Apocryphal collection · Passion and descent into hell · 2 min read
Gospel (Questions) of Bartholomew
The abyss, Beliar in chains and the angels of the four winds
The full text of this study is in Portuguese; the summary, key points and official view are in English.
After the resurrection, the apostle Bartholomew asks bold questions: where did Jesus go when he vanished from the cross? What was the annunciation like? What is in the abyss? Jesus tells of his descent into Hades; Mary hesitates to tell of the annunciation, because “if I begin to speak, fire will come out of my mouth and consume the world”; the apostles see the abyss opened; and Beliar, the adversary, is brought up from the depths by 660 angels, chained, 1,600 cubits tall. Beliar tells how he was created, why he fell when he refused to worship Adam and which angels command the winds of the earth.
Key points
- Versions in Greek, Latin, Slavonic and Coptic; dates between the 3rd and 6th centuries.
- Jerome mentions a Gospel of Bartholomew.
- Beliar appears bound by 660 angels and measures 1,600 cubits.
- It explains the devil’s fall through his refusal to worship Adam, a theme also found in the Qur’an.
- It describes the angels who govern the winds and the hail.
What scholars say
Scholars treat the text as a work of questions and answers (erotapokriseis), compiled and expanded over centuries. The versions differ considerably from one another.
Keep investigating
- Gospel of Nicodemus (Acts of Pilate) The trial, the bowing standards and Christ's descent into Hades
- 2 Enoch (Book of the Secrets of Enoch) The treasuries of snow, the gates of the Sun and the throne in the seventh heaven
- Book of Jubilees Genesis retold by the angels and a 364-day year
Other languages: Português · Español
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