[Draft:
April 8/2013]
(This
is a different question than 'Was Jesus a Failed Messiah?')
Hi Glen(sic) Miller,
I recently discovered your excellent site when I was looking
up arguments to go against an atheist with, and I was and am
impressed with the high level of research and time that you
put into each of the hard questions you tackle. So when I
came across a blog post on a forum that really bothered me,
I felt that you may do the best job of refuting it.
My apologetics question is basically, "Was Jesus a Failed
Eschatological Prophet?" This is not just asking about a few
verses, but about the purpose of Jesus' ministry and its
"apparent" unfulfillment. Numerous references by Jesus (and
other New Testament writers) to a nearing of the end times
have always bothered me in the back of my mind, but this
blog post (which I will copy in its entirety here) really
shakes my faith. It basically tries to show that
the thrust of Jesus' message was that His end-times
kingdom was coming very soon, and all his followers like
Paul and John believed this. Then when this
didn't come true, the church distanced itself from the
end times, such as in the last Gospel, John, where its
message focuses more on eternal life than the apocalypse.
I had originally came across this post in a forum because I
was bothered with Jesus' statement in Matthew 26:64 that the
high priest would see Jesus coming in the clouds of heaven.
Yet this post I found was much broader in its attacks on
Jesus and the New Testament message.
By the way, I did search your topics list to see if you
addressed this issue, and your article to a Finland reader (https://Christianthinktank.com/qaim.html)
was very helpful. I do not ask that you repeat your responses
from that article, but only I wish that you would answer some
of the other arguments mentioned in the blog post that has
been bothering me, which is below (I apologize for the length
of this post -- but I'm truly troubled by it):
PART
NINE (A) ==================== (see Part One for series header and
TOC)
This takes the question
discussed in Part
7 and Part 8: "Is
there a clear pattern of successive watering down of
Jesus' prediction of the Eschaton AFTER the NT documents?"
and extends that
question into the non-canonical and (often) non-orthodox or
less-orthodox post-NT literature.
So, the revised version of
the question here is:
Do the NT
apocrypha seem to continue this 'backpedaling' on a failed
prediction of Jesus?
Of course, by now the reader
has seen that there IS no 'backpedaling' or watering-down of
the apocalyptic language or eschatological hope of the Jesus
of the Synoptic gospels to be 'continued'. Instead, we have
seen all three eschatological frameworks (realized
eschatology, futurist/apocalyptic eschatology, and inaugurated
eschatology) present throughout the NT literature and Church
fathers.
These have shown up in all
strata, all genres, and all authors. They have shown up in
direct teachings, as grounding bases for ethical injunctions,
and as causes for praise, hope, celebration, and endurance.
.....................................................................................
...................................
Okay, now to move on to the Apocryphal writings...
Let's start with repeating
the summary by Daley in HOEC, in which Christian apocrypha are
considered within the context of pre-Christian Jewish
apocalyptic traditions:
"Early biblical apocrypha. Although it is usually difficult to specify the
original home of the many apocryphal gospels, apocalypses, and
pseudo-apostolic letters and narratives composed
by Christian groups in the second century, most
of them represent a style of symbolic, dramatic theological
thinking that belongs to the world of Jewish apocalyptic.
Their pseudepigraphic identification with central figures of
the Old or New Testament, the urgent, moralizing tone of their
exhortations, the cosmic judgment and salvation they usually
announce, and their sense of rapidly approaching doom for
Greco-Roman civilization all link them in spirit and literary
technique with the Jewish apocalyptic literature of the
period. Like Jewish apocalyptic works, these Christian
writings reflect not only the hopes of biblical faith, but the
sense of frustration and insecurity shared by a people living
without political or religious freedom, a people for whom
persecution was always a real possibility. In some cases, in
fact (e.g., IV
Ezra, the
Ascension of Isaiah or the first five books of
the Sibylline
Oracles),
originally Jewish works have been rewritten to convey a
Christian message. Some of these Christian
apocrypha may be the work of marginal, syncretisticaliy Jewish
Christian communities such as the so-called "Ebionites," but even
apocalyptic works of unambiguously Christian origin
represent, in the second century, what we have
referred to as "Judaeo-Christian" features.
"The
most
important early Christian apocrypha for
our understanding of Judaeo-Christian eschatology are the
following: The Apocalypse
of Peter (Apoc
Pet), probably composed about 135 in Syria but
well known also in Egypt during the second century - a work
especially notable for its detailed and graphic description of
the kinds of eternal punishment reserved for sinners; the Ascension
of Isaiah (Asc
Is), a work probably of Syrian origin from the
mid second century, incorporating an older Jewish account of
the martyrdom of the prophet Isaiah into an apocalyptic
Christian account of the origin, death and second coming of
Jesus; the Epistula Apostolorum
(Ep
Ap), a "letter" purportedly from all twelve
apostles addressed to the universal Church, reporting a long
revelatory discourse of the risen Lord on Easter night - a
work that seems to have been composed in a Jewish Christian
community in Asia Minor about 160; and the so-called Fifth and Sixth Books
of Ezra, chapters 1-2 and 15-16 of the
Latin translation of the Jewish apocryphon IV
Ezra, which seem to have been written in Asia
Minor or Syria at the end of the second or the beginning of
the third century, and which portray in remarkable detail the
future rewards of the just (V
Ezra 2) and the tribulations that will
accompany the end of the world (VI Ezra). To
these works - some of which may include material from older
Hebrew or Aramaic apocalypses - must be added books VII and
VIII of the Sibylline
Oracles (Or
Sib): Christian, probably Alexandrian,
compositions in Greek hexameters from the latter half of the
second century - as well as the Christian interpolations in
book II, which may come from the mid third century. Though not
biblical apocrypha in the strict sense, the Christian
Sibylline poems make wide use of biblical and apocalyptic
themes and continue the style of cosmic Wisdom-theology found
in the earlier, purely Jewish sections of the same collection.
"Although
these
works differ widely in the details of their eschatological
hope, the
picture of impending deliverance and retribution that
they paint is fairly consistent in its broad outlines.
--
"In
all
of these documents, then, the dramatic
sense of crisis and the powerfully imaginative
expectation of a wholly
new order of space and time, a world of justice
and judgment and powerfully restored relationships between God
and creation, bear
close resemblance to the Jewish apocalyptic literature
current since the Book of Daniel. The
distinctive
element is the role of the glorified Christ
as executor of the judgment of God and divinely sent inaugurator of the new age.
Though the imaginative tools of the authors of these works
were known from a sectarian tradition within Jewish religious
thought, the grounds of their hope were decidedly Christian,
and grew out of the gospel kerygma of Jesus' resurrection and
Lordship. [HI:HOEC, 7-8,9]
Daley's summary points out
the continuity of the early Christian apocrypha with
pre-Christian Jewish apocalyptic hopes. But his comments also
show that the apocryphal literature as a whole is not
very 'eschatological' at all. By this I mean
that out of the 99+
non-Gnostic works listed by Evans (in Noncanonical
Writings and New Testament Interpretation,
chapter 8; and in [NT:ATNTS, chapter 8]), Daley
has only mentioned five or so texts (not all
classified as 'apocalyptic texts' btw) as being 'most
important'.
With this in mind, let's look
at the texts that are considered in this category.
We have two basic reference
works to work with, both collections of NT Apocrypha. We have
the two-volume collection by Schneemelcher [NTA] and the
collection in Elliott's The
Apocryphal New Testament [TANT], based on M.R.
James' earlier collection.
We will need to take a couple
of different approaches to this investigation.
Our first/main
approach here is to check the indices of the
works for references to the main
(alleged) timing passages in MR/MT:
·
Mark 13:30 (this generation shall not pass...)
·
Matt 10.23 (you will not have gone through the
towns... until the Son of Man comes)
·
Matt 24.14 (end will not come until the gospel is
preached to the whole world)
·
Matt 24.34 (this generation shall not pass...)
·
Matt 26.64 (from now on you will see the Son of
Man seated...and coming on clouds...)
Any 're-interpretation' of
the timing elements would (presumably?) have to at least
allude to these texts. [Of course, the 'return' could be
re-interpreted itself (as in Gnosticism) without reference to
these texts, but we will examine this later]
Ok, what NT apocryphal texts
reference the timing passages?
Mark 13:30ff is (only) seen in the Ethiopic Apoc
Peter. Here's the passage (from [NTA]):
1. And when he was seated on
the Mount of Olives, his own came unto him, and
we entreated and implored him severally and besought him,
saying unto him,' Make known unto us what are the signs of thy Parousia and of
the end of the world,
that we may perceive and mark the time
of thy Parousia and instruct those who come after us, to whom
we preach the word of thy Gospel and whom we install in thy
Church, in order that they, when they hear it, may take heed
to themselves that they mark the time of thy coming.' And our
Lord answered and said unto us, 'Take heed that men deceive you
not and that ye do not become doubters and
serve other gods. Many will come
in my name saying "I am Christ." Believe
them not and draw not near unto them' For the coming of the Son of God
will not be manifest, but like the lightning which shineth
from the east to the west so shall I come on the clouds of heaven with a great
host in my glory; with my
cross going before my face will I come in my glory,
shining seven times as bright as the sun will I come in my glory, with all
my saints, my angels, when
my
Father will place a crown upon my head, that I may judge the living and the dead
and recompense
every man according to his work.
2. And ye, receive ye the parable of the
fig-tree thereon: as soon as its shoots have
gone forth and its
boughs have sprouted, the
end of the world will come.' And I, Peter,
answered and said unto him, 'Explain to me concerning the
fig-tree, and how we shall perceive it, for throughout all
its days does the fig-tree sprout and every year it brings
forth its fruit [and] for its master. What (then) meaneth
the parable of the fig-tree? We know it not.' - And the
Master answered and said unto me, 'Dost thou not understand
that the fig-tree is the house of Israel? Even as a man hath planted a fig-tree in his
garden and it brought forth no fruit, and he
sought its fruit for many
years. When he found it not, he said to
the keeper of his garden, "Uproot the fig-tree that
our land may not
be unfruitful for us." And
the
gardener said to
God, "We thy servants (?) wish to clear it (of weeds) and to
dig the
ground around it and to water it. If it does not then bear fruit,
we will immediately remove its roots
from the garden and plant another one in its place." Hast
thou not grasped that the fig-tree is the house of Israel?
Verily, I say to you, when its boughs have sprouted at
the end, then shall
deceiving Christs come, and awaken hope
(with the words): "l
am the Christ, who am (now) come
into the world." And when they shall see the wickedness of his (the false
Messiah's) deeds, they shall turn away after them and deny
him to whom our fathers gave praise (?), who crucified the
first Christ and thereby sinned exceedingly. But this
deceiver is not the Christ. And
when they reject him, he will kill with the sword
(dagger) and there shall be many martyrs. Then shall
the boughs of the fig-tree, i.e. the house of Israel,
sprout, and there shall be many
martyrs by his hand: they shall be killed and become
martyrs. Enoch and Elias will be sent to instruct them that
this is the deceiver who
must come into the world and do signs and wonders in
order to deceive. And therefore
shall they that are slain by his hand be martyrs and shall
be reckoned among the good and righteous martyrs who have
pleased God in their life.'
