Twelfth-century doors in Chepstow Castle in Wales. William Langland dramatises one of the oldest explanations for the crucifixion. The devil, having tricked man into rebellion against God, immediately claimed — with breathtaking inconsistency — that the wicked rebel Man must now be imprisoned forever as a rebel without hope, and he appointed himself God’s gaoler. All those who died were immediately remanded to Hades, and regardless of their virtue barred from heaven by the gates of hell; but such a usurpation of God’s rights could not be allowed to stand forever.
Part 1 of 2
A SECOND time the Light knocked, and Lucifer answered, “Who is this?”
“What lord are you?” said Lucifer; the Light straightaway said,
“The King of Glory, lord of might and main
And all manner of hosts! ‘The Lord of Hosts!’*
Dukes of this dim place, now undo these gates.
That Christ may come in, the King of heaven’s Son!”
And at that breath Hell broke, with Belial’s bars;*
Despite ward and warden, the gates opened wide.*
Patriarchs and prophets, ‘the people [that sat] in shadow,’*
Sang St John’s song: ‘Behold the Lamb of God.’*
So blinded was he that Lucifer could not see;*
And our Lord took those whom he loved into his light,
Saying to Satan: “See! Here is my soul to make amends
For all sinful souls, to save those that are worthy.
They are mine, of me they came; I have the better claim.
Though Reason remember (and my own Justice)
That if they ate the apple all should die,*
I did not promise them to hell here forever!
* See Psalm 24:7-10. ‘Might and main’ means strength and force, great royal authority and/or military power. This had long been Lucifer’s fear, that one day God himself would get into Hades. According to the Canon of Lazarus, which is sung on the day before Palm Sunday, the moment that the call came for Lazarus (see John 11:1-45) Lucifer threw him out before he could be fetched. “‘O Lazarus, why dost thou not rise up swiftly?’ cried Hell below, lamenting. ‘Why dost thou not run straightway from this place? Lest Christ take prisoner the others, after raising thee.’”
* See Deuteronomy 13:13. The children of Belial forsook the Israelites and went after other gods.
* See Matthew 16:18: ‘That thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.’ Langland pictures how Christ’s soul quit his body and descended to hell, but broke out leaving its gates twisted on the ground. Now nothing can stop the dead who believe from marching up into heaven: the gates of hell will not prevail against them. As a hymn on the feast of St Demetrius (October 26th) has it: “Unto hades, O my Savior, didst Thou descend, and having broken its gates as One omnipotent, Thou, as Creator, didst raise up the dead together with Thyself. And Thou didst break the sting of death, and didst deliver Adam from the curse, O Lover of mankind. Wherefore we all cry unto Thee: Save us, O Lord.” See Cynewulf on The Six Leaps of Faith.
* See Isaiah 9:2.
* See John 1:1-4.
* See Genesis 2:15-17. The Biblical account does not specify an apple, only a fruit. There is a good Classical reason for choosing an apple: see Apple of Discord. In Latin, the word for evil (mălum) and the word for apple (mālum) look the same though they are pronounced slightly differently.
Précis
Will Langland tells us of a dream, in which he seemed to see Christ’s soul, after he was crucified, go down to Hades like a brilliant light. He broke through the gates, and drew the worthy into heaven, declaring that for his sin mankind was doomed to die, but not to remain forever in the devil’s power. (57 / 60 words)
Part Two
A pitfall trap for a wolf in the Montes de la Peña, Valle de Losa, Burgos, Spain. Langland believed that Christ’s death had caught the devil in a trap of his own making. When the devil put the Jews and Romans up to killing Jesus Christ (whom he had not recognised for who he was) Christ’s soul duly went down to the devil’s prison, Hades, as the devil insisted he must; but no bonds or gates could hold him. The gates of Hell were thrown down, and the path to heaven for all the dead now lies open; all that remains is to decide whether we would rather serve in heaven, or reign in hell. See At Heaven’s Gate.
“THE deed that they did, your deceit contrived it.
You got them by guile, against all reason.
For from my palace, from Paradise, impersonating an adder
You fetched them — that which I loved.
“So do not believe, Lucifer, that against the law I fetch them,
But by right and by reason I ransom here my subjects:
‘I am not come to destroy the law, but to fulfil it.’*
You fetched what was mine from my place, against all reason:
Falsely and feloniously; good faith taught me
To recover them by ransom,* and by no other reason,
So that what you got by guile is won again through Grace.
You, Lucifer, in the likeness of a treacherous adder
Got by guile those that God loved;
And I, who am Lord of heaven, in the likeness of a servant*
have requited your guile with Grace, pitted guile against guile!
And as Adam and all have died through a tree,*
Adam and all through a tree shall return to life;*
And guile is beguiled, and fallen into his own guile:
‘And he is fallen into the ditch which he made.’”*
* See Matthew 5:17.
* Ransom is implied by the Biblical concept of ‘redemption’ (buying back). See Hosea 13:14, Mark 10:45 and 1 Timothy 2:6. The idea of a ‘ransom’ has been widely mocked since the Reformation, but the Church Fathers of East and West (including St Athanasius, St Gregory Nazianzen, St Leo the Great and St John Damascene) all spoke of it. They did however stress, as Langland does, that the devil had absolutely no rights in the matter — he was a kidnapper who lost his victims and never got his price.
* See Philippians 2:11-15.
* That is, through tasting of the fruit of the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil. The Church Fathers stress that the tree was not bad, but Adam was not yet ready for it.
* That is, through the wooden cross on which Christ was crucified. See Brightest Beacon.
* See Psalm 7:15.
Précis
Will dreamt how Christ justified taking human form to gain admittance to Hades, and break out mankind. Since the devil had tricked his way into Paradise to steal mankind from God, it was only fitting that Christ had now tricked his way into Hades and taken mankind back. The devil had fallen into his own trap. (56 / 60 words)
