Scripture and Canon in Jewish Apocrypha and Pseudepigrapha
[final title for digest of the following]
The HB/OT History of Interpretation Project:
Jewish Apocrypha and Pseudepigrapha [with focus on apocalyptic]
(coordinated by R. Kraft, spring 1994)
[update 940924]
The published form of this material ultimately appeared in
Hebrew Bible / Old Testament: The History of its
Interpretation, vol. 1: From the Beginnings to the Middle
Ages (Until 1300), part 1: Antiquity, edited by Magne Saebo
(Goettingen: Vandenhoeck & Ruprecht, 1996), 199-216.
[[todo: add focus on apocalyptic in intros.
do clear summaries with the main topic in view]]
Bibliography
Kraft, Use of scriptures
____, Pseudepigrapha in Christianity
____, Testament of Abraham
____, Barnabas and the Didache
Kraft & Nickelsburg, EJMI
Cambridge History of the Bible
IOUDAIOS
CCAT Gopher
Bradley H. McLean, Citations and Allusions to Jewish Scripture
in Early Christian and Jewish Writings through 180 C.E.
Lewiston NY: Mellen, 1992.
Charles APOT
Riessler AJS
Sparks AOT
James H. Charlesworth OTP
James H. Charlesworth, "The Pseudepigrapha as Biblical Exegesis,"
pp. 139-152 in C. A. Evans and W. F. Stinespring (eds), Early
Jewish and Christian Exegesis: Studies in Memory of W. H.
Brownlee (Atlanta: ??, 1987). [apud Herzer n54]
Michael E. Stone, "Categorization and Classification of the
Apocrypha and Pseudepigrapha," Abr-Nahrain 24 (1986) 167-177.
Jens Herzler, "Alttestamentliche Traditionen in den Paralipomena
Jeremiae als Beispiel fu%r den Umgang fru%hju%discher
Schriftsteller mit 'Heiliger Schrift,'" in
Schriftauslegung im antiken Judentum und im Urchristentum,
ed. Martin Hengel and Hermut Lo%hr (WUNT 73; Tu%bingen:
Mohr-Siebeck, ??) 114-132.
Max Grossman [Aseneth, Judith]
David Sandmel [Jubilees]
Sigrid Peterson [1-2 Maccabees]
Bill Stroup [Westminster] [Apcl.Abr, T.Abr, T.Sol]
Brad Kirkegaard [Testaments]
Introduction
The study of the awareness, impact, and interpretations of
"scriptures" in early Judaism and early Christianity remains a
very popular subject\n/ but is extremely difficult to pursue for
a variety of reasons.
---
\n/The specific reasons for this are manifold, but in general
reflect an overriding interest in evidences of continuity and/or
discontinuity in the traditions that have come to be associated
with the survival of classical Judaism and/or classical
Christianity. See Kraft, "Bibliography on Ancient Uses of Jewish
Scriptures," on the ccat.sas gopher (Electronic Publications:
Kraft)
===
(1) Identification of the target period presents a minor problem,
although its larger dimensions usually seem to be defined by the
context of the "second Temple" (roughly late 6th century BCE
through mid 2nd century CE), with a primary focus on the 2nd
century BCE through the 2nd century CE (from the Maccabean crisis
through Bar Kochba, more or less), from which most of the
preserved evidence is alleged to derive.\n/
---
\n/On the labels and periodization, see G. Boccaccini, "Middle
Judaism and its Contemporary Interpreters (1986-1992):
Metholological Foundations for the Study of Judaisms, 300B CE to
200 CE," Henoch 15 (1993) 207-233; see also his Portraits of
Middle Judaism in Scholarship and Arts: a Multimedia Catalog from
Flavius Josephus to 1991 (Quaderni di Henoch 6; Turin:
Zamorani, 199??) IX-XXIX ("Introduction"); and Middle Judaism:
Jewish Thought, 300 BCE to 200 CE (Minneapolis MN: Fortress,
1991). Boccaccini's decision to champion the label "middle
Judaism" seems unfortunate to me, given the current state of
research on the period that I prefer to call, with studied
vagueness, "early Judaism(s)" (post-exilic, pre-rabbinic).
===
(2) The blocks of evidence from the known and suspected sources
are usually treated in relative isolation from each other, often
in arbitrary and artifical groupings (e.g. Qumran,
"extracanonical early Jewish writings," New Testament,
"extracanonical early Christian materials," etc.), with little
attempt to synthesize similar materials or gain an overview of
the larger pattern of relationships from a historical and/or
literary perspective.\n/
---
\n/Hopefully, the project to which this essay is attempting to
contribute will spell an end to such practice by providing a
sufficiently nuanced survey of the atomized materials to
encourage reorganization and broader syntheses to take place.
Isolated treatments of the Qumran evidence and of other writings
(whether canonical or not) from the same periods of Jewish
history makes little sense, historically or literarily. Partial
and tentative moves in these directions, especially with
reference to "genre," can be seen in various earlier works: e.g.
EJMI, Stone Jewish Writings (1984), Charlesworth OTP. On the
complexity of the issue, see also Stone, Categorization (1986).
===
(3) Especially with reference to default categories such as
"extracanonical," it is virtually impossible in the current state
of scholarship to define with precision the corpus of materials
to be examined (extent), much less to agree on exactly what text
forms are appropriate representations of the sources pertinent to
the period under examination (transmission). This is particularly
true for that body of materials conveniently called
"pseudepigrapha," which sometimes overlaps with (or is treated
synonymously with) the writings called "apocryphal," and which
represents modern collections drawn from primarily Christian
copies of works suspected of having a Jewish origin.\n/
---
\n/Modern collections that tend towards inclusivity are well
represented by Riessler (61 works) and Charlesworth (63); much
more limited in scope are Kautszch (13), Charles (17) and Sparks
(26 works; in Sparks, the title "apocryphal" is used for texts
elsewhere usually called "pseudepigraphical"). Traditionally "the
Apocrypha" refers to a collection of Jewish sources included in
the Roman Catholic and Eastern Orthodox Bibles, but not in Jewish
or Protestant Christian canons -- some works raise particular
problems: 3-4 Maccabees and Psalms of Solomon are included by
Eastern Christendom, but not by the Roman Catholic Church; the
Latin materials gathered under the rubric "2 Esdras" in the
AV/(A)SV/RSV/NRSV tradition are considered as an "appendix" in
the Latin Apocrypha; two forms of Tobit are known in Greek, and
various forms of Psalm 151; etc. [see Swete??]
===
In most instances it is not clear whether a particular writing
derives from or is representative of any known group in the early
Jewish or early Christian worlds, where or when the writing
originated, or how many stages of significant retouching lie
between the original production and the form(s) available to
us.\n/
---
\n/For some aspects of these issues, see Kraft "Pseudepigrapha"
and also Kraft, "Testament of Abraham." In general, see EJMI and
the materials discussed there.
===
Furthermore, it is not always clear what would constitute firm
evidence of "scriptural consciousness" -- that is, of special
reverential attitudes towards the localization and preservation
of traditional authoritative materials in fixed written format
("book" in some sense, whether roll or codex or even inscribed
["heavenly"] tablets). We are not speaking here of reverence to
traditional law and/or laws, or to its/their formulation as
"covenant," or to familiarity with certain traditional stories or
hymns/prayers or phrases that we find as part of what has come to
be known as "Jewish scriptures" (Hebrew Bible, TaNaK, etc.). The
"scriptural consciousness" question focuses on the extent to
which authoritative law and/or tradition had come to be
associated with identifiable books and writings, or perhaps vice-
versa.
A further stage in this attempt to understand the development of
text-related ideas of authority could be called "canonical
consciousness." Under what circumstances and in what formulations
does the awareness of authoritative writings ("scripture
consciousness") come to exhibit itself in terms of a collection
(extension) and even a limited collection (exclusion) of writings
invested with special authority ("canon consciousness")?\n/
It is to such issues that we turn in the following attempt at a
survey of the data and attitudes presented by the surviving
miscellany of allegedly Jewish texts collected under the somewhat
vaguely defined rubrics of "apocrypha and pseudepigrapha."
---
\n/In some instances, the difficulty of making a clear distinction
between "scripture consciousness" and "canonical consciousness"
may be present -- most notably with respect to the Mosaic
Pentateuch, which can be considered both as a single scriptural
work and as a canonical collection (of multiple scrolls) in itself.
Part of the need for distinguishing, it seems to me, relates to
the effect on perceptions that must have been caused by the
development of technology from scrolls (of limited length) to
small codices (similarly limited) to the full-blown codices of
the 4th century CE. The ability to house and access a canonical
collection of scriptures between one set of codex covers surely
inspired different perceptions from those depending on the
transmission of "canonical lists" (or possibly on access to local
depositories) of necessarily distinct and separate "book"
entities. Failure to distinguish interest in "scripture" from
interest in "canon" may produce seriously misleading results.
===
It is also worth noting at the outset that one of the features of
textual modification that one might expect as materials are
copied and recopied in the context of communities in which
scriptural and canonical consciousness are increasingly seen as
of central importance would be passages pertinent to these
themes. There are some interesting test cases: the three
recensions of the epistles of Ignatius show far greater and more
precise attention to "scripture" materials and issues in their
"longer" form than in the presumably earlier forms; similarly the
form of the Didache that is now embedded in the Apostolical
Constitutions exhibits a tendency to increase its "scriptural"
components in comparison to the separate form of Didache
that was discovered 1873.\n/
---
\n/See Kraft, Barnabas & The Didache [check; also gopher
rs735/1992??]. It should be noted that some scholars have traced
the longer version of the Ignatian corpus to the same general
Christian context as is supposed for the compilation of the
Apostolic Constitutions (4th century western Syria).
Studies of the development of the Jesus traditions (e.g.
especially the crucifixion narratives) also tend to support this
suggestion/suspicion.
===
The question of such "controls" is an area that deserves closer
study, and the current essay will touch upon, if only marginally,
some directions pertinent to such an investigation (e.g. the
possible significance of textual and/or recensional variants).
But the potential obstacle presented by this phenomenon for the
subject of the current essay is serious -- to what extent can the
evidence from a 10the century copy (for example) of a presumably
early source be trusted for its treatment of attitudes towards
scripture/canon?\n/
---
\n/On the general reliability of Christian copying of Jewish
scriptures, see Kraft, "Scriptures." Whether and to what extent
the same attitudes would carry over to the pseudepigrapha,
however, is not easy to determine. Presumably, that which is
considered canonical received more careful treatment than other
materials that were considered less authoritatively "fixed."
There is no question that clearly Christian comments can be found
in many, perhaps most, of the preserved "pseudepigrapha," however
one chooses to interpret that phenomenon ("Christian
interpolation" is a favorite explanation). On the other hand, the
possibility that Christian editors might sometimes remove
"Christian" elements from texts that they considered basically
"Jewish" should not be ingnored; see M. R. James....
===
With such caveats in the background, the attitude with which we
have determined to pursue these related questions of "scripture
consciousness" and "canon consciousness" in the "pseudepigrapha"
broadly attributed to early Judaism(s) (with an eye to the
preservations of most of these materials in early Christianity),
then, is to be as unassuming as possible with regard to the
statements and conduct of the various sources. "Law
consciousness" will not be considered automatically as "scripture
consciousness," nor will the mention of personal names and
stories and phrases that we can find in our Bibles be taken for
granted as indicators of conscious dependence on written
formulations that were at that time considered
authoritative. It is entirely possible that for some
authors, every reference to Jewish law is automatically a
reference to fixed scripture and even to a canonical collection;
it is, indeed, highly probable that later readers and copyists
took such connections for granted. But to assume that such
was true from the outset, without firm supporting evidence, is to
preclude the possibility that other perspectives may be at work.
Thus we will begin with an atomistic and minimalist approach to
the available evidence.
Categorizing the Evidence
The materials we have examined tend to fall into four separable,
although sometimes somewhat overlapping, groups. (1) On the one
hand, there are texts that clearly exhibit a conscious valuation
of materials that have come to be called "scripture," and may
even have a well-defined collection (canon) in view -- for
example, the letter of Aristeas, 4 Ezra (especially ch. 14), the
(clearly Christian) Ascension of Isaiah, or 1-2 and 4
Maccabees.\n/ (2) At the other extreme, there are texts that
provide no clear evidence for such an outlook -- e.g. Apocalypse
of Elijah, Psalms and Odes of Solomon.\n/
---
\n/Applying this category more broadly than only to
"pseudepigrapha," we would want to distinguish between
"commentary" type usage, which presents (or assumes) a continuous
scriptural text that inspires comments (as, e.g., in Qumran's
"Pesharim," or Philo's "Questions" and most other treatises),
"prooftexting" collections (with or without attendant comments;
see Qumran's Testimonia and Florilegia fragments), formula
quotations from scriptures (employed in various ways and various
connections), and explicit references to scriptural writings
(without necessarily including the contents), such as lists and
descriptions. All these are conscious and explicit evidence.
\n/Psalms of Solomon 4 does refer positively to lawkeeping and
lawknowing. Nothing in the patently Christian collection of Odes
(which in general want to sing the praises of the indwelling God
and God's Son) suggests any attitude of authority towards any
scriptural writing or corpus, with the possible exception that
the "letter" "written by God's finger" of Ode 23 seems to be an
authorization for divine rule (like a stele set up in public) and
reflects the idea that God instructs in writing. In general,
"poetic" writings tend to display less scripture consciousness
than most other genres.
===
In between these extremes, there are (3) sources that seem to
depend heavily on both the content and the wording of the
traditional canonical scriptures, without making any
explicit claims about those materials (perhaps 2 Baruch
would fit here, with Joseph/Aseneth), and (4) sources that
include a very high estimation of authoritative books and related
materials, often including themselves,\n/ although the items in
question do not seem to be identified with any of the canonical
scriptures passed down in the Jewish and Christian traditions.
It is to this last category that we turn first.
---
\n/Not unexpectedly, this sort of claim predominates among the
"apocalypses." Works that refer to themselves as writings to be
read and/or preserved include: [check further ??]