This is a fascinating passage
and one that has a quasi-timing prediction. But--contrary to
the hypothesis--the
timing is connected with the rejection of the Anti-Messiah
and not with the 'Jesus generation'. The timing
prediction makes no mention of 'this
generation shall not pass' or any of the OTHER
passages commonly alleged to be timing-predictions! The end of
the world occurs after Israel has 'sprouted'--not when they
reject the true Messiah. As such it still portrays the
eschaton as 'in the future' (without a real heavy emphasis on
'imminence' btw).
It is dated in the first half
of the 2nd century, around the time of the 2nd
Jewish war / Bar Kokhba revolt.
Thus, its timing prediction
(which is NOT based on the 'this generation shall not pass'
passage!) does not constitute evidence that something is being
're-interpreted'.
Matthew 10.23 (you will not have gone through the towns...
until the Son of Man comes) does not show up in the indices of
either collection.
Matt 24.14 (end will not come until the gospel is preached
to the whole world) does not show up in the indices of either
collection.
Matthew 24.34 (this generation shall not pass...)--a parallel
to the Marcan passage above--does not show up either.
Matt 26.64 (from now on you will see the Son of Man
seated...and coming on clouds...) shows up in a couple of
places, but only in reference to 'the clouds' image--there is
no timing element associated with it.
We saw the "cloud'' image in
the Apoc
Peter passage (above) and the 'sitting at the
right hand of the Father' shows up in numerous places (eg. Epistle
of the Apostles). The Apoc
Peter also refers to the 'seeing' aspect in 5
and 6, but places the 'seeing' after
the dissolution of the creation:
'And
as
soon as the whole creation dissolves,
the men who are in the east shall flee to the west, (and those
who are in the west) to the east; those in the south shall
flee to the north, and those who are in the north to the
south. And in all places shall the wrath of a fearful fire
overtake them; and an unquenchable flame driving them shall
bring them to the judgement of wrath, to the stream of
unquenchable fire which flows, flaming with fire, and when the
waves thereof part themselves one from another, burning, there
shall be a great gnashing of teeth among the children of men.
6.
'Then
shall they all behold me coming upon an eternal cloud of
brightness; and the angels of God who are with me shall
sit upon the throne of my glory at the right hand of my
heavenly Father; and he shall set a
crown upon my head. And when the nations behold it, they shall
weep, every nation for itself. 'Then shall he command them to
enter into the river of fire while the works of every one of
them shall stand before them. (Rewards shall be given) to
every man according to his deeds. As for the elect who have
done good, they shall come to me and not see death by the
devouring fire. But the unrighteous, the sinners, and the
hypocrites shall stand in the depths of darkness that shall
not pass away, and their chastisement is the fire, and angels
bring forward their sins and prepare for them a place wherein
they shall be punished for ever, every one according to his
transgression."(Elliott)
This, of course, still places
the event in the future and does not give any signs of
embarrassment or ''adjusting the expectations''.
Approach
two: We
will look at the works ‘most likely to have timing
re-interpretations’ in them—the apocalyptic
works/passages.
[The NT apocrypha, of course,
contains many different genres—infancy gospels, Acts of XYZ,
epistles—but the apocalyptic genre (and passages) will have
the highest ‘density’ of eschatological language, and
therefore the greatest relevance for us.]
The last third of Volume Two
of [NTA] deals with apocalypses and 'related subjects'. It
contains the following entries:
·
Apocalyptic in Early Christianity
o The Ascension of Isaiah
o Apocalypse of Peter (Ethiopic, discussed above)
·
Apocalyptic Prophecy in the Early Church
o The Fifth and Six Books of Esra
o Christian Sibyllines
o The Book of Elchasai
·
Later Apocalypses
o The Coptic Gnostic Apocalypse of Paul [will
discuss under “Gnosticism”]
o The Coptic Gnostic Apocalypse of Peter [will
discuss under “Gnosticim”]
o Apocalypse of Paul
o Apocalypse of Thomas
This list is close to that of
Daley (above), so let's look through these works.
One: Apocalypse: The Ascension
of Isaiah. [from Knight, J. (1995). The
Ascension of Isaiah. Guides to Apocrypha and
Pseudepigrapha. Sheffield, England: Sheffield
Academic Press.]
"The
Ascension
of Isaiah is a second-century apocalypse which reacts to the
threat of Roman oppression and expresses concern that the
experience of visionary contact with heaven was declining in
early Christian communities. The
author boldly expresses his hope for the Beloved One’s
return from heaven; but he also constructs a
theory about what Jesus achieved on the cross which suggests
that the need was felt to create a more detailed soteriology
than is found in the New Testament literature." (p7).
"The
Ascension
of Isaiah falls into two halves. Chapters 1–5 contain a
Christian eschatological prophecy of the last things
(3.13–4.22) set within a narrative context which describes the
prophet Isaiah’s death (1.1–3.12, 5.1–16). The
hope for the parousia, or return of Christ from heaven
(4.14–18), and criticism of both the church
leaders (3.21–31) and the Roman administration (4.1–13), are
important features of this section." (p10)
The
Ascension
of Isaiah offers an insight into this period but its evidence
has often been neglected. The text has much in common with the
New Testament writings, some of which its author apparently
knew, and it represents a development of their ideas. An
important area in which this is so is eschatology. The
Ascension of Isaiah preserves the hope that the
returning Christ would reign on earth (4.14–18) which is
found in 1 Cor. 15:24–25 and Rev. 20:4 and is often
called the ‘millenarian’ hope; but the
apocalypse adds to this the Second Vision which offers a more
theoretical or systematic account of what the Beloved One had
already achieved." (p12)
The
First
Vision represents a response to the difficulties described in
this way. The author’s historical review culminates in the hope that the Beloved’s
expected return from heaven would inaugurate his reign
on earth. The returning Beloved One
was expected to drag Beliar and his hosts to Gehenna (4.14)
and provide ‘rest’ for those who had shown themselves faithful
under conflict (4.15). Even the departed would ‘descend from
heaven with the Lord’ (4.16) so that death was not a barrier
to participation in the kingdom. Following
an unspecified period on earth all the faithful would
ascend to a glorious heavenly immortality
(4.17). This would be followed by a judgment in which the
Beloved ‘rebuked’ everything that had supported Beliar’s
tyranny (4.18)." (p18)
The
First
Vision embodies the hope for an imminent divine intervention through
which the existing order would be transformed.
Its eschatology has a
strong future orientation. The author’s
interest in this section lies in contrasting the state of the
present with the new situation which he expected to emerge at
the parousia. The Ascension of Isaiah embodies a
‘millenarian’ hope, by which is meant that its author
expected the returning Christ to establish an earthly
kingdom from which Beliar and his
hosts would be excluded and where the pious would enjoy a form
of life that they had not experienced before. This kingdom
would not be an end in itself but it was to be the prelude to
a heavenly immortality when the human body would be shaken off
to yield an incorporeal life in the heavenly world (4.17).
Such millenarianism had been a prominent feature of earlier
Christian eschatology (see Bietenhard 1953). The author of the
Ascension of Isaiah confidently
asserts that what had been promised in the past but not
fulfilled would now shortly come to completion (4.14–18).
His hope for the Beloved’s earthly kingdom formed one of the
ways in which this author encouraged his readers." (p44)
4.12
sets
a precise limit on Beliar’s reign. The
author states that he would rule for ‘three years, seven
months and twenty-seven days’, that is the 1335 days of
Dan. 12:12 reckoned according to the Julian calendar. The
author of the Ascension of Isaiah evidently knew the book
of Daniel and used it extensively because
Daniel had described a similar situation of conflict with an
occupying power that involved what were regarded as
inappropriate religious demands. 4.13 is a difficult verse to
interpret. Some have taken it as an indication that a few of
the original eyewitnesses of Jesus were still alive. This
conclusion must be qualified through observing that the focus
of the verse is not so much on the survival of the original
generation as on the assertion that few would be left as the
Beloved’s servants in view of the apostasy anticipated by 4.9.
These faithful ones would ‘flee from desert to desert’ as they
awaited the millenarian kingdom (4.13). The statement that
they were ‘few’ recalls the description of Isaiah’s wilderness
community in 2:7–11 and the reference to ‘one here and there
in different places’ (3:27). It also recalls the Old Testament
idea of the faithful remnant in Israel (see e.g. Isa. 37:32)
and it shows the author’s view that the prophets alone
remained faithful at the time. While the desert might be seen
as a place of safety (1 Kgs 17:2; 1 Macc. 2:28–30; Rev. 12:6,
14) it was also the place where messianic movements were
formed (see Mt. 3:1–12; Acts 21:38). According to Asc. Isa.
2.9 it was moreover the place where apocalyptic revelation
occurred, so that the phrase as used here is a suggestive one
--- The thought of 4.13 is thus that the faithful few should
retreat to the desert until the Beloved One returned to
introduce his kingdom. This seems to be a way of advocating
caution towards too ready an engagement with the Romans (cf.
5.13) and it
also affirms the importance of continuing apocalyptic
activity and eschatological hope. The date for
the Ascension of Isaiah suggested in this Guide makes it
unlikely that any of the original disciples would have been
alive at the time of writing. (pp61-62)
4.14–18
represents
the climax of the First Vision. Here the author expresses his hope that the
Beloved One would return from heaven to introduce a
completely different situation. This
new situation was to be the temporary
earthly kingdom which would precede a permanent
life in the seventh heaven. 4.14,
which exists only in the Ethiopic version,
states that the Beloved would
return after ‘three hundred and thirty two days’; the
figure of a thousand has clearly dropped out here and is
rightly restored by commentators. It
has been argued that the ‘thirty-two’ is a mistake for
‘thirty-five’; the figure then agrees with 4.12 as we should
expect. This hope for the parousia is expressed in language
that was derived ultimately from Zech.
14:5 (‘the Lord my God will come with all the
holy ones’), but Paul in 1 Thess. 3:13 and 2 Thess. 1:7
(especially the latter) was probably a mediating source for
this passage. Asc. Isa. 4.14 attributes to the Beloved One
activity which the Old Testament text had assigned to God.
Such use of the Old Testament, particularly of its theophanic
passages, was one of the ways in which early Christianity
confirmed its beliefs about the divinity and parousia of
Jesus." (p62).
Here is the main passage from
the work dealing with the return of Christ (4.14ff):
"And
after [one thousand] three hundred and thirty-two days
the LORD will come with his angels and with the hosts
of the saints from the seventh heaven, with
the glory of the seventh heaven, and will drag Beliar, and
his hosts also, into Gehenna. And he will give rest
to the pious whom he finds in the body in this world, but
the sun will be ashamed. and (to) all who because of
their faith in him have cursed Beliar and his kings. But
the saints will come with the LORD with their robes
which are stored up in the seventh heaven above; with the
LORD will come those whose spirits are clothed, they will
descend and be present in the world, and the LORD will
strengthen those who are found in the body, together with
the saints in the robes of the saints, and will serve
those who have kept watch in this world. And after
this they will be turned in their robes upwards, and their
body will be left in the world. Then
the voice of the Beloved will reprove in anger
this heaven, and this earth, and the mountains, and the
hills, and the cities, and the desert, and the trees, and
the angel of the sun, and that of the moon, and everywhere
that Beliar has appeared and acted openly in this world. There
will be a resurrection and a judgment in their midst
in those days, and the Beloved will cause fire
to rise from him, and it will consume all the impious,
and they will become as if they had not been created."
