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Descent of Christ into Hell

Unknown

Chapter 3

About this work

Author: Unknown

Chapter 3 (19).

While John, therefore, was thus teaching those in Hades,

‹ Chapter 2 Chapter 4 ›

the

first

created

and

forefather

Adam

heard

,

and

said

to

his

son

Seth

:

My

son

,

I

wish

thee

to

tell

the

forefathers

of

the

race

of

men

and

the

prophets

where

I

sent

thee

,

when

it

fell

to

my

lot

to

die

.

And

Seth

said

:

Prophets

and

patriarchs

,

hear

.

When

my

father

Adam

,

the

first

created

,

was

about

to

fall

once

upon

a

time

into

death

,

he

sent

me

to

make

entreaty

to

God

very

close

by

the

gate

of

paradise

,

that

He

would

guide

me

by

an

angel

to

the

tree

of

compassion

and

that

I

might

take

oil

and

anoint

my

father

,

and

that

he

might

rise

up

from

his

sickness

:

which

thing

,

therefore

,

I

also

did

.

And

after

the

prayer

an

angel

of

the

Lord

came

,

and

said

to

me

:

What

,

Seth

,

dost

thou

ask

?

Dost

thou

ask

oil

which

raiseth

up

the

sick

,

or

the

tree

from

which

this

oil

flows

,

on

account

of

the

sickness

of

thy

father

?

This

is

not

to

be

found

now

.

Go

,

therefore

,

and

tell

thy

father

,

that

after

the

accomplishing

of

five

thousand

five

hundred

years

from

the

creation

of

the

world

,

then

shalt

come

into

the

earth

the

only

begotten

Son

of

God

,

being

made

man

;

and

He

shall

anoint

him

with

this

oil

,

and

shall

raise

him

up

;

and

shall

wash

clean

,

with

water

and

with

the

Holy

Spirit

,

both

him

and

those

out

of

him

,

and

then

shall

he

be

healed

of

every

disease

;

but

now

this

is

impossible

.

When the patriarchs and the prophets heard these words, they rejoiced greatly.

Notes

1
5300 b.c. was the date commonly assigned to the creation. See Clem., Strom., i.; Theoph. Ant., ad Autol., iii.; comp. Just., Apol., xxxix.
2
For this legend, see the Revelation of Moses.