Revelation Study - Lesson 8

Week 8 (March 3, 2011): The Seleucids and the Roman Empire, part 1

Antiochus IV and the Desecration of the Temple

"Palestine came under Seleucid control in 198 BCE, when the Seleucid ruler Antiochus III (the Great) drove the Ptolemids out of Asia. Antiochus III allowed Judea to continue as a semiautonomous state. But under his second successor, Antiochus IV Epiphanes (175-163), relations between Judea and the Greek rulers disintegrated. The great problem of the Seleucid state was the expansion of Rome, which had already inflicted a humiliating defeat on Antiochus III. Pressed for cash, the Seleucid rulers took to plundering the temples of their subject peoples. Temples were always good sources of money because of the precious metals used in their ritual equipment and decorations and because, being regarded as inviolable, they often served as depositories for public, and even private funds. In this way, the Judean temple came to the attention of the Seleucids as a possible source of treasure.

Antiochus IV Epiphanes

But the conflict between Antiochus IV and the Jews went beyond Antiochus' coveting of the treasures of the Jerusalem Temple. Antiochus IV was eager to unify his subject peoples by imposing upon them the new international Hellenistic culture of the Middle East, consisting of the Greek language, fashion, religious practices and educational curriculum, including philosophy and physical training. The Judeans themselves were divided in their attitude toward the Hellenic culture made available to them by Alexander's conquest. Many Judean aristocrats, including members of the priesthood--which, in the theocracy, formed the ruling class--adopted it in their personal lives. Some were eager to modernize the national religion and culture, even to the extent of reorganizing the Temple ritual along Greek lines and abrogating the laws of the Torah that seemed strange and primitive to Greek taste. Such Judean aristocrats had a common interest with Antiochus against those Judeans who resisted the changes.

A Judean priest named Joshua or Jason...upper-class Judeans had both Hebrew and Greek names...bribed Antiochus IV to make him high priest, offering both money and the promise to Hellenize the state The legitimate high priest fled, but was assassinated.

Jason introduced the gymnasium into Jerusalem. In this typically Greek institution, games in honor of pagan deities were conducted in the Nude...The religious character of the games was profoundly offensive to Yahwist sensibilities. Furthermore, the nudity of the gymnasium called attention to the traditional practice of circumcision. To avoid appearing provincial or backward, many Judeans gave up the practice, or, at the cost of painful surgery, had their own circumcision undone. Thus, the introduction of the gymnasium was seen as the first step in turning Jerusalem into a Greek city.

Jason was succeeded as high priest by Menelaus, who outdid Jason's bribe by selling the Temple vessels and helping Antiochus IV plunder the Temple in 169, even stripping the gold leaf from its facade. By now, the populace was fiercely opposed to the Hellenizers and to Seleucid rule. To quell this opposition, Antiochus IV partially destroyed the city, killing some of the people and pulling down the city walls, He built a citadel, known as the Akra, near the Temple and there installed a Seleucid garrison, which became the main focus of Judean hatred for Greek rule for twenty-five years. He also embarked on a policy of enforced Hellenization."₁

"All Jews who would not apostatize to Greek idolatry and life-style were murdered on the spot. Prayers, observing the Sabbath, circumcision were forbidden on penalty of death. Many died rather than apostatize."₂ "The Torah, instituted as the law of the Judeans by the Persian emperor Artaxerxes I, was not abrogated by the Seleucid king Antiochus IV. Copies of the text were destroyed, and typical Jewish religious institutions, such as circumcision, the Sabbath, and the festivals, were outlawed. Pagan altars were built throughout the land, and people were compelled to eat pork to demonstrate their obedience to the new law and cult. In December 167, the Temple itself was formally converted into a pagan shrine and a sacrifice of pork offered on the alter. Antiochus IV also demanded that he himself be worshiped as a god. The practice of king worship had been introduced by Alexander and was not considered odd among the pagan subjects of the Hellenistic rulers of the Near East, but to the monotheistic Judeans it seemed madness itself, and it was not long before they were lampooning his title, Epiphanes (meaning 'the God manifest'), by distorting it into Epimanes (meaning 'the madman').₃

Antiochus' measures mark the beginning of one of the dominant themes of Jewish history--the notion of Judaism as a persecuted religion. Until this point, whatever misfortunes had befallen the Jews had been purely political consequences of the fact that they were a small nation living in a territory that was contested by the great powers to the south and to the east. Their religion, so different from the religions of the pagan neighbors, was merely a feature of the national culture, and had never been attacked as such. By contrast, Antiochus' measures were directed not so much against the Judean state which he already controlled at the beginning of his reign, but against the Judean religion and culture, which he--like many Judeans--was determined to harmonize with the religion and culture of the rest of this kingdom. The result of his efforts was to create the first Jewish martyrs and to incite a rebellion that contributed to the undermining of his control of the region.₄

