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The iconography of the scene is based on the apocryphal Gospel of St Nicodemus, liturgical texts, psalms, Old Testament prophecies, St Peter’s Epistles and patristic compositions. St Epiphanius of Constantia and St Eusebius of Alexandria’s Descent of Jesus Christ into Hell tell how Christ descended into the abyss after His Resurrection. He overthrew Satan and liberated the righteous, erasing the original sin of Adam and Eve with His blood. The Descent into Limbo is also encountered in the Akathist to Christ and the Akathist to the Mother of God.