P. Derek Overfield PhD Thesis - Research@StAndrews:FullText

eference in the psalm citation in the previous verse
actually means.
As we have already noted vv. 9f is
of the nature of an excursus in the text and is not
in fact necessary to the argument.
TI'l.US if these
verses do in fact portray the Gnostic myth we must
conclude that their author placed great importance
upon this christological interpretation.
The
expression
according to Bultmann "does not mean the descent into
Hell, but corresponds to 'he ascended' and means the
pre-existent Son's journey to earth.
And -the idea
that he conquered the inimical Spirit-powers by his
journey to heaven the auJchor finds expressed in "che
- c­
~-l.-,,,, DS~i-'-~-~" 1.:::)::>
l..llC; _ G....!... L.C~ ...
in terms of the Gi'l.ostic Redeemer 2!~yt:I-"
be free from
possible instances of the Myth in the New Testament?
The answer is of course that it canno-t;
exactly the
same general criticisms apply to this treatment of
Eph 4:9 as applies to all the other ~~
texts which
have been assumed by various exegetes to supply evidence
of a pre-Christian Gnosticism.
There is little or
no agreement amongst the scholars;
~ - I -, S hI' 196 H " 1 9 7
L01. ow-ed. Dy Cl ler I '~aencnen
Bultmann is
198
and Gaugler;
199 C - 200 d
his thesis is rejected by Mussner, o-Lpe an
most B .
. -'-' - -'- 201
rl~lsh exege~es. There are other theories,
-151-