Today I conclude materials in 1 Enoch of New Testament background interest that likely date to the period before the Maccabean crisis (167-64). Translations are once again taken with little modification from Nickelsburg and VanderKam.
The Astronomical Book (1 Enoch 72-82)
There is only one verse from the Astronomical Book that I wish to excerpt. It probably dates ca. 200BC or perhaps even earlier.
81:5
They (the holy ones) said to me, "Tell everything to your son Methuselah and show all your children that no human is righteous before the Lord, for he created them."
The Apocalypse of Weeks (1 Enoch 93:1-10; 91:11-17)
The Apocalypse of Weeks, with Daniel the only possible exception, is the oldest historical apocalypse that has survived from the ancient world. The great thing about such apocalypses is the ease with which they are dated. The historical "prophesy" goes amazingly accurately until you get to the time when the apocalypse was actually written. We can thus with great likelihood date this apocalypse to not long before the Maccabean crisis.
93:3-10; 91:11-17
And Enoch took up his discourse and said, "I was born the seventh in the first week, and until my time righteousness endured.
After me there will arise a second week, in which deceit and violence will spring up, and in it will be the first end, and in it a man will be saved. And after that, at its conclusion, inquity with increase, and a law will be made for sinners.
After this there will arise a third week, and at its conclusion a man will be chosen as the plant of righteous judgment, and after him will go forth the plant of righteousness forever and ever.
After this there will arise a fourth week, and at its conclusion, visions of the holy and righteous will be seen, and a covenant for all generations and a tabernacle will be made in it.
After this there will arise a fifth week and at its conclusion, the temple of the glorious kingdom will be built forever.
After this there will arise a sixth week, and all who live in it will become blind, and the hearts of all will stray from wisdom; and in it a man will ascend. And at its conclusion, the temple of the kingdom will be burned with fire, and in it the whole race of the chosen root will be dispersed.
After this, in the seventh week, there will arise a perverse generation, and many will be its deeds, and all its deeds will be perverse. And at its conclusion, the chosen will be chosen, as witnesses of righteousness from the everlasting plant of righteousness, to whom will be given sevenfold wisdom and knowledge. And they will uproot the foundations of violence, and the structure of deceit in it, to execute judgment.
After this there will arise an eighth week of righteousness, in which a sword will be given to all the righteous, to execute righteous judgment on all the wicked, and they will be delivered into their hands. And at its conclusion, they will acquire possessions in righteousness, and the temple of the kingdom of the Great One will be built in the greatness of its glory for all the generations of eternity.
After this there will arise a ninth week, in which righteous law will be revealed to all the sons of the whole earth, and all the deeds of wickedness will vanish from the whole earth and descend to the everlasting pit, and all humankind will look to the path of the everlasting righteousness.
After this, in the tenth week, the seventh part, will be the everlasting judgment, and it will be executed on the watchers of the eternal heaven, and a fixed time of the great judgment will be rendered among the holy ones. The first heaven will pass away in it, and a new heaven will appear, and all the powers of the heavens will shine forever with sevenfold brightness.
After this there will be many weeks without number forever, in which they will do piety and righteousness, and from then on sin will never again be mentioned.
Showing posts with label primary sources. Show all posts
Showing posts with label primary sources. Show all posts
Saturday, October 25, 2008
Thursday, October 23, 2008
Sources: The Book of Wisdom 12-14
These source excerpts all relate to a book proposal I was invited to make 11 months ago--Ouch! I figure I'm close to a sample for the proposal in a couple Saturdays of sources from the pre-Maccabean period (Apocalypse of Weeks, Ezekiel the Tragedian, Aristobulus, Demetrius, etc...).
Anyway, we were looking at the parallels between Wisdom 12-14 and Romans 1 today in Romans, so I thought I would excerpt important parts of those chapters here (translation is NRSV). As usual, I have put in bold things of particular interest to NT study.
__________
12:1-2
For your immortal spirit is in all things. Therefore, you correct little by little those who trespass, and you remind and warn them of the things through which they sin, so that they may be freed from wickedness and put their trust in you, O Lord...