In Modein, near Jerusalem, the Jews heard that Antiochus had desecrated the House of God by erecting a pagan altar to Zeus over the altar of Yahweh, and sacrificed swine on it. They knew that every Jew who would not worship the pagan idols and live the foreign immoral life-style was murdered, and that many circumcised children and their mothers were slaughtered. They were also aware that all found copies of the Torah were being systematically destroyed.₅

Therefore, in Modein, a rebellion was started by Mattathias, the head of a family of conservative country priests.₆ Mattathias and his Hasmonean family organized a guerrilla-type army, later to be led by his third son, Judah. Judah became known as the Maccabee, or "the hammer." This group harassed the Seleucid troops, destroyed pagan altars, and attracted rebels in large numbers. In December 164 BCE, they were able to enter Jerusalem, destroy the garrison in the Akra,₇ and recapture the Jerusalem Temple. It was cleansed, refurnished, and rededicated exactly three years to-the-day of its desecration. The Maccabees ordained the annual festival of Hanukkah to commemorated their rededication of the alter and the Temple. The Hasmonean Dynasty then ruled Palestine from 135 to 37 B.C.₈

In 162 BCE, Antiochus' successors formally abrogated his policies, restored the Torah as the law of Judea, and appointed a new high priest named Alcimus. This step put an end to the party of Judean Hellenizers and should have put an end to Judah's rebellion. But Judah objected to the appointment of Alcimus, considering him religiously compromised by his behavior during the Antiochene persecutions. Accordingly, he marched again, this time not against pagans but against Alcimus' Judean supporters, many of whom had once fought at Judah's own side against Antiochus' troops. The new Seleucid king, Demetrius I, sent a general...against Judah, but Judah conquered him and again entered Jerusalem in triumph in 161. This victory made Judah master of the country. Like other heads of smaller states subject to the deteriorating Seleucid kingdom, he turned to Rome for support, and the Senate confirmed the freedom of the nation of the Judeans. For the first time since the Babylonian conquest of the kingdom of Judah in 587 BCE, the Judeans were recognized as an independent power. This moment, however, also marks the fateful entrance of Rome into Judean affairs."₉

 

Notes

 ₁Scheindlin, Raymond P. A Short History of the Jewish People. New York: Oxford University Press, 1998. p.35-37.

₂"The Festivals of Hanukkah and Christmas." Christian Action for Israel. March 10, 2011. March 10, 2011. par. 8. <http://christianactionforisrael.org.>
₃Scheindlin, 37-38.
₄Ibid, 38.
₅ Festivals, par. 8.
₆Scheindlin, 38
₇Ibid, 38.
₈ Festivals, par. 11.
₉Scheindlin, 38-39.

Revelation Study - Lesson 7

Week 7: Highlights of Jewish History part 2 - The Babylonians and the Persians

Review

In our last "class" we talked about early Jewish history, so let's review before we continue. The independent Jewish kingdom was short lived. The Hebrews lived from approximately 1200-1000 BCE (about 200 years) as separate tribes. The united kingdom existed under the Davidic monarchy from 1020-922 BCE. Israel, the northern kingdom, fell to the Assyrians in 722 BCE, and Judah, the southern kingdom, fell to the Babylonians in 597 BCE. Jerusalem was devastated and the Temple was destroyed in 587/586 BCE. These years also mark the beginning of the Babylonian exile.₁

The Exile

Many biblical scholars today tend to treat the Babylonian exile in an odd way: although it may have started in a tragic way, the Hebrews may not have had it too bad in Babylon. However, these scholars tend to disregard the sociological, political and psychological impact that living in exile and under military occupation has on a population. In biblical stories there are significant symbols of domination, including threats of death from the king, fear of the king's rage, name changing as an indication of subordination, symbolic warfare in visions, and themes of resistance and opposition.₂ Biblical passages indicate that Jews were led off bound and chained (Jer.40:1) and oracles in Jeremiah threaten punishment of Babylon for its severity (Jer. 50:15-16, 29; 51:20-22) and idolatry (50:2, 36; 51:44). Approximately 20,000-25,000 people, or perhaps many more, were exiled.₃ Clearly, the exile was not the life of contentment some of us have been taught it was.



King Cyrus

The Babylonians were defeated the by the Persian king Cyrus in 538 BCE., and he permitted the Hebrews to return home and to rebuild the Temple. King Cyrus is called "Messiah" but we should be careful as to how much importance we read into this. Cyrus was considered to be a tool of God, and to be dependent and obedient to God's will, and this conclusion has importance when reading Daniel. However, we should understand that Cyrus was not acting differently from tradition and policies that Persian kings operated under elsewhere. Cyrus needed a strong western flank, and the Jews and the Temple would serve this purpose. The Persians building of garrisons is an indication of the strong military control the Persians continued to hold over the Jewish homeland. The Hebrews being permitted to return to Jerusalem should be viewed as a strategic plan rather than any enlightenment of King Cyrus.₄ Shoring up the Persian western front became even more important when the Greeks exerted its presence in the around the Mediterranean₅

