and Karinus disappear after they hand over
their papers to Jewish clergy (Izydorczyk, 1997: 5-6).

There is some information in various religious texts about the control of Hades by Jesus, who
neutralized Satan by linking it with chains. Ephraim from Syria (306 373), a cleric, mentions
in a sermon that Jesus had stabbed his cross into Hades' 3stomach as follows: “Seeing this, death
trembled and horrified and left everything he held in his hand about the first man” In the Gospel
of Bartholomew, which is an apocryphal work, Satan says to Hades "Don't be so thoughtful,
secure your gates and strengthen your anchors, think, God has descended to the world". Hades
replies, “There are no nice words I have heard from you. My stomach is torn and my internal
organs are in pain. Undoubtedly, God has come to Earth. " The neutralization of Christ by
stabbing the cross on Hades' chin or head is seen in the Daphni Church and the Dark Church in
Cappadocia (Frazer, M. E. 1974: 153-161).

One of the people seen in the Anastasis scene is John the Baptist. One of the first examples that
John takes place in Anastasis paintings is in the Old Tokalı Church, which is thought to have

3
 Hades is used both as a place name and as a person from the Greek point of view. 
been built in the middle 10th century. However, it is estimated that John was found in samples
that were made before but they have not been survived (Kartsonis, A. D. 1986: 12-13). There
are different ideas about why John, known as the forerunner of Jesus (Prodromos), is mentioned
in the gospels. It is thought that the reason why John is mentioned in the Gospels is that there
are some prophecies in the Old Testament about someone who will herald the coming of Christ.
According to Old Testament, the prophet Elijah is the person who will come to Earth again and
give the good news of the Messiah. In Matthew 17: 11-13, it is told that the prophet Elijah, who
will herald Jesus' coming to his disciples as the Messiah, has already come to Earth and his
disciples already know that this person is John the Baptist. Some theologians argue that the
reason why John is included in the gospels is to establish a connection between Jesus and the
prophecies of Old Testament (Koester, 2000: 75-78). It is thought that the other reason why
John the Baptist is included in the Anastasis scene may be the rescue of honest people through
a baptism ritual, which can be defined as spiritual cleansing (Sheerin, D. 1976: 1-22).

Conclusion

Theological concepts, symbols, entities and people seen the Anastasis scene were discussed in
this study. We tried to take their theological origins into account and to express the reasons for
their inclusion in the scene. In Christian faith, the Anastasis scene represents the resurrection
of Christ. However, when the examples of the Anastasis scene are examined, it is seen that
Jesus, descending into Hell, saves the righteous people waiting there is the most important
message behind the scene. In our opinion, the association of the Greek meaning of the word
Anastasis with the concepts of "Resurrection" and "Ascension" with the resurrection of Jesus
in later periods prevented the understanding of the true meaning of the scene. In our view, the
message that the Anastasis scene is trying to convey is that Jesus saved Adam and other Old
Testament people and himself resurrected as the son of God by breaking the gates of Hell.

The answer to the question of what religious significance might be the saving of the righteous
from Hell, exist in the Old Testament. Jesus lived his whole life in accordance with the
prophecies in the Old Testament. His birth from Virgin Mary (Isaiah 7:14), his entrance to
Jerusalem (Jeremiah 7), his walk to the hill of Golgotha where he would be crucified (Isaiah
50) and his death (Isaiah 52: 13-53: 12), and many other important events, exist in the Old
Testament as prophecies. In fact, Jesus died saying that the prophecies of the Old Testament
are now fulfilled by saying that he was "completed" in his last moments on the cross (John
19:30) (Şenel, Z. 2019: 174-225). The fact that among those saved by Jesus, Adam and Eve,
who were expelled from Heaven for committing the first sin, shows that those who were saved
were not honest and obedient to God but waited in Hell because they were not baptized. In our
view, in the Anastasis scene, Jesus saved the people who preached him in the Old Testament.
Therefore, it is not acceptable for these people who are mentioned in the Old Testament chapters
after the coming of Christ and heralded Jesus, to stay in Hell. This is supported by the fact that
the people depicted in the pictures, such as John the Baptist, are the divine people whohearlds
his coming. As given in gospel of Nicodemus, before the descent to Hell, the prophets rejoiced
and started to chant prophecies from the Old Testament. The depiction of Satan and Hades in
Anastasis scenes is also important in terms of showing the divine power of Jesus. As the son of
God, Jesus defeated Hades and Satan, and was able to save the people who preached him in the
Old Testament from death.

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