Enoch's First Book (1 Enoch 14.1)
Enoch's Similitudes (1 Enoch 37.1)
Astronomical Enoch Book (1 Enoch 72.1, 81-82)
Enoch Dream Visions (1 Enoch 83.1 [implicit])
Enoch's Testament (1 Enoch 92.1)
Enoch to Methusaleh (1 Enoch 108.1)
2 Enoch 36.1f, 54.1, 68.1f[J]
2 (Syriac Apocalypse of) Baruch (77.12ff, 77.78ff)
3 (Greek Apocalypse of) Baruch (1.1)
4 (Latin Apocalypse of) Ezra (12.37)
Greek Apocalypse of Ezra (7.9ff)
Ascension of Isaiah (1.3ff, but see 11.39ff)
Testament of Solomon (15.4)
Baruch (1.14)
(see Life of Adam & Eve 50)
===
A Starting Point: the Situation Prior to Sinai
[Or, In the Beginning God Inscribed the Heavenly Tablets]
For many of the materials with which we are dealing, "scripture"
begins with, or is coextensive with, the "heavenly tablets." This
is especially true of some of the writings that want to be seen as
originating in a period prior to the events associated with Moses
on Mount Sinai. We would not expect Adam or Enoch or Abraham or the
Patriarchs or even the early Moses to refer to the written Torah of
Moses as a present reality, although they might sometimes be
depicted as expecting its arrival in the future. But we do find
them, sometimes, talking about the authoritative information and/or
guidance inscribed on the heavenly tablets and, sometimes, made
known to God's select agents (human or angelic).\n/ Indeed, one
of the key issues in the book of Jubilees is the extent to which
Moses is viewed as a conduit for exposing the preexisting tablets
and their contents.
---
\n/Apart from Jubilees, the "heavenly tablets" are mentioned as
directly available to Enoch (e.g. 1 En. 103.2), Jacob (Pr.Jos B.1
= C), the patriarch Asher (T.Asher 7.5) and Isaiah (Asc.Isa.
9.22), and also to the angels (108.7, cf. 93.1). They can be
transcribed and transmitted to other humans (e.g. 1 En. 81.1,
82.1-2). In 2 En. 22.12 [=AOT 10.1] the recording angel Vreveil
dictates heavenly books to Enoch who produces 360 [or 366] books
(23.6; see 68.1-2). The contents of the tablets are described
variously: they hold information about the future (Pr.Jos. B.1 =
C), and record events that happen (T.Levi 5.4), but are
especially relevant for judging human activities (1 En 107.1,
Asc.Isa. 9.22; see 1 En. 106.19, 108.3-10, and possibly T.Judah
20.3f). It is a short step in some of the literature from these
tablets to the "book(s) of life" by which human actions are
judged -- in T.Abr. 13.21ff, it is Enoch who serves as "scribe of
righteousness" for this purpose.
===
----
\x/This set of perspectives is illustrated by the following
passages from writings associated with pre-Sinai/Torah figures:
The Enoch Cycle
Astronomical Book (1 Enoch 72-82)
81.1 Enoch, is instructed to look at the (book of the) tablet(s)
of heaven, read, understand; then he writes it all down in books
for his posterity (82.1-2)
Enoch's Testament (1 Enoch 91-107)
93.1f Enoch is speaking from the books, learned from the angels
and from the heavenly tablets
103.2 the speaker, Enoch, has read the heavenly tablets and seen
the holy writings and understood them
106.19 Enoch knows the secrets of the heavenly tablets, presumably
concerning sin and judgment
107.1 reference to the contents of the writing on the tablets --
concerning wrongdoing and its destruction
Enoch to Methuseleh (1 Enoch 108)
108.1 another book of Enoch, for Methuselah and descendants
108.3 book of life (judgment) and books of the holy one(s)
108.7 books available for angels to consult in heaven
108.10 books of blessings of righteous
2 Enoch
22.12 [=AOT 10.1] the recording angel Vreveil dictates heavenly
books to Enoch who produces 360 [or 366] books (23.6; see 68.1-
2).
Jacob, in the "Prayer of Joseph"
B.1 (=C) I have read in the tablets of heaven all that shall befall
you and your sons [presumably spoken to Joseph]
The Testaments of the Twelve Patriarchs
(with detailed notes on textcritical variations)
T.Levi 5.4 [lacking in k's extracts] -- Levi's angelic guide
instructs him to avenge Dinah, whereupon Levi comments "and at
that time I dispatched (sunetelesa) the sons of Hemmor, as
it is written in the tablets [var g: deeds (pracesi)] of
the heavens [var: of the fathers chij, perhaps reflecting
confusion in reading abbreviated words]" -- the potentially
embarrassing story of Simeon and Levi deceitfully slaughtering
Hamor and his supporters is told in Gen 34.25ff.
T.Asher 2.10 [lacking in l; T.Asher 1-6 lacking in k's extracts]
-- at the conclusion of a lengthy discussion of good deeds done
in an evil context, where both types of action would thus be
judged evil, "for God also said this [var: explicitly hij] in the
tablets [var g: deeds (pracesi)] of the heavens [var: of
the commandments chij]" -- the immediate allusion is to the hare,
which is considered "unclean" for not having split hooves,
despite also having the "clean" feature of chewing its cud (see
Leviticus 11.6, Deut 14.7).
T.Asher 7.5 [lacking in m] -- Asher instructs his children,
including the expectation that "a man" will come from God to help
save the day, but Asher "reads [var eaf chij: knows] in the
tablets of the heavens [var g: in the deeds (pracesi) of
men; om i.t.t.o.t.h chij]" that they will be rebellious towards
him and will "not pay attention to the law of God, but to the
commandments of men." Note that the chij text is significantly
different in its reading "for I know that you will be
disobeyingly disobedient to him..." (no reference to the
tablets).
cf T.Zebulon 9.5 -- among warnings about not becoming divided, "I
recognize (egnwn) in the scripture (grafhi) of my
fathers that in the last days you will depart from the Lord..." -
- I suspect that this is another of the Enoch or tablets of
heavens passages, judging from the formulaic language and the
textual variations present in similar contexts.
cf T.Judah 20.3f -- in a context discussing the two spirits vying
in humans, "the things of truth and the things of waywardness are
written (gegraptai) on the breast (sthqos) of a
man, and the Lord knows each one of them; ... for in the breast
of his bone it is inscribed (eggegraptai) before the
Lord." There are some features here that might encourage the idea
that behind this text lies a reference to the tablets and/or the
book of Enoch.
++
===\x/
Jubilees [information supplied by David Sandmel]
It is in the book of Jubilees that several of these threads come
together as Moses prepares to receive Torah on Sinai. Not only do
the "heavenly tablets" appear frequently as the locus of authority
for a variety of matters -- for what is destined to happen, past
or future (16.3, 32.20-26, 23.32), but also as a record of what
does happen (19.9, 30.5), especially for reference in future
judgment situations (5.13, 16.9, 24.33, 30.18-23, 31.32, 36.10),
and as a firm deposit of legal/liturgical law (3.10, 3.31, 4.5,
4.32, 6.17, 6.23-35, 16.28, 18.19, 28.6, 32.10, 33.10-12) -- but
the line between those tablets and the ones Moses receives is
rather blurred (see, for example, the opening reference in 1.27-
29 and the closing passage in 50.13, where the tablets that are
written out are placed into Moses' hands). It is not entirely clear
whether or to what extent the heavenly tablets are considered
preexistent or whether they (also) function as repositories of
authoritative information as it takes place in human history. The
authority of Moses' tablets and records seems clearly dependent on
the heavenly tablets.
It is also noteworthy that in Jubilees, reference is made to
various other early materials preserved in writing from various
sources: Enoch is shown everything and writes it down (4.17-24, see
also 21.10), the Watchers leave astrological inscriptions
discovered by Cainan that lead him to sin (8.2-4), Noah/Shem
produce and transmit written material (10.12-14 [on cures], 21.10,
see also 8.11), Abraham is enabled to read and transcribe the
Hebrew books of his fathers (12.25-27, see also 21.10 [on eating
restrictions]), Jacob sees in a dream seven tablets from heaven
with information about the future which he then transcribes from
memory (32.20-26).
In this context, the treatment of Moses' role as a recipient and
transmitter of authoritative written material is interesting. God
(or his angelic agent) writes the "book of the first law" for
Moses, including ancient calendric instructions that had been
forgotten in recent times (6.19-22). Similarly, in 30.11-12 Moses
is told to give commands prohibiting marriage to gentiles, for
which reason "I have written for you in the words of the law"
details about Dinah and the Shechemites. Formulas such as "it is
written and ordained" (5.17, 49.17), or similar indirect statements
(e.g. 3.14, 4.30, 6.12, 30.17), occur with some regularity. Except
for a few general statements (1.5, 7, 26 "write everything I tell
you on this mountain"; 2.1 "write the complete history of the
creation," [but see 1.27 "write for Moses from the beginning of
creation"!]), Moses is not usually depicted as independently
involved, and the impression is that everything is tightly
controlled by the heavenly authorities and tablets (see 23.32,
50.13), which are reflected in the instructions given to humans.
All the more noteworthy, then, is 33.13-20, where Moses is told to
establish an irrevocable law concerning incest (based on the
Reuben-Bilhah story), for which a consistent law had not formerly
been revealed.
In conclusion, Jubilees is clearly conscious of the role of Moses
as recipient and restater of authoritative heavenly instructions,
and many events found in the biblical Pentateuch appear as well in
Jubilees, but often with somewhat different details. Nevertheless,
Moses functions in the shadow of the "heavenly tablets," and there
are various indications that other ancient revelational sources are
also at least theoretically known and/or available. "Canon" does
not seem to be an issue, and "scripture" is far from being well
defined.
Production and/or Transmission of Earthbound Books: Other
Scriptures before "the Scriptures"
The transfer of the contents of the heavenly tablets to earthly
books, as described in Jubilees, is a fairly widespread theme in
this body of texts (see also n.?? above). As we noted above, the
Enochic Astrological Book has Enoch producing books on the basis
of what he has learned and understood from the heavenly tablets
(81-82), and in 81.6 he is instructed to use the last year of his
earthly presence to teach his children ("another law" in MS B)
and write things down for them. While the content of these books
includes astrological mysteries and secrets, it seems to focus
just as much on how to walk righteously.
Similarly, the Miscellany at the end of the Enochic Corpus has
Enoch writing another book (92.1) and then reading from the
presumably earthly books produced (by him?) on the basis of the
heavenly (e.g. 93.1ff, cf 103.2), with special focus on promoting
righteousness. It is interesting to note in passing that in the
text's perceived future, a "law (or perhaps "covenant") for
sinners" is associated with the cryptic Noah (93.4) and a "law
(or "covenant") with a fence for all generations" seems
associated with Moses (93.6). Reference is also made to an
"eternal law" that sinners distort (99.2), although it is not
clearly identified with any "book." In 104, there appears to be
some confusion about what is written by and for whom -- at very
least, some record concerning the righteous (104.1) and
concerning sinners (104.7; see 98.8) is made, presumably in the
heavenly tablets, but there is also a warning not to alter the
words of truth by writing false books (104.9ff, see 98.15, 99.2).
In contrast, the righteous and wise will be given "books"
(104.12-13) from which to learn the ways of truth.
2 Enoch has its share of references to important earthly books
associated with Adam, Seth (var Joseph), and Enoch (33.1-12 [=
AOT 11.22-29]; the longer version also includes Enosh, Kainan,
Maleleil and Arad), and itself (1.1). Other Enochic
compositions (numbered at least 360 or 366 in 23.6 and 68.1-
2[long]) are mentioned in 36.1 and 47.1-2 (derived from the
Lord's lips; the Lord also produces books in 33.3 var), with the
emphasis on handing them down to posterity (see also 48.6-8,
54.1, 68.2); and Enoch also seems to be depicted as the recorder
of people's acts and words, presumably for reference at the
judgment (50.1, 53.2). The mention of a large number of books is
reminiscent of the passage in 4 Ezra 14 (see below),
although the details differ considerably.
There are a number of references to book(s)/scripture of Enoch in
the Testaments of the 12 Patriarchs (with significant variants
also noted):
T.Simeon 5.4 -- in the context of warnings about envy and sexual
promiscuity, "for I have seen (hewraka) in the writing
(en xarakthri) of the scripture (grafhs [var chij
grafidi]) of Enoch that your sons with you [om w.y. chij]
will be corrupted by fornication and will deal unjustly with Levi
by a sword."
T.Levi 10.5 -- Levi's descendants will be so wicked that
Jerusalem cannot bear them, the temple veil will be rent, and
they will be disgracefully scattered; "for the dwelling
(oikos) which the Lord will select shall be called
Jerusalem [var dm: Israel; var d: holy; om s.b.c.J. f], as the
book of Enoch the righteous contains (periexei)." It
appears that the anachronism of "Jerusalem" (and also the temple
and its veil!) being mentioned at such an early time, and
probably also the potential difficulty of abbreviated words, have
produced some confusion in the transmission of this passage. The
problem is addressed by referring vaguely to a prediction (see
also T.Levi 15.1, T.Judah 23.5, T.Benjamin 9).
T.Levi 14.1 -- after the poem of T.Levi 13 (see above) on
observing God's law and acquiring wisdom, "and now, [var
therefore chij: + my m e chij] children, I know (egnwn)
from a [var e: the] scripture (apo grafes) of Enoch
[f.a.s.o.E. om chij] [var k: + the righteous] that at the end
(epi telei, or similarly) [var chij: + of the ages] you
will act impiously against the Lord ...." It is interesting to
note that Milik identifies one of the 4Q Aramaic scraps with this
context, and finds in it an explicit reference to Enoch after a
passage about the moon and heavenly lights (see T.Levi 14.3f).
T.Levi 16.1f -- after reference to the destruction of the temple
and subsequent captivity in the previous chapter, "and now I know
(egnwn [var d: I read (anegnwn)]) in a [var d: the]
book of Enoch [i.a.b.o.E. om chij] that you will wander (or go
astray) for seventy weeks ... and you will set the law aside and
nullify the words of the prophets ... you will abominate the
words of the true witnesses (alhqinwn)."
T.Judah 18.1 -- after warning about the dangers of money and
beautiful women, and reference to the kingly centrality of Judah,
"for even so I read (anegnwn [var eaf: I know
(egnwn); var chij: I know (egnwka)] in books [var
gld: a book] of Enoch the righteous [i.b.o.E.t.r. om chij] how
many bad things you will do in the last days" -- specifically
porneia and love of money.
T.Zebulon 3.4 -- in an unusual explanation of the actions
surrounding the sale of Joseph into slavery, the focus is placed
on the purchase of shoes with the money that was received by the
brothers, symbolizing distain for Joseph's lording it over them;
"wherefore in a scripture of a law [of a law om d] of Enoch [var
chij: Moses] it is written that the one who does not desire to
raise up seed to his brother shall have his shoe pulled off and
be spit upon in the face" (see Deut 25.5-10). But since Joseph's
brothers did not want him to live, the Lord removed them as
"Joseph's shoe" and when they went to Egypt Joseph had their
shoes removed before the gate, where they did reverence to Joseph
as Pharoah's representative -- and they were spit upon!