[Charlesworth, J. H. (1985). Vol. 2: The Old Testament
pseudepigrapha and the New Testament, Volume 2: Expansions of
the "Old Testament" and Legends, Wisdom, and Philosophical
Literature, Prayers, Psalms and Odes, Fragments of Lost
Judeo-Hellenistic Works (162). New Haven; London: Yale
University Press.]
Knight summarizes the
eschatological vision of the work, in terms that seem to fit
our understanding of 'mixed frameworks' and/or inaugurated
('both/and') viewpoints:
"The
work’s
eschatology also calls for comment. The Ascension of Isaiah includes more than one
eschatological view. The early
chapters (1–5) contain the hope that the Beloved would return
from heaven to establish his earthly kingdom. Chapters 6–11
lack any formal articulation of this future hope and
concentrate instead on the Beloved’s victory over Beliar and
his heavenly enthronement as evidence that salvation had been
fully provided.
It is difficult now to decide how far these views were
intended by their author to cohere with each other. The
eschatology of the early chapters is a millenarian one. The
term ‘millenarianism’ is generally defined by citing Rev.
20:4, a passage which expects that Christian martyrs would
reign with Christ on earth for a thousand years. The
author of Revelation was at one with other first-century
writers in this future hope even if his timescale for the
future reign is more precise than is found elsewhere.
Paul also expected that the living and dead would reign with
the messiah on earth (cf. 1 Thess. 4:13–18; 1 Cor. 6:2–3;
15:24–28). Many second- and third-century writers developed
this view, often by exegesis of the book of Revelation (see
Bietenhard 1953). The author of the Ascension of Isaiah thus
stood within a tradition of Christian eschatology when he
wrote 4.14–18. His
distinctive
contribution to that tradition was to introduce the
timescale from Dan. 12:12 in 4:12, 14.
This represents an attempt to specify the time when the
parousia would occur with a precision that other Christian writers
generally avoided.
"The
progress
of thought in the apocalypse suggests that chs. 6–11 were
written with the intention
of supplementing rather than criticizing
the eschatology of
4.14–18. The second half of the Ascension of Isaiah gives no
sign that a different situation was addressed and indeed are
reasons for supposing that the apocalypse was written with a
consistent purpose in mind. The two halves of the work
evidently offer different perspectives on the same situation.
The Second Vision, like the First, was written to create hope.
The author does this by constructing an ideal state at
variance with reality in which his apocalyptic interest
allowed the disclosure that the Beloved One had defeated
Beliar on the cross. This assured readers that their heavenly
patron was more powerful than the demon who inspired the
Romans and that Beliar had been defeated despite what Rome was
doing in the world, so that a new perspective was possible.
The
author’s
purpose in the Second Vision was to change readers’ response
to their situation by constructing a picture of how salvation
had emerged from cosmic disorder. We might call this a
‘utopian’ perspective. Utopianism denotes the construction of
an ideal state that is intended to bring about a change in
present conditions (see Mannheim 1991: 173). Both
the description of the cross as the moment of salvation
and the image of the Beloved’s enthronement offered
readers a new way of looking at their situation which
supplied hope by insisting that their patron reigned
supreme. In a world in which people believed in
gods and demons, and in which Christians found themselves at
the mercy of the Roman government, this author claimed that
the Beloved One had decisively defeated the inferior powers
who stood behind the Roman adversaries. Readers were thereby
encouraged to trust the Beloved One at this time of difficulty
in their lives. This material does not however mask the actual
nature of the situation, which is described in ch. 4."
(pp86-87)
Notice a couple of things
here:
·
Asc of Isaiah was unique in being 'more
precise' on dating--the implication being that Jesus
et. al. were NOT this precise.
·
Asc of Isaiah based this precise dating on the
book of Daniel and NOT on the interpretation of the Synoptic
'timing' passages of Jesus (contra the hypothesis)
·
With a commonly accepted date of 112-138, it is
in continuity with the mixed eschatology framework we have
noted elsewhere.
No watering down, no
re-interpretation here.
Two: Apocalypse: Apocalypse of
Peter (non-Gnostic version). [We have already
examined this one above.]
Three: Apocalyptic Prophecy: The Fifth and
Six Books of Esra/Ezra.
Although the terminology can be
confusing, these two ‘books’ refer to parts of the work known
as ‘2 Esdras’ or ‘4 Ezra’, and are generally considered to
have circulated independently of 4 Ezra originally.
“5
Ezra and 6 Ezra. These terms are used for,
respectively, chapters
1–2 and chapters
15–16 of the composite work known as 2 Esdras
or 4
Ezra, whose core (chaps. 3–14) is a
Jewish apocalypse. 5
Ezra, a series of prophecies and
visions attributed to Ezra, is a Christian work of the second
century, portraying the church as the true
people of God who replace disobedient and faithless Israel. Prefaced
to the Jewish apocalypse of Ezra, it provides a Christian
perspective for the reading of the latter. 6 Ezra is
a prophecy usually regarded as Christian and of a
later date.” [Martin, R. P., & Davids, P.
H. (2000). Dictionary of the later New Testament and its
developments (electronic ed.). Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity
Press.’
“5
Ezra is normally dated somewhere between
130 and 250 CE. This is an important issue,
especially if it was composed towards the earlier of these two
dates, near the time of the Bar Kochba revolt in 132–35 CE in
Judaea. G. Stanton and T.A. Bergren argue for precisely this
early dating. Stanton, for instance, suggests that several
considerations all converge on a date in the mid-second
century, including the following points: (1) the apologetic
strategy of 5 Ezra is typical of earlier Christian style,
emphasizing the church’s inheritance of Israel’s privileges,
whereas later Christian polemic is more oppositional,
portraying Christianity and Judaism as two distinct and
diametrically opposed entities (cf. the late second-century
Adversus Judaeos, and Melito’s ‘Paschal Homily’); (2) 5 Ezra
seems to be related to and prior to the late second-century
text Apocalypse of Peter; (3) 5
Ezra’s apocalyptic interests are more to do with the imminent end
of time (e.g., 2:34, 41) than with the
Anti-Christ and with elaborate portraits of heaven and
hell, which are prominent marks of later Christian
apocalypses (e.g., Apocalypse of Peter); (4)
several passages in 5 Ezra depict a consciousness of the
destruction of Jerusalem (135 CE) as a relatively recent
phenomenon (e.g. 2:2–7), and are indicative of a conscious
need to define the Christian church in relation to its Jewish
parentage and contemporaries in ways which resemble earlier
rather than later patterns. If these suggestions are correct,
they support a
mid-second century date for 5 Ezra, making it one
of the few literary products of the Christianity of that
time known to us.” [Longenecker, B. W. (1995).
2 Esdras. Guides to Apocrypha and Pseudepigrapha (115).
Sheffield, England: Sheffield Academic Press.]
“Although
6
Ezra (2 Esdras 15–16) survives only in the
Latin text of 2 Esdras, it appears to have been written in
Greek, perhaps as an appendix to a Greek translation of 4
Ezra, although it may have originally been an independent text
which was appended only later to 4 Ezra. It is likely to have
been composed late in the
third century CE, since some historical
allusions are evident in the text. This is especially true of
15:28–33, which seems to allude in cryptic fashion to the
invasions of the Persian army into Roman Syria in 259 CE under
King Shapur I (240–73). By 260 CE, the Persian invasion looked
secure (cf. 15:30), but this was only temporarily the case,
and victory soon turned into defeat (cf. 15:31–32). Suggested
allusions at other points in the text all correspond
relatively closely to this dating of 6 Ezra late in the third
century, and also help to locate the author somewhere within
the eastern region of the Roman empire. --- As it currently
stands, 6 Ezra is linked to 4 Ezra in the first two verses.
The command to ‘proclaim to my people the words of prophecy
which I give you to speak’ (15:1) introduces no new character,
and is intended to be addressed to the Ezra whom we see in 4
Ezra 14. Similarly, the command to write down the words of God
(15:2) also links up with the instructions given to Ezra in 4
Ezra 14.” [Longenecker, B. W. (1995). 2 Esdras. Guides to
Apocrypha and Pseudepigrapha (112). Sheffield, England:
Sheffield Academic Press.]
Schneemelcher classifies
these Christian pieces as “Apocalyptic Prophecy in the Early
Church” and Longnecker puts the composite book into the genre
of “crisis of faith” literature.
We should note that the core
of the ‘composite’
4 Ezra (chapters 3-14) is a Jewish apocalypse itself.
It shows (as discussed in the Intermission) that the heart of
apocalyptic is not ‘predictions’ but theodicy—the problem of
justice:
“It
is
here that the particular pathos of the book emerges as the
author wrestles with the question: Why has God delivered his
people into the hands of their enemies? What puzzles the
author is that God should permit Israel’s oppressors to be in
prosperity, while his own people, who are at least no worse
than these, he leaves to perish (3:30, 32). It is with this
question bearing on divine justice that the seer agonizes,
seeking “to justify the ways of God to man.” In the end,
however, the author concludes that God’s ways are
inscrutable.” [Metzger, B. M. (1983). A New Translation and
Introduction. In The Old Testament pseudepigrapha: Volume 1 (4
Ezr). New York; London: Yale University Press.]
Even so, the eschatological
content of the Jewish core should be very familiar to us by
now (smile):
“The
eschatological
speculations of the book are extensive and somewhat involved.
The author’s consideration of the traditional belief in a
messianic kingdom set up on earth, a kingdom which in his view
will endure for four hundred years (7:28f.), is overshadowed
by concern to penetrate the mystery of the world to come and
the conditions of the afterlife. The dawn of the end of the
age will be heralded by wonderful and terrible signs—physical,
moral, and political (4:52–5:13a; 6:11–29; 7:26–[44];
8:63–9:12). After the resurrection (5:45; 7:32, [37]) and the
judgment (7:33–35; 7:[105–115]) the wicked will go to the
furnace of Hell and the righteous to the Paradise of delight
(7:36, [78–101]). --- In addition to these otherworldly
speculations, 4 Ezra also contains, in other sections of the
book, quite different eschatological teachings. In the Eagle
Vision (ch. 12) a purely political eschatology is concerned
with release from the tyranny of Rome, secured by the Messiah,
who will then set up the Kingdom of God upon earth (12:32–34;
cf. 11:44–46). Different again is the eschatology of the
Vision of the Man rising from the Sea (ch. 13); in this vision
the pre-existent Messiah, after annihilating all his enemies,
gathers a peaceful multitude (the ten “lost” tribes of Israel)
to himself.” [Metzger,
B. M. (1983). A New Translation and Introduction. In The Old
Testament pseudepigrapha: Volume 1 (4 Ezr). New York; London:
Yale University Press.]
The content of these books
is apocalyptic in their details but without any specific
predictions of timing (as we noted was characteristic of the
genre). We highlighted Longnecker’s observation about the
imminent expectation in 5
Ezra (written after both the Temple and
Jerusalem had been destroyed), but no indication of a ‘problem
of delay’.
Passages which illustrate
this assessment can be found in 5
Ezra (from
Charlesworth, [OTP1]):
Ask and you will receive; pray that your days may be
few, that
they may be shortened. The kingdom is already
prepared for you; watch!
14 Call, O call heaven and earth to witness, for I left
out evil and created good, because I live, says the Lord. (4 Ezr 2:13–14).
