Death of Christ and His Descent into the Underworld

From its most archaic origins, Christian tradition has affirmed that Christ died, descended to the abode of the dead, and rose again on the third day. This exploration of the narrative of Christ’s descent into Limbo illustrates its vital appeal to the religious imagination. Emphasis is placed on mythic precursors of the “descensus” (e.g., Jonah and whale), descent-ascent imagery in baptismal initiation, and parallels between the “nekyia”, the liminal phase of ritual process, and psychotherapeutic transformation.