INTO HADES : A STUDY IN COMPARATIVE RELIGION. 213 



with him, about to bring forth Ur, tlie demon who is to oppose 

 the lords of light, and whom he ultimately overpowers.* The 

 other myth tells of the descent of Manda d'Haje^ and his 

 conquest of Kuha and Ur. Then we learn how Kuha and her 

 sons met on Mt. Carmel where Manda appeared among them in 

 their own form. They desired to make him their ruler. He 

 agreed, if they would reveal their mysteries, and when they did 

 this, he took his own form and overpowered them.t The first 

 story recalls the descent of Ishtar, but its main incident is based 

 on the Babylonian myth of Marduk's strife with Tiamat, and it 

 is connected with the " international myth " of a divine 

 conqueror of dark and hostile powers.+ But in neither of these 

 Mandaean myths, as is often alleged, § is tliere any descent to 

 free the dead, who do not yet exist. 



We pass now to the Christian descent story and shall begin by 

 summarizing the narrative of the second part of the Gospel of 

 Nicodemus, told by three of those who rose from the dead at 

 the Crucifixion. They were in Hades when a light shone 

 through it, to the joy of all. Then appeared John Baptist as 

 forerunner of the Saviour in Hades announcing that salvation 

 was coming to all. Meanwhile Satan came and bade Hades 

 secure Jesus, who had done him much harm on earth. Hades 

 answers that if Jesus was so powerful and yet dreaded death, 

 He must be mocking Satan and would overpower him. Satan 

 scorns this, but Hades beseeches him not to brin^- Christ here, 

 for then none of the dead will be left to them. AYhile they are 

 thus debating a loud voice is heard commanding the gates to be 

 lifted up that the King of glory may come in. Hades orders 

 the gates of brass and the bars of iron to be made sure. Again 

 the voice resounds, and the gates are shattered, the dead come 

 out of their prisons, Christ enters and the darkness is dispelled. 

 The conqueror seizes Satan and he is given over bound to 

 Hades, while Adam and all his descendants are taken by Christ 

 to Paradise. All this the three witnesses took part in, and 

 were sent by Michael to proclaim the resurrection.|| 



* Brandt, Manddische Schrifteny Gottingen, 1893, 138 ff. 

 t Brandt, Mand. Religion, Leipzig, 1889, 34, 38, 182 ; Norberg, Codex 

 Naseraeus, 1815-6, i, 223. 



X Guukel, Schopfung und Chaos, 379 f. 



§ E.g., by Pfleiderer, Early Christian Conception of Christ, 1900, 100. 



II The Greek and Latin versions of Nicodemus olfer many interesting 

 variations. Tliey are given in Tischendorf, Evangdia Apocrypha, 

 Leipzic, 1876, 322 ff. 