Rejoice, O mother, with your sons, because I will
deliver you, says the Lord. 31 Remember your sons that
sleep, because I will bring them out of the hiding places of
the earth, and will show mercy to them; for I am merciful,
says the Lord Almighty. 32 Embrace your children until
I come, and proclaim mercy to them; because
my springs run over, and my grace will not fail. (4 Ezr 2:30–32).
I, Ezra, received a command from the Lord on Mount
Horeb to go to Israel. When I came to them they rejected me
and refused the Lord’s commandment. 34 Therefore I say
to you, O nations that hear and understand, “Await your
shepherd; he will give you everlasting rest, because
he who will come at the end of the age is close at
hand. 35 Be ready for the
rewards of the kingdom, because the eternal light will shine
upon you forevermore.
(4 Ezr 2:33–35).
6 Ezra does use the ‘delay’
word (it is a 3rd century document), but still
emphasizes ‘near’ and ‘at hand’. And the Christian ‘delay’
passages/references are basically a continuation of the Jewish
‘delay’ passages in the core of 4 Ezra.
6 Ezra is even less predictive—and
barely Christian at that:
“Although
the
content of 6
Ezra is not specifically Christian for the most part, it
is nonetheless most likely to be a Christian document
rather than a Jewish document that has been lightly revised
with a few Christian touches. Its
real import is not theological or doctrinal, but pragmatic,
calling its addressees to persevere in the face of extreme
persecution. --- In all this, then, 6
Ezra addresses a situation of persecution and places the
anxiety of the community within the context of confidence
in God as the one who has not abandoned them,
and who will eradicate sin and oppression along with sinners
and oppressors, to the benefit of those who remain faithful to
him. The present situation of the anguished community is
placed within the spectrum of God’s eternal plan and control,
and the addressees are encouraged to stand firm despite their
distress. Persecution is not a sign of divine disfavour, as
they might have thought, nor are the disordered currents of
history indicative of a world out of control. Instead, all
this is a part of the process of the beginning of the end,
when all will be set right and God will reign supreme in
communion with those who have obeyed him in full confidence
and surrender throughout it all. --- 6 Ezra bears some obvious
resemblances to 4 Ezra. Each is written at a time of crisis as
an explanation of the way in which recent tragic events do not
undermine faith in a sovereign and just God. Moreover, each
looks to the eschatological triumph of God as the moment when
all will be set right for those who are deserving, despite
their present suffering.” [Longenecker, B. W. (1995). 2
Esdras. Guides to Apocrypha and Pseudepigrapha (114).
Sheffield, England: Sheffield Academic Press.]
Here are the
apocalyptic-timing related references in 6
Esra/Ezra:
Alas for the world and for those who live in it!
15 For the sword and misery draw
near them, and nation shall rise up to fight
against nation, with swords in their hands (4 Ezr 15:14–15).
Woe to you, Babylon and Asia! Woe to you, Egypt and
Syria! 2 Gird yourselves with sackcloth and haircloth,
and wail for your children, and lament for them; for
your destruction is at hand. (4 Ezr 16:1–2).
Listen now to these things, and understand them, O
servants of the Lord. 36 Behold the word of the Lord,
receive it; do not disbelieve what the Lord says. 37 Behold,
the
calamities draw near, and are not delayed.
38 Just as a woman with child, in the ninth month, when
the time of her delivery draws near, has great pains about
her womb for two or three hours beforehand, and when the
child comes forth from the womb, there
will not be a moment’s delay, 39 so
the calamities will not delay in coming forth
upon the earth, and the world will groan, and pains will
seize it on every side. (4 Ezr 16:35–39).
For behold,
just a little while, and iniquity
will be removed from the earth, and righteousness will reign
over us. (4 Ezr 16:52).
And these passages are in
basic continuity with the Jewish
part, showing that ‘delay’ is not connected to some ‘failed
prediction of the failed apocalyptic prophet Jesus’:
Then I answered and said, “How
long? When will these things be? Why are our years few
and evil?” 34 He answered me and said, “Do
not be in a greater hurry than the Most High.
You, indeed, are in a hurry for yourself, but the Highest is
in a hurry on behalf of many. 35 Did not the souls of
the righteous in their chambers ask about these matters,
saying, ‘How long are we to remain here? And
when will the harvest of our reward come?’
36 And the archangel Jeremiel answered and said, ‘When
the number of those like yourselves is completed;
for he has weighed the age in the balance, 37 and
measured the times by measure, and numbered the times by
number; and he will not move or arouse them until that
measure is fulfilled.’ ” [NRSV,
(2 Esd 4:33–37).
I answered and said, “If I have found favor in your
sight, and if it is possible, and if I am worthy, 45 show
me this also: whether more time is to come than has
passed, or whether for us the greater part has gone by.
46 For I know what has gone by, but I do not know what
is to come.” 47 And he said to me, “Stand at my right
side, and I will show you the interpretation of a parable.” 48 So I stood
and looked, and lo, a flaming furnace passed by before me,
and when the flame had gone by I looked, and lo, the smoke
remained. 49 And after this a cloud full of water
passed before me and poured down a heavy and violent rain,
and when the violent rainstorm had passed, drops still
remained in the cloud. 50 He said to me, “Consider it
for yourself; for just as the rain is more than the drops,
and the fire is greater than the smoke, so the quantity that
passed was far greater; but drops and smoke remained.” 51 Then
I prayed and said, “Do you think that I shall live until
those days? Or who will be alive in those days?”
52 He answered me and said, “Concerning the signs about
which you ask me, I can tell you in part; but I was not sent
to tell you concerning your life, for I do not know. (2 Esd 4:44–52).
Longnecker describes the
exchange between Ezra and the angel Uriel:
“The
eschatological
focus is introduced by Uriel at 5:40b, and Ezra immediately
picks up on it by postulating three ways in which God’s
dealings prior to the eschaton might have been improved, all
of which are ruled out by Uriel (5:41–55). The discussion
continues, as Ezra learns more: first, that God
himself will bring about the end of the present age,
the rightness of his ways thereby being proven on the other
side of the eschatological boundary (5:56–6:6); second, that
there will be no interval between the ages
(6:7–10), a claim that runs against the eschatological
depiction given by Uriel in (for instance) 7:26–44, and reminds
us that the apocalyptic genre does not demand consistency
in this regard; and third, that the horrific
events at the end of this age (6:18–24) will be
followed by an age of God’s salvation (6:25–28), when evil
will be overthrown, truth will be revealed, and ‘the heart of
the earth’s inhabitants shall be changed and converted to a
different spirit’ (6:26). All that Ezra pleads for in the
present will become manifest only in this period in the
unfolding of the ages.” [Longenecker, B. W. (1995). 2 Esdras.
Guides to Apocrypha and Pseudepigrapha (43–44). Sheffield,
England: Sheffield Academic Press.]
So, we do not have any
evidence whatsoever of WD-ing or of reinterpretation. 5 Esra
is very confident in its imminent expectations (even with the
awareness of the destruction of Temple/Town), and 6 Ezra
balances that imminent expectation with the Jewish languages
of ‘non-delay’ in the prophets-- the ‘calamities draw near and
are not delayed’ language in 6 Ezra is matched by that in
Ezekiel and Habakkuk:
None of my words will be delayed any longer, but the
word that I speak will be fulfilled (Eze
12:28).
For there is still a vision for the appointed time;
it speaks of the end, and does not lie. If it seems to
tarry, wait for it; it will surely come, it will not delay.
(Hab 2:3)
Four: Apocalyptic Prophecy: Christian
Sibyllines
The Sibylline Oracles were
originally a purely pagan religious source, but were later
infused with Jewish content, and later still, with Christian
content.
A quick overview of the
contents is given by JJ Collins in NIB:
“SIBYLLINE
ORACLES. The Sibyl was a legendary
prophetess
in Greek lore. She was associated with shrines
in Asia Minor and at Cumae in Italy. The Cumaean Sibyl was
immortalized by Virgil (Aeneid 6.63-173). An
official collection of Sibylline oracles in Rome was
consulted by the Senate in times of crisis. Only
a few pagan Sibylline oracles survive. These
oracles were written in epic hexameters in archaic Homeric
Greek. Beginning
in the 2nd cent. B.C.E., Jews appropriated the genre in order
to suggest that the Sibyl was praising Judaism.
Later, Christians appropriated the genre. The
Jewish and Christian oracles are longer and more coherent than
the extant pagan ones. Use of the genre continued into the
Middle Ages.
“
The
standard
collection of Sibylline oracles is a combination of two
collections, one of which contains books 1-8, the other books
9-14. Since books 9 and 10 repeat material from the first
collection, they are omitted from modern printed editions. The
Prologue to the collection is dated about 500 C.E.. There are
many citations of the Sibylline Oracles in writing of the
church fathers prior to that date (e.g., Lactantius).
“The
oldest
Jewish Sibylline oracles are found in book 3 and date to
the 2nd cent. B.C.E. (Sib. Or. 3:97-294; 545-808).
Several passages in that book (vv. 193, 318, 608-609) predict
a great change in the reign of “the seventh king of Egypt from
the line of the Greeks,” suggesting a date in the middle of
the 2nd cent. B.C.E.. The Sibyl praises the Jews for refraining
from idolatry, homosexuality, and abortion and urges the
Greeks to send gifts to the Jewish Temple. These oracles are
supplemented in book 3 by others of diverse provenance. The
most striking of these is a denunciation of Rome from the 1st
cent. B.C.E. in vv. 350-800, which predicts the vengeance of Asia
on Rome.
“Sibylline
Oracles 4 and 5 contain Jewish oracles from the 1st and
early 2nd cent. C.E. The fourth book is
structured by a sequence of four kingdoms, Assyrians, Medes,
Persians, and Macedonians. Then follows the rise of Rome,
which is not assigned a number in the sequence. It would seem
that this passage was inserted to update an older oracle,
which was originally written to predict the downfall of the
Greek Empire. The oracle in its present form predicts the
eruption of Vesuvius and the return of Nero, and so should be
dated after 79 C.E. It ends with a call to repentance and a
prediction of conflagration and the resurrection of the dead.
“The
fifth
book also presupposes the destruction of
Jerusalem and is bitterly anti-Roman. This book also
predicts the return of Nero as a virtual antichrist, but
also the coming of a savior figure from
heaven (Sib. Or. 5:108, 256,
414). It ends, however, with a conflagration that leaves the
sky starless. At least parts of this book seem to presuppose
the revolt against Rome in the Jewish Diaspora in 115-17 C.E.
“
There
is
also
considerable
Jewish material in Sib. Or. 1-2. These books
originally constituted a unified oracle, structured by a
prediction of ten kingdoms. The first seven generations are
preserved in Sib. Or. 1:1-323. There is no mention of eighth
or ninth generations. Instead we
find a passage on the incarnation and career of Christ,
followed by the climactic tenth generation. In its present form, this
oracle is Christian, probably from the 2nd cent. C.E.
The underlying Jewish oracle may date to the 1st cent. C.E. It
is thought to derive from Phrygia, which is said to be the
first land to emerge after the flood.
Further Christian oracles
are found in books 6, 7, and 8. Book 8
falls into two quite different sections. Verses 1-216 are
mainly concerned with political prophecies and may well be
Jewish. Verses 217-500 are largely taken up with Christology.
The first part seems to derive from the reign of Marcus
Aurelius (d. 180 C.E.). The latest possible date for the second
part of the book is supplied by Lactantius, who cites it
extensively, around C.E. (Inst. 1.6).
