HOLY SATURDAY 2026: THE HARROWING OF HADES EXPLAINED
On Holy Saturday some Churches celebrate the Liturgy of Saint Basil in the morning (more on this in Thursday's post). The rest of the day is passed, anticipating the arrival of the Holy Light from the Church of the Holy Sepulcher in Jerusalem. There are many local traditions that celebrate the First Resurrection of Christ. Activities may include home cleaning, baking tsoureki, a sweet bread, eggs are dyed red. The evening is spent awaiting the arrival of the Holy Light and the subsequent proclamation of Christos Anesti at midnight.
April 11, 2026 DRM News: Holy fire ceremony from The Holy Sepulcher Church- Jerusalem Happy Easter.
The Holy Light
The Light arrives per Greek Government plane from Jerusalem to Athens and is then distributed to the rest of the country. By midnight every Church in the smallest hamlet should be ready for the declaration that Chris has risen.
The Light arrives per Greek Government plane from Jerusalem to Athens and is then distributed to the rest of the country. By midnight every Church in the smallest hamlet should be ready for the declaration that Chris has risen.
External reading
Kathimerini: Holy Fire to arrive from Jerusalem on government flight (link)
"Aegean Airlines will transport the Holy Fire to Chios, Ioannina, Kavala, Kefalonia, Kos, Limnos, Mykonos, Samos, Thessaloniki, Volos, and Zakynthos, while Sky Express will transfer it to Alexandroupoli, Corfu, Iraklio, Hania, Mytilene, Rhodes and Santorini. Aegean will also transport the flame to Cyprus on a flight expected to land in Larnaca at 5pm".
For some time the Israeli government kept us in suspense if the Church of the Holy Sepulcher would be open. Last Saturday for Latin Easter the Church was only open to the clergy. But today the Church is back operating per usual.
And we begin… the opening of the Church of the Holy Sepulcher in Jerusalem for the Holy Fire Ceremony, Αγιον Φως
— Tammy Ben-Haim 🎗️ (@tammybenhaim) April 11, 2026
Καλό Πάσχα pic.twitter.com/BmzlF1fbi4
The Harrowing of Hades
The Gospel of Nikodimos tells the story of the Harrowing of Hades, Christ descending into the underworld to set free those who lived and died before the Incarnation of Christ, such as Adam and Eve, the righteous men of the Old Testament and worthy pagans like Plato and Aristotle.
Before this event, there was no way to Paradise because of the Fall of Man. Christ's conquering of death saved us from an eternity in the realm ruled by Satan. This means that the nature of the Universe was metaphysically changed. This is an event so momentous, it is almost on par with Creation itself. And it explains how Christ saved us.
The Gospel of Nikodimos tells the story of the Harrowing of Hades, Christ descending into the underworld to set free those who lived and died before the Incarnation of Christ, such as Adam and Eve, the righteous men of the Old Testament and worthy pagans like Plato and Aristotle.
Before this event, there was no way to Paradise because of the Fall of Man. Christ's conquering of death saved us from an eternity in the realm ruled by Satan. This means that the nature of the Universe was metaphysically changed. This is an event so momentous, it is almost on par with Creation itself. And it explains how Christ saved us.
For reasons best known to their theologians and Bible scholars this event of extraordinary theological and ontological significance is scantily touched on in Roman Catholicism and ignored altogether by the various Protestant branches.
That meant that now another explanation was required why and how we were saved by Christ. Enter shocking and horrible Western heresies like Penal Substitutionary Atonement (PSA). Dr Porcu in short (link), Jay Dyer goes more in-depth (link).
April 22, 2025 Patristix: Christ's Descent into Hades (The Harrowing of Hell).
Patristix explains the Harrowing of Hades in layman's terms. If you want to go deeper into the subject, here's a more theological and more lengthy explanation by Eugenia Constantinou (link), which comes highly recommended 👈
This departure in the West from the original essence of the salvific story occurred immediately after the Great Schism of 1054. Anselm of Canterbury (1033-1109), a Benedictine monk, broke with the Orthodox doctrine, articulating the Satisfaction Theory of Atonement. An angry God demanding the tortuous death of his Son as punishment for our sins.
This explains how in the West salvation got got caught up with an emphasis on the Crucifixion, Penal Substitutionary Atonement and Original Sin, whereas in the East the emphasis is on Eternal Life, Resurrection and Theosis. The 'hospital of the soul' became a 'court of justice'. Repentance became synonymous with penitence.
Father Andrew Damick reads the whole episode from the Gospel of Nikodimos.
Oct 10, 2023 Father Andrew Damick: Lord of Spirits - The Harrowing of Hades (read by Fr. Andrew Stephen Damick) [The Lord of Spirits, Ep. 40].
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