Exploring the Origins of the Descensus Ad Inferos

chapter 19 Exploring the Origins of the descensus ad inferos

J.H. Charlesworth

The belief in Christ’s descent into Sheol (or Hell or Hades)—the descensus Christi ad inferos—is a cherished confession in Roman Catholic and Protestant churches: “He [Jesus Christ] descended into Hell.”1 Almost all who recite the Apostles’ Creed or the Athanasian Creed know this affirmation by heart. The purpose of this paper is to review briefly the early evidence for this belief and to explore the biblical and so-called apocryphal sources for it. Most important, a passage in the Thanksgiving Hymns needs to be included, especially since this collection of hymns seems to have been known to the Odist who presented the most detailed early account of it in the Odes of Solomon.

1 Earliest Evidence of Visits to or Visions of the Abode of the Dead

Broadly speaking, the concept of the descensus ad inferos refers to the descent of a divine luminary into the regions below the earth or beneath the surface of the earth. After the first century CE in western culture, this concept was associ- ated with Christology. Christ descended below, but often no explanations are offered. Eventually, there are many interpretations of this claim. Sometimes, Christ descends into the realm of the dead in order to proclaim release to the captives, as in Odes of Solomon 42. The origins of the belief that a god, demigod, or super human could descend into the world of the dead are lost in the mists of history. In western culture, these concepts are ancient and appear already developed. The source of the idea of a descent into the world of the dead by someone is found, notably, in early Sumerian, Babylonian, and Egyptian images and texts.

1 Note especially the confessional reflections by Louis Lochet in Jésus descendu aux enfers (Paris: Éditions du Cerf, 1979). See his comment on p. 31: “Pour prendre notre langage actuel: le Christ parle de l’enfer et du ciel.”

In Sumerian, Babylonian, Iranian,2 and Canaanite lore,3 we may perceive such journeys in many very ancient texts, and notably in the Epic of Gilgamesh. The Epic of Gilgamesh was composed in Sumeria or Babylonia and copies were found not only in the palace library of Assurbanipal but also at Megiddo. The Megiddo clay tablet (3 ¾ by 3 ¾ inches) dates from about 1400 BCE. After the death of Enkidu, Gilgamesh seeks the abode of the dead and to cross the great sea, “the Ocean,” “the waters of death.” Finally with the help of Urshanabi, the ferryman, Gilgamesh arrives at “Dilmun” and meets Utnapishtim, to whom alone the gods gave everlasting life.4 The descent motif is evident also in the fragmentary Descent of Inanna. One of the oldest texts preserves the myth of the descent into Hell of Inanna, “the Queen of the Heavens.” Scholars also found at Ugarit in north Syria a copy of the myth of Aliyan Baal’s Descent; it dates from the 18th to the 12th centuries BCE. In Egypt, a journey to the underworld is attributed to gods including Osiris in the Book of the Dead.5 An Egyptian papyrus of the first century CE preserves a story that Setne Khamuas (c. 1250 BCE), the high priest of Memphis, descended into the halls of Amenti or Hades and saw the judgment of all souls, the wicked, righteous, and even neutral souls.6 In Greek and Roman sources,7 we read about the descents or cosmic journeys of gods and god-men, including Aeneas, Odysseus, Hercules, and Psyche (in Apuleius’ Metamorphoses 6.18–20 [LCL 341–49]). Visions of the other world are found frequently in ancient literature and lore, notably in Plato’s story of Er, the Pamphylian, and Plutarch’s stories.8 Many gods and goddesses are described traveling to the other world, notably Adonis, Dionysus, Hermes, Orpheus, Theseus, and especially Persephone, Aphrodite, and Medea, who are depicted in paintings and sculptures riding

2 See Josef Kroll, “Descensus bei den Indern und iraniern,” Gott und Hölle: Der Mythos vom Descensuskampfe (Studien der Bibliothek Warburg Herausgegeben von Fritz Saxl 20; Berlin, Leipzig: Teubner, 1932), pp. 262–270. Also, see his “Descensus bei den Mandäern,” pp. 271–299 and “Descensus bei den Manichäern,” pp. 300–315. 3 See Josef Kroll, “Descensus bei den Babyloniern,” Gott und Hölle, pp. 205–261. 4 For an English translation, see N.K. Sanders, The Epic of Gilgamesh (New York: Penguin, 1972), pp. 97–107. 5 See Josef Kroll, “Descensus bei den Ägyptern,” Gott und Hölle, pp. 183–204. 6 See Francis Llewelyn Griffith, Stories of the High Priests of Memphis (Oxford: The Clarendon Press, 1900). I am indebted to Nathan C. Johnson for his help with this publication. 7 See Josef Kroll, “Descensus in der Antike die Klassische Zeit,” Gott und Hölle, pp. 363–511. 8 See esp. J.A. MacCulloch, The Harrowing of Hell (Edinburgh: T. & T. Clark, 1930), pp. 8–12.