T.Dan 5.6 -- in a ringing condemnation of the expected evils of
Dan's descendants, including acting like the gentiles and
consorting with loose women, "I read (anegnwn) in a book
of Enoch the righteous [var chij: + and I know/find] that your
leader is the Satan ...." The textual evidence suggests that the
text behind chij, as is normal for that text type (see above),
did not refer to the book of Enoch here ("and I know" is the
epected text of chij, here preserved as a doublet).
T.Naphthali 4.1 -- after warnings not to alter nature's way
(God's way) like the idolatrous gentiles or the Sodomites,
reference is made to the fall of the watchers, whom God cursed at
the flood and on whose account God ordered the earth to be
uninhabited by dwellers or produce. "I say these things [var deaf
chij: + to you], my children, because I read (anegnwn [var
eaf chij: I know (egnwn)] in a [var c: the] holy [ldeaf
chij om] scripture of Enoch that even you yourselves will be
estranged from the Lord, proceeding according to every wickedness
of the gentiles, and you will do every lawless deed of Sodom [var
d: demons]." The idea that the watchers were, in part, seduced by
deceitful women, and influenced the birth of giants by appearing
as apparitions while the women were having intercourse with their
husbands, appears in T.Reuben 5, but without any explicit
reference to Enoch traditions.
cf T.Naphthali 5.8 -- The patriarch has a dream about Levi and
Judah being elevated by grasping the sun and moon, but Joseph
seizes the bull with eagle's wings and ascends on high. "And I
saw (eidon) that I was ... [confused text], and behold a
holy scripture (grafh hagia) appeared to us [var m: me]
saying" that various nations would share the captivity of Israel.
Whether and to what extent this "scripture" is to be associated
with either the heavenly tablets or the book(s) of Enoch is no
longer clear, but the passage is suggestive of such a background.
T.Benjamin 9.1 -- in the context of warnings against sexual
misconduct, "I perceive (uponow) [var c+: I tell you] that
deeds shall be among you that are not good [t.d.s.b.a.y.t.a.n.g.
om c+], [var l: + now I also read (anegnwn); var d: + for
I know (egnwn)] from [var d: + the book of] the words [var
c: oracles] of Enoch the righteous. For you will engage in the
porneia of Sodom ...." The same textual features as appear
in several other Enoch passages are present in some witnesses
here, suggesting that similar developments lie behind the
preserved texts.
Conclusions Regarding Enoch Literature in the Testaments
Clearly there is a battle over the presence or absence of
explicit references to Enoch, and also to the heavenly tablets,
in the background of the preserved texts of the Testaments.
Manuscript c and its allies (hij) are the most obvious "anti
Enoch" witnesses, and the same group avoids identifying the
tablets as "heavenly." Why this should be can only be
conjectured. It seems less likely that the Enoch references are
additions to an earlier text that made little or no reference to
Enoch, than the opposite. Factors that could contribute to the
demise of Enoch include the failure to find appropriately
corresponding passages in the preserved Enoch literature, and the
hesitation to use "scripture" language in connection with Enoch.
Perhaps a general distancing from certain forms of apocalyptic
traditions also played a role (as, e.g. with the formerly
"heavenly" tablets?), although much apocalyptic influence remains
in all full texts of the Testaments.
This emphasis on instructive earthbound books is much wider than
simply Enoch and his pre-deluvian associates or the literature
associated with them. As we have already seen, Noah and Shem,
then Abraham and Jacob, and finally Moses functions in Jubilees
as transcribers and conveyers of the truths of the heavenly
tablets. Similarly, 4 Ezra 3 mentions Noah and Abraham and
recipients of secret knowledge about the last days, and 2 Baruch
identifies Abraham with knowledge of the then unwritten law. In
the Prayer of Joseph fragments, Jacob transcribes the heavenly
tablets he has seen; he is also the speaker in the patriarchal
testaments, with their frequent allusions to the heavenly
tablets.
Moses, as would be expected, is frequently associated with the
delivery and transmission of divine law, although it is
remarkable how infrequently this is spoken of in terms of books
or writings. Jubilees sees the work of Moses against the
background of the heavenly tablets, as has been noted.
The apocalypses of 4 Ezra and 2 Baruch also highlight Moses and
his relation to written law -- 2 Baruch by referring to Sinai and
the tablets of the law, 4 Ezra by paralleling the work of Moses
in giving the law to that of Ezra in restoring it.
[Book of Baruch on Moses/law later]
The category of "prophets" receives occasional mention in this
literature, but not usually explicitly with reference to
writings, unless the idea of the "words of the prophets" is
stretched in that direction (see e.g. T.Levi 16.1) -- in 2 Baruch
85 the prophets are noted as intercessors for the sins of the
people (see also 4 Ezra 7.106ff) while in Apocalypse of Elijah
3.52, the deeds of the prophets are the focus. In the clearly
Christian form of Ascension of Isaiah that has survived, the
twelve minor prophets are named and associated with scriptual
literature, along with various other writings including the
"visions" and parables of Isaiah (4.19ff). Later in the same
book, Isaiah is said to have seen the heavenly tablets regarding
human deeds (9.22). David is also associated with parables and
psalms, and Solomon with proverbs, in 4.19ff. Ezra is both a
prophet and the transcriber of authoritative books, both public
and secret, in 4 Ezra 12-14.
***
=====[Baruch.raw]
Baruch 1-3.8
1.14 exhortation to read this book
1.21 mention of words of the prophets (see 2.20, 24)
2.2 fulfilment of what was written in the law of Moses
2.12 ref to the ordinances of God
2.28 Moses was commanded to write the law
Baruch 3.9-end
4.1 Wisdom is the book of the commandments of God = the law
=====2 Baruch (Syriac Apocalypse)
Summary: Assuming that 2 Baruch as we have it represents a single
author or originating editor, it shows no sign of "book"
orientation, even with respect to "the law," which is
unambiguously central to its message and is connected with the
figure of Moses, on Sinai, delivering two tablets that come to
reside in the Temple. Abraham already had this law, while it was
yet unwritten. The readers are exhorted to transmit the
traditions of the law to their children, just as they themselves
received these traditions from their own fathers. Thus although
the author can speak of the law as written, or even not yet
written, it is not normal for 2 Baruch to identify the law as a
written record or to quote from it in that fashion. "The law"
frequently is found in association with references to wisdom,
understanding, the covenant, and commandments, but not books.
Even in the accounts of the histories of Moses and of Josaiah,
there is no mention or focus on books.
2 Baruch 85 does make reference to righteous ones and prophets
who are important in the history of the people addressed. But
their importance is as intercessors for the sins of the people,
not as producers of scriptural materials. When 2 Baruch reports
on traditions that are also found in what developed into the
Jewish scriptures, there does not seem to be any characteristic
borrowing of words or specific details. Indeed, such accounts as
the angelic consorting with human women (see Gen 6.1-4) and the
fate of Jeremiah after the fall of Jerusalem are significantly
different from what come to be the biblical versions.
The role of prediction of the future is present, but focuses on
the contents of this very book. Similarly, Baruch is seen as one
who writes exhortation and instruction to the exiles, but this is
not presented as anything particularly special or unusual.
Baruch's ability to receive and understand the secrets of God and
of the universe, however, is presented as special, if not unique
-- Moses also was blessed with such insight, among a few others.
In short, 2 Baruch provides no firm evidence pertinent for
discussion of "scriptural interpretation" or the development of a
"scriptural canon" beyond the emphasis on the central role of
God's law that is to be observed and passed on to later
generations.
The Raw Data--
various references to "the law" and Moses, but not any focus on
written-ness (3.7-9, 4.5 [Sinai], 6.7 [two tablets in temple],
15.5, 17.4, 19.3, 32.1, 38.1-4 [mentioned along with God's
"wisdom"], 41.4 [with "covenant" -- note 42.4-5 ref to mixed
marriage disobedience], 44.2-15, 46.3-5, 48.22-24 [and wisdom],
48.27, 48.38-40, 48.47, 51.1-7 [with wisdom, understanding],
54.14, 57.2 [unwritten, pre Moses], 59 [and the secrets shown to
Moses], 66.5 [Josiah observes], 67.6, 77.3, 77.15f [with wisdom],
79.2 (commandments), 84.2-9 [remember Moses, the law, transmit to
your children the traditions of the law, just as you received
them, etc.], 85.3, 85.14 [one law]
details in history of Israel (e.g. 63ff) don't refer to scriptural
records, even with reference to Josiah; the traditions that
parallel TaNaK accounts are relatively loose and variant (find
some good examples: Jeremiah to Babylon, etc.)
the Jeremiah story (e.g. 33.1ff) gives no hint of canon relation
check 6.9 for ambiguity "until it is said"...
14.13 the new "world that you have promised them" -- see in
general the idea of promises to be fulfilled 70.6, 83.4-8
20.4-6 references to internalized, hidden truth (42.5, 48.3)
24.1f books of sins and righteous acts (for judgment time)
no reference to Daniel in e.g. 39-40 (compare 4 Ezra 11-12), but
probably the intended setting is considered pre-Daniel
Baruch as agent of revealed instructions and secrets of the end
-- e.g. 43.3, 56.1, 81.3-4
Baruch is instructed by the people to write, since they have no
guidance! 77.12-26, 78-86 -- two sets of people receive the
letter; mainly the 9 1/2 tribes beyond the Euphrates, but also
the captives in Babylon (do they have the law? in what sense?
any hint that the books have been destroyed with the temple?)
85.1-3 (see 85.12) mentions prophets and zaddikim, but not as
authors or recipients of revelation, but as intercessors!
=====3 Baruch (Greek Apocalypse)
Nothing relevant in this work.
The Raw Data --
The work itself is a revelation of Baruch; 1.1f
and Baruch is described as an interpreter of revelations 11.8
The bird of 6.8 has writing on its wing, and Baruch reads it.
Judgment on those who have failed to keep the commandments 16.4
=====Paralipomena Jeremiou ("Rest of the Words of Baruch")
The text shows a concern for written instructions and commands,
such as the roll carried by the eagle to Babylon and back (6-7),
which includes the words of the Lord (6.20). The text also refers
to Isaiah as a speaker of a remembered revelatory saying (9.20),
and to the failure of the people to keep God's precepts (6.21).
But there is no evidence of an awareness or focus on "scripture,"
much less on a scriptural collection.
=====4 Ezra (Latin Apocalypse = "2 Esdras" 3-14 in RSV/NRSV etc.)
3 Adam, Noah, Abraham (learns end of times, secretly)... Sinai
(law ... commandments), David, sinful city delivered.
4.23 law and written covenants (cf 5.29, 7.83) no longer exist
6.1-6 (no mention of law, etc., in litany of creative acts)
6.20 books opened at end of the age
6.38ff details of creation by God's word, etc.
6.55,59, 7.11, etc. world created for God's people [not torah]
7.10-24 focus on God's statutes, law, commands as criterion
7.45 blessing on those who keep God's commandments =7.72,79
7.81-83,89,94 law & covenants as criterion in orders of judgment
7.106ff ancients who interceeded: Abraham, Moses, ...Hezekiah
7.129 quotes Moses (Dt 30.19), refers to prophets/preachers
7.133 people need to turn to God's law (9.11)
8.12 instruct in God's law and wisdom (8.29)
8.22f praise of God: sure word, strong commands,
9.1 ref to predicted signs of the end
9.30- quotes God in wilderness re words, law, etc.
9.37 the law remains glorious while humans perish
10.19ff devastation of temple, holy things, ark, etc. [not books]
10.44ff Zion oriented heilsgeschichte
12.37 Ezra told to write visions/revelations in a book and hide it
12.42 Ezra alone is left of the prophets
13.42 exiles will keep the statutes better
13.54 Ezra praised for keeping law, following wisdom
14 Moses/Ezra parallelism, public and secret things
See especially ch. 14, on Ezra restoring the writings.
5 Ezra (Latin, "2 Esdras" 1-2 in RSV/NRSV etc.)
6 Ezra (Latin, "2 Esdras" 15-16 in RSV/NRSV etc.)
=====Apocalypse of Esdras/Ezra (Greek)
Apocalypse of Sedrach
Vision of Esdras/Ezra
Here we move into examining some overtly Christian apocalypses
(in their present forms) that revolve around the figure of
Ezra/Esdras or Sedrach and are clearly interrelated. Their main
focus is the revelation they provide, especially in the form of a
narrative about angelic-guided trips to heavenly and nether
regions. The human hero constantly questions the divine judgments
and asks for leniency for humankind.
The Ezra Apocalypse has an explicit reference to "the scriptures"
(2.22) and in that passage seems to want to quote God's word to
encourage leniency in God's actions. Otherwise, there are the
expected references to God's covenant and commandments (5.18-20),
and to a variety of "biblical" personages and events (2.10f
[Adam], 2.19f [Sodom; also 7.12], 3.10 [Abraham, with a reference
to God's promise to him], 5.22 [Enoch, Elijah, Moses,
Patriarchs], 7.6 [Elijah]), but no preoccupation with the
"writtenness" of such materials. The apocalypse itself is
referred to as a "book" to be transcribed and believed (7.9-12).
The Sedrach Apocalypse is somewhat more overtly oriented to
"scriptural" authority in that it considers inattention to God's
word "in the gospels" to be a reason for punishment (14.10), and
it quotes "scripture" in various ways (14.9, 15.2, 15.6; compare
7.7-8). Law and commandments, apart from the disobedience of Adam
and of the Angels in not worshipping Adam (4.4-6, 5.2), receive
little attention beyond the comment that gentiles without the law
can keep the law (14.5, 15.6). Fewer references to Jewish
biblical stories or persons are found in this short work.
The even shorter Vision of Ezra shows none of these particular
features that have been identified in its sister texts regarding
"scripture" and Jewish scriptural traditions, although it does
have one atypical condemnatory reference to Herod's killing of
the infants in Christian tradition (37-39) -- the reference to
"doctors of the law" who don't practice what they teach (46) does
not seem particularly relevant.
=====Apocalypse of Zephaniah and an "Anonymous Apocalypse"
These two fragmentary apocalypses preserved in Coptic add nothing
significant to the picture. The latter contains several
references to writing and scrolls, but it refers to the angels
and the Lord and the adversary recording the good and bad deeds
of humans (1.9-10, 2.15, 3.2, 3.9). There are several allusions
to "biblical events" and persons (2.9, 3.10), but without any
hint that these are scripture based materials. One concrete
reference to those who are punished for hearing "the word of God"
but not observing it adequately (3.16) could be relevant.