Books
11-14 have no evident Christian material and are of little
theological interest. They are concerned with
political prophecies. The latest of these oracles presuppose
the Arab conquest of Egypt and are no earlier than 700 C.E.”
The oracles are largely
eschatological and are almost dominated by oracles of future
apocalyptic destruction:
“The
most
characteristic feature of Sibylline oracles is
the prediction
of woes and disasters to come upon mankind. In
the words of the Erythrean Sibyl, the Sibyl was “foreseeing on
behalf of men hardships difficult to bear.”” [Collins, J. J.
(1983). A New Translation and Introduction. In . Vol. 1: The
Old Testament pseudepigrapha: Volume 1 (318). New York;
London: Yale University Press.
This ‘most characteristic
feature’ might suggest that we
are not going to find much ‘watering down’
(LOL) in this work (in either the pagan, Jewish, or Christian
sections)… maybe a little intensification, but not dilution!
Ford gives this summary of
the content of the Christian
sections in the Anchor Yale Bible commentary volume on
Revelation:
“THE
CHRISTIAN
SIBYLLINES. The Jewish part of the Sibylline Oracles arose as
propaganda, probably in the second century. In the same way,
the Christian Sibyllines appear to have resulted from
Christianity’s fight against paganism. They
give a clear indication of Christian doctrine.
In 1:323 there is a reference to a maid who will give birth to
the logos of God, 1:324 predicts the son of the Great God who
shall come to men, and 1:331 mentions Christ, “the son of the
immortal, most high God.” These allusions are followed by
indirect references, in the form
of prophecies which clearly allude to events recorded in
the Gospels but in an oblique way (i.e. no
names are inserted) to the wise men offering gold and myrrh
and frankincense, to the voice of the Baptist in the desert,
to baptism, to Christ’s miracles and exorcisms, to his walking
on the water and multiplication of the loaves, to the abuse of
the Son of God, to the descent into hell, and to the
resurrection and the ascension. Book 1 ends with a reference
to the fall of the temple in A.D. 70 and the dispersion of
Israel.
“Book
2 speaks of the triumphal entry into the heavenly city
where Christ shall give rewards to the just and
crown the victors, and makes special reference to the martyrs
and the virgins. Then the end of the world
is described. Elijah
(the Tishbite) will come from heaven
and show three signs. The world
will be dissolved, especially by fire, and the
universal judgment before the seat of God will take place.
Uriel will open the gates of hell. Christ
will come on a cloud with his angels, sit on the right
hand of God, and judge the pious and the impious.
Moses and some of the patriarchs and prophets will also be
present. Book 2 lists some of the sins for which the wicked
are punished and refers to the punishment of presbyters and
deacons. It shows the influence of the OT, apocalyptic
literature, the NT, and patristic works.
“Book
4 [sic, Book 6 is obviously intended] is a hymn
to Christ greeting him as the “Son of the Most High.” It
refers to his baptism, teachings, walking on the waves,
healing, and raising of the dead. It mentions his passion and
alludes
to his second coming. Book
8 inveighs against Rome, probably because of
persecution; Nero is called antichrist. It
ends with a description of the last judgment and the
desolation of the world. Once again the sign
and seal for all men is the cross, and at this point the work
shows notable references to both the OT and the NT including
Revelation.” [Ford, J. M. (2008). Vol. 38: Revelation:
Introduction, translation, and commentary. Anchor Yale Bible
(10–11). New Haven; London: Yale University Press.]
At first blush, this does not
sound like something ‘watered down’, but let’s look at just a
couple of passages [OTP1] which clearly suggest non-WD:
O blessed servants, as many as the master, when he
comes, finds
awake; for they have all stayed awake all the
time looking expectantly
with sleepless eyes. For
he will come, at dawn, or evening, or midday. He will
certainly come, and it will be as I say. (2.179-183, cf. parable of watchful servant)
When Sabaoth
Adonai, who thunders on high, dissolves fate and raises the
dead, and takes his seat on a heavenly throne, and
establishes a great pillar, Christ,
imperishable himself, will come in glory on a cloud
toward the imperishable one with the blameless angels.
He
will sit on the right of the Great One, judging
at the tribunal the life of pious men and the way of impious
men. (2.238-244, cf. Matthew 25
judgment scene).
The last
half of Book 8 (vv217-500) is purely Christian
and is structured in this way [OTP1, 416]:
·
217–50: an acrostic poem that spells out with the
initials of each line the words Iēsous Christos Theou
Huios Sōtēr Stauros, “Jesus Christ, Son of God,
Savior, Cross.”
·
251–336: a long poem on Christ, including a
sketch of his earthly career.
·
337–58: a description of eschatological
disturbances.
·
359–428: a speech of God that concentrates on
denunciation of idolatry.
·
429–55: a hymn in praise of God.
·
456–79: the incarnation.
·
480–500 conclude the book with ethical and ritual
exhortation.
The Parousia
is described in the beginning of the acrostic poem:
(I)
The
earth will sweat when there will be a sign of judgment.
(E)
A king
will come from heaven who is to judge
(S)
all
flesh and the whole world forever
when he comes.
(O)
Both
faithful and faithless men will see God
(U)
the
Most High with the holy ones at the end of time.
(S)
He
will judge the souls of flesh-bearing men on the tribunal
(X)
when
the whole world becomes barren land and thorns.
(8.217-223)
The pivotal point of the
Cross –as that which inaugurated the new age—can be seen in
this passage:
The veil of the Temple will be rent, and in midday
there will be dark monstrous night for three hours.
For no longer with secret law and temple must one
serve
the phantoms of the world. That which had been
hidden was again made manifest
when the eternal sovereign came down to earth.
He will come
to Hades announcing hope for all
the holy ones, the end of ages and last day,
and he will complete
the fate of death when he has slept the third
day.
And then, returning from the dead, he will come to
light,
first
of the
resurrection, showing a beginning to
the elect… (8.305-314)
So, even though these
fragments are scattered through time, they still militate
against the WD-hypothesis.
Five: Apocalyptic
Prophecy: The Book of Elchasai
This refers to an ancient
document which no longer exists, and is manifested on in
quotations from early church figures. It was the sacred book
of an early Jewish-Christian group (with gnostic traits).
Here’s the overview of the putative document:
“The
Elchasaites
derived their doctrine from a
sacred book that has not survived. Its contents
are in large part discernible in the quotations
transmitted by Hippolytus and Epiphanius,
although the organization and scope of the work as a whole can
no longer be reconstructed. The book was presumably available
to these Church Fathers in Greek; only the secret phrase
included by Epiphanius (Epiphanius haer. 19.4.3) and the
personal names Elchasai and Sobiai, not the work as a whole,
might hint at the existence of an Aramaic original.
“The
source
of the teaching, according to the sacred book, was
a revelation to Elchasai in the form of a
masculine being (called “Son of God”; “Christus”) and his
feminine companion (referred to as the “Holy Spirit”), both
assuming gigantic proportions (Hippolytus Haer. 9.13.2–3;
Epiphanius haer. 19.4.1–2; 30.17.6–7; 53.1.9). Presumably this
is an example of the metamorphosis motif, according to which
Christ was repeatedly born and, in the process, exchanged
births and bodies (Hippolytus Haer. 9.14.1; cf. 10.29.2).
Revealed to Elchasai was the possibility of a new forgiveness
of sins through a second baptism in the name of the highest
and greatest God and in the name of his Son, the great king
(Hippolytus Haer. 9.13.1; 9.15.1–2). Besides baptism, frequent
ritual ablutions to bring healing from diseases were
encouraged (Hippolytus Haer. 9.15.5–6). In general, Jewish law
was valued. Prayer offered in the direction of Jerusalem
(Epiphanius haer. 19.3.5–6) and circumcision (Hippolytus Haer.
9.14.1) were expressly required, and vows and Sabbath
observance were encouraged. On the other hand, sacrifices were
rejected (Epiphanius haer. 19.3.7). Indeed, the book warned
against fire in general. Recantation under persecution was to
be viewed as an indifferent matter, when it occurred “with the
mouth rather than with the heart” (Epiphanius, haer. 19.1.8;
Eusebius Hist. Eccl., 6.38). Moreover,
an imminent war of apocalyptic dimensions between the
godless Angels of the North was predicted; one
could escape this endtime event only with the aid of a secret
phrase. Transliterated from the Aramaic original into Greek
(all but the last word), Selam, must be translated from the
middle backwards in both directions) it reads:
abar anid mōib nōchile daasim anē daasim nōchile mōib anid
abar selam (Epiphanius haer. 19.4.3), meaning,
“I shall be a witness over you on this great (judgment) day”
(Levy 1858: 712). The book was not to be read to everyone.
Further instructions, e.g., abstinence from eating meat and
praise for marriage, are, to be sure, not found explicitly in
Hippolytus’ and Epiphanius’ literal quotations, but may have
been taken by them from the sacred book.” [Strecker, G.
(1992). Elchasaites D. Martin, Trans.). In D. N. Freedman
(Ed.), . Vol. 2: The Anchor Yale Bible Dictionary (D. N.
Freedman, Ed.) (430–431). New York: Doubleday.]
There is not much to work
with here, but what does exist is certainly not a case of WD:
“Conclusions
about
the eschatological pattern must be tentative
because of the fragmentary nature of the sources. There is a
reference to persecution in fragment 8, but apparently as a
repeatable phenomenon and not
as the eschatological crisis. In fragment 7, a
war between the godless angels of the north is
predicted; this war is referred to in language
reminiscent of the typical eschatological upheavals;
because of this all kingdoms of godlessness are in disorder.
“The
cryptogram
of fragment 9 refers to the day
of the great judgment; the expectation of such
a day presupposes the judgment of the wicked as well as
personal afterlife. The promise of a share with the righteous
(fr. 3) also implies belief in personal afterlife.
“The
astrological
ideas of fragment 7 express interest in heavenly beings (the
stars) and belief in their power over humanity. The reference
to the war of angels in the same fragment expresses another
kind of interest in heavenly beings and their activity. Like
Daniel 10, this
fragment apparently links angelic battles to earthly ones,
since Trajan and the Parthians are mentioned in the context.
[“The Early Christian Apocalypses”, Adela Yarbro Collins,
Semeia, 14, 75–76.]
The only fragment of
relevance to our study is Fragment 7 in Hippolytus:
“But
since
we have stated that they also bring into requisition
astrological deceit, we shall prove this from their own
formularies; for Elchasai speaks thus: “There exist wicked
stars of impiety. This declaration has been now made by us, O
ye pious ones and disciples: beware of the power of the days
of the sovereignty of these stars, and engage not in the
commencement of any undertaking during the ruling days of
these. And baptize not man or woman during the days of the
power of these stars, when the moon, (emerging) from among
them, courses the sky, and travels along with them. Beware of
the very day up to that on which the moon passes out from
these stars, and then baptize and enter on every beginning of
your works. But, moreover, honour the day of the Sabbath,
since that day is one of those during which prevails (the
power) of these stars. Take
care, however, not to commence your works the third day
from a Sabbath, since when three years of the reign of the
emperor Trajan are again completed from the time that he
subjected the Parthians to his own sway,—when, I say,
three years have been completed, war rages between the
impious angels of the northern constellations;
and on this account all kingdoms of impiety are in a state of
confusion.” [Hippolytus of Rome. (1886). The Refutation of All
Heresies, Book 9, Chapter XI, Precepts of Elchasai; J. H. MacMahon,
Trans.). In A. Roberts, J. Donaldson & A. C. Coxe (Eds.),
The Ante-Nicene Fathers, Volume V: Fathers of the Third
Century: Hippolytus, Cyprian, Novatian, Appendix (A. Roberts,
J. Donaldson & A. C. Coxe, Ed.) (133). Buffalo, NY:
Christian Literature Company. ]
This passage looks like it
has a timing element in it (3 years relative to Trajan), but
this obviously has nothing to do with any sayings of Jesus and
has no relationship to the ‘watering down’ issue whatsoever.
