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Descensus ad Inferos (Part 5): Matthew

posted by Krista | 4/3/2004 1:51:06 PM | Permalink | Stumble It!

The Gates of Hades In Matthew
Evidence that the 'gates of Hades' in Matthew 16:16-19 is associated with the Descent comes from the Syriac original of the Commentary on the Diatessaron in which the word "gates" had been changed to "bars." R. Murray has argued that this change was made as a desire to link Matt 16:18 to Ps. 106 (107):16 and Isaiah 45:2, which were commonly associated with the Descent of Christ into Sheol and the liberation of the departed from the second century forward.

The Syriac translation of Ps. 106(107):16 is as follows: "because he has shattered the gates of bronze, and the bars of iron he has broken," while the Syriac translation of Is. 45:2 is "the gates of bronze shall I shatter, and the bars of iron shall I break" These OT passages will be discussed in relation to the Odes of Solomon and the Teachings of Silvanus (NHL Codex VII).

Matthew 27
Matthew 27:52-53 may also be related to the Descent myth, in that Jesus released the OT saints from the realm of the dead. The passage, however, makes no explicit reference to the activities of Jesus during his death, and is more concerned with expressing the eschatological significance of Jesus's death, which overcomes the power of death.

Reference

• PDF (66KB): Paper with Footnotes - This essay is adapted from an old undergrad paper for a Historical Jesus Class I wrote a few years ago. (Yes, it could use editing.)