=====
Apocalypse of Elijah (AOT)
Nothing of any relevance
1.9 refers to a "saying" of God's son [source?]
1.13-14 law...covenant...promises (but not as written sources)
1.26 allusion to interpreting things (not texts)
2 passim bad things done to disrupt
3.52 mentions prophets as doers of mighty deeds
=====
Ascension of Isaiah (AOT)
Very interesting jumble of interests, motivations and material.
At one level, secrecy and private transmission (not in writing)
of visionary materials is the theme (esp 5-11). This may be in
conflict with the opening section that talks of the recording and
transmitting of the visions of Hezekiah and Isaiah. At least
4.19ff is explicit in its awareness of public written
authoritative materials, especially focusing on visions,
parables, proverbs and psalms. In 2.6, there is also explicit
reference to the "book of the kings of Judah and Israel." But
note the conspicuous absence throughout of references to Moses or
his law/covenant. Earlier righteous persons are mentioned in
9.7ff (Adam, Abel, Enoch) and 9.27f (Adam, Abel, Seth), but
except for general references to Manasseh's repudiation of
"commands and precepts/words" associated with Hezekiah and Isaiah
(1.7; see 2.1), there is little "nomic" consciousness (2.5 lists
some sins)
1.3-7 Hezekiah has seen visionary truths and has them written
down, along with records of Isaiah's words, to store and
transmit.
2.1 Manasseh fails to remember his fathers commands (!).
2.6 other details can be found in the "book of the kings"
3.8-9 refers to Isaiah saying things and citing Moses
3.21 refers to teachings of the apostles forsaken
3.31 refers to prophecies of the prophets and Isaiah's visions
ignored
4.19-22 a litany of written public materials, including visions
and parables of Isaiah, Psalms, parables of David, proverbs of
Solomon, other proverbs and unattributed psalms, the minor
prophets (all named), Joseph the just, Daniel.
5 (passim) refers to Isaiah's visions, not writings
6 Isaiah in a trance vision, private and otherworldly
9.22 Isaiah is shown the heavenly book(s) of human deeds -- note
earlier and later refs to the righteous ancients (Adam, Seth,
Enoch, etc.; pre Moses)
11.39-40 Isaiah forbids the public telling or writing of what he
has reported;
11.43 Manasseh had heard these, but couldn't remember, so he
killed Isaiah at the instigation of Satan.
=====[ApoclAbr.raw with T.Abr, by Wm. L. Stroup]
HS/OT Project: Issue of canon in the Apocalypse of Abraham and
Testament of Abraham (with comments on other issues)
by Bill Stroup
Apocalypse of Abraham (Charlesworth, pp 681 705)
Creation: ApAb 7:10 (S & C) God created all the gods
ApAb 7;10 (A,B,C,K) He created all things
ApAb 9:3 the God who created
ApAb 9:1 2 reflects the call of Abraham as discussed in Genesis 15:1. See also
ApAb 20:1 4.
Abraham the friend of God
ApAb 9:6 Abraham my beloved
ApAb 10:5 Abraham the friend of God
ApAb 16:3 the Eternal One who has loved you
This parallels the same expression which is found in Isaiah 41:8,
2 Chronicles 20:7 and James 2:23. For the form beloved note that in
Isaiah 41:8 the LXX says whom I love, while the MT uses the word
friend.
ApAb 11:1 3 Has the apocalyptic flavor which is found in Daniel 7:9 and
Revelation 1:14.
ApAb 12:1 2 Reminiscent of the synoptic temptation of Jesus accounts such as
ApAb 13:4 14} the one in Matthew 4:1 11
ApAb 12:4 6a Lack of sacrificial animal, and God's provision for the need.
Different incident but similar flow of events as Genesis 22:1 13.
ApAb 9:5 names the same sacrificial animals (and in the same order) as in
Genesis 15:9
ApAb 12:6b 8 Genesis 15:9, then adds 15:10
ApAb 13:3 Genesis 15:11
[ApAb 13 14 Explanation (midrash?) of Genesis 15:11]
ApAb 15:1ff Genesis 15:17
Is this block midrashic on the Genesis account; or is the Genesis account a
condensation of the oral tradition which is more fully produced here?
ApAb 17:20 sacrifice which you yourself made
Reflects one possible understanding or interpretation of
Genesis 15:17 18.
ApAb 18:3ff reminiscent of Ezekiel 1:6 12, 23
ApAb 18:12ff reminiscent of Ezekiel 1:15 25; 10:6 12
ApAb 20:1 4 Number of Abraham's progeny compared to the number of
stars cf Genesis 15:5; 22:17
ApAb 23:1 8 reminiscent of Genesis 3, Eve and the serpent
ApAb 32:6 Abraham accepted the WORDS of God
This use of words as communication has no reflection on Scripture,
on canon
There is a general consciousness of traditions reflected in
the canon. While never presented as dependent on a written form
of the canon, or as reflecting the authority of canon, there are
some indications that there is awareness (if not dependence) on
written material.
Dating (and/or provenance) of ApAb Note in 17:8 15 the
aggregation of names and adjectives for God reminiscent of the
Muslim Quran, a later Near Eastern document.
=====[Testament of Abraham.raw, by Wm. L. Stroup]
(Charlesworth, pp 871 902)
Recension A (pp 882 895)
TA:a 1:2 Oak of Mamre cf Genesis 18:1
also see TA:a 2:1; 6:4; 20:11
Note: oak is singular in LXX; plural in MT, singular in TA:a
TA:a 1:5 I have blessed him as the stars of heaven and as the sand by the
seashore cf Genesis 22:17
Note: as in TA:a 1:5 but more than in TA:a 4:11; 8:5 which reading
follows the LXX.
TA:a 1:6 Abraham, my beloved friend (see also 4:7, 9:7, 16:9)
See note on ApAb about Abraham the friend of God
TA:a 3:6 blessing of Abraham and his seed cf Genesis 12:1 7; 22:17
TA:a 6:4ff reflects the same tradition of three (heavenly?) visitors to Abraham
and Sarh as recorded in the account in Genesis 18:1 8.
TA:a 8:7 blessing I will bless you and multiplying I will multiply your seed
This verbatim quote of the Hebrew idiom into LXX Greek is
strong evidence that this was quoted directly from a written copy
of the LXX. It does not address canonicity but points to use of
the written form of the OT document (LXX).
TA:a 10:2 some were ... pleading at law
There is no reason to view this use of the word law as referring
to the Hebrew Torah
TA:a 11:1 2 The verbatim agreement between this passage and Matt 7:13ff gives
strong indication of access to a written document of that Gospel. (See
footnote 11b in Charlesworth, p 888.)
TA:a 12:8 13:9 Note the use of the words paper, ink, pen, recorded. While these
words are used there is no reason to connect them with either
Scripture or the concept of canon.
TA:a 13:8 every matter shall be established by three witnesses
Closely follows the LXX Greek of Deuteronomy 19:15
TA:a 20:15 Note the Christian closing.
Testament of Abraham
Recension B (pp 896 902)
TA:b 6:13 oak of Mamre (See note on previous page, Recension A.)
Abraham as friend of God not mentioned at all
TA:b 2:8 Arise and go ... to a land which I will show you in close agreement
with the LXX of Genesis 12:1
Your name shall no longer be called Abram, but your name shall be
Abraham almost verbatim from LXX of Genesis 17:5
TA:b 2:10ff and 6:9ff reminiscent of Genesis 18:1 8
TA:b 10:10 11; 11:4 golden pen, opening one of the books, record of deeds; as in
Rescension A, there is no reason to connect them with either
Scripture or the concept of canon.
TA:b 14:9 A christian (trinitarian) closing
There is no explicit reference to Scripture as authoritative,
as canon. Nonetheless, there is certainly an awareness of the
Hebrew Scriptures, particularly the written Greek version (LXX).
There is no appeal to Scripture as authoritative because it is
written.
Are these Abrahamic documents Jewish or Christian? Are these
Hebrew accounts christianized by christian redactors or are they
christian productions which reflect an attempt to christianize
the traditions of the Hebrew Scriptures?
=====[Testament of Solomon.raw, by Wm. L. Stroup]
Translation and comments by D.C. Duling, pp 935 987 in
Volume 1, The Old Testament Pseudepigrapha,
edited by J.H. Charlesworth
by Bill Stroup
The Testament of Solomon is replete with allusions to ideas
and events which are noted in both the Hebrew and Christian
Scriptures. There are also many allusions to ideas and events
which are recorded in the Apocryphal and pseudepigraphic
literature. It is clear that this so-called Testament shares in a
common base of traditions with these Scriptures and other related
documents. As is so often the case, there is no reference to
sources, no appeal to written sources as authoritative. So the
quotation from Scripture in TSol 23:4 is rather striking in its
occurence
Solomon, being excited, exclaimed, `Truly the Scripture which says,
It was the stone rejected by the builders that became the keystone, has
now been fulfilled.'
This occurs in the HB/OT in Psalm 118:22 and is quoted in the
NT in several places. However, the purpose of this quotation is
not clear in its context of being placed by a demon/genie (TSol
22:1 23:4). Also unclear is another reference which evokes NT
imagery when in 22:20 the one able to thwart this demon/genie is
described as one who is going to be born from a virgin and be
crucified by the Jews.
Allusions to other traditions
The large number of allusions to traditions similar to those in
other literature makes it difficult to try to reference them all.
However, the following are some of the more prominent allusions
to traditions also recorded in other writings:
HB/OT
Solomon's building of the temple (1 Kings 6f)
Solomon's wisdom (1 Kings 4:29 34)
Visit of the Queen of Sheba (TSol 19:1 3, 21:1 4; 1 Kings 10)
Solomon's wives and their bad influence (TSol 26; 1 Kings 11)
The Exodus (TSol 6:3f, 22:7, 23:2, 24 25; Exodus 14)
NT
Gerasene demoniacs (TSol 11; Mark 5:1 13)
Virgin mother (TSol 22:20, 15:10; Matthew 1:18 25, Luke 1:25 38)
Crucifixion of Jesus (TSol 22:20, 12:3, 15:10)
Apocrypha/Pseudepigrapha
Asmodeus thwarted by Raphael (TSol 5:7 10; cf much of Tobit)
Fall of the angels (TSol 5:3, 6:2, Gen 6:1 4[?], Enoch 6 7, 15f,
Jubilees 7:21 25, 10:5)
Archangel Ouriel (4 Ezra 5:20, 10:27; 1 Enoch 9:1, 10:1)
Duling quotes McCown saying that The angelology and
demonology of [TSol] are practically those of the
Apocrypha and Pseudepigrapha (p 956).
The magical and mystical
Signs of the Zodiac (TSol 2:2; see also 2 Enoch 21:6)
Magical ring (TSol 3:1 4)
Sign of the cross (TSol 17:4)
Purpose of the Testament of Solomon
TSol 15:14 that the sons of Israel might know the powers of
the demons and their forms [and the ways] by which they are
thwarted. Note also in 26:7 8 that the purpose includes a
warning based upon Solomon's fall from grace.
This certainly goes along with the focus on demons, often
explained in story form (chapters 4 7, 9 17), other times
presented as lists (chapters 8, 18). Even having gas, diarrhea,
hemorrhoids and insomnia are seen as caused by demons and having
magical cures.
References to written/fixed forms
TSol 1:8 sang hymns of praise of God might have some formulaic referenc
TSol 15:4 I [Solomon] wrote this testament . . .
The only other references to writing of any kind were to the
writing of names as charms to thwart demons, and to the numerical
references of certain alphabet letters.
Do they get any more strange?
Chapter 26 records the event where Solomon falls for a
Shummanite woman. The Jebusite priests insist that he may have
her only if he worships their gods. Solomon refuses. Yet the
maiden offers to go to be with Solomon if he will make a very
small compromise. He must only sacrifice the blood of five
locusts to the gods Raphan and Molech. Something that trivial
didn't seem to bother Solomon, so he gets the girl. (There was no
explanation of how he got blood from locusts!) Yet 26:6 says, So
the spirit of God departed from me.
The Testament of Solomon presents a strange combination of
references to a wide variety of traditions. What a mixture! Yet
with the exception of 23:4 there is little or no consciousness of
fixed, written forms. This quotation in 23:4 carries no
implication of canon or authority and does not seem to be trying
to demonstrate or prove anything. N.B. The language of law,
promises, covenant or commandments is not used.
=====[aseneth.raw, by Max Grossman]
HB/OT Project: Joseph and Aseneth
The story of Joseph and Aseneth does not have a whole lot to
contribute to the discussion of "books" or "writing," although a
few passages are interesting. Chapters 15 and 22 in particular
make reference to the books of heaven or to writing in heaven.
Other references to writing or texts have been included for the
sake of completeness, even though they may not be relevant to
this exact project.
Chap. 1:
No overt mention of books, scrolls, etc.
The references to the Genesis account of Joseph's life are
interesting, though. The book begins by noting the year, in
terms of the "seven years of abundance." In other words, the
text situates the story inside the time frame of the Genesis
account.
Likewise, the first reference to Aseneth describes her by
comparing her to the matriarchs. The text assumes that the
reader has a knowledge of the Genesis account, to whose details
it must be faithful.
Chap. 3:
When Aseneth goes to greet her parents, she wears ornaments
engraved with the names of the gods of Egypt, "on the bracelets
and on the stones."
Chap. 4:
Aseneth reveals her disdain for Joseph in 4.9-11/4.12-15, by
reminding her father of Joseph's supposed misdeeds. Her reminder
is actually a summary of Joseph's experiences in Egypt, as told
in the Genesis account.
Chap. 7:
Joseph remembers "his father's commandments" to avoid foreign
women because they are a corruption. The commandments are
phrased as a direct quotation.
Chap. 15:
Aseneth has repented, and the messenger comes down from heaven to
tell her that her penitence has been accepted.
Burchard 15.4-5:
Courage, Aseneth, chaste virgin. For behold, your name was
written in the book of the living in heaven; in the beginning of
the book, as the very first of all, your name was written by my
finger, and it will not be erased forever.
Philonenko 15.3:
Take courage, Aseneth: behold, your name is inscribed in the
Book of Life and will never be erased in eternity.
Aseneth asks the angel what his name is in Burchard 15.12 (there
is no parallel passage in Philonenko), and he responds:
"Why do you seek this, my name, Aseneth? My name is in the
heavens in the book of the Most High, written by the finger of
God in the beginning of the book before all (the others), because
I am chief of the house of the Most High. And all names written
in the book of the Most High are unspeakable, and man is not
allowed to pronounce nor hear them in this world, because those
names are exceedingly great and wonderful and laudable."
