there is no escaping from the conclusion that the central mystery of the
Christian religion occupied very little space in Milton's scheme of
religion and thought. Had he chosen this subject, the account given, in
the apocryphal Gospel of Nicodemus, of the Descent into Hell might have
furnished him with rich material for one part of his theme. The conquest
of the upper world by Satan, narrated in _Paradise Lost_, might have had
for natural sequel the triumphant descent into Hell of the King of Glory,
and the liberation of the captives. For Milton's grandiose epical vein
the theme has great opportunities, as a brief summary of the Gospel of
Nicodemus will show:--

Karinus and Leucius, sons of Simeon, being raised from the dead, write
what occurred during their sojourn in the realm of Hades: "While we were
lying, along with our fathers, in the depth of the pit and in the
uttermost darkness, suddenly there appeared the golden hue of the sun,
and a purple royal light shining in upon us. Then the father of all
mankind and all the patriarchs and prophets rejoiced, saying: 'That light
is the author of everlasting light, who hath promised to translate us to
everlasting light.' And Isaiah cried out, and said: 'This is the Light of
the Father, the Son of God, according to my prophecy that I prophesied
when I was alive upon the earth, "The land of Zabulon, and the land of
Nephthalim, beyond Jordan; the people which sat in darkness saw a great
light, and to them which sat in the region and shadow of death light is
sprung up." And now he has come, and has shone upon us who are sitting in
death.'

Then Simeon spoke in a like strain of exultation. John the Baptist
arrived, a herald of the King of Glory; and Seth, at the bidding of Adam,
told how Michael the Archangel had refused him oil from the tree of mercy
for the anointing of the body of Adam when he was sick, and had comforted
him with the assurance that when the years should be fulfilled Adam would
be raised up again, and led into Paradise.

And even while the saints were rejoicing there broke out dissension among
the lords of Hell. Satan, boasting of his latest exploit, told Hades, the
prince of Hell, how he had led Jesus of Nazareth captive to death. But
Hades was ill satisfied and asked, 'Perchance this is the same Jesus who
by the word of his command took away Lazarus after he had been four days
in corruption, whom I kept as dead?' And Satan answered and said, 'It is
the sa