According to Hymn to Philippians, also who is in the Hell has to recognize the power of the cross. But in the Gospels there is no reference to what happens in the underworld before and after the death of Jesus, only the zombies scene in Matthew that is merely anti-marcionite in nature.
This raises suspicions insofar extraordinary miracles are reported about what happens on the earth (for example, the walking on waters or the feeding of thousands), but nothing is reported at all about Jesus descending to Hell.
Clearly the authors didn't want to talk about that event, even if it may be assumed implicitly at least in proto-Mark (even if only as "oral tradition": really, esoterical exegesis). And there is some clue of embarrassment about the descending to Hell in Ascension of Isaiah, where the descent into Sheol is denied explicitly for the Son. But even in Mark, when Jesus is abandoned by the Spirit, it seems that the Spirit goes up, not down in Sheol.
Why?
A possible reason is that the original myth assumed that the Hell was the true target of the Son. He had to enter into Hell as a living entity and not as a dead person, so another man had to suffer and die in the his place. Once entered into Sheol, the Son could free all the souls of the righteous people.
But why was the descent into Hell removed so soundly by our Gospels?
I believe to know a possible answer. If the goal of Jesus was the conquest of the Sheol, then his mission had to be entirely devoted to that goal: only a mere toccata and fugue on the earth is necessary to that end and then immediately descending down. While the Gospels show clearly that the goal of Jesus is (also or only?) doing a list of other things on the earth: to heal, to preach the kingdom, to forgive the sins, etc. An hypothetical final account of the descent in Hell would have eclipsed these other things as the true goal of Jesus in this world. You don't procrastinate your death if your precise intention is from the beginning to go to hell.
In essentia, descent into Hell is synonymous with a very short sacred drama on earth. No need of an entire biography of the Son on the earth.
So the descent into Hell had to be removed by any Canonical Gospel. Fortunately, a his version is survived in GNicodemus.
Why the descent into Hell is not reported by the Gospels?
Why the descent into Hell is not reported by the Gospels?
Nihil enim in speciem fallacius est quam prava religio. -Liv. xxxix. 16.
Re: Why the descent into Hell is not reported by the Gospels?
There is a surprising similarity between the actions of Seth and the actions of Jesus in GNicodemus. It can't be a mere coincidence. I am persuaded.
http://gnosis.org/naghamm/adam-barnstone.htmlThe whole creation that came from the dead earth will be under the authority of death. But those who reflect on the knowledge of the eternal god in their hearts will not perish. They have not received spirit from this kingdom but from something eternal, angelic. . . . The illuminator will come . . . Seth. And he will perform signs and wonders to scorn the powers and their ruler.
Then the god of the powers is disturbed and says, “What is the power of this person who is higher than we are?” Then he brings a great wrath against that person. And glory withdraws and lives in holy houses it has chosen for itself. The powers do not see it with their eyes, nor do they see the illuminator. They punish the flesh of the one over whom the holy spirit has come.
Nihil enim in speciem fallacius est quam prava religio. -Liv. xxxix. 16.
Re: Why the descent into Hell is not reported by the Gospels?
In both GNicodemus and Revelation of Adam we have:
1) signs and wonders by the hero...
2) ...that derive attention and scorn by Satan...
3) ...who has doubts about the true identity of the hero..
4) so Satan thinks that the hero is only a man...
5) and therefore Satan kills only the man possessed by the hero but not the hero himself...
6) who finally conquers the death.
1) signs and wonders by the hero...
2) ...that derive attention and scorn by Satan...
3) ...who has doubts about the true identity of the hero..
4) so Satan thinks that the hero is only a man...
5) and therefore Satan kills only the man possessed by the hero but not the hero himself...
6) who finally conquers the death.
Nihil enim in speciem fallacius est quam prava religio. -Liv. xxxix. 16.
Re: Why the descent into Hell is not reported by the Gospels?
Now, "signs and wonders" by Seth may be made only on the earth. So it is strange that the author of the book doesn't note the contradiction between the presumed "signs and wonders" by Seth on earth and their not happening in the real history. So it was possible to believe in the historicity of "signs and wonders" of the saviour even if they never happened.