Chap. 16:
Aseneth brings the honeycomb to the messenger, and she suggests
that it belonged to him in the first place. He is impressed with
her insight and remarks,
Burchard 16.14:
Happy are you, Aseneth, because the ineffable mysteries of the
Most High have been revealed to you, and happy (are) all who
attach themselves to the Lord God in repentance, because they
will eat from this comb.
Philonenko 16.7:
Blessed are you, Aseneth, that the secrets of God have been
revealed to you; and
blessed are those who devote themselves to God in repentance, for
they shall eat from this comb.
=====[raw Judith; Max Grossman]
God is certainly an element of this story, but more as a
potential actor than as an actual one. In fact, God acts through
the actions of Judith.
Chap. 1: The story opens in the twelfth year of Nebuchadnezzar,
according to a statement in the first line of the text.
This chapter makes a number of geographical/national references,
which are a mixed bag in location (as well as chronology?; see
chap. 2 note).
Chap. 2: Nebuchadnezzar instructs Holofernes to follow orders:
"take care not to transgress any of your lord's commands, but
carry them out exactly as I have ordered you; do it without
delay" in 2.13.
The army progresses toward Judea, encountering nations found in
the Hebrew Bible (Ishmaelites, Japheth), as well as some unknown
ones (Rassisites?).
Do chapters one and two reflect the geography and politics of the
time when this story was written? Do they resemble the geography
and politics found in any other Jewish texts? Or are they
reflective of some creative/fictionalizing effort by the
author/editor?
Chap. 4: The "Israelites living in Judea" (4.1) were concerned
when they heard about the Assyrians' attacks because "they had
only recently returned from exile" (4.3). Here is another piece
of contextualizing evidence.
The text mentions the sacred vessels and the altar and the
temple, but no law scrolls or tablets.
In 4.6, the high priest writes to two villages, sending them
military orders.
Chap. 5: Almost the entire chapter (5.5-19) is devoted to a
history of the "Israelites," as told by Achior, the leader of the
Ammonites.
He traces their history geographically: they descended from the
Chaldeans; they fled to Mesopotamia because they had refused to
worship the Chaldean gods; "their God commanded them to leave the
place where they were living and go to the land of Canaan" (5.9);
they went to Egypt because of famine; they were expelled from
Egypt by a hostile king, after the king's abuse had brought on
God's plagues; God dried the Red Sea for them and led them by way
of Sinai and Kadesh-barnea; they took possession of the land.
Noticeably, there is no mention of scrolls or tablets, no mention
of divine commandments (beyond the Abraham reference). The
mention of Sinai may be a coded or merely oblique reference to
such things, but it is not necessarily an explicit one.
The Ammonite narrator notes that when the Jews have been good,
they have been invincible; only when they "departed from the way
he had prescribed for them" (5.17) did God allow them to be
defeated and exiled. (The text goes on to mention the Jews'
exile and subsequent return to Jerusalem.)
Chap. 6: Achior is chastised for prophesying against the
Assyrian army in 6.2.
Chap. 8: Judith and her husband were of the same tribe
(endogamy).
In 8.11 ff., Judith chastises the rulers of Bethulia for testing
God and treating God like a person, to be won over with threats
or pleading. The people should not expect to "find out his mind
or comprehend his thoughts" (8.14). God will act when he
chooses, and all that the people can do is pray, knowing that "he
will hear our voice, if it pleases him" (8.17).
Again, there is no reference here to commandments or law,
although there are references to the temple and the altar in the
sanctuary.
Chap. 9: The time of Judith's prayer is defined as "the very
time when the evening incense was being offered in the house of
God in Jerusalem" (9.1).
Judith prays to the "Lord God of my ancestor Simeon," who avenged
the rape of Dinah (9.2).
She further prays, "You have done these things and those that
went before and those that followed. You have designed the
things that are now, and those that are to come. What you had in
mind has happened; the things you decided on presented themselves
and said, 'Here we are!'" (9.5).
Does "those [things] that went before and those that followed"
look like a narrative form (a summarization of sorts)?
What is the implication of "what you had in mind"? Is this an
informal phrase? Is it anthropomorphizing? Where else do we
find it?
In 9.11-12, Judith lists the attributes of God, but nowhere does
she mention God as lawgiver or commander of commandments.
In 9.13, the enemy is said to threaten "your covenant, . . . your
sacred house, and . . . Mount Zion." This is the only reference
to covenant in the text [double check this].
Chap. 11: The first mention of the law comes in 11.12, when
Judith speaks to Holofernes to trick him. The Jews, she says,
are about to sin in such a way that they will provoke God's
wrath. "Since their food supply is exhausted and their water has
almost given out," she tells him, "they have planned to kill
their livestock and have determined to use all that God by his
laws has forbidden them to eat."
She goes on to explain that they are planning to eat the first
fruits of grain and the tithes of wine and oil; they are only
waiting for permission from Jerusalem (where such practices are
already going on) before they commit these sins.
The first fruits and tithes are "things it is not lawful for any
of the people even to touch with their hands" (11.13).
What are the (many) assumptions at work here? Why might it be
narratively useful to treat them as assumptions rather than
decribing them explicitly? For what other reasons might they be
glossed over?
Judith tells Holofernes that she has left her village in order to
avoid these sins but that she must still go into the valley to
pray every night. God will tell her when the people have
committed their sins, and then she will tell Holofernes (who will
then be able to beat them in battle, since God will no longer be
on their side).
Judith presents herself as a prophet. "For this was told me to
give me fore-knowledge; it was announced to me, and I was sent to
tell you" (11.19).
Chap. 12: Judith bathes and then prays and then returns
"purified" to the Assyrian camp.
Chap. 14: In 14.10, the text states that "when Achior saw all
that the God of Israel had done, he believed firmly in God. So
he was circumcised, and joined the house of Israel, remaining so
to this day."
Chap. 16: Judith's song to God is evocative of the other songs
of triumph found in the HB/OT.
In 16.14, Judith sings of creation: "Let all your creatures
serve you, for you spoke, and they were made. You sent forth
your spirit, and it formed them; there is none that can resist
your voice." This is one of the more focused descriptions of God
in the text, and it comes in the song of celebration. How might
the genre of such songs lead to this lofty language (which is not
particularly common to the text otherwise)? Reference to
sacrifice is made in 16.16, "For every sacrifice as a fragrant
offering is a small thing, and the fat of all whole burnt
offerings to you is a very little thing; but whoever fears the
Lord is great forever."
After arriving in Jerusalem, "as soon as the people were
purified, they offered their burnt offerings, their freewill
offerings, and their gifts" (16.18). They celebrate their
victory for three months and then return home.
In 16.25, one finds the conventional Judges-type remark, "No one
ever again spread terror among the Israelites during the lifetime
of Judith, or for a long time after her death."
A BIG QUESTION:
In all of these incidents, there is an understanding of the law:
one must not eat (or even touch) the first fruits. Sacrifices
and the Jerusalem sanctuary are central to this text. And yet,
there is almost no explicit mention of law or commandments.
Are these things assumed? If so, in what way and with what form?
Why, when the text mentions Sinai, is there no explicit reference
to law or covenant or scripture? Are these things assumed? Are
they ignored?
OTHER QUESTIONS:
Why is this text set when and where it is set? How does its
setting in history relate to the narrative content and constructs
within it?
In what ways does this text look like Judges? There is sex and
violence and an unlikely hero(ine); there is lawlessness and
warfare.
On the other hand, what is the significance of the stress on
sacrifice and the Jerusalem sanctuary? On the mention of
appropriate times (the schedules of worship and sacrifice)? On
purity and purification?
Judith pays attention to things like appropriate mourning
practice, food restrictions, and prayer. What is the
significance of these practices to the Judaism of her time? What
about the fact that each of these practices has a major role in
the narrative (the shift from mourning garments to festive attire
make her beautiful; if she can't drink Holofernes' wine, he can't
get her drunk and take advantage of her; by establishing the
prayer schedule, she gives herself an escape route).
What references are made to other Jewish narratives? The Dinah
reference is the most obvious. The "song of triumph" is also
familiar.
Is there anything interesting to note in the geographic and
nationalistic references?
=====[Testaments.raw, by RAK]
Enoch and Written Authorities in Testaments of the 12 Patriarchs
[RAK for SBL 1993 Pseudepigrapha Symposium, Washington DC]
1. The textcritical (recension critical) problems:
The two most extensive "recensional" type differences are between
the text represented in Greek MS b (= deJonge "fam 1" and
included in Charles "beta" group) and that in Greek MSS chij
(near the end of de Jonge's "fam 2" stemma, basic to Charles
"alpha" text). This presentation focuses on an evaluation of b(k)
evidence, relative to glmdA, efaS, cn, hij.
[See comparative stemma charts by Charles and de Jonge]
2. The problem of the "story line":
Since this work (or anthology?) purports to be the words of each
aged patriarch to his children/successors (see the pattern in Gen
49, where Jacob addresses each of the patriarchs before he dies),
it assumes a situation prior to Moses and the development of what
has come to be Jewish scriptures. It talks a great deal about
"words/teachings" (logoi) and law (nomos) and
commandments (entolai), but seldom in relation to written
formats. When it does refer to written authority, it almost
always identifies such either with Enoch (usually "book" of) or
with the "tablets" (en placi, presumably understood to be
in the heavens, as some texts explicitly state). It also uses
"letter" (gramma) language on a few occasions to speak
about literacy and education, including the ability to "read"
(anagignoskein in most witnesses) the law of God (T.Levi
13.2 [om chij], in a poetic chapter that Kee thinks "intrusive"
OTP 1.792); see also T.Reuben 4.1 -- be occupied with learning
(en grammasi).
3. References to the (heavenly) "tablets":
T.Levi 5.4 [lacking in k's extracts] -- Levi's angelic guide
instructs him to avenge Dinah, whereupon Levi comments "and at
that time I dispatched (sunetelesa) the sons of Hemmor, as
it is written in the tablets [var g: deeds (pracesi)] of
the heavens [var: of the fathers chij, perhaps reflecting
confusion in reading abbreviated words]" -- the potentially
embarrassing story of Simeon and Levi deceitfully slaughtering
Hamor and his supporters is told in Gen 34.25ff.
T.Asher 2.10 [lacking in l; T.Asher 1-6 lacking in k's estracts]
-- at the conclusion of a lengthy discussion of good deeds done
in an evil context, where both types of action would thus be
judged evil, "for God also said this [var: explicitly hij] in the
tablets [var g: deeds (pracesi)] of the heavens [var: of
the commandments chij]" -- the immediate allusion is to the hare,
which is considered "unclean" for not having split hooves,
despite also having the "clean" feature of chewing its cud (see
Leviticus 11.6, Deut 14.7).
T.Asher 7.5 [lacking in m] -- Asher instructs his children,
including the expectation that "a man" will come from God to help
save the day, but Asher "reads [var eaf chij: knows] in the
tablets of the heavens [var g: in the deeds (pracesi) of
men; om i.t.t.o.t.h chij]" that they will be rebellious towards
him and will "not pay attention to the law of God, but to the
commandments of men." Note that the chij text is significantly
different in its reading "for I know that you will be
disobeyingly disobedient to him..." (no reference to the
tablets).
cf T.Zebulon 9.5 -- among warnings about not becoming divided, "I
recognize (egnwn) in the scripture (grafhi) of my
fathers that in the last days you will depart from the Lord..." -
- I suspect that this is another of the Enoch or tablets of
heavens passages, judging from the formulaic language and the
textual variations present in similar contexts.
cf T.Judah 20.3f -- in a context discussing the two spirits vying
in humans, "the things of truth and the things of waywardness are
written (gegraptai) on the breast (sthqos) of a
man, and the Lord knows each one of them; ... for in the breast
of his bone it is inscribed (eggegraptai) before the
Lord." There are some features here that might encourage the idea
that behind this text lies a reference to the tablets and/or the
book of Enoch.
4. References to book(s)/scripture of Enoch:
T.Simeon 5.4 -- in the context of warnings about envy and sexual
promiscuity, "for I have seen (hewraka) in the writing
(en xarakthri) of the scripture (grafhs [var chij
grafidi]) of Enoch that your sons with you [om w.y. chij]
will be corrupted by fornication and will deal unjustly with Levi
by a sword."
T.Levi 10.5 -- Levi's descendants will be so wicked that
Jerusalem cannot bear them, the temple veil will be rent, and
they will be disgracefully scattered; "for the dwelling
(oikos) which the Lord will select shall be called
Jerusalem [var dm: Israel; var d: holy; om s.b.c.J. f], as the
book of Enoch the righteous contains (periexei)." It
appears that the anachronism of "Jerusalem" (and also the temple
and its veil!) being mentioned at such an early time, and
probably also the potential difficulty of abbreviated words, have
produced some confusion in the transmission of this passage. The
problem is addressed by referring vaguely to a prediction (see
also T.Levi 15.1, T.Judah 23.5, T.Benjamin 9).
T.Levi 14.1 -- after the poem of T.Levi 13 (see above) on
observing God's law and acquiring wisdom, "and now, [var
therefore chij: + my m e chij] children, I know (egnwn)
from a [var e: the] scripture (apo grafes) of Enoch
[f.a.s.o.E. om chij] [var k: + the righteous] that at the end
(epi telei, or similarly) [var chij: + of the ages] you
will act impiously against the Lord ...." It is interesting to
note that Milik identifies one of the 4Q Aramaic scraps with this
context, and finds in it an explicit reference to Enoch after a
passage about the moon and heavenly lights (see T.Levi 14.3f).
T.Levi 16.1f -- after reference to the destruction of the temple
and subsequent captivity in the previous chapter, "and now I know
(egnwn [var d: I read (anegnwn)]) in a [var d: the]
book of Enoch [i.a.b.o.E. om chij] that you will wander (or go
astray) for seventy weeks ... and you will set the law aside and
nullify the words of the prophets ... you will abominate the
words of the true witnesses (alhqinwn)."
T.Judah 18.1 -- after warning about the dangers of money and
beautiful women, and reference to the kingly centrality of Judah,
"for even so I read (anegnwn [var eaf: I know
(egnwn); var chij: I know (egnwka)] in books [var
gld: a book] of Enoch the righteous [i.b.o.E.t.r. om chij] how
many bad things you will do in the last days" -- specifically
porneia and love of money.
