Well, the paper is all done. Since it is very long, I thought I'd post it here in the blog in sections over a week or so that it doesn't overwhelm you if you are interested in seeing what I had to write. It was a very thought provoking topic, at least I thought, and I hope I did it some justice. So, without further ado, here is Part I. Some of it may be familiar, but it is not the (exactly) same as anything previously posted.
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“He descended into hell” - only four words; part of a short, but very specific statement of faith. This line in the Apostle’s Creed, said in daily prayer in nearly all liturgical churches worldwide, is easy to skip over. The lines before and after, dealing with Jesus’ death and resurrection, can easily overshadow these four words. These words, however, are packed with hope and mystery. Prefaced by history, hinted at in scripture, explored in Apocryphal writings, debated by the Patristics and theologians throughout the ages, and woven into liturgies - these words potentially have massive implications for our lives, our after-lives and our responsibility as The Church.
Trips to Hades in Ancient Myths
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| Orpheus and Eurydice |
The concept of a descent into and return from Hades is an idea that was widespread in the ancient world. Myths from Egypt, Greece, Japan, Africa and even North America speak of those who travel to Hades, whether to gain knowledge, to rescue someone or to free the damned. Many of the more “local” stories would have been known the the people in the place and time that Jesus lived. Many, though not all, of these storied attempts into the underworld are unsuccessful. For example, Orpheus travels to Hades to bring back his beloved Eurydice, and Pluto and Persephone agree to let her go as long as he leads her out without looking back. Just as he gets back to earth but before she does, he looks back and fails in his mission. There are exceptions, however. Heracles rescues a pair of would-be rescuers of Persephone in his quest to find Cerberus and Dionysus rescues his mother Semele from Hades as well. It is worth noting that both of these figures are thought to be semi-divine, the offspring of Zeus and a human.
The similarities of the myths and Jesus’ descent could be seen as problematic to
some. In fact, in the second century, a Greek philosopher and opponent of early Christianity, Celsus, pointed out the similarities of the doctrine of the descent and these mythological stories, inferring that the event was nothing more than just another myth. Origen points out to him that Jesus was publicly crucified in the sight of the Jewish people, died and later appeared to many. These were not mythical statements, but facts. Celsus also thought the idea of Jesus preaching to those in Hades was ridiculous, as he could not even convince all those still living to follow him, let alone the dead. Origen pointed out that many did believe Jesus’ teachings, as a matter of fact, it was the primary cause of the plot to kill him.
You do not have to look far in most cultures which have a code of ethics that reward the faithful and punish the evil in the afterlife to find stories of heroes or demigods going to rescue those they feel may have ended up in the wrong place unfairly. The most significant difference in these myths and Jesus’ descent is that the heroes of these stories visit Hades either by a trance, a dream or traveling there as a living person, while Jesus died, descended and then returned as a living person and his trip there has possibly had lasting implications for everyone since, not just those that he rescued at the time.
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| Origen |
You do not have to look far in most cultures which have a code of ethics that reward the faithful and punish the evil in the afterlife to find stories of heroes or demigods going to rescue those they feel may have ended up in the wrong place unfairly. The most significant difference in these myths and Jesus’ descent is that the heroes of these stories visit Hades either by a trance, a dream or traveling there as a living person, while Jesus died, descended and then returned as a living person and his trip there has possibly had lasting implications for everyone since, not just those that he rescued at the time.
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