Ante-Nicene Fathers/Volume VIII/Apocrypha of the New Testament/Christ's Descent into Hell: Latin. First Version/Chapter 2

Chapter 2 (18).

O Lord Jesus Christ, the resurrection and the life of the dead, permit us to speak mysteries through the death of Thy cross, because we have been adjured by Thee.&#160; For Thou didst order Thy servants to relate to no one the secrets of Thy divine majesty which Thou didst in Hades.&#160; And when we were, along with all our fathers, lying in the deep, in the blackness of darkness, suddenly there appeared a golden heat of the sun, and a purple royal light shining upon us.&#160; And immediately the father of all the human race, with all the patriarchs and prophets, exulted, saying:&#160; That light is the source of eternal light, which hath promised to transmit to us co-eternal light.&#160; And Esaias cried out, and said:&#160; This is the light of the Father, the Son of God, as I predicted when I was alive upon earth:&#160; The land of Zabulon and the land of Nephthalim across Jordan, Galilee of the nations, the people who sat in darkness, have seen a great light; and light was shining among those who are in the region of the shadow of death.&#160; And now it has come and shone upon us sitting in death.

And when we were all exulting in the light which shone over us, there came up to us our father Simeon; and he said, exulting:&#160; Glorify the Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of God; because I took Him up when born, an infant, in my hands in the temple; and instigated by the Holy Spirit, I said to Him, confessing:&#160; Now mine eyes have seen Thy salvation, which Thou hast prepared in the sight of all peoples, a light for the revealing of the nations, and the glory of Thy people Israel.&#160; When they heard this, all the multitude of the saints exulted more.

And after this there comes up, as it were, a dweller in the desert; and he is asked by all:&#160; Who art thou? &#160;To whom he says in answer:&#160; I am John, the voice and prophet of the Most High, going before the face of His coming to prepare His ways, to give the knowledge of salvation to His people for the remission of their sins.&#160; And seeing Him coming to me, instigated by the Holy Spirit, I said:&#160; Behold the Lamb of God! behold Him who taketh away the sins of the world!&#160; And I baptized Him in the river of Jordan, and I saw the Holy Spirit descending upon Him in the form of a dove; and I heard a voice from the heavens saying, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.&#160; And now I have gone before His face, and have descended to announce to you that the rising Son of God is close at hand to visit us, coming from on high to us sitting in darkness and the shadow of death.