T.Zebulon 3.4 -- in an unusual explanation of the actions
surrounding the sale of Joseph into slavery, the focus is placed
on the purchase of shoes with the money that was received by the
brothers, symbolizing distain for Joseph's lording it over them;
"wherefore in a scripture of a law [of a law om d] of Enoch [var
chij: Moses] it is written that the one who does not desire to
raise up seed to his brother shall have his shoe pulled off and
be spit upon in the face" (see Deut 25.5-10). But since Joseph's
brothers did not want him to live, the Lord removed them as
"Joseph's shoe" and when they went to Egypt Joseph had their
shoes removed before the gate, where they did reverence to Joseph
as Pharoah's representative -- and they were spit upon!
T.Dan 5.6 -- in a ringing condemnation of the expected evils of
Dan's descendants, including acting like the gentiles and
consorting with loose women, "I read (anegnwn) in a book
of Enoch the righteous [var chij: + and I know/find] that your
leader is the Satan ...." The textual evidence suggests that the
text behind chij, as is normal for that text type (see above),
did not refer to the book of Enoch here ("and I know" is the
epected text of chij, here preserved as a doublet).
T.Naphthali 4.1 -- after warnings not to alter nature's way
(God's way) like the idolatrous gentiles or the Sodomites,
reference is made to the fall of the watchers, whom God cursed at
the flood and on whose account God ordered the earth to be
uninhabited by dwellers or produce. "I say these things [var deaf
chij: + to you], my children, because I read (anegnwn [var
eaf chij: I know (egnwn)] in a [var c: the] holy [ldeaf
chij om] scripture of Enoch that even you yourselves will be
estranged from the Lord, proceeding according to every wickedness
of the gentiles, and you will do every lawless deed of Sodom [var
d: demons]." The idea that the watchers were, in part, seduced by
deceitful women, and influenced the birth of giants by appearing
as apparitions while the women were having intercourse with their
husbands, appears in T.Reuben 5, but without any explicit
reference to Enoch traditions.
cf T.Naphthali 5.8 -- The patriarch has a dream about Levi and
Judah being elevated by grasping the sun and moon, but Joseph
seizes the bull with eagle's wings and ascends on high. "And I
saw (eidon) that I was ... [confused text], and behold a
holy scripture (grafh hagia) appeared to us [var m: me]
saying" that various nations would share the captivity of Israel.
Whether and to what extent this "scripture" is to be associated
with either the heavenly tablets or the book(s) of Enoch is no
longer clear, but the passage is suggestive of such a background.
T.Benjamin 9.1 -- in the context of warnings against sexual
misconduct, "I perceive (uponow) [var c+: I tell you] that
deeds shall be among you that are not good [t.d.s.b.a.y.t.a.n.g.
om c+], [var l: + now I also read (anegnwn); var d: + for
I know (egnwn)] from [var d: + the book of] the words [var
c: oracles] of Enoch the righteous. For you will engage in the
porneia of Sodom ...." The same textual features as appear
in several other Enoch passages are present in some witnesses
here, suggesting that similar developments lie behind the
preserved texts.
5. Chart of Significant Textual Relations/Features
MS b and most others (de Jonge) || MS c hij (Charles)
T.Sim 5.4 hewraka...grafhs E. || hewraka...grafidi E.
T.Lev 5.4 en tais placi twn ouranwn |: en placi twn paterwn
10.5 periexei biblos E. tou dikaiou || p. h b.E.t.d.
14.1 egnwn apo grafhs E. |- egnwn
16.1 egnwn en bibliw E. |- egw egnwka
T.Jud 18.1 anegnwn en biblois E. tou d. |- egnwka
T.Zeb 3.4 en grafh nomou E. gegraptai |: e.g.n. Mwusews g.
T.Dan 5.6 anegnwn en biblw E. tou d. |+ + kai egnwn (heuron)
T.Naf 4.1 anegnwn en grafh hagia E. || egnwn en th g. E.
T.Ash 2.10 en tais placi twn ouranwn eipen|: e.t.p.t. entwlwn e.
7.5 anegnwn en tais placi twn o. |- egnwn
T.Ben 9.1 huponow apo logwn E. tou d. || legw a.logiwn E.t.d.
6. Conclusions
Clearly there is a battle over the presence or absence of
explicit references to Enoch, and also to the heavenly tablets,
in the background of the preserved texts of the Testaments.
Manuscript c and its allies (hij) are the most obvious "anti
Enoch" witnesses, and the same group avoids identifying the
tablets as "heavenly." Why this should be can only be
conjectured. It seems less likely that the Enoch references are
additions to an earlier text that made little or no reference to
Enoch, than the opposite. Factors that could contribute to the
demise of Enoch include the failure to find appropriately
corresponding passages in the preserved Enoch literature, and the
hesitation to use "scripture" language in connection with Enoch.
Perhaps a general distancing from certain forms of apocalyptic
traditions also played a role (as, e.g. with the formerly
"heavenly" tablets?), although much apocalyptic influence remains
in all full texts of the Testaments.
Appendix
egnwn and anegnwn and related passages
T.Levi 13.2 ... that they might read [var e d: know] the law ...
14.1 I know from [om chij] ... that (above)
T.Judah 18.1 I read [var eaf chij: knew] in ... (see above)
T.Zeb 9.5 I knew in the scripture of my fathers that...
T.Dan 5.6 For I read in ... [var chij: + and knew] (see above)
T.Napht 4.1 For I read [var eaf chij: knew] in ... (see above)
T.Asher 7.5 For I read [var eaf chij: knew] in ... (see above)
Reub 6.8 Levi knows Lord's [var: God's chij] law
Sim 2.13 I know concerning Joseph
2.14 I know that (refers to sinfulness/porneia)
3.4 I know that (regarding redemption from sin)
4.3 I know that (I suffer and am freed)
Levi 4.1 Now you know [var: ginwske g chij] that Lord judges
13.3 For everyone who knows God's law is rewarded ...
17.8 For those who do these things know
Judah 10.3 He [Er] had not known her [Tamar] [see chij !]
10.4 He also [Onan], in a wicked act, knew her not
11.4 But knowing [var chij: epignous] what he did
12.10 I thought that noone would know that...
Iss 1.15 And Jacob knew Leiah [var d: in that night !]
7.1 And I do not know on me a sin...
7.2 I knew no other [om chij]
Zeb 1.4 I knew not, my child [om m.c. gldmeaf chi(?)j] that
Naph 2.5 ... which knew not the Lord.
3.4 ... my children, know [see vars] in the firmament ...
Gad 5.6 These things I knew last, after ...
8.2 For I know that ...
Jos 3.9 And knowing this I was grieving ...
6.6 Now, then, know that ...
7.7 And I knew not that ...
10.5 My brothers know how ...
15.2 Behold we knew that ...
17.4 They knew that ...
Benj 9.5 Now I knew which ...
10.2 You know, then, my children, that ...
=====[Jubilees.raw, David Sandmel]
From: David Sandmel
Subject: hbot-Jubilees
Jubilees contains numerous references to writing and books. Some of
these, when examined as a group, point toward a consciousness of a certain
understanding of scripture which can only be determined generally from
hints in the text.
Wintermute states that the most important source which the author used in
writing his account was the biblical text. Though this is accurate
quantitatively, it suggests a judgment about what is "biblical material"
that the text does not support. Since the author relied on extra-biblical
material [e.g. Enoch] which is not differentiated from the biblical
material in any way, it may be reasonable to assume that the author viewed
these materials as part of the accepted bibliography [canon?] of sacred
texts. Furthermore, the relationship between Jubilees and the
biblical/extra-biblical is very close [considering that I was using an
English translation of the Ethiopic translation of the Greek translation
of the Hebrew]; it seems to me that at certain points the author is
consciously using and reworking text [rather than just traditions].
The bulk of the specific references to writing and books in Jubilees
either argue for the divine and Mosaic origin of Jubilees [9 citations,
see below] or with the "heavenly tablets" [24 citations]. The "heavenly
tablets" appear to be a celestial record which contains [at least] the
text of Jubilees. It is worth considering whether, as suggested by some
citation, other "knowledge' or "works" [Torah?] are contained in them as
well. Are the heavenly tablets the celestial original of all literature
considered sacred/revealed by the author?
There is also a selection of texts which seem to be referring to another
document/s ["first law" "books of my forefathers"], as well as what seem
to be direct citations - some of them from TaNaK. These are the most
obvious indicators of a specific script ural consciousness.
There is one citation concerning an ancient text which led people to sin.
Is this a reference to heretical writings?
There is a section in which the origin of writing is described, and two
which stress the importance of the Hebrew language.
Finally, there are two citations mentioning written material and Noah.
One is a document apparently outlining the boundaries of his sons' lands.
The second is a revealed book of healing arts.
DIVINE ORIGIN OF JUBILEES
1:4b-5 And he said, "Set your mind on every thing which I shall tell you
on this mountain and WRITE IT IN A BOOK so that their descendants might
see that I have not abandoned them on account of all the evil which they
have done to instigate transgressio n of the covenant which I and
establishing between me and you today on Mount Sinai for their
descendants.
1:7-8 And you, WRITE FOR YOURSELF ALL OF THESE WORDS which I shall cause
you to know today, for I know their rebelliousness and their stubbornness
before I cause them to enter the land which I swore to their fathers,
Abraham, Isaac and Jacob . . . AND THIS TESTIMONY WILL BE HEARD AS
TESTIMONY AGAINST THEM . . .
1:26 AND YOU WRITE DOWN FOR YOURSELF ALL OF THE MATTER WHICH I SHALL MAKE
KNOWN TO YOU ON THIS MOUNTAIN: what (was) in the beginning and what (will
be ) at the end, what will happen in the division of the days which are in
the Law and testimony an t hroughout their weeks of years according tot he
jubilees forever, until I shall descend and dwell with them in the ages of
eternity.
1:27 And he said to the angel of the presence, "Write for Moses from the
first creation until my sanctuary is built in their midst forever and
ever.
1:29 And the angel of the presence, who went before the camp of Israel,
took THE TABLETS of the division of years from the time of the creation of
THE LAW AND TESTIMONY according to their weeks (of years), according to
the jubilees . . .
2:1 And the angel of the presence spoke to Moses by the word of the Lord,
saying, "WRITE THE WHOLE ACCOUNT OF CREATION, that in six days . . .
23:32 [after lengthy poem[ And you Moses, WRITE THESE WORDS BECAUSE
THUS IT IS WRITTEN AND SET UPON HEAVENLY TABLETS as a testimony for
all generations.
33:18 And you, Moses, WRITE FOR ISRAEL, AND LET THEM KEEP THIS.
50:13 . . . according to the commands of the sabbaths of the land JUST AS
IT WAS WRITTEN IN THE TABLETS WHICH HE PLACED IN MY HANDS SO THAT I MIGHT
WRITE FOR YOU THE LAW of each time and according to each division of its
days.
Heavenly Tablets
1:29 And the angel of the presence, who went before the camp of Israel,
took THE TABLETS of the division of years from the time of the creation of
THE LAW AND TESTIMONY according to their weeks (of years), according to
the jubilees . . .
2:33 This LAW AND TESTIMONY was given to the children of Israel as an
eternal law for their generation. [probably refers to the sabbath, but
may refer to the tablets?]
3:10 And therefore THE COMMAND WAS WRITTEN IN THE HEAVENLY TABLETS for one
who bears . . . 3:31 Therefore it is commanded in the HEAVENLY TABLETS to
all who know the judgment of the LAW that they should cover their shame
and they should not be uncovered as gentiles are uncovered.
4:5 And therefore IT IS WRITTEN IN THE HEAVENLY TABLETS
4:32 Therefore it is ordained in the HEAVENLY TABLETS . . .
5:12 And the judgment of all of them has been ORDAINED AND WRITTEN IN THE
HEAVENLY TABLETS without injustice
6:17 Therefore, IT IS ORDAINED AND WRITTEN IN THE HEAVENLY TABLETS that
they should observe the feast of Shebuot in this month
6:23 . . . appointed time . . . They are WRITTEN AND INSCRIBED for an
eternal witness. . . AND THEY SET THEM UPON THE HEAVENLY TABLETS . . .
THUS IT IS ENGRAVED AND ORDAINED ON THE HEAVENLY TABLETS, and there is no
transgressing in a single year, from year to year.
6:35 For I know and henceforth I shall make you know, but not from my own
heart, BECAUSE THE BOOK IS WRITTEN BEFORE ME AND IS ORDAINED IN THE
HEAVENLY TABLETS of the division of the days -- lest they forget the
feasts . . .
16:3 And we told her {Sarah} the name of her son Isaac -- just as was
ORDAINED AND WRITTEN IN THE HEAVENLY TABLETS . . .
16:9 And his [Lot's] daughters also committed sins . . . And behold it is
commanded and it is ENGRAVED concerning all of his seed in the HEAVENLY
TABLETS . . .
16:28 And we eternally blessed him [Abraham] and his seed who are after
him in every generation of the earth because he observed this feast in its
(appointed) time ACCORDING TO THE TESTIMONY OF THE HEAVENLY TABLETS.
Therefore it is ORDAINED IN THE H EAVENLY TABLETS concerning Israel that
they will be observers of the feast of booths . . .
18:19 And thus is ORDAINED IN AND WRITTEN IN THE HEAVENLY TABLETS
concerning Israel and his seed to observe this festival with festal joy.
19:9 . . . because he was found faithful and he was RECORDED AS A FRIEND
OF THE LORD'S IN THE HEAVENLY TABLETS
23:32 [after lengthy poem[ And you Moses, WRITE THESE WORDS BECAUSE THIS
IT IS WRITTEN AND SET UPON HEAVENLY TABLETS as a testimony for all
generations.
24:33 [after poem] and thus IT IS WRITTEN AND ENGRAVED CONCERNING HIM IN
THE HEAVENLY TABLETS to be done to him in the day of judgment so that they
might be uprooted from earth.
28:6 [regarding Rachel and Leah] And it is not right to do this because
thus it is ORDAINED AND WRITTEN IN THE HEAVENLY TABLETS that no one should
give his younger daughter before the elder. . . And they will WRITE IT
DOWN AS SIN IN HEAVEN concerning the man who acts thus.
30:5 [regarding Dinah] And therefore let nothing like this be done
henceforth to defile a daughter of Israel BECAUSE THE JUDGMENT WAS ORDERED
IN HEAVEN against them that they might annihilate with a sword all of the
men of Shechem . . .
30:18-20 And the seed of Levi was chosen for the priesthood . . . And thus
a blessing and righteousness WILL BE WRITTEN (ON HIGH) AS A TESTIMONY FOR
HIM IN THE HEAVENLY TABLETS BEFORE THE GOD OF ALL. . . And (it) will be
WRITTEN (ON HIGH) and it will com e to him and his descendants after him.