Some 50,000 Jews set out on the first return to the Israel, led by Zerubbabel, a descendent of the House of David. Less than 100 years later, a second return was led by Ezra, the Scribe. Construction of the Second Temple on the site of the First Temple and the refortification of the walls of Jerusalem mark the beginning of the Second Temple period. Judah became a nation whose leadership was entrusted to the high priest and council of elders in Jerusalem.₆

Those returning from the exile in Babylon constructed their alter on the site of the alter of the first Temple. The building was made of stone with wooden beams reinforcing the walls from the interior. The Holy of Holies was most likely empty because there was probably no ark and no cherubim. The construction of the Second Temple was completed in 515 BCE and was rededicated with much ceremony and celebration. There is significant historical importance to the Jews return to Jerusalem because it restored the sacrificial ritual, central to Jewish worship as prescribed by its ancient texts. It established the manner of worship for the entire Second Temple period and was seen by the majority of the Jewish people as the best way to reach God and secure his favor.₇

The Persian Period

The Persian period ended with their defeat by the Greeks under the command of Alexander the Great in 333 BCE.₈ Alexander kept mostly along the coastline so he could destroy the Persian navy, and therefore bypassed most of the Jewish lands. After Alexander died in 323 BCE, a Greek family known as the Ptolemies took control of Egypt and the Holy Land. Trade occurred between Egypt and Israel, the a process that came to be known as Hellenization (acculturation of Greek customs and language) moved forward. Many high ranking Jews and leaders of society embraced Greek culture and religion.₉

"Ptolemaic rule in the region continued until 200 BCE, when it fell under the rule of the Seleucids, the Greek rulers of Syria."₁₀ The Seleucid who took the Holy Land from the Ptolemies was Antiochus III (223-187 BCE). "After losing Asia Minor to Rome in 189 BCE however, Antiochus III found his kingdom in financial straits. His son, Seleucus IV (187-175 BCE) failed in an attempt to plunder the riches of the Jewish temple, but Antiochus IV (175-164 BCE) did so around 170 BCE.₁₁

Antiochus IV is a huge figure in Jewish history, and very important to our study of Daniel. I will be discussing this period of Jewish history with my next posting.

Since I did not post a lesson last week or this week, I will post information about Antiochus IV and the Roman period in my next post, which will hopefully be within the next two days. I would really like to get started on Daniel on Wednesday, March 9.

Thinking About It

Can you put yourself in the mindset of a Jew in the Babylonian Exile - having been under siege, a defeated nation, marched in chains to Babylon, and now existing as a slave? What would it be like if, having been under foreign powers, you were released to go home again? What if you were released but remained under the control of that foreign power?

Many people at Gravel Hill know what it is like to have their church and sanctuary destroyed by fire, but how would that feeling be different if it had been destroyed through military violence by an enemy?

Speculate how might you feel if you were conquered by an invading army and be denied the ability to practice your faith? How would you feel if someone desecrated the sanctuary of Gravel Hill?

Notes

₁Murphy, Frederick J. "The Book of Daniel." The New Interpreter's Bible, Vol. VII. Nashville: Abingdon, 1996. p.23.

₂Ibid, 26-28.
₃Ibid, 30.
₄Ibid, 30-31.
₅Ibid, 24.
₆"History: Second Temple Period-Return to Zion." Israel Ministry of Foreign Affairs. 2008. March 17, 2011. <http://www.mfa.gov.il>.
₇ Schiffman, Lawrence H. "Second Temple." My Jewish Learning. n.d. March 17, 2011. <http://www.myjewishlearning.com>.
₈Murphy, 24.
₉The Archaeological Study Bible. Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2005. p. xxii.
₁₀Ibid, xxii.
₁₁Ibid, xxii-xxiii.

Revelation Study - Lesson 6

Week 6: Highlights of Jewish History, Part 1

Since context is so important, we need to take a quick look at major happenings in the history of the Jewish people. Most of us are familiar with Abraham, Moses, the Exodus, and the formation of the nation of Israel from its beginnings until King David's reign, so we'll begin with David. All of the information below is taken from Abba Eban's book Heritage: Civilization and the Jews (New York: Summit, 1984. pages 48-58).

Jerusalem and the Temple

The reign of David is considered to be the climax of the Jewish nation. Although the twelve tribes had formed a confederation, all twelve tribes were further unified under David and his strong government. This strong government allowed Israel to enter into the mainstream of civilization. They controlled a vital bit of land with trade routes (as well as routes for armies) and commerce that connected Africa and the Arabian peninsula to Asia.

David's most significant administrative reform was his transfer of the capital from Hebron to Jerusalem. Jerusalem had territorial and political advantages because it was centrally located and was not under a direct tribal claim. Having no tribal claim meant that there was no established tribal elite to hinder David's monarchal power. At that time Jerusalem was called Jebus, and David took control of this town away from the people called the Jebusites sometime between 1000 and 990 B.C.E. Although David significantly enlarged Jerusalem and built a magnificent palace, David's plans to build a temple fell to his successor, Solomon.

