Larry J. Kreitzer, «The Plutonium of Hierapolis and the Descent of Christ into the 'Lowermost Parts of the Earth' (Ephesians 4,9)», Vol. 79 (1998) 381-393
After a general discussion of the myth regarding Demeter, Persephone and Hades/Pluto, the author discusses, in the light of coins of the early Neronian period (54-59 AD), the likelihood that the Plutonium of Hierapolis is the geographical spot the author wants his readers to imagine when they read in the Letter to the Colossians that Christ entered the lowermost parts of the earth.
response is generally regarded as reactionary and extreme, conducting something of a smear campaign against his opponents when he makes accusations about sexual improprieties in the course of his argument. Yet his writing illustrates that, among some late first-century Christians at least, the Eleusinian cult was perceived to be a threat to the Christian faith 35.
This is certainly not the place to discuss the complex matter of the relationship between early Christianity and the so-called mystery religions; that debate has been going on for a long time and no doubt will continue for many years to come 36. Most of the evidence suggests that the formal clash between the Hellenistic mystery religions and Christianity takes place in the second, third and fourth centuries CE much too late for the letter to the Ephesians to be a major factor in the scholarly discussion.
However, it is certainly not beyond the bounds of possibility that Ephesians 4,9 may have something to contribute to the discussion about the role that Hellenistic religions played in the development of early Christianity 37. This is particularly true if, as is here being proposed, the cryptic reference to Jesus Christ descending into the lowermost parts of the earth is a deliberate allusion to the Plutonium of Hierapolis on the part of the unnamed writer of the letter. It is reasonable to assume that he was aware of the close