And he will be WRITTEN DOWN AS A FRIEND AND A RIGHTEOUS ONE IN THE
HEAVENLY TABLETS.
30:21 And of all these WORDS I HAVE WRITTEN FOR YOU, and I have commanded
you . . . that they [Israel] might do it and BE WRITTEN DOWN AS FRIENDS.
But if they transgress . . . the will be RECORDED IN THE HEAVENLY TABLETS
AS ENEMIES. And they will be blotted out of the BOOK OF LIFE AND WRITTEN
IN THE BOOK OF THOSE WHO WILL BE DESTROYED . . . And on the day that the
children of Jacob killed Shechem HE WROTE (ON HIGH) FOR THEM A BOOK IN
HEAVEN that they did righteousness and uprightness and vengeance a gainst
the sinners and it was WRITTEN DOWN FOR A BLESSING.
31:32 And thus it is ordained concerning the two of them [Judas and Levi],
and it has been WRITTEN (ON HIGH) FOR THEM AS AN ETERNAL TESTIMONY IN THE
HEAVENLY TABLETS, just as Isaac blessed them.
32:10 AND THEREFORE IT IS DECREED IN THE HEAVENLY TABLETS as a law to
tithe . . . This ORDINANCE IS WRITTEN to observe it year after year . . .
because it is so ORDERED AND ENGRAVED ON THE HEAVENLY TABLETS concerning
the tithe.
32:20 [Jacob's vision] . . . and behold an angel was descending from
heaven and there were SEVEN TABLETS IN HIS HANDS. And he gave them to
Jacob, and he read them, and he knew EVERYTHING WHICH WAS WRITTEN IN THEM
which would happen to him and to his sons during the ages. And Jacob
said, "O Lord, how will I remember everything that I read and saw?" And he
said to him, "I will cause you to remember everything." And he went up
from him and he woke up from his sleep and he recalled everything that
he had read and seen and HE WROTE DOWN ALL OF THE MATTERS WHICH HE HAD
READ AND SEEN.
33:10 Therefore IT IS WRITTEN AND ORDERED IN THE HEAVENLY TABLETS that a
man should not lie . . .AND AGAIN IT IS WRITTEN A SECOND TIME . . .
36:10 And he will be wiped out from the BOOK OF THE DISCIPLINE of mankind,
and HE WILL NOT BE WRITTEN (ON HIGH) IN THE BOOK OF LIFE FOR (HE IS
WRITTEN) IN THE ONE WHICH WILL BE DESTROYED . . .
CITATION/TORAH
2:5 On the third day he did AS HE SAID to the waters, "Let them pass from
the surface of the whole earth into one place, and let the dry land
appear."
[Wintermute suggests that "and he said" is a citation
formula common at Qumran. The text here differs from both Heb. and
Gk., but may help explain an Nag Hamadi text.]
2:24 And he SAID TO US [this is followed by a short speech with several
Biblical references. Is it meant as a direct quote?]
2:25 Therefore he COMMANDED CONCERNING IT: [followed by biblical material]
3:14 This is the LAW AND TESTIMONY WHICH WAS WRITTEN for Israel so that
they might keep it.
4:30 . . . for a thousand years are like one day in the testimony of
heaven and therefore IT WAS WRITTEN CONCERNING THE TREE OF KNOWLEDGE, "In
the day you eat from it, you will die."
5:17 And for the children of Israel IT HAS BEEN WRITTEN AND ORDAINED, "If
they return to him in righteousness, he will forgive all of their sins and
he will pardon all of their transgressions." IT IS WRITTEN AND ORDAINED,
"He will have mercy on all who return from their error, once each year."
5:18 And the Lord said: [is this a quote?]
6:12 THIS TESTIMONY IS WRITTEN CONCERNING YOU that you might keep it
always lest you ever eat . . .
6:21 The feast os twofold and of two natures. Just as it is WRITTEN AND
ENGRAVED CONCERNING IT, observe it. THIS IS BECAUSE I HAVE WRITTEN IT IN
THE BOOK OF THE FIRST LAW, WHICH I WROTE FOR YOU . . .
21:10 BECAUSE THUS I HAVE FOUND THE WORDS WRITTEN IN THE BOOKS OF MY
FOREFATHERS AND IN THE WORDS OF ENOCH AND IN THE WORDS OF NOAH.
30:12 Therefore I have WRITTEN FOR YOU IN THE WORDS OF THE LAW all of the
deeds of the Shechemites which they did against Dinah and how the sons of
Jacob spoke saying, "We will not give our daughter to a man who is
uncircumcised because that is a reproach to us."
30:17 Therefore I command you saying, "Proclaim this testimony to Israel:
'See how it was for the Shechemites and their sons, how they were given
into the hand of the two children of Jacob and they killed them painfully.
And it was a righteousness for then and IT WAS WRITTEN DOWN FOR THEM FOR
RIGHTEOUSNESS.
49:17 And all the men who come on its day will eat in the sanctuary of
your God before the Lord whoever is twenty years or older, because THUS IT
IS WRITTEN AND DECREED that they shall eat it in the sanctuary of the
Lord.
WRITING
4:17-23 [Enoch] This one was THE FIRST WHO LEARNED WRITING and knowledge
and wisdom, from (among) the sons of men, from (among) those who were born
upon earth. AND WHO WROTE IN A BOOK THE SIGNS OF THE HEAVEN according to
the order of their months, so that the sons of man might know the
(appointed) times of the years . . . This one was the first (who) WROTE A
TESTIMONY and testified to the children of men throughout the generations
of the earth. . . He saw and knew everything and WROTE HIS TESTIMONY AND
DEPOSITED HIS TESTIMONY UPON THE EARTH against all the children of men and
their generation. And they showed him everything and HE WROTE EVERYTHING
AND BORE WITNESS TO THE WATCHERS . . . And he was taken from among the
children of men . . . And behold, he is there WRITING CONDEMNATION AND
JUDGMENT OF THE WORLD . . .
USE OF HEBREW
12:25-27 And the Lord God said to me [=?, concerning Abraham],
"Open his mouth and his ears so that he might hear and speak with
his mouth in the language which is revealed because it ceased from
the mouth of all of the sons of men from the day of the Fall." And
I opened his mouth and his ears and his lips and I began to speak
with him in Hebrew, in the tongue of creation. And he took his
fathers' books -- and they were written in Hebrew -- and he copied
them. And he began studying them thereafter. And I caused him to
know everything which he was unable (to understand) . . .
43:15 And Joseph conversed with them in the Hebrew language
50:6 And behold the commandments of the Sabbath I HAVE WRITTEN FOR YOU . .
.
HERETICAL TEXTS
8:2-4 [Cainan] And he went forth in order that he might seek a place where
he could build a city. And he found a WRITING which the ancestors
ENGRAVED on stone. And he read what was in it. And he TRANSCRIBED it.
And he sinned because of what was in it, since there was in it the
teaching of the Watchers by which they used to observe the omens of the
sun and moon and stars within the signs of heaven. And he COPIED it down,
but he did not tell about it because he feared to tell Noah about it lest
he be angry with him.
TWO PIECES OF WRITING ASSOCIATED WITH NOAH
8:11 [Noah divides up the land] And they stretched out their hands and
took the DOCUMENT from the bosom of Noah their father. [which seems to
contain the boundaries of the lands of Shem etc which had been divided by
lot]
10:13 And Noah WROTE everything in a book just as we taught him according
to every kind of healing. And the evil spirits were restrained from
following the sons of Noah. And he gave EVERYTHING WHICH HE WROTE to
Shem, his oldest son, because he loved him much more than all of his
sons.
=====[Enoch.raw]
Texts in Apocrypha and Pseudepigrapha Regarding "Canon" Issues
(for HBOT project study)
1 Enoch 1-36
12.4 Enoch addressed as "scribe of righteousness"
[so also 15.1]
14.1 This is the book of the words of righteousness & judgment
19.3 Enoch sees things noone else will see
33.3-4 Uriel and Enoch both write astrological information
1 Enoch 37-71
37.1 "Book Two" (var).
39.2 Enoch received books of anger and confusion (judgment?)
59.1-2 Enoch saw and heard the secrets of lightning, etc.
60.1 Noah section
68.1 Noah refers to secrets of the book of Enoch
[Some confusion of participants/traditions near the end]
1 Enoch 72-82
72.1 "(Book) Three" (var); the book of the ... luminaries....
(Uriel showed author "all the books"...)
80.2 - 81.end is a largely "ethical" section, not astrological
81.1 Enoch, look at the tablet(s) of heaven, read, understand
81.6 teach another law and write it down for your descendants
82.1 writes things down for Methuselah in "the book" to be passed
on to futhere generations [it is not clear whether this refers
only to the astronomical information, or to the "law/commands"]
1 Enoch 83-90
83.1 "(Book) Four" -- visions told to Methuselah
89.28ff giving of Torah does not mention writing
(but see 89.29 the Lord sent IT to them =? Law ?)
89.68ff book of judging (during exile)
89.76f someone writing a book elevates it, warns, leaves
1 Enoch 91 (testament)
1 Enoch 92-105 (warnings, woes, rewards)
92.1 "(Book) five" (var) written by Enoch, who writes all signs
of wisdom for all generations
93.1f Enoch is speaking from the books, learned from the angels
and from the heavenly tablets
98.8 unjust deeds are written down, for day of judgment
98.15 woe to those who write lies and folly
103.2 speaker has read the heavenly tablets and seen the holy
writings and understood them
104.1 names of righteous written for the great one
104.7 similarly the sins of sinners
104.9ff warning not to alter the words of truth, writing false
books; "scriptures" will be given to the righteous and wise
1 Enoch 106-107 (on birth of Noah)
106.19 ref to secrets of the heavenly tablets (sin, judgment)
107.1 the writing on the tablets
1 Enoch 108
108.1 another book of Enoch, for Methuselah and descendants
108.3 book of life (judgment) and books of the holy one(s)
108.7 books available for angels to consult in heaven
108.10 books of blessings of righteous
2 Enoch
1.1(A not J) secret book(s) of Enoch somehow connected to this book
22.12 [=AOT 10.1] heavenly books dictated to Enoch by Vrteil
33.1-12(A) mentions books written by the Lord, and by Adam, Seth,
and Enoch (J adds Enosh, Kainan, Maleleil and Arad)
36.1(J)=2(A) Enoch writes everything down for posterity
47.1-2(J A) Enoch hands down the books in his handwriting, which
contain things that came from the lips of the Lord
48.6-8(J A) Enoch's children are to pass the books down
50.1(J A) Enoch records everyone's acts
53.2(J A) Enoch writes down everyone's works
54.1(J A) Enoch's children are not to hide the books, but to make
them available to all who wish -- they speak of the Lord's works
68.1-2(J; lacking in A) Enoch writes 366 books in heaven in 60
days, hands them over to his sons
===[raw Life of Adam & Eve, with appendix; rak]
Clearly Christian as we have it, focuses on issues of
righteousness, law/commands, pain, satan, etc.
29.6 historical review, Torah aware
29.10 "his law" as a criterion (hortatory & predictive section,
with evidence of Christian transmission)
50 make tablet records on stone, clay (see Sparks p. 161 n1(2) on
variants).
===[raw First and Second Maccabees; Sigrid Peterson]
1 Maccabees:
Chapter 1
Antiochus Epiphanes, 175-164 b.c.e. - author of 1 Macc
establishes his authority.
vv 1-55 Rule is by letter/decree, enforced by army as well.
Seeks to make all of his people one; profanes temple, forbids
circumcision. Soldiers enforce. (56) The books of the law that
they found they tore to pieces and burned with fire. Anyone
found possessing the book of the covenant, or anyone who adhered
to the law, was condemned to death by decree of the king.
(60)According to the decree, they put to death the women who had
their children circumcised, (61) and their families and those who
circumcised them; and they hung the infants from their mothers'
necks. (63) They chose to die rather than to be defiled by food
or to profane the holy covenant; and they did die.
Chapter 2
2(1) Mattathias of Modein has seven sons. When ordered to offer
sacrifices at Modein according to the command of the king, said
(20) I and my sons and my brothers will continue to live by the
covenant of our ancestors. (21) Far be it from us to desert the
law and the ordinances. 2.23-26 Another Jew comes forward "to
offer sacrifice on the altar in Modein", Mattathias runs forward
and kills him at the altar. "(26) Thus he burned with zeal for
the law, just as Phinehas did against Zimri son of Salu." [and
Kozbi bat Tsur] [Apparent reference to Numbers 25.6-15] 2.27-38
Mattathias gathers "everyone who is zealous for the law and
supports the covenant". M and sons flee to the hills, and those
"who were seeking righteousness and justice" went "down to the
hiding places in the wilderness" to live, men, sons, wives, and
the cows, too. Pursuit by many (troops) who attack on the
Sabbath, (36) "But they did not answer them or hurl a stone at
them or block up their hiding places," because it was the
Sabbath. 2.39-41 JM et al learn of the incident and mourn, (40)
And all said to their neighbors: `If we all do as our kindred
have done and refuse to fight with the Gentiles for our lives and
for our ordinances, they will quickly destroy us from the earth.'
(41)So they made this decision that day: "Let us fight against
anyone who comes to attack us on the sabbath day; let us not all
die as our kindred died in their hiding places.'"
They are joined by Hasideans, go around enforcing laws.
(48) "They rescued the law out of the hands of the Gentiles
and kings"
2.49-50 Mattathias is dying; a "testimony" for his sons,
concluding "(50) Now, my children, show zeal for the law, and
give your lives for the covenant of our ancestors."
2.51-60 Resembles "Let us now praise famous men" section of
Sirach which starts with Enoch at 44:16.
2.61-64 Testimony continues: (64)"My children, be courageous and
grow strong in the law, for by it you will gain honor."
2.65-68 (67) You shall rally around you all who observe the
law, and avenge the wrong done to your people. (68) Pay back the
Gentiles in full, and obey the commands of the law."
3.1-9 Judas Maccabeus takes command in the place of M. Hymned, in 3-9.
"(5) He searched out and pursued those who broke the law;
he burned those who troubled his people.
(6) Lawbreakers shrank back for fear of him;"
3.10-26 Military successes of Judas Maccabeus, who tells his soldiers,
(21) "We fight for our lives and our laws."