So the story continues:
The water, docet Renè Salm and dr. Detering, alludes to the death.
Curiously, the angels who "nourished him" resemble the angels who served Jesus in the wilderness. So the essence of the Gospel is:
1) the descent of the hero on a body
2) the nourishement of this body in a sure and invisible place
3) public "signs and wonders" of the hero masked by this body
4) attention by Satan
4) death of the body by Satan
5) victory of the hero
So, if Jesus was not gone into wilderness, the angels would have not served him and he couldn't have started his "signs and wonders" with their effect on Satan.
So the story continues:
THE ORIGIN OF THE ILLUMINATOR
Then the angels and all the generations of the powers will use the name in error, asking, “Where did this come from?” or “Where did the words of deception, which all the powers have failed to realize, come from?”
Now, the first kingdom says of the illuminator that he came from . . . a spirit . . . to heaven. He was nourished in the heavens. He received the glory of that one and the power. He came to the bosom of his mother, and in this way he came to the water.
And the second kingdom says of him that he came from a great prophet. And a bird came, took the child who was born, and brought him onto a high mountain. And he was nourished by the bird of heaven. An angel came forth there. He said to him, “Rise! God has given you glory.” He received glory and strength, and in this way he came to the water.
The third kingdom says of him that he came from a virgin womb. He was cast out of his city, he and his mother; he was brought to a desert place. He was nourished there. He came and received glory and power, and in this way he came to the water.
The fourth kingdom says of him that he came from a virgin. . . . Solomon sought her, he and Phersalo and Sauel and his armies, which had been sent out. Solomon himself sent his army of demons to seek out the virgin. And they did not find the one whom they sought, but the virgin who was given to them. It was she whom they fetched. Solomon took her. The virgin became pregnant and gave birth to the child there. She nourished him on a border of the desert. When he was nourished, he received glory and power from the seed from which he was conceived, and in this way he came to the water.
And the fifth kingdom says of him that he came from a drop from heaven. He was thrown into the sea. The abyss received him, gave birth to him, and brought him to heaven. He received glory and power, and in this way he came to the water.
And the sixth kingdom says that one . . . came down to the realm that is below in order to gather flowers. She became pregnant from the desire of the flowers. She gave birth to him in that place. The angels of the flower garden nourished him. He received glory and power there, and in this way he came to the water.
And the seventh kingdom says of him that he is a drop and came from heaven to earth. Dragons brought him down to caves, and he became a child. A spirit came over him and raised him to the place from where the drop had come. He received glory and power there, and in this way he came to the water.
And the eighth kingdom says of him that a cloud came over the earth and enveloped a rock. He came from it. The angels above the cloud nourished him. He received glory and power there, and in this way he came to the water.
And the ninth kingdom says of him that from the nine muses one separated. She came to a high mountain and spent some time seated there, so that she desired her own body in order to become androgynous. She fulfilled her desire and became pregnant from her desire. He was born. The angels who were over the desire nourished him. And he received glory there and power, and in this way he came to the water.
The tenth kingdom says of him that his god loved a cloud of desire. He fathered him in his hand and cast upon the cloud above him some of the drop, and he was born. He received glory and power there, and in this way he came to the water.
And the eleventh kingdom says of him that the father desired his own daughter. She was pregnant from her father. She cast her child . . . tomb out in the desert. The angel nourished him there, and in this way he came to the water.
The twelfth kingdom says of him that he came from two luminaries. He was nourished there. He received glory and power, and in this way he came to the water.
And the thirteenth kingdom says of him that every birth of their ruler is a word. And this word received a mandate there. He received glory and power, and in this way he came to the water, that the desire of those powers might be satisfied.
But the generation without a king says that god chose him from all the eternal realms. He caused knowledge of the one of truth, who is undefiled, to reside in him. He said, “Out of a foreign air, from a huge eternal realm, the great illuminator appeared. And he made the generation of those people whom he had chosen for himself shine, so that they should shine on the whole eternal realm.”
