In Ephesians 4:8, Paul writes:
“When he ascended on high, he led captivity captive, and gave gifts to men.”
Some interpretations suggest that the “captives” here refer to righteous individuals who were raised or liberated at Christ’s resurrection. At the same time, Gospel of Matthew 27:52–53 describes an unusual घटना:
“The tombs also were opened. And many bodies of the saints who had fallen asleep were raised, and coming out of the tombs after his resurrection they went into the holy city and appeared to many.”
My questions are:
Is there any textual or theological basis for identifying the “captives” in Ephesians 4:8 with the saints raised in Matthew 27:52–53?
If such a connection is made, does it imply that some humans (other than Christ) had already entered heaven at that time?(Enoch, Elijah, the man caught in the third heaven as Paul said)
I am especially interested in interpretations grounded in the original Greek, Second Temple Jewish context, or early Church writings.