Does Matthew 18:18 refers to the astral crucifixion?

[Giuseppe]

Pistis Sophia presents a myth of fallen archons of the aeons being imprisoned within the zodiacal sphere.

The evil planetary archons may be said to be bounded or even "crucified" in these signs.

Source: The Identity of the Archons in the "Apocryphon Johannis"
A. J. Welburn
Vigiliae Christianae
Vol. 32, No. 4 (Dec., 1978), pp. 241-254 (14 pages), p. 8

Now, it is curious what says Matthew 18:18:

(NIV)
18 “Truly I tell you, whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven

If who is bounded on earth is really crucified in heaven (binding = crucifying), then the 12 apostles are receiving the power of judging the same 12 evil archons, by being able to crucify them in the relative zodiacal signs of the heaven.

But then, what does it mean the "loosing" on earth?

The Best Disciple Joseph from Arimathea "loosed" Jesus on earth by removing him from the cross.

By the same parallelism, does this allegorize the end of the same astral crucifixion of Jesus in heaven?

[arnoldo]

Pistis Sophia presents a myth of fallen archons of the aeons being imprisoned within the zodiacal sphere.

The evil planetary archons may be said to be bounded or even "crucified" in these signs.

Source: The Identity of the Archons in the "Apocryphon Johannis"
A. J. Welburn
Vigiliae Christianae
Vol. 32, No. 4 (Dec., 1978), pp. 241-254 (14 pages), p. 8

Gnostics certainly believed this but even A.J. Welburn points out the Pistis Sophia is rather "late." In fact this document may date as late as the fourth century. The Apocryphon of John itself may date to the second century. Welburn points out that Irenaeus addressed some of these early gnostic beliefs regarding planetary powers however may've cut short his analysis because he felt his readers would find it "unitelligible" or "too technical." I read the entire article you cited (available for free at jstor) and nowhere does it reference the earlier gospel accounts. Gnostic belief is interesting however it can be rather easy to put the cart before the horse in an attempt to "prove" one's hobby horse IMHO.

[Ben C. Smith]

Pistis Sophia presents a myth of fallen archons of the aeons being imprisoned within the zodiacal sphere.

The evil planetary archons may be said to be bounded or even "crucified" in these signs.

Source: The Identity of the Archons in the "Apocryphon Johannis"
A. J. Welburn
Vigiliae Christianae
Vol. 32, No. 4 (Dec., 1978), pp. 241-254 (14 pages), p. 8

Now, it is curious what says Matthew 18:18:

(NIV)
18 “Truly I tell you, whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven

If who is bounded on earth is really crucified in heaven (binding = crucifying), then the 12 apostles are receiving the power of judging the same 12 evil archons, by being able to crucify them in the relative zodiacal signs of the heaven.

But then, what does it mean the "loosing" on earth?

The Best Disciple Joseph from Arimathea "loosed" Jesus on earth by removing him from the cross.

By the same parallelism, does this allegorize the end of the same astral crucifixion of Jesus in heaven?

Binding and loosing are rabbinical terms: http://www.jewishencyclopedia.com/artic ... nd-loosing.

[Giuseppe]

Binding and loosing are rabbinical terms: http://www.jewishencyclopedia.com/artic ... nd-loosing.

But what Matthew does here is simply to make explicit what is already implicit in Luke 10:

17 The seventy-two returned with joy and said, “Lord, even the demons submit to us in your name.”
18 He replied, “I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven. 19 I have given you authority to trample on snakes and scorpions and to overcome all the power of the enemy; nothing will harm you. 20 However, do not rejoice that the spirits submit to you, but rejoice that your names are written in heaven.”

Note the implication:

the disciples are ''binding'' demons on earth ------> Satan falls from heaven.

Since the Best Disciple (as coming from BestDiscipleLand) is Joseph of ''Arimathea'', then there another implication occurs:


Joseph from Arimathea is ''loosing'' Jesus on earth -----> the astral crucifixion of Jesus finds an end in heaven.



Really, there is a curious parallelism that corroborates what I have described until now:

Pilate was surprised to hear that he was already dead.

(Mark 15:44)


The surprise of Pilate for the rapid death of Jesus parallels the surprise of Jesus for the rapid falling of Satan from heaven.

Pilate is surprised because the crucifixion of Jesus ends.


While Jesus is surprised because the crucifixion (=the punition of Satan in heaven) starts.


The parallelism becomes more evident if I modify the first proposition so:

Pilate is surprised because the crucifixion of Jesus ends, in heaven.

@arnoldo

Gnostic belief is interesting however it can be rather easy to put the cart before the horse in an attempt to "prove" one's hobby horse IMHO.

No need of dating Pistis Sophia before the Gospels. Since the inference

expulsion of demons by disciples on earth ----> punition of Satan in heaven


...is already found entirely in the Gospels.


So the simmetrical inference may be true, also:


end of the astral crucifixion of Jesus in heaven -----> surprise of Pilate for the 'loosing' of Jesus on earth.

[Giuseppe]

My point is that the double implications (occurring in various forms in any Gospel):

exorcism by the disciples -----> surprise of Jesus for the rapid fall of Satan


Joseph's desire of loosing Jesus from the cross ----> surprise of Pilate for the rapid end of the sufferings of Jesus


...are deliberately designed to link the heavenly facts to the earthly facts. This is real conscious deliberate euhemerization at work. It is not that the Gospel Jesus is an avatar of the celestial Jesus crucified in the lower heavens.

It is the Gospel Jesus to fix once for all what has to happen (or not) in heaven.

The Heavenly Jesus is virtually made a function depending from the Gospel Jesus. The prophetic revelations become subordinate to the objective actions of the disciples.

If a prophet sees Satan falling from heaven, the Gospel Jesus explains him why, velim nolim: the his disciples are at work in exorcism activities.


If the same prophet sees Jesus crucified in Heaven, Always the same Gospel Jesus explains him why: the real Gospel Jesus has just suffered on earth.