Saturday, July 31, 2021

Marcus Von Wellnitz on Christ's Descent into Hades in Apocryphal Literature

  

Many apocryphal writings mention the visit of Christ into the spirit world. In fact, it is almost a stock theme among the ancients (The visit of the hero in the underworld, which is his lowest point but also his triumph, is a common tradition throughout the great literature of Mesopotamia and Egypt, as well as in Homer and Virgil of the Greek and Roman period. See Hugo Radau, Bel, the Christ of Ancient Times.). In the Gospel of Peter is related an instance where someone, who stood under the cross at the crucifixion, heard a voice from heaven asking Christ:” Hast thou preached unto them who are dead [sleep]?” And the answer from Christ was: “Yes” (Gospel of Peter, 10). Likewise the Gospel of Bartholemew cites the Lord’s visit to the spirits. The apostle evidently saw the spirit of Christ leave the cross after his death. When he met the resurrected Savior later he pursued this event by asking the Master a question as to what was happening:

 

Tell me, Lord, where you went from the cross. And Jesus answered: “Blessed are you, Bartholemew, my beloved, because you saw this mystery. And now I tell you everything you ask me. When I vanished from the cross I went to the spirit world (underworld) to bring up Adam and all the patriarchs, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. (Gospel of Bartholemew, I, 7-9. An ancient text contains a passage which also seems to talk about this doctrine, because it says that Christ went to the spirit world but not to all: “Those who are to accept instruction are taught apart, alone . . .” Gospel of Truth, 21:3-6.)

 

The longest and most colorful description in apocryphal writings of the Christ’s visit to the spirit world occurs in the so-called Gospel of Nicodemus, where two resurrected persons, who were raised together with many other saints at the time of the death of the Savior” (See Matthew 27:52), give an account of what happened when Christ appeared among the dead who were waiting for his coming. In this narrative it appears that Satan is engaged in a conversation with a fellow worker, Hades by Name. Satan is boasting now he was behind the attempts to have Jesus crucified:

 

I sharpened the spear for his sufferings; I mixed the gall and vinegar and commanded that he should drink it; I prepared the cross to crucify him, and the nails to pierce through his hands and his feet, and now his death is near at hand, and I will bring him here, subject to both you and me. (Gospel of Bartholemew, XV, 10. At times this gospel is still counted as part of the Acts of Pilate: The Descent into Hell.)

 

However, Hades is not so jubilant. He fears that this Jesus will not be subject to them, but, in reverse, he will have power over their domain. Therefore, he accuses Satan of having acted irrationally:

 

What inclined you to act thus? For behold, now that Jesus of Nazareth with the brightness of his glorious divinity puts to flight all the horrid powers of darkness and death. He has broken down our prison from top to bottom, dismissed all the captives, released all who were bound, and all who were formerly groaning under the wright of their torments. . . . Our impious dominions are subdued, and no part of mankind is now left in our subjection, but, on the other hand, they all boldly defy us. . . . Why did you attempt this exploit, seeing that our prisoners were so far always without the least hope of salvation and life? . . . You have acted against your own interest. . . . You should have first inquired into the evil deeds of Jesus of Nazareth, and then you would have found that he was guilty of no fault worthy of death. Why did you undertake, without reason and justice, to crucify hi, and did bring down to our region a person innocent and righteous and thereby lost all the sinners, impius and unrighteous persons in the whole world? (Ibid., IVIII, 1-5, 7, 11, 12, 13.)

 

And so it was: The powers of Satan could not keep the King of Glory out of the gloomy domain.

 

The mighty Lord appeared in the form of man, and enlightened those places which had ever before been in darkness. . . . Then the King of Glory trampled upon death, seized the prince of hell, deprived him of all his power, and took our earthly father Adam with him in his glory. . . . Then Jesus stretched forth his hand and said: “Come to me, all you my saints, who were created in my image. . . . And taking hold of Adam’s right hand, he ascended from hell, and all the saints of God followed him. (Ibid., XVI, 18; XVII, 13; XIX, 1, 12.) (Marcus Von Wellnitz, Christ and the Patriarchs: New Light from Apocryphal Literature and Tradition [Bountiful, Utah: Horizon Publishers and Distributors, 1981], 181-83)