Christ in Limbo

Before rising from the dead, Jesus descended into limbo, on the edge of Hell, where the souls of virtuous people who died prior to the Crucifixion awaited the coming of the Messiah. Martin Schongauer presents Jesus Christ as a triumphant figure of divine light, carrying the banner of the Resurrection. He defeats the demons who guard the now broken gates of hell. Jesus reaches out to release Adam. Others, including Eve, who holds the forbidden apple in her left hand, and John the Baptist, in his camel-skin tunic, will soon follow.