Ante-Nicene Fathers/Volume VIII/Apocrypha of the New Testament/Christ's Descent into Hell: Latin. First Version/Chapter 8

by Anonymous

Chapter 8 (24).

And the Lord stretched out His hand, and said:  Come to me, all my saints, who have my image and likeness.  Do you, who have been condemned through the tree and the devil and death, now see the devil and death condemned through the tree.  Immediately all the saints were brought together under the hand of the Lord.  And the Lord, holding Adam by the right hand, said to him:  Peace be to thee, with all thy children, my righteous ones!  And Adam fell down at the knees of the Lord, and with tearful entreaty praying, said with a loud voice:  I will extol Thee, O Lord; for Thou hast lifted me up, and hast not made my foes to rejoice over me.  O Lord God, I cried unto Thee, and Thou hast healed me.  O Lord, Thou hast brought out my soul from the powers below; Thou hast saved me from them that go down into the pit.  Sing praises to the Lord, all His saints, and confess to the memory of His holiness; since there is anger in His indignation, and life in His goodwill.^[1]  In like manner also all the saints of God, falling on their knees at the feet of the Lord, said with one voice:  Thou hast come, O Redeemer of the world:  as Thou hast foretold by the law and Thy prophets, so hast Thou fulfilled by Thy deeds.  Thou hast redeemed the living by Thy cross; and by the death of the cross Thou hast come down to us, to rescue us from the powers below, and from death, by Thy majesty.  O Lord, as Thou hast set the title of Thy glory in heaven, and hast erected as the title of redemption Thy cross upon earth, so, O Lord, set in Hades the sign of the victory of Thy cross, that death may no more have dominion.

And the Lord, stretching forth His hand, made the sign of the cross upon Adam and upon all His saints; and holding Adam by the right hand, went up from the powers below:  and all the saints followed Him.  Then holy David cried out aloud, saying:  Sing unto the Lord a new song, for He hath done wonderful things; His right hand and His holy arm have brought salvation to Himself.  The Lord hath made known His salvation; His righteousness hath He revealed in the sight of the heathen.^[2]  And all the multitude of the saints answered, saying:  This is glory to all His saints.  Amen, alleluia.

And after this the prophet Habacuc cried out, saying:  Thou wentest forth for the salvation of Thy people, to deliver Thine elect.^[3]  And all the saints answered, saying:  Blessed is He who cometh in the name of the Lord; God is the Lord, and He hath shone upon us.^[4]  Amen, alleluia.  In like manner after this the prophet Michæas as also cried out, saying:  Who is a God like unto thee, O Lord, taking away iniquities and passing by sins?  And now Thou dost withhold Thine anger for a testimony against us, because Thou delightest in mercy.  And Thou turnest again, and hast compassion upon us, and pardonest all our iniquities; and all our sins hast Thou sunk in the multitude of death,^[5] as Thou hast sworn unto our fathers in the days of old.^[6]  And all the saints answered, saying:  This is our God to eternity, and for ever and ever; and He will direct us for evermore.^[7]  Amen, alleluia.  So also all the prophets, quoting the sacred writings concerning His praises,^[8] and all the saints crying, Amen, alleluia, followed the Lord.

Footnotes

1. Ps. xxx. 1–6 (Vulg.).
2. Ps. xcviii. 1, 2.
3. Hab. iii. 13.
4. Ps. cxviii. 26, 27.
5. So the text, multitudine mortis; but the mss. must have had altitudine maris, in the depth of the sea, with the LXX. and the Hebrew.
6. Mic. vii. 18–20.
7. Ps. xlviii. 14.
8. Or, bringing sacred words from their praises.