12:12, 15, 18-19, 22-24
For who will say, "What have you done?" or will resist your judgment? ...
You are righteous and you rule all things righteously, deeming it alien to your power to condemn anyone who does not deserve to be punished...
Although you are sovereign in strength, you judge with mildness, and with great forbearance you govern us; for you have power to act whenever you choose. Through such works you have taught your people that the righteous must be kind, and you have filled your children with good hope, because you give repentance of sins...
So while chastening us you scourage our enemies ten thousand times more, so that, when we judge, we may meditate on your goodness, and when we are judged, we may expect mercy.
Therefore those who lived unrighteously, in a life of folly, you tormented through their own abominations. For they went far astray on the paths of error, accepting as gods those animals that even their enemies despised; they were deceived like foolish infants...
13:1-2, 8-10
For all people who were ignorant of God were foolish by nature; and they were unable from the good things that are seen to know the one who exists, nor did they recognize the artisan while paying heed to his works; but they supposed that either fire or wind or swift air, or the circle of the stars, or turbulent water, or the luminaries of heaven were the gods that rule the world...
Yet again, not even they are to be excused; for if they had the power to know so much that they could investigate the world, how did they fail to find sooner the Lord of these things?
But miserable, with their hopes set on dead things, are those who give the name "gods" to the works of human hands, gold and silver fashioned with skill, and likenesses of animals, or a useless stone, the work of an ancient hand...
14:12-14, 22-27
For the idea of making idols was the beginning of fornication, and the invention of them was the corruption of life; for they did not exist from the beginning, nor will they last forever. For through human vanity they entered the world, and therefore their speedy end has been planned...
Then it was not enough for them to err about the knowledge of God, but though living in great strife due to ignorance, they call such evils peace. For whether they kill children in their initiations, or celebrate secret mysteries, or hold frenzied revels with strange customs, they no longer keep either their lives or their marriages pure. But they either treacherously kill one another, or grieve one another by adultery, and all is a raging riot of blood and murder, theft and deceit, corruption, faithlessness, tumult, perjury, confusion over what is good, forgetfulness of favors, defiling of souls, sexual perversion, disorder in marriages, adultery, and debauchery.
For the worship of idols not to be named is the beginning and cause and end of every evil.
Anyway, we were looking at the parallels between Wisdom 12-14 and Romans 1 today in Romans, so I thought I would excerpt important parts of those chapters here (translation is NRSV). As usual, I have put in bold things of particular interest to NT study.
__________
12:1-2
For your immortal spirit is in all things. Therefore, you correct little by little those who trespass, and you remind and warn them of the things through which they sin, so that they may be freed from wickedness and put their trust in you, O Lord...
12:12, 15, 18-19, 22-24
For who will say, "What have you done?" or will resist your judgment? ...
You are righteous and you rule all things righteously, deeming it alien to your power to condemn anyone who does not deserve to be punished...
Although you are sovereign in strength, you judge with mildness, and with great forbearance you govern us; for you have power to act whenever you choose. Through such works you have taught your people that the righteous must be kind, and you have filled your children with good hope, because you give repentance of sins...
So while chastening us you scourage our enemies ten thousand times more, so that, when we judge, we may meditate on your goodness, and when we are judged, we may expect mercy.
Therefore those who lived unrighteously, in a life of folly, you tormented through their own abominations. For they went far astray on the paths of error, accepting as gods those animals that even their enemies despised; they were deceived like foolish infants...
13:1-2, 8-10
For all people who were ignorant of God were foolish by nature; and they were unable from the good things that are seen to know the one who exists, nor did they recognize the artisan while paying heed to his works; but they supposed that either fire or wind or swift air, or the circle of the stars, or turbulent water, or the luminaries of heaven were the gods that rule the world...
Yet again, not even they are to be excused; for if they had the power to know so much that they could investigate the world, how did they fail to find sooner the Lord of these things?
But miserable, with their hopes set on dead things, are those who give the name "gods" to the works of human hands, gold and silver fashioned with skill, and likenesses of animals, or a useless stone, the work of an ancient hand...