So, this source provides no
evidence for the WD-hypothesis either.
Six: Later Apocalypses: The
Apocalypse of Paul
This document was a very
popular apocalypse of the early church, and basically is an
account of what Paul ‘saw’ during his out-of-the-body
experience(?) mentioned in 2 Cor 12.2-4. It might be a little
late for our study, but let’s look at it anyway.
There were two documents that
circulated under this title—one gnostic and one ‘regular’. We
will be concerned in this section with the non-gnostic one.
“Paul,
Apocalypse of. The title given to two
distinct apocryphal works. PAUL wrote of being
caught up into PARADISE in the third heaven, and hearing
“things that man is not permitted to tell” (2 Cor. 12:1–4).
Such passages offered a clear opportunity for the writing of
apocrypha, in this case to narrate Paul’s vision; in due
course the opportunity was taken. AUGUSTINE mentions an
Apocalypse of Paul, and a book of that name is condemned by
the Decretum Gelasianum. It was probably the first of the two
works now known under this title.
“(1)
The
first is a document extant in abridged form in
Greek and more completely in other versions, of which the
Latin and Coptic are the most important. It
purports to have been discovered in Paul’s house in TARSUS,
in consequence of a vision given to the tenant in the reign of
Theodosius. This puts its date at the end of the 4th cent. or
the beginning of the 5th. It begins with the complaint of
creation against the sins of men, and goes on to describe the
reports of the angels, night and morning, about the actions of
mankind. Then Paul is caught up to the third heaven and
witnesses the judgment of two souls as they depart this life,
the one righteous, the other wicked. He is led through
paradise, where he meets ENOCH, crosses the Acherusian Lake,
and visits the city of Christ, girt about with twelve walls,
with twelve towers and twelve gates of great beauty; then
through hell, where he sees the tortures of the wicked and
obtains for them relief for the day and night of the Lord’s
Day. A further visit to paradise follows, during which Paul
meets and is greeted by Mary; Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and the
patriarchs; Moses and the major prophets (Isaiah, Jeremiah,
and Ezekiel); other OT figures, ending with Zechariah and John
the Baptist; and last of all, Adam. Several of these already
had been met on the first visit.
“The
ending
varies with the different versions. The Latin, Greek, and
Syriac break off after the meeting with Elijah and Elisha
(omitting Zechariah, John, and Adam), although the Syriac
transfers the story of the discovery to this point, relating
how Paul wrote down his vision and hid it (for which he was to
be rebuked by the Lord on his release from this life: “Have I
shown you everything that you should put it under the wall of
a house?”). The Coptic continues with a fresh visit to the
third heaven, with many doublets. M. R. James (Apocryphal New
Testament [1924], 555) thinks that nothing after the
appearance of Adam is original, and indeed raises the question
whether the original text did not end with the granting of the
Sabbath day of rest. “Everything after ch. 44 is an otiose
appendix.” H. Duensing, however, notes the possibility that
Paul’s return to his fellow apostles on the Mount of Olives
contains the original conclusion, which would lead one to
assume that the rapture also took place on the Mount (NTAp
[1963–65], 2:795–96).
“At
all events the work is carelessly compiled, and the
numerous doublets show the author’s use of older material.
He knew the Apocalypse of Peter, and has also borrowed
from
the Apocalypse of Elijah and the Apocalypse of Zephaniah.
This again points to a fairly
late date. In his description of Paradise he
drew upon Rev. 21 and Gen. 2, but also on Greek mythology
(Acherusia, Tartarus, the boat journey). The importance of the
book lies in the fact that through it these ideas were
transmitted to the later church, and influenced medieval
descriptions of the world beyond. There is a clear allusion in
Dante’s Inferno. (English trans. in NTAp, rev. ed. [1991–92],
2:712–48.)
“(2)
The
second work bearing the title Apocalypse of
Paul is one
of four Gnostic apocalypses preserved in Coptic
in Codex V of the NAG HAMMADI LIBRARY (NHC V, 2). It begins
with a vision on “the mount of Jericho” (a purely artificial
setting), where Paul sees and is greeted by the twelve
apostles. Then he is raised to the third heaven and passes
immediately into the fourth, where a soul is under
examination. Convicted at the mouth of three witnesses (Deut.
19:15), it is cast down into a body. In the seventh heaven
Paul meets an old man, who allows him to proceed only on the
presentation of a sign. The ascent continues as far as the
tenth heaven, but in most cases there is little description.
“This
document is not connected with the first,
although there are links: the old man (in the first document
identified as Enoch, but here apparently a “guardian”), and
the fact that Paul in the fourth heaven is told to look down
on the earth. There are also the judgment scenes, here only
briefly sketched, but in the other text more fully elaborated.
Any attempt to trace a connection or development must be
highly speculative. (English trans. in NHL, 256–59, and in
NTAp, rev. ed. [1991–92], 2:695–700.)” [Silva, M., &
Tenney, M. C. (2009). The Zondervan Encyclopedia of the Bible,
Volume 4, M-P (Revised, Full-Color Edition) (734–735). Grand
Rapids, MI: The Zondervan Corporation.]
Here’s one synopsis of the
non-Gnostic one:
“The
Apoc
Paul seems to have been the most popular and widespread of the
Christian apocryphal apocalypses.
--- At
the beginning of the work (in the Syriac version at the end),
the story of its own discovery is given in the third person.
This account mentions the names of the current consuls and
James’ calculation of the date is
388 CE. The present form of the book thus can
be dated to the period immediately following that date. The
many doublets show that the author made use of earlier,
overlapping materials. Origen apparently knew an Apocalypse of
Paul and it may have been an earlier form of this work
(Duensing: 755). Casey (28) argued that the work, apart from
the secondary story of its discovery, dates
to 240–250. His arguments are the mention of an
Apoc Paul by Origen and the fact that the work does not
reflect the great persecutions of Decius, Valerian and
Diocletian nor the doctrinal controversies of the fourth
century. He also noted that the type of monastic life
reflected in the work was already common in Origen’s time.
“The
incipit
of the work characterizes it as “the revelation of the holy
apostle Paul” and alludes
to 2 Cor 12:2–4. The result is that the entire
work is designated as the revelation Paul received on his
journey to the third heaven.
“The
overall
framework of chapters 3–10 is an address of Paul to “this
people,” which he is instructed by the Lord to deliver.
Chapters 4–6 comprise a series of dialogues between God and
the various natural elements who complain about human sin.
Chapters 8–10 contain two dialogues. One is between God and
the angels from those who have renounced the world; the other
between God and the angels from sinners.
“The
greater
portion of the work (chaps. 11–51) is an account of Paul’s
otherworldly journey. On this journey, an angel served as his
guide and interpreter (11, 19, 21, 22 and passim).
“Apoc
Paul
contains no systematic review of history, but there is a
prominent interest in retelling the stories of certain figures
of the past, probably for a hortatory purpose. The story of
Jesus’ passion is retold in such a way as to exhort to
repentance (44). The brief reference to the sufferings of the
prophets and others has the same function (44). The story of
Adam and Eve’s sin (45), the legendary deaths of Isaiah,
Jeremiah, Ezekiel, the stories of Lot, Job and others (49–51)
have similar functions.
“Personal
afterlife
is presupposed in the Apoc Paul, which means judgment and
punishment immediately after death for sinners (15–18, 31–42). The
great day of judgment is still expected (end of 16, end of
18) and the destruction of the world (21). Salvation will
include a new earth, the land of promise which will come
down from heaven to replace the old (21–22). A
general resurrection is expected (14, 15). Until the general
resurrection, the righteous will rejoice in Paradise (14) or
in the city of Christ (22–30).” . [“The Early Christian
Apocalypses”, Adela Yarbro Collins, Semeia, 14, 85–86.]
This work has little to
contribute to our study, since it is mostly a description of
the other-world, heaven and hell. It mixes pagan, Jewish, and
Christian apocalyptic images and the popular ‘extensions’ to
those which grew up after the NT (eg, it borrowed some of the
imagery from the Apocalypse of Peter). Yet it still provides
some evidence of a non-WD expectation.
A couple of points:
·
In the first
part of the book, the various cosmic elements
(sun, moon+stars, sea, etc) appeal to God to let them ‘deal
with sinners with their powers’ (ie, punish them for their
treachery, destructiveness, and anti-God behavior), but God
gives each of them a similar reply: “my patience bears
with them until they are converted and repent.
But if they do not return to me I will judge
them all” (eg. 4, 5, 6). This indicates the theme of
theodicy, instead of ‘missed predictions’….
·
In 14,
the reality
of a bodily resurrection (of the righteous) is
affirmed: “Soul, take knowledge of your body which you have
left, for in
the day of resurrection you must return to that
same body to receive what is promised to all the righteous.”
·
In 16,
the reality
of a bodily resurrection (of the unrighteous) and future ‘day of
judgment’ is affirmed: “Let him (the
soul of the recently departed unrighteous) therefore be handed
over to the angel Tartaruchus, who is appointed over
punishments, and let him send him into outer darkness where
there is wailing and gnashing of teeth, and let him remain
there until the great day of judgment.” (also in 18 et al).
·
Most importantly, in 21,
the Parousia,
the millennial kingdom, and heaven-upon-earth rewards are
described this way: “And suddenly I came out of heaven and
perceived that it is the light of heaven which gives light to
the whole land there. That land, however, was seven times
brighter than silver. And I (Paul) said: Sir, what is this
place? And he said to me: This is the land of promise. Have
you not yet heard what is written, ‘Blessed
are the meek, for they will inherit the earth’?
The souls of the righteous, however, when they have come out
of the body are sent for a while to this place. And I said to
the angel: Will then this land come to be seen after a time?
The angel answered and said to me: When Christ whom you preach comes to reign,
then by the fiat of God the
first earth will be dissolved and this land of
promise will then be shown and it will be like dew or a cloud;
and then the
Lord Jesus Christ, the eternal king, will be revealed and
he
will come with all his saints to dwell
in it and he will reign over them for
a thousand years and they will eat of
the good things which I shall now show you.” Notice that this
is very standard apocalyptic hope, without any
re-interpretation or WDing…
This is fairly strong
evidence that the basic message of the Synoptic Christ (as
also complemented by other NT documents) was embraced and
proclaimed. Not reinterpreted, not watered-down, but trusted
in.
Seven: Later Apocalypses: The
Apocalypse of Thomas
First, a quick snapshot:
“THOMAS,
APOCALYPSE
OF. A 5th-century
apocryphal apocalypse that describes the events that are to
occur before the end of the world. It
is unlike other apocalypses, such as those of Peter and
Paul, which provide visions of a future world.
