Christ's Descent Into Hades: A Play

This play is based on an apocryphal work circulated among Christians at the end of the third century. The book is known as The Gospel of Nicodemus or The Acts of Pilate. While the book contains nothing that is unorthodox, it is not included in the Canon of Scripture. It is presented here for curiosity's sake and not belief.

CHARACTERS:
Jesus
Satan
Prince of Hades
Isaiah
David
Guards of Hades
Adam
Enoch
Elijah
Good Thief
Michael the Archangel
An Assortment of Saints

SCENE 1

SETTING: Inside the gates of Hades

SATAN: Get ready to torment Jesus who claims to be the Son of God and yet is only a man afraid of death. Those I made blind, he caused to see again. Those I lamed, he caused to walk. The dead I brought to you, He stole away and caused to live again.
PRINCE OF HADES: What kind of man is this Jesus who steals the dead from you? No mortal is stronger than you, O Prince of Death. This man is a god. He pretends to fear death in order to destroy you.
SATAN: Are you afraid of this Jesus? I have turned His own people against Him. They insult Him with fury. I have prepared a cross for Him. Today He dies on it. I will bring Him in chains to Hades. He will be your slave and mine.
PRINCE OF HADES: Is this that same Jesus who took Lazarus from me and restored him to life even though his body was rotting having been 4 days in the grave?
SATAN: It is the same Jesus of Nazareth.
PRINCE OF HADES: Do not bring Him to me. The Jesus who took Lazarus was a God - mighty even in His human form. If you bring Him to me, He will set all our captives free. The dead will live again and no man will be subject to us.
JESUS - Offstage: Lift up your heads, O you Princes. Be lifted up you everlasting doors. The King of Glory shall come in.
PRINCE OF HADES: Get away from me, Satan. Go outside and fight against this King of Glory. I want nothing to do with Him.
(He casts Satan outside the gates. To his guards he says:)
Shut the gates and bar them. Fight courageously or we are destroyed.
SAINTS: Open your gates. The King of Glory wishes to come in.
ISAIAH: Don't you remember my prophesies? The dead shall live, with My own body shall they arise. O death, where is your sting now? O grave, where is your victory?
SAINTS: Open the gates. Take away the bars. Now death will be bound and have no power over us.
JESUS: Open your gates, O you Princes. Lift up these everlasting doors. The King of Glory will come in.
PRINCE OF HADES:: Who is this King of Glory?
DAVID: The Lord strong and mighty, the Lord mighty in battle. Open your gates for Jesus, the King of both heaven and earth.

Jesus appears with a great light. The Princes and their officers are overcome.

PRINCE OF HADES: Who are you? The earth ought not to send the innocent to us. What are you doing here? Perhaps you are this Jesus whom Satan claims to have destroyed.

Jesus tramples upon Satan and hands him over to the Prince of Hades.

JESUS: Let this fiend be your captive.
PRINCE OF HADES: O Satan, you Prince of Death, you who would kill the King of Glory, what a fool you have been. This man who fears death has broken down all our prisons. His innocence has destroyed the bonds of sin and released all our captives. The dying laugh at us. The dead sit on high, defeating us with their prayers. No one is left in our power. The cross you boasted of has been your defeat.
JESUS: Come with me, my saints. Live in the victory of my cross. I have overcome the world and conquered death.
SAINTS: Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord.
SAINT ONE: Who is our God forever and ever?
SAINT TWO: Jesus of Nazareth, who redeems sinners by His death on the cross.

Jesus takes Adam by the hand and gives him to Michael the Archangel who waits outside the gates of Hades.

JESUS: These are my brothers and sisters. Lead them into Paradise.

SCENE TWO - PARADISE

2 ancient men meet the saints.

SAINT ONE: Who are you?
SAINT TWO: Why weren't you with us in Hades?
SAINT THREE: How is it that you have bodies of flesh in Heaven?
ENOCH: I am Enoch, who walked with God. My friend is Elijah the prophet. Neither of us has tasted death but God has placed us here until the last days when we shall return to earth, prophesy, and die in Jerusalem.

A ragged man approaches carrying a cross.

SAINT ONE: Who are you?
SAINT TWO: He looks like a thief.
SAINT THREE: Why are you carrying a cross?
GOOD THIEF: All my life I was a thief and did many other wicked things. For my crimes I was crucified with Jesus. Hanging on the cross, I believed this man from Nazareth was truly the Son of God and begged Him to remember me when he came into His kingdom. He promised, "Today, you shall be with Me in Paradise."
When I died, Jesus gave me this sign of His own cross and said, "Take this sign and show it to the guard of Paradise. Tell him Jesus who is now crucified has sent me to you."
SAINTS: Blessed be God, the Father of Mercies who forgives sinners and brings them to Paradise.

THE END

The complete text of the Gospel of Nicodemus is available on the web.

Home

Comments

To cite this page:
Tucker, Suzetta. "Christ's Descent Into Hades - A Short Play." ChristStory Christian Bestiary. 1997. http://ww2.netnitco.net/users/legend01/descent.htm ().