Construction of the Temple took from about 957 to 950 B.C.E. The Phoenician kingdom under King Hiram, of Tyre, was paid to supply builders, masons, the "cedars of Lebanon," and many commodities for the Temple. It was an opulent structure. The Jewish sacrificial rites were highly developed, at least since Sumerian times, and "the Temple sacrifice was the center of state religion in the age of Solomon and remained so as long as the Temple stood in Jerusalem" (50).

The Two Kingdoms

"Solomon seems to have given Israel a Golden Age of peace and prosperity" (50). His ships sailed to Arabia, East Africa and India, bringing back riches, and he traded in horses, chariots, copper and other commodities. Solomon formed alliances with the Ammonites, Edomites, Hittites, Moabites, Phoenicians and Egyptians through marriages. But the Israelite monarchy became overextended and could not produce enough wheat and oil to pay for Solomon's lavish imports. To finance his building projects, Solomon levied taxes and servitude on his subjects, widening the gulf between the rich and poor. The levies were higher in the northern part of the kingdom and tensions increased between the north and the south. When Solomon died between 930 and 922 B.C.E., the Davidic line retained power in the south (the Kingdom of Judah including the tribes of Judah and Benjamin) while the ten tribes of the north succeeded to establish the Kingdom of Israel.

While the two kingdoms were weakening due to quarreling and corruption, the Assyrians were rebuilding their empire and becoming the greatest empire the Near East had ever seen. During the eighth century B.C.E. the Assyrians subdued the northern kingdom and by 724 it attacked Israel directly. An Assyrian inscription states 27,290 people were led away as booty. As most empires of the ancient world, Assyria dealt harshly with conquered nations; people were tortured, killed and enslaved, entire populations were annihilated and cultures were displaced, absorbed and lost forever. The people of Israel were treated no differently. The Northern Kingdom was obliterated and its people henceforth became known as the ten "Lost Tribes."

The Kingdom of Judah

While Israel died, Judah thrived and flourished for ever 100 years. However, after King Josiah's death in 690 B.C.E., the Kingdom of Judah rapidly deteriorated. Three years before, an alliance of Babylonians, Medes and Scythians conquered the Assyrians and the armies of Babylon and Egypt rushed into the vacuum, with Syrian and Palestine caught in between. When Nebuchadnezzar II (Nebuchadrezzar) came to power in Babylon in 604 B.C.E., Judah survived by paying tribute. Babylon was at war with Egypt and when it suffered a setback, the King of Judah, Jehoiakim withheld Judah's tribute. Nebuchadnezzar II retaliated and Jerusalem fell to Babylon in 597.

Egypt forced Babylon once again into a setback, and another king, Zedekiah, took this opportunity to once again renounced ties with Babylon. Nebuchadnezzar stormed Jerusalem, looted the city, burned the palaces and temple, executed its leaders and exiled most of the surviving population to Babylon, where they remained for 250 years.

The Exile

The Exile was an important historical period for the Jewish people. It became a Golden Age of the prophets, including Amos, Hosea, Isaiah and Jeremiah. Prophesy was an ancient institution found among many peoples, often used to predict the future. However, in Israel its role evolved into the protection, extension and elevation of the spiritual life of the Jews. Since the beginning of the Jewish settlement of Canaan, monotheism (belief in one god) had to be defended against polytheism (the belief in many gods). The values of the world were different than those of the Jewish community. But the Jews had a sense that they possessed a great truth. They eventually came to believe that they were chosen to share this truth with others. Slowly they emerged from devotion to cult and ritual for its own sake into an understanding that their beliefs had great moral significance. "As the corruption of the Israelites and the folly of Judah evoked from the prophets words of anger and warning, so the devastation" of Jerusalem "and the exile to Babylon brought forth words of comfort, healing and hope" (57).

Prophetic universalism began with the Exile. The prophets did not just address the people of Israel, but would be directed to all the peoples of the earth, teaching a universal morality. "And the nations, said Isaiah, would finally learn to live in peace with each other"(57). Hebrew prophetic literature is incomparable in human history. "It is marked by originality of insight, by a great nobility of vision, and by poetic splendor of language"(58).

The Progress of History and the Messianic Idea

"By far the most revolutionary of all the prophetic ideas is the messianic idea: A day will come when human conflict and anguish will be transcended by divine grace into an era of perfect peace and harmony"(58). Other civilizations envisioned a golden age of peace and harmony, but they did so at the beginning of their history; all looked to the past so that subsequent human history unfolds in descent. Perfection was always something in the past. This produced a pessimistic view of human destiny because nothing in the future could be better than what was found in the past; a sense of Paradise Lost.

"The Hebrews were the first and only people that was its golden age not at the beginning of history but in the future, at the end of time, so that history unfolds forward and upward in constant ascent toward ultimate perfection.

