1. notleia says:

    Man, this is just an awkward metaphor all around. I speak a little Farmer, and I can tell you that harrowing is not deep-level stuff. Harrowing is plowing, but not all plowing is harrowing. It’s what you do after you plow to break up the clods for an even seedbed. It’s also what you do to work fertilizer into the ground. Though the idea of Jesus spreading tons of urea onto Hell is a little funny. I’m not even sure the harrow was invented yet in Roman times.
    So I wouldn’t use this metaphor in depth because it just stops making sense. Besides, I think harvest is a better metaphor for freeing the souls in Hades than plowing. And Jesus already had harvest metaphors going on, so yay.
     
    And what’s that photo from? Because that’s incongruously depressing that they’re hand-pulling a plow meant for horses.

    • R. L. Copple says:

      Plowing is only one meaning, but related, to the general meaning to disrupt.
       
      Here’s a further etymology of it:
       

      The word “harrow” comes from the Old English hergian meaning to harry or despoil and is seen in the homilies of Aelfric, c. 1000.[6] The term Harrowing of Hell refers not merely to the idea that Christ descended into Hell, as in the Creed, but to the rich tradition that developed later, asserting that he triumphed over inferos (Latin: those below or underworld), releasing Hell’s captives, particularly Adam and Eve, and the righteous men and women of the Old Testament period. (Parentheses added by me)
      http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harrowing_of_Hell#Terminology

       
      Note: The above quote tends to use Hell and Hades interchangeably, but strictly speaking they are two different thing.
       
      I’d take issue that it is an understanding which developed after the Apostles Creed.  Be that as it may, it is obvious from Scripture that Christ rising again gave us the opportunity to join with Him and rise to new life ourselves.
       
      I still like the imagery of Christ’s life plowing up Hades, disrupting it, because His life cannot be contained by Hades and death, nor can it hold the Giver of Life. Not a perfect analogy, but still cool.

      • notleia says:

        Strictly strictly speaking, Hades is a Grecian concept that the NewT seems to have borrowed so that dem Gentiles could follow along.
        But I think it’s still awkward, because I can’t associate plowing with destruction, probably because I grew up speaking a little Farmer.

  2. merechristian says:

    This was a great and informative piece. Thank you.

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