From: David Moore (dvdmoore@dcfreenet.seflin.lib.fl.us)
Date: Thu Oct 19 1995 - 15:05:29 EDT
Eric Weiss <eweiss@acf.dhhs.gov> quoted his previous post and wrote:
>>If, as Young and Zerwick claim, it should be translated "into
>>the lower parts, that is, the earth," rather than referring to
>>Christ's descent into the underworld, 1) who or what are the
>>captives Christ led (4:8), and 2) how is He to fill all things
>>(4:10) if He doesn't also descend into the lower parts of the
>>earth (cf. Phil. 2:10)?
(snip)
>Our computers were down the last few days, so I may not have gotten all the
>responses. WERE THERE OR ARE THERE other comments on or responses to my
>questions 1) and 2) above? It seems to me that this phrase ("lower parts of
>the earth") must be understood in the context of the "captives" and who/what
>they are, and my understanding of the "captives"--either the righteous dead
>or the spiritual powers of the underworld--would support the traditional
>understanding that He went into the lower parts of the earth, i.e.,
>sheol/hades. (Again, maybe Lincoln's discussion in his commentary addresses
>this, and I hope to track down a copy soon.)
A couple of suggestions for pertinent passages of Scripture
relating to question 1, about who the captives are: see Col. 2:14, 15;
and Mat. 12:29 and parallels. These would indicate that what Paul may
have in mind is Christ's making prisoners of those forces that stand in
the way of mankind's receiving the full blessing that God has for them.
The figure of the public procession of prisoners - common to victory
celebrations of that time - probably corresponds to the APEKDUSAMENOS TAS
ARXAS KAI TAS ECOUSIAS EDEIGMATISEN EN PARRHSIA, QRIAMBEUSAS AUTOUS EN
AUTWi of Col. 2:15.
David L. Moore Southeastern Spanish District
Miami, Florida of the Assemblies of God
dvdmoore@dcfreenet.seflin.lib.fl.us Department of Education
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