Descensus ad Inferos (Part 7): Odes of Solomon

posted by Krista | 4/3/2004 2:11:17 PM | Permalink | Stumble It!

Odes of Solomon Background

The Odes of Solomon is a collection of hymns believed to have been written in Syriac-Aramaic around the time of the Gospel of John (sometime before 125 CE), given its parallels with the Johannine tradition. The text is considered to be Jewish-Christian in origin, though it has previously been attributed to the Gnostic tradition. Recent studies have linked the Odes to the secessionists mentioned in 1 John, thus associating the author of the text with an offshoot branch of Johannine Christianity around the beginning of the second century. If this date is accurate, it would make the Odes the earliest text to specifically mention the Descent.

Christ's Victory and Baptism
Ode 17 links the "theme of Christ's victory over death in Hell with the liturgical theme of Baptism." The author speaks of being 'released from vanities' (17:3) and:

'My chains were cut off by his hands; I received the face and form of a new person, and I walked in him and was saved.' (17:4)

The author continues with imagery of Christ's Descent, thus closely linking it with the author's Baptism. Christ says:

'And all who saw me were amazed, and I seemed to them like a stranger.' (17:6)
'And from there he gave me the way of his paths, and I opened the doors which were closed. And I shattered the bars of iron, for my own iron(s) had grown hot and melted before me. And nothing appeared closed to me, because I was the opening of everything. And I went toward all my bondsmen in order to loose them; that I might not abandon anyone bound or binding.' (17:9-12)

Then Christ speaks of transferring knowledge to the bondsmen:

'and they received my blessing and lived, and they were gathered to me and were saved.' (17:15)

The "bars of iron" combines Is. 45:2 and Ps. 106(107):16, which were commonly mentioned in reference to the Descent. Prof. Charlesworth has also mentioned that there is a possible parallel between the Odes "I was the opening of everything" and "I am the door" in John 10:9 and 14:6, which both portray Christ as "the door or gate through which the believer comes into salvation."

Deliverance of the Dead

One scholar notes that the two themes of the descent into Hell - the death of Christ and the deliverance of the dead - are now seen in succession in this hymn, whereas in the NT, as mentioned earlier, the focus was primarily on Christ's resurrection and the deliverance of the dead. However, the emphasis on the deliverance of the dead is different from that presented in the New Testament. In the Odes, those liberated are no longer the patriarchs of the Old Testament but those who have been baptized. The sacramental imitation of the descent and ascent of Christ is directly associated with the descent into and ascent from water in Baptism.

The Seven Headed Dragon
The hymn continues with Christ speaking about God who scatters his enemies, gives him the authority to loosen chains and the power to overthrow the dragon with seven heads, and places him at the dragon's roots so that he might destroy his seed. (22:3-5)

It's possible that the seven-headed dragon is a reference to Satan, who is not necessarily lord of Hades. However, there is also a reference to the beasts of Rev. 10:3 and 13:1, and also to the 'dragon in the waters' of Ps. 74:13.

Early Christians viewed dragons in three ways:

1) as the devil
2) as Sheol or Hades, or
3) as Death.

If the dragon is viewed as an allusion to Satan, then Christ's battle with Satan now has the objective of his own deliverance from the underworld.

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.)

DeliriumsRealm.com