3.27-47 Antiochus departs to Persia to raise money to suppress
Maccabees, leaves Lysias in charge. Misfortunes increase as
Antiochus's forces gather. Those led by Judas gather at Mizpah
and fast in sackcloth and ashes, rending their clothes. "
(48) And they opened the book of the law to inquire into
those matters about which the Gentiles consulted the likeness of
their gods." --Context is worship service, plea to God to
restore Temple.
3.55 Judas appoints (military) leaders [in accord with
Deuteronomy/Devarim 20.1; Exodus/Shemot 18.25].
3.56 "Those who were building houses, or were about to be
married, or were planting a vineyard, or were fainthearted, he
told to go home again, according to the law."
4.6-11 At sight of trained, well-equipped soldiers of Gorgias,
(8) But Judas said to those who were with him, "Do not fear their
numbers or be afraid when they charge. (9)Remember how our
ancestors were saved at the Red Sea, when Pharaoh with his forces
pursued them. [Shemot/Exodus 14.21-29] 10) And now, let us cry to
Heaven, to see whether he will favor us and remember his covenant
with our ancestors and crush this army before us tody. (11) Then
all the Gentiles will know that there is one who redeems and
saves Israel."
4.12-23 The battle is joined, it is won, and the enemy camp is
plundered.
4.24-25 (24) "On their return they sang hymns and praises to
Heaven--`For he is good, for his mercy endures forever.'" [Psalm
118.1; 136.1; Sirach, Hebrew following 51.12] Israel is
delivered.
4.26-29 Next year Lysias brings more troops to Beth-Zur, met by
Judas M.
4.30-33 Judas sees their strength, prays (30)"Blessed are you, O
Savior of Israel, who crushed the attack of the mighty warrior
[Goliath/Golyat] by the hand of your servant David, and gave the
camp of the Philistines into the hands of Jonathan son of Saul,
and of the man who carried his armor," etc.
4.41 Judas needs to send soldiers to fight at the citadel, which
overlooks the Temple, while he (his band) cleanses the Temple.
(42) He chose blameless priests devoted to the law, (43) and
they cleansed the sanctuary and removed the defiled stones to an
unclean place. (44) They deliberated what to do about the altar
of burnt offering, which had been profaned. (45)And they thought
it best to tear it down, so that it would not be a lasting shame
to them that the Gentiles had defiled it.
So they tore down the altar, (46) and stored the stones in a
convenient place on the temple hill until a prophet should come
to tell what to do with them. (47)Then they took unhewn stones,
as the law directs, [Exodus/Shemot 20.25; Devarim/Deuteronomy
27.5-6] and built a new altar like the former one.
4.48-59 Rebuilding, consecrating, making new "holy vessels",
restoring the lampstand, incense altar, and table (of shewbread).
Lighting the lampstand. Eight-day festival of rededication is
celebrated, on the anniversary of the profanation of the Temple.
The disgrace inflicted by the Gentiles is removed. Judas and his
brothers and the Knesset (Synagogue[?] or Assembly) determine to
make it an annual celebration. [cf. Megillat Taanit]
5.1-68 Judas's military campaigns.
6.1-47 Death (and repentance?) of Antiochus IV, complications of
succession. 6.48-54 King A V Eupator establishes base at Beth
Zur, abandoned by its inhabitants, (49)"because they had no
provisions there...since it was a sabbatical year for the land."
Then he beseiges the Jews at the sanctuary,
(53) But they had no food in storage, because it was the seventh
year; hence the Jews scatter to their homes, because of the
famine.
6.55-59 Lysias also must withdraw from the siege, to contend
with Philip who is trying to take the reins of government. He
suggests a retreat to the king, and
(59) "Let us agree to let them live by their laws as they did
before; for it was on account of their laws that we abolished
that they became angry and did all these things."
6.60-63 Peace is made, then broken.
7.1-16 In 161 bce, King Demetrius, son of Seleucus, comes from
Rome, sends a force to Jerusalem under the command of Bacchides,
with "peaceable but treacherous words." Scribes and Hasideans
ask Alcimus, high priest appointed by Demetrius, for terms. Sixty
of them are seized and killed:
"in accordance with the word that was written, (17)"The flesh of
your faithful ones and their blood they poured out all around
Jerusalem,' and there was no one to bury them." [Ps. 79.2-3]
7.18-50 Bacchides installs Alcimus as high priest, Judas takes
the countryside and prevents people in the city from leaving.
Alcimus tells the king who sends Nicanor. Battle. Judas cuts off
Nicanor's head on 13th of Adar (cf. Esther). Declares a holiday.
8.1-16 An account of Rome and the Republic reaches Judas.
8.17-22 Jason sends Eupolemus and Jason to establish an alliance
with Rome. They speak in the senate; the senators reply on bronze
tablets--quoted:
9.1-19 At the news that Nicanor is dead, Demetrius sends back
Bacchides and Alcimus to Judah, with an army. Judas M. dies in
battle.
9. 19-22 His brothers Jonathan and Simon bury him "in the tomb
of their ancestors at Modein," all Israel mourns, and says
(21) "How is the mighty fallen,
the savior of Israel!" [2 Sam 1]
(22) Now the rest of the acts of Judas, and his wars and the
brave deeds that he did, and his greatness, have not been
recorded, but they were very many.
9.23-73 Jonathan and Simon campaign against Alcimus and
Bacchides, eventually a formal peace is established.
Chapters 10 and 11
Alexander Epiphanes, son of Antiochus, year 152 b.c.e., lands,
occupies Ptolemais, begins to reign, opposed by King Demetrius
who courts Jonathan who is appointed high priest by Alexander.
Confusion of battles and successions. Eventually Jonathan dies at
the hands of citizens of Ptolemais.
13.1-6 Simon takes command; gathers the people in Jerusalem,
saying (v.3) "You yourselves know what great things my brothers
and I and the house of my father have done for the laws and the
sanctuary....I will avenge my nation and the sanctuary and your
wives and children, for all the nations have gathered together
out of hatred to destroy us."
13.7-11 Simon becomes leader by acclamation of the people, who
say "Fight our battles and all that you say to us we will do."
[Exod. 19.8; 24.3; 24.7; Deut. 5.27; Josh 1.16; Jer 42.20.]
14. 4-15 A contemporary hymn in honor of Simon; quotes or
alludes to I Kings; Zechariah; Micah. For example,
12. All the people sat under their own vines and fig trees,
and there was none to make
them afraid....
14. He gave help to all the humble
among the people
he sought out the law,
and did away with all the renegades and outlaws.
14.16-23 The Spartans hear of the victory and send Simon another
letter:
(18) they wrote to him on bronze tablets to renew with him the
friendship and alliance that they had established with his
brothers Judas and Jonathan. (19) And these were read before the
assembly in Jerusalem.
14.25-27 The people, in order to thank Simon and his sons, "(27)
made a record on bronze tablets and put it on pillars on Mount
Zion.
This is a copy of what they wrote:
(28)...in the great assembly of the priests and the people and
the rulers of the nation and the elders of the country, the
following was proclaimed to us: <> (48) And they gave orders to inscribe this
decree on bronze tablets, to put them up in a conspicuous place
in the precincts of the sanctuary, (49) and to deposit copies of
them in the treasury, so that Simon and his sons might have them.
15.1-41 New political problems and consequent military campaigns.
16.1-22 Simon passes the torch to his two sons Judas and John.
John's campaign. Treachery of Ptolemy son of Abubus. John
survives.
16.23-24
The rest of the acts of John and his wars and the brave deeds
that he did, and the building of the walls that he completed, and
his achievements, are written in the annals of his high
priesthood, from the time that he became high priest after his
father.
2 Maccabees
Chapter 1:
Letter from Jews in Jerusalem to their kindred Jews in Egypt
(18) "in order that you also may celebrate the festival of
booths and the festival of the fire given when Nehemiah, who
built the temple and the altar, offered sacrifices." The legend
which follows, of fire stored as thick liquid which when spread
on wood in the sun kindles into a blaze which consumed the
sacrifice, is not found in the book we have that is called
Nehemiah.
Chapter 2:
(1) "One finds in the records that the prophet Jeremiah ordered
those who were being deported to take some of the fire, as has
been mentioned, (2) and that the prophet, after giving them
the law, instructed those who were being deported not to
forget the commandments of the Lord, or to be led astray in their
thoughts on seeing the gold and silver statues ... (3) And with
other similar words he exhorted them that the law should not
depart from their hearts.
(4) It was also in the same document that the prophet, having
received an oracle, ordered that the tent and the ark should
follow with him, and that he went out to the mountain where Moses
had gone up and had seen the inheritance of God. [quote of
Deuteronomy/Devarim 1, and allusion to Deut 34, of course.]
Jeremiah came and found a cave-dwelling, and he brought there the
tent and the ark and the altar of incense; then he sealed up the
entrance. Some of those who followed him came up intending to
mark the way, but could not find it."
(7) Jeremiah - the place shall remain unknown until God reveals
it
(9) Solomon dedicating Temple No. 1--fire from heaven--also,
eight days.
(13) "The same things are reported in the records and in the
memoirs of Nehemiah, and also that he founded a library and
collected the books about the kings and prophets, and the
writings of David, and letters of kings about votive offerings.
(14) In the same way Judas also collected all the books that had
been lost on account of the war that had come upon us, and they
are in our possession. (15) So if you have need of them, send
people to get them for you."
(16) we're about to celebrate the purification and so are
writing to you so you can join us.
(19) begins the story of Judas Maccabeus and his brothers, and
the purification of the Temple, and the liberation of the city,
and the re-establishment of the laws--
(23) "all this, which has been set forth by Jason of Cyrene in
five volumes, we shall attempt to condense into a single
book....it is no light matter....(30)It is the duty of the
original historian to occupy the ground, to discuss matters from
every side, and to take trouble with details, (31) but the one
who recasts the narrative should be allowed to strive for brevity
of expression and to forego exhaustive treatment...."
Chapter 3.
(1) holy city at peace, piously observant, because of high
priest Onias [later an exile in Egypt], its peace disturbed by
Apollonius of Tarsus, who seeks treasure hidden [actually on
deposit] in the Temple.
(15) Women and others do the sackcloth and ashes thing,
mourning, `stretching out their hands to heaven' - that these
deposits should be kept safe and secure.
Chapter 4
A succession of high priests after Onias.
Chapter 5
Antiochus (IV Epiphanes) invades Egypt, to the accompaniment of
heavenly apparitions seen for almost forty days [northern
lights?]. Antiochus thinks Judea is in revolt and reacts with
massacres of eighty thousand. Dares to enter the Temple, with
high priest Menelaus's connivance, and desecrates it. Troops
parade on the Sabbath, Judas Maccabeus "gets away," heads for the
hills with about nine others.
Chapter 6
An Athenian senator sent to the Temples in Jerusalem and Gerizim
to "compel the Jews to forsake the laws of their ancestors and no
longer to live by the laws of God" and to profane and rename the
two temples. Example of two women who had had their babies
circumcised, being paraded through Jerusalem and hurled from the
walls.
(11) "Others who had assembled in the caves nearby, in order to
observe the seventh day secretly, were betrayed to Philip and
were all burned together, because their piety kept them from
defending themselves, in view of their regard for that most holy
day."
12-17--a pious view that these punishments a timely reminder
from God, so that Israel will mend its ways.
18-end--story of Eleazar, "God is help", in his 90th year,
refuses to eat swine flesh and is tortured on the rack (23)"But
making a high resolve, worthy of his years and the dignity of his
old age and the gray hairs that he had reached with distinction
and his excellent life even from childhood, and moreover
according to the holy God-given law, he declared himself
quickly, telling them to send him to Hades." Lest theGreeks
pretend that he has complied, he takes himself to the rack and
dies.
Chapter 7
Seven brothers and their mother (story also told in 4 Maccabees,
a Greek tale from Asia Minor). Test is eating of swine's flesh;
all in turn refuse and die horribly. (20) "The mother was
especially admirable and worthy of honorable memory. Although she
saw her seven sons perish within a single day, she bore it with
good courage because of her hope in the Lord. (23) She encouraged
each of them in the language of their ancestors. Filled with a
noble spirit, she reinforced her woman's reasoning with a man's
courage, and said to them, (22)`I do not know how you came into
being in my womb. It was not I who gave you life and breath, nor
I who set in order the elements within each of you. [Allusion to
Psalm 136?] (23)Therefore the Creator of the world, who shaped
the beginning of humankind and devised the origin of all things,
will in his mercy give life and breath back to you again, since
you now forget yourselves for the sake of his laws.'"
Also, she mentions creatio ex nihilo -- v. 29.
Her audience is her last son; Antiochus is enraged and kills
them both.
Chapter 8
Story of Judas Maccabeus, raising his guerrilla army. (22) "He
appointed his brothers also, Simon and Joseph and Jonathan, each
to command a division....(23) Besides, he appointed Eleazar
[another brother] to read aloud from the holy book, and gave the
watchword, "The help of God"; then...joined battle with Nicanor."
Later, (26) "It was the day before the sabbath, and for that
reason they did not continue their pursuit [of Nicanor's force]."
27-29 recount their pious conduct as warriors
Chapter 9
Antiochus has dysentery, falls out of his chariot and rots on a
litter. He writes to the Jews naming son Antiochus as his
successor, then dies.
Chapter 10
Maccabeus recovers the temple and the city, tears down the
altars. The purification of the Temple on the 25th of Chislev,
for eight days, like the festival of booths. (7) "Therefore,
carrying ivy-wreathed wands and beautiful branches and also
fronds of palm, they offered hymns of thanksgiving to him who had
given success to the purifying of his own holy place. (8)They
decreed by public edict, ratified by vote, that the whole nation
of the Jews should observe these days every year."
Antiochus Epiphanes is dead; now the tale is about Antiochus
Eupator. In a battle with Timothy (25) "...Maccabeus and his men
sprinkled dust on their heads and girded their loins with
sackcloth, in supplication to God. (26) Falling upon the steps
before the altar, they implored him to be gracious to them and to
be an enemy to their enemies and an adversary to their
adversaries, as the law declares. [Where?]
Chapter 11
Quotes letters. From Lysias. Another, from the King to Lysias.
(24) "We have heard that the Jews do not consent to our father's
change to Greek customs, but prefer their own way of living and
ask that their own customs be allowed them. (25) Accordingly, ...
our decision is that their temple be restored to them and that
they shall live according to the customs of their ancestors."
The king's letter to the nation is quoted, granting (30-31)
"full permission (31) for the Jews to enjoy their own food and
laws, just as formerly." The letter of the Romans quoted, agrees.
Chapter 12-15
The Jews went about their farming. Incidents at Joppa and
Jamnia.
//end//