Il motivo del Descensus Christi ad inferos nella poesia inglese antica

Abstract

The motif of the Harrowing of Hell (Latin: Descensus Christi ad Inferos) refers to the triumphal descent of Jesus into hell between the Crucifixion and the Resurrection to release the Patriarchs and bind Satan. This legend has a large circulation throughout the Middle Ages: references are found in various biblical loci as well as in the writings of the Church Fathers. Together with the account of the trial of Jesus, the Harrowing of Hell is the main topic of the apocryphal Gospel of Nicodemus, translated into English around the mid-tenth century. In the early English literary tradition, the journey of Christ into hell occurs at various levels and is expressed in different forms. The theme is treated in a number of Old English poems, in some of them more obliquely (as in the Panther or Guthlac B), while in others it is integral to the narrative architecture (as in Christ and Satan); moreover, the Exeter Book preserves a minor poem entitled Descent into Hell. The purpose of the present essay is to survey the poetic passages dealing with the Harrowing of hell and to identify the interpretative keys of their eschatological content, also in connection with the themes of the Second Coming and Doomsday.