Progress in history is a uniquely Jewish idea. It might be called the greatest contribution of the Jewish mind to other civilizations"(58). A Roman emperor and philosopher, Marcus Aurelius (121-180 C.E.), spoke of human history as a wheel that goes around, with everything in the end being as it was in the beginning. There is birth, growth, decay and death. The consequence is determinism; nothing can change; nothing is worthwhile.

"The Hebrew messianic idea, on the other hand, is alive with a sense of hope and purpose. It is worthwhile to strive for human perfection, for social progress, for compassion, for justice, for freedom, for the protection of the poor, for universal peace. It is extraordinary that a people with such a tragic experience should have achieved such a buoyant and optimistic vision of human destiny. And the ultimate expression of that vision comes in the words of the prophet of Jerusalem who preached in Jerusalem, Isaiah, the son of Amoz: Nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war any more (Isaiah 2:4)" (58).

Later in the week I'll post additional information about what happens after the Exile up to the destruction of the Second Temple in 70 C.E. This is a period of Jewish history that we are less familiar with but that is very important for our discussion of Daniel and Revelation.

For More Information

If you want more information there are a large amount of resources on the Web. An overview of Jewish history can be found on Wikipedia at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jewish_history, A good resource for information regarding Jewish history can be found on JewishHistory.org at http://www.jewishhistory.org/crash-course. Research articles of interest can be found on the Jewish History Resource Center Web site at http://www.dinur.org/.

Thinking About It

1. How does the information in the section above titled, The Progress of History and the Messianic Idea, fit in with what we think or know about apocalyptic literature?

1 Comment

Person 1 said...

I believe that this information is great and very important as we consider these and all Biblical writings. These things weren't written with us (the 21st century geniuses that we are) in mind - these were written for the people of that day and age and these writings really meant something to them. We can try to take any meaning we'd like out of them, but we have to remember the context. This is great and informative Lynn, thank you

Revelation Study - Lesson 5

Week 5: Finishing Enoch

Let's cut to the chase about 1 Enoch. As a reminder, 1 Enoch is an important text. Why? Because this book contains new ideas not seen previously in any other Jewish writings. Keep in mind that although these ideas initially appear in 1 Enoch, it is reasonable to assume that these ideas were floating about the Jewish community before they were written down. Slight hints of them can be seen in other Jewish texts, but they become explicit for the first time in 1 Enoch and Daniel. All ideas begin somewhere, and here we see the seeds of our current belief. These initial concepts continued, or underwent further development, in some strands of Jewish belief. It is important to remember that Christianity did not form in a vacuum. Christianity was a Jewish cult. What we see in these texts are the beginnings of our own current Christian beliefs concerning the end times, regardless of their original purpose.

So what concepts do we find in 1 Enoch that relate to our eventual discussion about Revelation? To make them clear, lets just list them...

1. Judgment

Almost all apocalyptic literature imagines some form of final judgment. The righteous receive blessing and the wicked receive punishment. Each of the five books mentions this, the Similitudes probably the most. The Book of the Watchers connects the Watcher's judgment to that of mortals. Enoch also finds cosmic order from his heavenly tour, and finds cosmic order through cosmic judgment.

• In chapters 18-21, Enoch sees the judgment places of...the Watchers.
• In chapter 22, he sees a place where the dead dwell until the great judgment, and the righteous are separated from the wicked (one place for the righteous and three for different types of sinners). Fire awaits the wicked.
• In chapters 25 and 27, after judgment the righteous experience blessing and the wicked get torment.₁

2. A Future Age

Throughout the text, 1 Enoch presents hope for a future blessing. "Although this blessing can arrive in the form of a blessed afterlife, 1 Enoch's books tend to emphasize a period of righteousness and refreshment."₂

·    In the Apocalypse of Weeks, the eighth week has sinners and oppressors fall into the hands of the righteous, with the ninth week being a week where the sinners have departed so the righteous can pursue uprightness.

·    The Animal Apocalypse portrays a time when wild birds and beasts, representing Israel's enemies, will live together in peace in the house of God.

·    All books foresee a messianic age..."I shall (also) transform the earth and make it a blessing, and cause my Elect One to dwell in her. Then those who have committed sin and crime shall not set foot in her." (45:5 OTP)₃

3. Eschatological (end times) Tribulation

Final judgment provides resolution to a world in moral disorder, however, we don't understand why apocalyptic writings all talk about an escalation of disorder before the final judgment, called "tribulation." Neither the Book of the Watchers nor the Similitudes talk about a tribulation, but the Animal Apocalypse and the Apocalypse of Weeks mentions that apostasy will appear, wickedness and violence will increase, and cosmic chaos will develop.₄ The Animal Apocalypse includes the "sealed books" in 90:20-27.₄

5. Astral and Meteorological Phenomena

"For people who observed annual sacrifices on specified dates, the calendar was a serious matter; to get things 'wrong' meant" religious error and cosmic disorder. Also, cosmic order implied an order that transcended the world's injustice. Therefore, we find that many apocalyptic texts show great interest in things such as the sun, moon, stars, winds, lightening and storms.₅

6. Heavenly Beings

1 Enoch abounds with angels who particularly serve as mediators of revelations to Enoch. The Book of the Watchers speculates about the Nephilim, a story in the Bible which is interesting because it does not elaborate on any details, and begs for more of the story to be told. Many of the angels throughout 1 Enoch have names and become identifiable creature who have specific tasks. Some are faithful to God but others rebel.₆

7. Messianic Expectations

Several sections of 1 Enoch portray messianic expectation. 1 Enoch uses the word "Messiah" (which means Anointed One); "Son of Man"; "Elect One" (or "Chosen One"), and; "Righteous One." All of these names are used in the Similitudes, where expectations of a messiah clearly seen. The Animal Apocalypse and Epistle of Enoch also have messianic expectation.