14:12-14, 22-27
For the idea of making idols was the beginning of fornication, and the invention of them was the corruption of life; for they did not exist from the beginning, nor will they last forever. For through human vanity they entered the world, and therefore their speedy end has been planned...
Then it was not enough for them to err about the knowledge of God, but though living in great strife due to ignorance, they call such evils peace. For whether they kill children in their initiations, or celebrate secret mysteries, or hold frenzied revels with strange customs, they no longer keep either their lives or their marriages pure. But they either treacherously kill one another, or grieve one another by adultery, and all is a raging riot of blood and murder, theft and deceit, corruption, faithlessness, tumult, perjury, confusion over what is good, forgetfulness of favors, defiling of souls, sexual perversion, disorder in marriages, adultery, and debauchery.
For the worship of idols not to be named is the beginning and cause and end of every evil.
Wednesday, October 22, 2008
Sources: The Songs for the Sabbath Sacrifice
I know it's not Saturday, but I was getting some material from the Dead Sea Scrolls ready for my Prison Epistles class. The "philosophy" at Colossae involves the "worship of angels." The question is whether such Jews are worshipping angels or are interested in angelic worship of God.
The Songs for the Sabbath Sacrifice from Qumran are usually considered relevant to this debate, for it provides evidence of a Jewish community that saw their Sabbath worship as parallel to the heavenly worship of God by the angels. Further, this Jewish tradition has some mystical elements, just as the Colossian philosophy involves visions of some sort.
So I reproduce here excerpts from Geza Vermes' The Complete Dead Sea Scrolls in English, which for more than one reason (including cost) I have found a good translation to use with undergraduate students in the intertestamental literature course I teach every other year.
I have only altered it very slightly. It it painful for me as a scholar to take the brackets out, but it is even more painful for students to leave them in! I have as usual put in bold points of particular relevance to New Testament study.
__________
To the Master. A song for the holocaust offering on the first Sabbath, on the fourth of the first month.
Praise the God of... the gods of supreme holiness (a reference to angels, methinks). Rejoice in his divine kingship, for he has established supreme holiness among the everlasting holy, the Holy of Holies, to be for him the priests of the inner temple in his royal sanctuary (in heaven), ministers of the Presence in his glorious innermost temple chamber.
In the congregation of all the gods of knowledge, and in the congregation of all the gods of God, he engraved his precepts for all the spiritual works, and his glorious judgments for all who lay the foundations of knowledge, the people endowed with his glorious understanding, the gods who are close to knowledge... of eternity and from the fountain of holiness to the sanctuary of supreme holiness... priests of the inner temple, ministers of the Presence of the most holy King...
For he founded them (the angels) for himself as the most holy, who minister in the (heavenly) holy of holies... Their expiations will obtain his goodwill for all those who repent from sin...
In all the highest heights they will sing marvelous psalms according to all their understanding, and the glorious splendor of the King of the gods they will recount on their stations... for what shall we be counted among them? How will our holiness compare with their supreme holiness? How does the offering of our tongue of dust compare with the knowledge of the divine beings... Let us extol the God of knowledge...
For the Master. A song of the holocaust offering on the seventh Sabbath on the sixteenth of the month.
Praise the most high God, O you high among all the gods of knowledge. Let the holy ones of the gods sanctify the King of glory, who sanctifies by his holiness all his holy ones.
O princes of the praises of all the gods, praise the God of majestic praises, for in the splendor of praises is the glory of his kingship...
By a discerning goodwill expressed by the words of his mouth, all the gods on high come into being, at the opening of his lips, all the eternal spirits, by his discerning goodwill, all his creatures in their undertakings...
Celebrate O all celebrating gods, the King of majesty, for all the gods of knowledge celebrate his glory, and all the spirits of righteousness celebrate his truth, and seek acceptance of their knowledge by the judgments of his mouth...
And the chief dwelling on high, the glory of his kingdom, the innermost sanctuary... and he consecrates the seven elevated holy places... And the chariots of his innermost sanctuary will utter praises together and their cherubim and wheels will bless wonderfully the chiefs of the godly figure and will bless him in the holy innermost sanctuary....
For the Master. A song for the holocaust offering on the twelfth sabbath on the twenty-first of the month.
