Part 57 (2/2)

Again the voice of Jesus was heard saying: ”Lift up your gates, O Prince; and be ye lifted up, ye gates of h.e.l.l, and the King of Glory will enter in.” The Prince of h.e.l.l then cried out: ”Who is the King of Glory?” upon which the prophet _David_ commenced to reply to him, but while he was speaking, the mighty Lord Jesus appeared in the form of a man, and broke asunder the fetters which before could not be broken, and crying aloud, said: ”Come to me, all ye saints, who were created in my image, who were condemned by the tree of the forbidden fruit . . . live now by the word of my cross.”

Then presently all the saints were joined together, hand in hand, and the Lord Jesus laid hold on Adam's hand, and ascended from h.e.l.l, and all the saints of G.o.d followed him.[212:2]

When the saints arrived in paradise, two ”very ancient men” met them, and were asked by the saints: ”Who are ye, who have not been with us in h.e.l.l, and have had your bodies placed in paradise?” One of these ”very ancient men” answered and said: ”I am _Enoch_, who was translated by the word of G.o.d, and this man who is with me is Elijah the Tishbite, who was translated in a fiery chariot.”[213:1]

The doctrine of the descent into h.e.l.l may be found alluded to in the _canonical_ books; thus, for instance, in I. Peter:

”It is better, if the will of G.o.d be so, that ye suffer for well doing, than for evil doing. For Christ also hath suffered for sins, the just for the unjust, that he might bring us to G.o.d, being put to death in the flesh, but quickened by the spirit: _by which also he went and preached unto the spirits in prison_.”[213:2]

Again, in ”Acts,” where the writer is speaking of David as a _prophet_, he says:

”He, seeing this before, spake of the resurrection of Christ, _that his soul was not left in h.e.l.l_, neither his flesh did see corruption.”[213:3]

The reason why Christ Jesus has been made to descend into h.e.l.l, is because _it is a part of the universal mythos_, even the _three days'_ duration. The _Saviours_ of mankind had all done so, _he_ must therefore do likewise.

_Crishna_, the Hindoo Saviour, _descended into h.e.l.l_, for the purpose of raising the dead (the doomed),[213:4] before he returned to his heavenly seat.

_Zoroaster_, of the Persians, _descended into h.e.l.l_.[213:5]

_Osiris_, the Egyptian Saviour, _descended into h.e.l.l_.[213:6]

_Horus_, the virgin-born Saviour, _descended into h.e.l.l_.[213:7]

_Adonis_, the virgin-born Saviour, _descended into h.e.l.l_.[213:8]

_Bacchus_, the virgin-born Saviour, _descended into h.e.l.l_.[213:9]

_Hercules_, the virgin-born Saviour, _descended into h.e.l.l_.[213:10]

_Mercury_, the _Word_ and Messenger of G.o.d, _descended into h.e.l.l_.[213:11]

_Baldur_, the Scandinavian G.o.d, after being killed, _descended into h.e.l.l_.[214:1]

_Quetzalcoatle_, the Mexican crucified Saviour, _descended into h.e.l.l_.[214:2]

All these G.o.ds, and many others that might be mentioned, _remained in h.e.l.l for the s.p.a.ce of three days and three nights_. ”They descended into h.e.l.l, and on the third day rose again.”[214:3]

FOOTNOTES:

[211:1] Quoted by Bonwick: Egyptian Belief, p. 46.

[211:2] Strom, vi. c. 6.

[211:3] Contra Celsus, bk. ii. c. 43.

[211:4] See Jameson's Hist. of Our Lord in Art, vol. ii. pp. 354, 355.

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