--- The shorter version is the oldest known witness to the
original text of the Apocalypse of Thomas. However, it has
also been subjected to numerous revisions, especially as it
was influenced by Manichaeism and Priscillianism (Otero 1965:
799). --- The
shorter version of the Apocalypse of Thomas begins with a
revelation to Thomas from the Lord, who identifies himself as
“the Son of God the Father” and “the father of all spirits,” about
the “signs which will be at the end of the world”
(Otero 1965: 799–800). These signs will take
place over seven days. On the first day it will
rain blood on the earth; on the second day smoke will cover
the whole earth; on the third day pillars of smoke and the
stench of sulfur will fill the earth; an earthquake will
topple the idols of the heathens on the fourth day; darkness
will cover the earth on the fifth day; on the sixth
day people will hide from the righteous angels and the “bodies
of the saints will rise”; on the seventh day
angels will fill the air and make war among themselves and
deliver the elect. On the eighth day the elect who believe in
Jesus will be delivered, and they will rejoice over the
destruction of the world.” [Thomason, D. A. (1992). Thomas,
Apocalypse of. In D. N. Freedman (Ed.), . Vol. 6: The Anchor
Yale Bible Dictionary (D. N. Freedman, Ed.) (534). New York:
Doubleday.]
“Apocalypse
of Thomas. This revelation of Christ to the
apostle Thomas predicts the signs
that over the course of seven days will
precede the end of this world. Though difficult
to date, it may well be relatively
early; it certainly depends closely on Jewish
apocalyptic tradition.” [Martin, R. P., & Davids, P. H.
(2000). Dictionary of the later New Testament and its
developments (electronic ed.). Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity
Press.]
Obviously, the dating of this
is questionable—the gap between “may well be relatively early”
and “5th-century” could be huge. So, it might be
out of our date-range.
But in any event, it really
does not bear on our question directly. To the extent it does,
it generally supports ‘traditional’ eschatological hope.
It is only two pages in
[NTA2, the shorter version], but here are a couple of
possibly-relevant passages:
·
“Hear
from me the signs which will be at the end of this
world…the end of the world will be fulfilled
before
my elect come forth from the world”
[Is this a ‘rapture’ of the saints AFTER the end of the world
as described by the speaker Jesus?]
·
“When
these (signs) are to take place the princes of the angels
do not know, for they are now hidden from
them” [An allusion to the ‘no
one—including the angels—know the day nor hour’
words of Jesus?]
·
“Thereafter
(after famines/pestilences/etc) when
the
hour of the end draws near there will be
great signs in the sky for seven days and the powers of
the heavens will be set in motion.” [This fits
the words of Jesus that the Eschaton would be preceded by
those forms of distress.]
·
“And
at the fourth hour of the sixth
day …. The firmament of heaven will be split from east to
west and the angels of heaven will look out on the earth
through the rents in the heavens and all
men who are on earth will see the angelic
hosts looking out from heaven…Then
they will see me (Jesus) as I come down from above
in the light of my Father with
the power and honor of the holy angels.
Then at my arrival
the restraint on the fire of paradise will be loosed… And
this is the eternal fire which devours the earthly globe
and all the elements of the world” [This puts
the visible-to-all Return between the destruction of the
sun/moon/stars and the conflagration spoken of in 2 Peter/etc.
This also echoes the Matthew 25 passage at points.]
·
“Then the
spirits and souls of the saints will come forth from
paradise and come into all the earth, and each
go to its own body where it is laid up… The
each spirit will return to its own vessel and the bodies
of the saints who sleep will rise. Then
their bodies will be changed into the image and
likeness and honor of the holy angels and into the power
of the image of my holy Father.” [Bodily
resurrection of the righteous dead, after the ‘arrival’ of
Christ on the earth…?]
·
“Then
they will be carried off in a cloud of light into the air,
and rejoicing
go with me into the heavens and remain in
the light and honor of my Father” [This looks
like the ‘rapture’ of only dead saints, but has Jesus
returning to heaven—perhaps like one interpretation of the
image in 1 Thess 4.17?]
·
“And
at the eight hour of the seventh
day…In that day the elect
will be delivered by the holy angels from the destruction
of the world. Then all men will see that the hour of their
destruction is come near.” [Apparently the
eternal fire let loose on day 6 is still doing its work.]
·
“And
when the seven days are finished…(good
angels are flying around) to
deliver
the elect who believed in me; and they will rejoice that
the destruction of the world has come.” [Again,
the destruction is apparently still at work at this point, but
perhaps finished?]
Ok, what are we to
make of this?
The passage in its entirety
is a patchwork of texts from the Synoptics and various other
apocalyptic sources. It obviously contains a partial-Parousia,
but on the 6th day of 7. The sequence is odd and
(to me) confused:
·
The Woes (famine, pestilence, etc) hit
·
Jesus returns in glory, in full view of
everybody, with angels
·
He raises only the righteous dead into the air
·
He then returns with them to heaven on Day 6
·
He does NOT return to deliver the living saints
(elect) on Day 7—they are rescued by angels;
·
Then the world is destroyed by a fire that was
let loose when Jesus ‘came for the dead’ on Day 6.
This does not really look
like a ‘response to delay of the Parousia’ at all. I am not
sure WHAT it might be a response to, but the
simple fact that the Parousia / Eschaton is preceded by the
‘unknown in timing’ Woes (in the ‘beginning of birth pangs’
image), still puts this in the category of ‘normal imprecise
expectations’.
There is no reinterpretation
going on here, no ‘realized eschatology’, no ‘rescheduling this’
into the distant future.
Okay—that’s the end of Approach
Two. The ‘usual suspects’ of
apocalyptic works and passages do not evidence any WDing. They
do not manifest any concern over ‘delay’. And the only
writings which tried to ‘reschedule the Return’ differently
were exceptions to the mainstream beliefs.
Approach
three: Now
we will broaden our search to look at eschatological
passages in (seemingly) non-apocalyptic apocrypha.
Here we are trying to find
things like ‘sermons’ in the midst of “Acts of XYZ” or
apocalyptic discourses (typically of a ‘Jesus’) in epistles or
other narratives (e.g. “Dialogues of the Savior” genre).
Many of these latter
“Dialogue” pieces are Gnostic or “less-orthodox” and so the
words of Jesus in them are propaganda / apologetic in nature
(in support of the theological ‘cause’). We will look at some
of these when we discuss ‘Gnostic eschatologies’. There is
only one clearly non-Gnostic representative of this genre—the
Epistle of the Apostles:
“The
Epistula
Apostolorum shows that there were also non-gnostic works of
this kind. ‘This in church circles is singular, and is evidently a
conscious taking over of one of the most
typical gnostic forms for substantiating
authoritative teaching; it is thus a case of an attempt to
combat the gnostic opponents with their own weapons’
(Vielhauer, p. 687).” [NTA1, p229]
We will look at this work
first, then look at a later work (Questions of Bartholomew).
The Epistula
Apostolorum (the Epistle of the
Apostles).
“A
mid-2nd
century C.E. text, probably of Egyptian origin, that
represents an attempt by the “orthodox” Church to use the
revelation dialogue, a genre typically used by Gnostics, to
combat gnosticism. Written as a letter from the disciples to
the universal Church, the text includes a miracle catena (Ep.
Apost. 5), a detailed resurrection appearance (9–12), and
passages addressing various points of Christian theology. The
text came to light in 1895 with the discovery of major
portions of a Coptic translation. Latin fragments and a
complete Ethiopic translation were found later.” [Molinari, A.
L. (2000). Apostles, Epistle of the. In D. N. Freedman, A. C.
Myers & A. B. Beck (Eds.), Eerdmans dictionary of the
Bible (D. N. Freedman, A. C. Myers & A. B. Beck, Ed.)
(79). Grand Rapids, MI: W.B. Eerdmans.]
“Apostles,
Epistle of the. An apocryphal letter addressed
by the eleven apostles (including NATHANAEL, and with Cephas
distinguished from PETER) to the churches of the four regions
of the world. The work is also known as Testament of Our Lord
in Galilee.
Nowhere mentioned in early Christian literature,
it was completely unknown before the discovery in 1895 of a
badly mutilated Coptic MS (the primary version where
available). We also now have an Ethiopic version complete, as
well as fragments in Latin. --- Following an introduction, the
document makes an emphatic affirmation of faith in Jesus as
Lord and Savior, then gives a summary account of several
incidents from the Gospels, including the story of Jesus and
the teacher recorded in the Infancy Gospel of Thomas. The
report of the resurrection appearance to the disciples
develops into an extended discourse by Jesus,
interrupted by questions from the disciples to which he
replies. This discourse includes a
prophecy of the conversion and missionary work of Paul
(chs. 31ff.) and a curious interpretation of the parable of
the wise and foolish virgins (chs. 43ff.), with admonitions
regarding Christian conduct. For example, a man should
admonish his neighbor without respect of persons if he sees
him sin, or he is himself liable to judgment. --- The
revelation conveyed in the form of a postresurrection
discourse is similar in type to some Gnostic documents, which
present the same pattern of a dialogue between the risen Jesus
and one or more disciples. Despite affinities with GNOSTICISM,
however, this is not a Gnostic document; it
expressly warns against the “false apostles,” Simon and
Cerinthus, “the enemies of our Lord Jesus
Christ” (chs. 1, 7), and emphasizes the reality of Christ’s
body, in particular of his risen body (chs. 11–12). … All this points to a
2nd-cent. date. C. Schmidt (Gespräche Jesu [1919])
thought it was composed in Asia Minor between A.D. 160 and
170, but others argue for Egypt. M. Hornschuh (Studien zur
Epistula Apostolorum [1965]) notes parallels with the Qumran
literature, and dates it to the first half of the 2nd cent.
(English trans. and introduction in NTAp, 1:249–84.)” [R. MCL.
WILSON, in Silva, M., & Tenney, M. C. (2009). The
Zondervan Encyclopedia of the Bible, Volume 1, A-C (Revised,
Full-Color Edition) (256–257). Grand Rapids, MI: The Zondervan
Corporation.]
Julian Hills summarizes the
content in this way:
“The
principal
topics of the dialogue are the Lord’s heavenly descent and
incarnation (chaps. 13–14); the remembrance of his death and his
second coming (15–18); resurrection
and
judgment (19–29; 38–39); the mission of Paul
(31–33); the signs
of the end (34–37, adapted from an apocalypse;
cf. the 5th-century Testament
of the Lord 1–11, where the same apocalypse has
been used); the commission of the disciples to preach, teach,
and baptize (40–42); and orthodoxy and discipline (43–50).
These diverse topics are unified by the author’s concern to
define the community in terms of keeping the Lord’s
commandments, to summarize the “faith” of the apostles (see
esp. 5.21–22), and to offer a “revelation” that has present
and ethical, as well as future and heavenly, content.” [Hills,
J. V. (1992). Apostles, Epistle of. In D. N. Freedman (Ed.), .
Vol. 1: The Anchor Yale Bible Dictionary (D. N. Freedman, Ed.)
(311–312). New York: Doubleday.]
Here are all the relevant
passages I can find in the work:
16.
And
we said to him, “…In what
kind of power and form are you about to come?’
And he said to us, ‘Truly
I say to you, I
will come as the sun which bursts forth;
thus will I, shining seven times brighter
than it in glory., While I am carried on
the wings of the clouds in splendor
with my cross going on before me, come
to the earth to judge the living and the dead’”
[Looks like the standard Matthew 25 passage and the other
synoptic ‘with/on clouds’ images]
17.
