The Ascension of Isaiah as intermediate phase between myth and history

[Giuseppe]

Pure myth: Satan kills directly Jesus, then he hangs his corpse on the tree.

And the prince of this world will lay his hand on the Son of God, and he will kill him, and he will hang him on the tree, and will kill him, not knowing who he is.

Et princeps mundi illius propter filium ejus extendet manus suas in eum et suspendent illum in ligno, et occidet eum nesciens qui sit.

(Ascension of Isaiah, 9:14)


Between Myth and History:The account contained in the chapter of the Ascension of Isaiah, in which the career of the Son of God on earth is recounted in extremely summary lines. The sons of Israel, who did not know who he was, excited by Satan, delivered him to the king; the terms "crucify" and "suspend to wood" are used successively as synonyms (11:18-21). We are still in the field of Jewish legend: there is human intervention, but by the sons of Israel alone.


Full History: the Gospel of Mark.

[MrMacSon]

i think the basic premise of this is good, though I would make the title -

• The Ascension of Isaiah as [an] intermediate phase between the beginning of the myth and its eventual portrayal as 'history'

Another interesting aspect is the evolution of the concept and concretion of Satan, from 'the prince of this world' in this case at least.

[Giuseppe]

i think the basic premise of this is good, though I would make the title -

• The Ascension of Isaiah as [an] intermediate phase between the beginning of the myth and its eventual portrayal as 'history'

As title, I would have opted also for: the gradual "romanization" of a Jewish crucifixion story.