Editing Harrowing of Hell (section)

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[[File:Harrowing of hell by M.Bathas (16th c.).jpg|thumb|250 px|left|''Harrowing of Hell'' by [[Markos Bathas]] 16th Century]]
The Harrowing of Hades is generally more common and prominent in Orthodox [[iconography]] compared to the Western tradition. It is the traditional [[icon]] for [[Holy Saturday]], and is used during the [[Paschal season]] and on Sundays throughout the year.

The traditional Orthodox icon of the [[Resurrection of Jesus in Christian art|Resurrection of Jesus]], partially inspired by the apocryphal [[Gospel of Nicodemus|Acts of Pilate]] (4th c.), does not depict simply the physical act of Christ coming out of the [[Holy Sepulchre|Tomb]], but rather it reveals what Orthodox Christians believe to be the spiritual reality of what his [[Resurrection of Jesus|Death and Resurrection]] accomplished. The icon depicts Jesus, vested in white and gold to symbolize his divine majesty, standing on the brazen gates of Hades (also called the "Doors of Death"), which are broken and have fallen in the form of a cross, illustrating the belief that by his death on the cross, Jesus "trampled down death by death" (see [[Paschal troparion]]). He is holding [[Adam (Bible)|Adam]] and [[Eve]] and pulling them up out of Hades. Traditionally, he is not shown holding them by the hands but by their wrists, to illustrate the theological teaching that mankind could not pull himself out of his [[Original sin]], but that it could come about only by the work (''[[Essence-Energies distinction|energia]]'') of God. Jesus is surrounded by various righteous figures from the Old Testament ([[Abraham]], [[David]], etc.); the bottom of the icon depicts Hades as a chasm of darkness, often with various pieces of broken locks and chains strewn about. Quite frequently, one or two figures are shown in the darkness, bound in chains, who are generally identified as personifications of [[Death]] or the [[devil]].