In the Animal Apocalypse, a "Man" appears. His is an angelic figure and appears as one of seven "Snow-white ones." A second figure, a White Bull, appears after the judgment. This Bull is born among the snow-white sheep, "a genetic marvel that signals God's eschatological activity." The Bull performs remarkable things, resulting in honor given him from all the animals, and they are transformed into snow-white cows. This signifies hope that all people will be drawn into God's righteousness, resulting in all people achieving a state of righteousness.

In the Epistle of Enoch, an age of a Righteous One brings judgment and redemption. Like the White Bull, the Righteous One judges with kindness, not with harshness or violence.

In the Similitudes, the Righteous One reveals heavenly knowledge, judges the wicked and gives the world to the saints, resulting in a "glorious age." It portrays revelation, judgment and redemption.

1 Enoch 48 has revelation, judgment and redemption, but adds the hope of redemption for Gentiles. It portrays the Son of Man as existing before the world's creation. Salvation depends no only on living righteously, but in recognizing the Son of Man. The Similitudes end with an angel revealing that Enoch is the Son of Man. This ending leaves many questions concerning Enoch unanswered, especially those relating to his relationship to the messiah.₇

8. Afterlife and Resurrection

There is a problem when it comes to judging the people of the earth: many have already died. Therefore, in conjunction with judgment must come an afterlife of some sort. In both 1 Enoch and Daniel, judgment requires resurrection. This appears to be a new idea in Judaism. This idea was not the same as we envision resurrection today. For the ancient Hebrews, the dead that resided in Sheol would be resurrected and restored to life in bodily form on the earth. Today we think of resurrection in connection with "the immortality of the human soul," but 1 Enoch and Daniel do not.₈

9. God's Throne or Dwelling

The vision of God's throne originated before apocalyptic literature did, but apocalyptic literature starts a pattern of both identifying God's throne in the "highest heaven" as well as associating it with God's justice.₉

10. Rulers and the Rich

Ruler and the rich are only seen in the Similitudes and the Epistles, but they show victimization of people by the powerful and talks of hope for resistance. In fact, the righteous find salvation because they resent the "world of oppression." In chapters 62-63, "the kings, the governors, the high officials, and the landlords" are given over "to the angels for punishments in order that vengeance shall be executed on them - oppressors of [God's] children and [God's] elect ones." Judgments concerning the Watchers may reinforce this message.₁₀

1 Enoch stresses two ideas throughout. The first is a feeling of dissatisfaction. Whether it is on a cosmic level or a human one, it assesses human existence in the present as corrupted by evil. Secondly, 1 Enoch shows concern for order. Injustice flies in the face of order, and 1 Enoch reflects concerns about disempowerment and violence.₁₁

Oppressed Communities

Later, we will talk about apocalyptic literature emerging from oppressed communities. But for 1 Enoch you have to ask:

• could a disenfranchised group produce scholarly literature, allude to scripture and ancient culture, as well as investigate natural science?
• could a marginalized group produce texts that require both literacy and the money to provide the necessities of writing, as well as the means to preserve and modify it so that it would not be lost?

The answers to these questions could compromise the idea that 1 Enoch was written by a group that was oppressed. Just something to keep in mind as we go forward from here.

Next week we will probably review a few events in the history of the Middle East that will be important for us to understand as we proceed from this point on. The next book we will be looking at after that will be Daniel. If you would like to start reading Daniel, I'd encourage you to do so.

Thinking About It

Do you have any overall thoughts about 1 Enoch? Write a few observations, thoughts, feelings, or anything else you would like to share or discuss with others. I would really like everyone to write something, especially those of you who have remained silent. Let us know you're there and what you are learning.

Notes

1Greg Carey, Ultimate Things (St. Louis: Chalice, 2005), 27-28.

2Ibid, 28.
3Ibid, 28.
4Ibid, 27-29.
5Ibid, 29.
6Ibid, 29-30.
7Ibid, 30-31.
8Ibid, 31-33.
9Ibid, 33-34.
10Ibid, 34-35.
11Ibid, 36.

2 Comments

Person 1 said:
I think Enoch is interesting - I think it's great to see some texts that aren't part of the Bible, but that could have been. That being said, I also find it a little harder to give the text the full credence that I give books in the Bible. Probably because I've seen and read them for my entire life, while Enoch is new and different.
I also think it's great to see where some of our ideas for the end of times come from. Being able to look into why the authors of these writings wrote what they did is also enlightening.