Then the angels and all the generations of the powers will use the name in error, asking, “Where did this come from?” or “Where did the words of deception, which all the powers have failed to realize, come from?”
Now, the first kingdom says of the illuminator that he came from . . . a spirit . . . to heaven. He was nourished in the heavens. He received the glory of that one and the power. He came to the bosom of his mother, and in this way he came to the water.
And the second kingdom says of him that he came from a great prophet. And a bird came, took the child who was born, and brought him onto a high mountain. And he was nourished by the bird of heaven. An angel came forth there. He said to him, “Rise! God has given you glory.” He received glory and strength, and in this way he came to the water.
The third kingdom says of him that he came from a virgin womb. He was cast out of his city, he and his mother; he was brought to a desert place. He was nourished there. He came and received glory and power, and in this way he came to the water.
The fourth kingdom says of him that he came from a virgin. . . . Solomon sought her, he and Phersalo and Sauel and his armies, which had been sent out. Solomon himself sent his army of demons to seek out the virgin. And they did not find the one whom they sought, but the virgin who was given to them. It was she whom they fetched. Solomon took her. The virgin became pregnant and gave birth to the child there. She nourished him on a border of the desert. When he was nourished, he received glory and power from the seed from which he was conceived, and in this way he came to the water.
And the fifth kingdom says of him that he came from a drop from heaven. He was thrown into the sea. The abyss received him, gave birth to him, and brought him to heaven. He received glory and power, and in this way he came to the water.
And the sixth kingdom says that one . . . came down to the realm that is below in order to gather flowers. She became pregnant from the desire of the flowers. She gave birth to him in that place. The angels of the flower garden nourished him. He received glory and power there, and in this way he came to the water.
And the seventh kingdom says of him that he is a drop and came from heaven to earth. Dragons brought him down to caves, and he became a child. A spirit came over him and raised him to the place from where the drop had come. He received glory and power there, and in this way he came to the water.
And the eighth kingdom says of him that a cloud came over the earth and enveloped a rock. He came from it. The angels above the cloud nourished him. He received glory and power there, and in this way he came to the water.
And the ninth kingdom says of him that from the nine muses one separated. She came to a high mountain and spent some time seated there, so that she desired her own body in order to become androgynous. She fulfilled her desire and became pregnant from her desire. He was born. The angels who were over the desire nourished him. And he received glory there and power, and in this way he came to the water.
The tenth kingdom says of him that his god loved a cloud of desire. He fathered him in his hand and cast upon the cloud above him some of the drop, and he was born. He received glory and power there, and in this way he came to the water.
And the eleventh kingdom says of him that the father desired his own daughter. She was pregnant from her father. She cast her child . . . tomb out in the desert. The angel nourished him there, and in this way he came to the water.
The twelfth kingdom says of him that he came from two luminaries. He was nourished there. He received glory and power, and in this way he came to the water.
And the thirteenth kingdom says of him that every birth of their ruler is a word. And this word received a mandate there. He received glory and power, and in this way he came to the water, that the desire of those powers might be satisfied.
But the generation without a king says that god chose him from all the eternal realms. He caused knowledge of the one of truth, who is undefiled, to reside in him. He said, “Out of a foreign air, from a huge eternal realm, the great illuminator appeared. And he made the generation of those people whom he had chosen for himself shine, so that they should shine on the whole eternal realm.”
The water, docet Renè Salm and dr. Detering, alludes to the death.
Curiously, the angels who "nourished him" resemble the angels who served Jesus in the wilderness. So the essence of the Gospel is:
1) the descent of the hero on a body
2) the nourishement of this body in a sure and invisible place
3) public "signs and wonders" of the hero masked by this body
4) attention by Satan
4) death of the body by Satan
5) victory of the hero
So, if Jesus was not gone into wilderness, the angels would have not served him and he couldn't have started his "signs and wonders" with their effect on Satan.
Nihil enim in speciem fallacius est quam prava religio. -Liv. xxxix. 16.