Descensus ad Inferos (Part 8): Odes of Solomon cont.
posted by Krista | 4/3/2004 2:18:16 PM | Permalink | 
Stumble It!
Scholarly Opinion on OdesScholarly opinion contrasts Ode 17 to Ode 22 by mentioning in Ode 17, the descent was only suggested by imagery of the prison whereas in Ode 22, the descent "is explicit, for there Christ's descent into hell and his victory over the powers, the descent of the baptised into the font and his deliverance, and finally the resurrection of the dead are all closely associated."
It has also been suggested that the triple allusion to the 'high,' 'middle,' and 'low' of the baptismal portion of the hymn is directly related to Christ's struggle with Satan, in which he scattered the enemies (in the air), overthrew the dragon (on earth), and destroyed the seed (in the underworld). Therefore, the text can be seen as "a synthesis of the conception of the combat against the Powers on the Cross and the combat against Death in Hell."
The final part of Ode 22 is concerned with eschatological resurrection promised to the baptised:
'Your right hand destroyed the evil poison, and your hand leveled the way for those who believe in you. And it chose them from the graves and separated them from the dead ones. It took dead bones and covered them with flesh.' (22:7-10)
Ode 24 and Baptism
Ode 24 refers to the Baptism of Christ and the terror it inspired in the Underworld. The hymn mentions:
'But the chasms were submerged in the submersion of the Lord, and they perished in that thought with which they had remained from the beginning. For they labored from the beginning; and the end of their labor was life. And all of them who were lacking perished, because they were not able to express the word so that they might remain. And the Lord destroyed the thoughts, of all those who had not the truth with them.'
Those who had 'remained from the beginning' could be associated with the primeval sinners who are now in the abyss of the underworld, and also with the spirits of the Flood in 1 Pet 3:19. The Baptism and the terror it inspired could parallel the terror that the Flood inspired in the spirits associated with the Flood. Finally, as one scholar notes that: "On the basis of the Ode of Solomon no. xxiv, it seems possible to assume that the Messianic scheme can really have involved a point where the Saviour at the Descent comes into contact with the transgressors from the days of the Flood, without any special written passage originating such a theory."
Christ's Descent into Sheol
One last passage that pertains to the Descent is Ode 42, in which Christ descends into Sheol, achieves victory over death, and ascends with those he delivered from Sheol. /p>
'Sheol saw me and was shattered, and Death ejected me and many with me. I have been vinegar and bitterness to it, and I went down with it as far as its depths.' (42:11-12)
'And I made a congregation of living among his dead; and I spoke with them by living lips; in order that my word may not fail. And those who had died ran toward me; and they cried out and said, 'Son of God, have pity on us. And deal with us according to your kindness and bring us out from the chains of darkness' (42:14-16)
Scholarly Dissent
There are several remarkable features of this hymn as noted by Prof. Danielou. The first is the reference to Christ preaching to those in the underworld in relation to the theme of conflict with Death. This is also the first occurrence of the dead appealing to Christ, which would later become a common theme among Descent literature. Another significant characteristic is that in contrast to the Ascension of Isaiah, Christ journeys to the deepest part of Sheol. Finally, scholars are divided as to whether Satan is equated with Death, though there is agreement that Death is personified.
There are some scholars who disagree with this interpretation of a Descent into the Underworld. It could be that the Descent in the Odes refers not to an actual Decent into the Underworld, but as a symbolic interpretation of the Incarnate Christ descending to earth, which is identified as Sheol.
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.)