Lynn said...
I agree. I have trouble giving them credence as well. We assume that the individuals who settled on our canon knew what they were doing and only included texts that spoke truthfully to and about our beliefs. For Christians, at least for the most part, all other "religious" writings are viewed with suspicion. Context is so important I really don't know how our ancestors could determine "true" meaning without it, if that is possible, which we assume it is. Certainly the people that first looked at our Bible as simply another literary work, applying the analytical techniques used on other texts, did us a great favor, in my opinion. It helps us apply context to get at a more likely meaning behind things that can confuse us. That's why this week we are going to look at some history of the Middle East pertaining to the Jews. We need to understand a little about that history if we are to understand what Daniel, Revelation and other apocalyptic texts might be talking about.

Revelation Study - Lesson 4

Week 4: Enoch? Never Heard of Him...

1 Enoch

The two most ancient apocalypses we have are 1 Enoch and Daniel. These writings present some ideas that are not found specifically in Jewish writings and helped to develop apocaplyptic ideas. These ideas eventually became very important in Jewish belief and faith as well as helping to form the beliefs of Christianity.₁ What apocalyptic ideas surfaced in these writings for the first time?

• Expectations of a final judgment where God separates the righteous from sinners.
• Hope for resurrection of the righteous dead to a heavenly realm.
• Belief that God acts in history - all of history - past present and future - to bring about a new age of justice and deliverance.
• Speculation about a messianic figure (a Son of Man, Elect One, Righteous One, or Messiah) who will administer final justice upon the world.₂

1 Enoch gives us the first example of pseudonymity in apocalyptic literature. If you'll remember, that is when an author gives credit to another well known, usually well respected person as the writer of a letter or book. Why Enoch? Though one scholar has described Enoch as being "a most unlikely biblical hero," Carey says that maybe Enoch "offers the perfect set of attributes for an apocalyptic man of mystery: timing, exceptional righteousness, and almost unique immortality, all accentuated by a lack of narrative detail."₃

Biblically, Enoch lived in the sixth generation from Adam, before the great flood. Both this numerical designation and preceeding the flood make him a significant figure.₄ If you scan all of Genesis 5 and then read Gen. 5:24 you will see two notable things about Enoch. The first is that Enoch "walked with God." This statement is not made for anyone else before the flood.₅ The second is that the wording for his "death" is different than the others. The Bible does not say, "he died," but that "he was no more, because God took him." This places him with Elijah, as being one of only two people who were taken into heaven without experiencing death. This also implies that Enoch observed heavenly secretes that are unknown to us. All these things would qualify Enoch as a perfect "apocalyptic visionary,"₆ and he becomes a great mediator between the heavenly realm and the world of humankind.₇ Even though Enoch is not part of our Bible and is not a book we know, it was a significant writing for the rest of the biblical tradition. The cult at Qumran ranked it among it's most treasured texts and the Jewish books of Jubilees and the Testaments of the Twelve Patriarchs relied heavily on it. The New Testament's book of Jude quotes 1 Enoch 1:9, while many other early Christian writings quote from, allude to, or depend on 1 Enoch. Tertullian identified it as "inspired scripture,"₇ and it was included in the Bible of the Ethiopian Orthodox Church.₈

 

1 Enoch is a collection of five books and two appendices that evolved over time with different parts evolving in different contexts. Although we are only going to look briefly at the first book, Book of the Watchers, 1 Enoch looks something like this:

• Book of the Watchers (1 Enoch 1-36), probably written in the third century BCE
• Similitudes (or Parables) of Enoch (1 Enoch 37-71), probably from either the first century BCE or first century CE (though it could have been written as late as the third century CE)
• Astronomical Book (or Book of the Heavenly Luminaries) (1 Enoch 72-82), probably from the third century CE
• Book of Dreams (1 Enoch 83-90), almost certainly from 170-163 BCE, which includes the Animal Apocalypse (Chapters 85-90)
• Epistle of Enoch (1 Enoch 91-105) (second century BCE), from second century BCE, and includes the Apocalypse of Weeks (1 Enoch 91:12-17, 93:1-10)₉

The Book of the Watchers narrates two major stories. The first is an expansion of Genesis 6:1-4, an "odd" text of scripture that we tend to brush by. In it the "sons of God" descend to earth to have sexual intercourse with mortal women, who produce a race of giant called the Nephilim. This story connects this obscure passage in scripture to the great flood. The "sons of God" are called "Watchers" because they watch over the earth, but violate boundaries between heaven and earth and reduce the world to chaos. This chaos is what provokes God to intervene with the flood.₁₀

The second story includes a tour of the cosmos, including heaven and hell. Enoch presents his 364 day calendar and reveals names of heavenly beings.₁₁ This depiction of an alternative reality contain two basic categories of revelation: a time and a spatial/material dimension. These two form the basic model for all apocalyptic revelation. However things appear in the earth realm, the ultimate reality of the heavenly realm or the future is where truth lies.₁₂

