INTO HADES : A STUDY IN COMPARATIVE RELIGION. 233 



from the third to the fifth century which dominated Hellenic and 

 even Syrian thought. Gregory of Nazianzus (Orat. 33) definitely 

 states that Christians in his day were free to speculate about the 

 nature of the Judgment, and his friend Gregory of Nyssa taught, 

 though perhaps not quite consistently, downright universalism, as did 

 also the celebrated Syrian divine Theodore of Mopsuestia. I can- 

 not think that there is any assertion anywhere {see p. 218) that the 

 I'esurrection of the " saints who slept " must necessarily have 

 p'eceded the Descent of the Saviour to Hades. 



We are deeply indebted to the writer for recaUing to our minds a 

 fact which is missed by many readers of the Bible, that the Descent 

 into Hades was foretold by our Lord Himself, and implicitly if not 

 explicitly taught by St. Paul the writer of the Epistle to the 

 Hebrews (pp. 222, 224). And we may be thankful for a protest, 

 though it is by no means too strongly worded, against the idea 

 that Christ's Descent must be attributed to "Pagan sources." 

 Many competent critics are of opinion that other religions borrowed 

 from Christianity in this and other points, and certainly the contrary 

 opinion cannot be said to have been placed beyond all doubt. 

 I may express my great satisfaction that the Institute has of late 

 broadened the basis on which papers are permitted to be read 

 before it, and that the various developments of Christian teaching 

 during past ages find full and free discussion at our meetings. Such 

 a course must tend to a broadening and a steadying of our views, and 

 the ultimate banishing of " erroneous and strange doctrines from our 

 midst." 



Communication from Lieut.-Colonel Alves : — 



The earliest recorded prophecy in the Bible concerning our Lord's 

 Descent into Hades appears to be that of David in Psalm xvi, " thou 

 wilt not leave my soul in Hell (Sheol or Hades)." 



Though this and " Sheol " is sometimes used as a synonym for " the 

 Grave," we have no warrant for supposing that they are one and 

 the same thing ; the latter being for the body, the former for the 

 departed spirit. 



But if the earliest prophecy that we possess dates only from some 

 1,000 years B.C., we are not justified in asserting that those who lived 

 before David and Moses had no revelation on the subject. There 

 are two passages in the New Testament which seem to me to be 

 evidence in favour of there having been some pre-Mosaic Bible 



Q 2 