[Ethiopic] And
we said to him, ‘O Lord, how
many years yet?’ And he said to us, ‘When
the hundred and fiftieth
year is completed, between
Pentecost and Passover will the coming of my father take
place’ [Coptic: “When
the hundredth part and the twentieth part is
completed, between Pentecost and
the fest of unleavened bread, will the coming of the
Father take place’” [This is unexpected—it
matches nothing in the gospels or antecedent writings. It is
not a re-interpretation of anything, since there is no
allusion to any of the Synoptic pronouncements of Jesus.]
26.
Truly
I say to you, the
flesh will rise alive with the soul, that
they may confess and be judged with the work they have
done, whether it is good or bad, in order that there may
be a selection and exhibition for those who have believed
and have done the commandment of my Father who sent me. Then
will the righteous judgment take place…But
to those who have loved me and do love me and who have
done my commandment I
will grant rest in life in the kingdom of my
heavenly Father. [There is a
general resurrection followed by judgment. There is a kingdom
involving physical bodies of the saints.]
28.
… And
he said to us, ‘Truly I say to you, you and all who
believe and also they who yet will believe in him who sent
me I
will cause to rise up into heaven, to the place which
the Father has prepared for the elect and
most elect, (the Father) who will
give the rest that he has promised, and eternal life’[Cannot
tell whether this is a bodily ‘rise up to heaven’ or simple
the post-mortem intermediate state of the soul.]
29.
… (Ethiopic) But
much more blessed will they be who do not see me and (yet)
believe in me, for they will
be called children of the kingdom and (will
be) perfect in the perfect one; to these I
will become eternal life in the kingdom
of my Father.’ (Coptic: ‘I
will be life (to them) in the kingdom
of my Father’ [Here, the Kingdom
is linked with eternal life, but the terms are obviously not
synonymous. No reinterpretation.]
34.
… But you
told us only that signs and
wonders would happen in heaven and upon earth before the
end of the world comes. Teach us, that we
thus may recognize it.' And he said to us, 'I will teach
you, and not only what will happen to you, but (also) to
those whom you shall teach and who shall believe, and
there are such as will hear this man and will believe in
me.
In those years and in those days this will happen.'
And we said to him again, 'O Lord, what
is it then that will happen?' And he said to us, 'Then
will the believers and also they
who do not believe see
a trumpet in heaven, and the sight of great
stars
that are visible while it is day, and a dragon
(…) reaching from heaven to earth, and stars
that are like fire falling down and great hailstones
of severe fire, and how sun
and moon fight against each other, and
constantly the frightening of thunder and lightning,
thunderclaps and earthquakes,
how cities
fall down and in their ruin men die,
constant drought
from the failing of the rain, a great plague
and an extensive and often quick death, so that those who
die will lack a grave… Everything is hatred and affliction
and jealousy, and they will take from the one and give to
another; and what
comes after this will be worse than this. [Standard
apocalyptic imagery.]
37.
And
we said to him, 'O Lord, teach us what
will happen after this.' And he said to us,
'In those years and days
there shall be war
upon war, and the four corners of the world
will be shaken and will make war upon each other. And then
a
disturbance of the clouds (will cause?) darkness
and drought
and persecution
of those who believe in me, and of the elect.
Then dissension, conflict, and evil of action against each
other. Among them there are some who believe in my name
and (yet) follow evil and teach vain teaching.
[Standard apocalyptic imagery.]
42.
… but
you kept the commandment of the Father and did it. And you
have a reward with my heavenly Father, and
they shall
have forgiveness of sins and eternal
life and a share of the kingdom.
[Rewards, eternal life, and a ‘share’ of the kingdom are
obviously not understood as synonyms. No reinterpretation.
Okay, what can we see from/in
this data?
The two main take-aways from
this would be:
One: Imminence
is very much a hot topic for this group—they
keep asking ‘when’ and ‘how long’ and ‘how will we know’
questions about the Parousia. This leads scholars to date this
early:
“An
origin
about the middle of the 2nd century may be
postulated for the document, in agreement with
the date of the parousia
mentioned in it.” [NTA1, 251, Muller]
“An
early
dating is also encouraged by the document’s
concern with the imminence of the Parousia.”
[TANT, 555, Elliott]
That
means
that nobody has really ‘given up’ on an imminent return at
this point at all—no ‘delay’ or ‘reinterpretation’ going on.
Two: The
descriptions of the end-times are not novel—they
are ‘stock images’ of un-re-interpreted apocalyptic:
“The
further
revelations regarding the terrors of the end-time and the
deliverance of the apostles and the faithful won by them
conform with the
usual apocalyptic framework.” [NTA1, 250f,
Muller]
So, in the one clearly
non-Gnostic example of the “Dialogues of the Redeemer”
category, there is no indication of WDing or
re-interpretation. Indeed, the timing seems to have been even
a bit intensified—judging by the questions.
The other representative of
this is the less-Gnostic and less-orthodox Questions
of Bartholomew.
Questions of
Bartholomew. This is too late for our
study and contains only one oblique timing reference (16/17),
but it shows that the ‘six thousand years’ eschatology still
involves a literal re-appearance of Elijah (or Enoch?) as in
the Synoptics.
Here’s a summary of the
contents:
“Questions
of Bartholomew. This work, perhaps a
5th-century composition of Egyptian provenance, is a
collection of revelatory dialogues. Bartholomew is featured as
the bold main questioner, seeking knowledge from the risen
Jesus, from Mary, and from Beliar, particularly about heaven
and the underworld. The contents of the book may be described
according to the five chapters into which it has been divided.
(1) At the request of Bartholomew, the risen Jesus recounts
how he vanished from the cross in order to descend into the
underworld. He reports a conversation there between a fearful
Hades and Beliar (the devil) and briefly describes how he
bound Hades and brought up the patriarchs and especially Adam.
The dialogue ends with a brief exchange about the sacrifices
and the souls that Jesus receives in paradise. (2) At the
behest of the other apostles, Bartholomew asks Mary how she
“conceived the incomprehensible,” or how she “carried him who
cannot be carried.” After a prayer, she directs the apostles
to restrain her while she reveals that she was visited in the
temple by an angelic figure. She receives a baptism from
heavenly dew and partakes in a Eucharist when the angelic
figure miraculously produces a loaf and cup. She is then
promised that after three years she will conceive his son. But
her tale is interrupted: fire comes from her mouth and the
world is about to be consumed when Jesus silences her. An
account of the conception itself, about which Bartholomew had
inquired, is therefore prevented. (3) Seven days before his
ascension the risen Jesus grants the apostles a brief glimpse
of the abyss. They are overwhelmed at the sight, but it is not
described. (4) Peter entreats Mary to ask for a revelation of
“all that is in the heavens.” In a brief exchange Mary
declines, but reveals that in her the Lord restored “the
dignity of women.” Jesus then grants Bartholomew’s request to
see and to question Beliar, whose dreadful appearance is
described. Bartholomew, with his foot upon Beliar’s neck, then
learns about numerous angels and punishments for the wicked.
The devil also recounts how he and his angels had refused
Michael’s command to worship Adam, the image of God, and how
he made Eve susceptible to disobedience by defiling her
drinking water with sweat from his body. The dialogue is
interspersed with three reverent prayers by Bartholomew. In
the end Jesus admonishes Bartholomew that the revelations
should be kept secret, and Bartholomew concludes with a
doxology. (5) When Bartholomew asks Jesus to name the worst of
sins, he names hypocrisy, slander, “the sin against the holy
spirit,” i.e., speaking ill of any one who serves the Father,
and swearing an oath by the head of God. Bartholomew then
receives a commission to preach and raises a final question
about the consequences of sins of lust. Jesus’ reply praises
celibacy and also allows for the validity of marriage. But he
adds that “he who sins after the third marriage is unworthy of
God.” [Daniels, J. B. (1992). Bartholomew, Gospel (Questions)
of. In D. N. Freedman (Ed.), . Vol. 1: The Anchor Yale Bible
Dictionary (D. N. Freedman, Ed.) (616). New York: Doubleday.]
The only semi-relevant
passage I can find is this one:
10. Then Bartholomew
said, 'Lord, what was the voice which was heard?'
11. Jesus said to him,
'Hades said to Beliar, "As I perceive, a God comes hither."'
(Slavonic and Latin) . 'And the angels cried to the powers
saying, "Remove your gates, you princes, remove the
everlasting doors for behold the King of Glory comes down."
12. Hades said, "Who is
the King of Glory, who comes down from heaven to us?"
13. 'And when I had
descended five hundred steps, Hades was troubled saying, "I
hear the breathing of the Most High, and I cannot endure it."
[Lat. 2: He comes with great fragrance and I cannot bear it.]
14. But the devil
answered and said, "Submit not yourself, O Hades, but be
strong, for God himself has not descended upon the earth."
15. But when I had
descended five hundred steps, the angels and the powers cried
out, "Take hold, remove the doors, for behold the King of
Glory comes down." And Hades said, "O, woe unto me, for I hear
the breath of God."
16-17
(Greek). 'And Beliar said unto Hades, "Look carefully who it
is who comes, for it is Elijah, or Enoch, or one of the
prophets that this man seems to me to be." But
Hades answered Death and said, "Not yet are six thousand
years accomplished. And whence are these, O
Beliar, for the sum of the number is in my hands?"
16-17
(Slavonic). 'And the devil said unto Hades, "Why do you
frighten me, Hades? It is a prophet, and he has made himself
like God. This prophet will we take and bring him hither to
those who think to ascend into heaven." And Hades said, "Which
of the prophets is it? Show me. Is it Enoch the scribe of
righteousness? But God has not suffered him to come down
upon the earth before the end of the six thousand years.
Do you say that it is Elijah, the avenger? But before
the end he does not come down. What
shall I do, for the destruction is from God, for surely our
end is at hand? For I have the number of the years in my
hands."]
Here’s what is going on in
the scene:
·
Jesus has descended to hell, in the time period
between His death and His resurrection.
·
He is allowing Bartholomew to accompany Him.
·
As they approach the gates of hell, Bartholomew
hears a thunderous voice
·
Jesus explains that it was the voice of Hades
telling Beliar that God Himself is descending to hell.
·
(There are angels who also are proclaiming things
from Scripture in the background of the scene.)
·
Beliar (the devil) assures Hades that it is not
God—that God has not descended upon the earth (denying the
Incarnation).
·
Hades then asks Beliar to ‘look and see who it
is, then’—because of his perception of power.
·
Hades asks Beliar if it is Elijah (or Enoch, or a
prophet)
·
Beliar assures Hades that it cannot
be Elijah (or others) because they can only
reappear at the end of 6,000 years—and Beliar has been
counting the years (has the number of years ‘in hand’!).
We have encountered the ‘six
days – six thousand years’ eschatology motif earlier, and
discussed it in an Excursus. [Does
a belief in a ‘world-week’ of 6,000 years imply a denial
of apocalyptic imminence?, worldweek.html]
Now, to continue on with Approach Three,
we have to look at non-apocalyptic
apocrypha.
By my count, there are 71
such entries in NTA1 and NTA2, of which 25-28 of which are
“mostly”
Gnostic in content. We will have to go through most
of these entries in part B of this piece.
.........................
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On
to Part 9 (B)...