The Etymology of Limbo
In Latin, 'limbus' meant nothing more dramatic than the hem or border of a garment.βββββββββββββββββββββββββββββββββββββββββββββββββββββββββββββββ Medieval theologians borrowed it for the outermost edge of Hell β the margin where souls waited who were neither damned nor saved. Thomas Aquinas distinguished two limbos: the 'Limbus Patrum' for Old Testament patriarchs awaiting Christ's harrowing of Hell, and the 'Limbus Infantium' for unbaptised infants. Dante placed his limbo in the first circle of Hell, populated by virtuous pagans like Homer and Aristotle. The secular sense β being in limbo, stuck in uncertainty β emerged naturally from a concept that was always about edges and margins rather than destinations.