"The entire Book of the Watchers addresses itself as a blessing to the elect in the last days and concludes by celebrating the wonders of creation (36:4)."₁₃ It presents three related arguments:

1. God's world works according to order (born out of observation and Enoch's revelation)
2. Part of God's order is judgment. Because God has judged the angels and Watchers he will judge humankind; therefore
3. the elect should bless God.₁₄

I'm going to stop here even though I'd love to keep going! What I'd like you to do is scan the Book of the Watchers and if you see anything interesting, bring it up in the comments of this blog. See if you can find any of the three points listed above. Now, the Book of the Watchers is not short, so do what you can. Obviously there are no tests and the reason we're looking at this is to try to determine what some of the earliest ideas were that are associated with apocalyptic literature. Next week we're going to list them so you can see what they are so later, you can compare them to what is found in Revelation.

We're not going to discuss the contexts in which the books of 1 Enoch were written even though context is very important. We'll do that a little later with a book that has more meaning for us.

Enjoy! We'll finish up 1 Enoch next week with the specific topics in the text and than talk about Daniel, a book with which we're all a little more familiar.

Notes

1Greg Carey, Ultimate Things (St. Louis: Chalice, 2005), 19.
2Ibid, 19.
₃Ibid, 23.

₄Ibid, 23.
₅Ibid, 23.
₆Ibid, 23.
₇Ibid, 20.
₈Ibid, 20.
₉Ibid, 23.
₁₀Ibid, 21.
₁₁Ibid, 21.
₁₂Ibid, 23.
₁₃Ibid, 21.
₁₄Ibid, 21-22.

7 Comments

Person 1 said...

Very interesting! I enjoyed reading a littl more of Enoch, and venturing into some non-Biblical texts.
I scanned the beginning of Enoch and definitely noticed the three items that were mentioned: God likes order, and so there are rules and seasons. There is definitely judgement that God brings the 10,000 for to destroy the ungodly, and the elect are protected. I did notice a number (and went back to last week's lesson for reference)= 14. All the trees lose their leaves in the winter except for 14. Why's that? Is it 7 and 7 - twice spiritually perfect? Or maybe, 10 - perfection and 4 - God's creative works/the world. Those were just the two that maybe made the most sense to me...

Person 2 said...
Lynn When you say Hope for the resurrection of the righteous dead to a heavenly realm what does this mean? Since when we die we go to straight to heaven is this referring to the old testament people who were righteous but were under the law and were not saved by grace that they will only be taken into heaven when Jesus returns?

Lynn said...

Would anyone like to make their own comments or observations on either of these two comments?

Person 3 said...

I have to say that I agree with what Person 1 wrote, finding the same items that were mentioned in the blog. I think both of her thoughts on the number 14 sound good too. I can't think of anything better.
Person 2, I totally agree with what you came up with in your comment. That is the way I see it too. I'm pretty sure I read about all the souls ascending into heaven after Jesus' death. I assumed they were the souls who did not have eternal life until Jesus gave us that gift.
If we aren't to discuss the content of Enoch yet, I guess I don't have anything more to add. I have to say, though some of this is difficult, I really am enjoying this course and would love to see some more conversation amongst the members too.

Person 3 said...

Oh, now that I'm reading over this again, I don't think I answered Person 2's question at all. And now I have the same question. Lynn, help us!!! :-)

Lynn said...

I would suggest that whenever you read a text there are a few very important things to consider. One is, "When was this text written?" or "When do we believe this text was written?" Another is, "In what context was this text written?" A third might be, "What concerns is this text addressing?"
So remember these things about 1 Enoch:
1.) It was written long before Jesus. The writers don't know anything about Jesus or about his resurrection.
2.) Justice was a big issue. Always has been and always will be, I assume. The prophets all talked about justice.
3.) So one question these types of texts often attempt to address are those concerning what happens after we die. The Jews generally believed that people went to a place called Sheol, not heaven but not really hell. There was a sort of afterlife but it was kind of a netherworld existence. Totally different than what we think happens after death today. Resurrection of the dead was a new concept, and presents as a new idea in Jewish literature, appearing for the first time in 1 Enoch and Daniel.
Another question apocalyptic literature tries to address is, is there a difference between what happens to good people (righteous - though righteous means more that "good") and evil people? This question has to do with issues of justice. Do the good and the bad get the same reward, or is there justice in the afterlife, since there often appears to be no justice in this life? Apocalyptic literature points to an answer of, "Yes. Since there is no justice in this life, justice will be meted out in the next life." Of course, God, who sees all and knows all, even what is each person's heart, will be the judge.
We're going to get to some of this in our next lesson, which I should have written tonight and already posted...except I was tired. However, guilt now gets the best of me and I'll start working on it. Unfortunately, I'm not sure if I'll post it tonight. We'll see...