Praise the God of wonder... , and exalt him... of glory in the tent of the God of knowledge. The cherubim prostrate themselves before him and bless. As they rise, a whispered divine voice is heard, and there is a roar of praise... The cherubim bless the image of the throne-chariot above the firmament, and they praise the majesty of the luminous firmament beneath the seat of glory.
When the wheels advance, angels of holiness come and go. From between his glorious wheels, there is at it were a fiery vision of most holy spirits... The spirits of the living gods move perpetually with the glory of the marvelous chariots.
The Songs for the Sabbath Sacrifice from Qumran are usually considered relevant to this debate, for it provides evidence of a Jewish community that saw their Sabbath worship as parallel to the heavenly worship of God by the angels. Further, this Jewish tradition has some mystical elements, just as the Colossian philosophy involves visions of some sort.
So I reproduce here excerpts from Geza Vermes' The Complete Dead Sea Scrolls in English, which for more than one reason (including cost) I have found a good translation to use with undergraduate students in the intertestamental literature course I teach every other year.
I have only altered it very slightly. It it painful for me as a scholar to take the brackets out, but it is even more painful for students to leave them in! I have as usual put in bold points of particular relevance to New Testament study.
__________
To the Master. A song for the holocaust offering on the first Sabbath, on the fourth of the first month.
Praise the God of... the gods of supreme holiness (a reference to angels, methinks). Rejoice in his divine kingship, for he has established supreme holiness among the everlasting holy, the Holy of Holies, to be for him the priests of the inner temple in his royal sanctuary (in heaven), ministers of the Presence in his glorious innermost temple chamber.
In the congregation of all the gods of knowledge, and in the congregation of all the gods of God, he engraved his precepts for all the spiritual works, and his glorious judgments for all who lay the foundations of knowledge, the people endowed with his glorious understanding, the gods who are close to knowledge... of eternity and from the fountain of holiness to the sanctuary of supreme holiness... priests of the inner temple, ministers of the Presence of the most holy King...
For he founded them (the angels) for himself as the most holy, who minister in the (heavenly) holy of holies... Their expiations will obtain his goodwill for all those who repent from sin...
In all the highest heights they will sing marvelous psalms according to all their understanding, and the glorious splendor of the King of the gods they will recount on their stations... for what shall we be counted among them? How will our holiness compare with their supreme holiness? How does the offering of our tongue of dust compare with the knowledge of the divine beings... Let us extol the God of knowledge...
For the Master. A song of the holocaust offering on the seventh Sabbath on the sixteenth of the month.
Praise the most high God, O you high among all the gods of knowledge. Let the holy ones of the gods sanctify the King of glory, who sanctifies by his holiness all his holy ones.
O princes of the praises of all the gods, praise the God of majestic praises, for in the splendor of praises is the glory of his kingship...
By a discerning goodwill expressed by the words of his mouth, all the gods on high come into being, at the opening of his lips, all the eternal spirits, by his discerning goodwill, all his creatures in their undertakings...
Celebrate O all celebrating gods, the King of majesty, for all the gods of knowledge celebrate his glory, and all the spirits of righteousness celebrate his truth, and seek acceptance of their knowledge by the judgments of his mouth...
And the chief dwelling on high, the glory of his kingdom, the innermost sanctuary... and he consecrates the seven elevated holy places... And the chariots of his innermost sanctuary will utter praises together and their cherubim and wheels will bless wonderfully the chiefs of the godly figure and will bless him in the holy innermost sanctuary....
For the Master. A song for the holocaust offering on the twelfth sabbath on the twenty-first of the month.
Praise the God of wonder... , and exalt him... of glory in the tent of the God of knowledge. The cherubim prostrate themselves before him and bless. As they rise, a whispered divine voice is heard, and there is a roar of praise... The cherubim bless the image of the throne-chariot above the firmament, and they praise the majesty of the luminous firmament beneath the seat of glory.
When the wheels advance, angels of holiness come and go. From between his glorious wheels, there is at it were a fiery vision of most holy spirits... The spirits of the living gods move perpetually with the glory of the marvelous chariots.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
