Chapter 18

[Literature.—Schürer, II, iii. pp. 141-146, German ed., pp. 386-393; Beer, in Kautzsch, II, pp. 119-127; Charles,The Ascension of Isaiah(1900); Charles,The Martyrdom of Isaiah, inThe Apocr. and Pseudep. of the O.T., II, pp. 155-162. Burkitt,Jewish and Christian Apocalypses, pp. 45 ff.]

In ancient ecclesiastical writings mention is made of three apocryphal books about Isaiah, viz. the “Ascension of Isaiah,” the “Martyrdom of Isaiah,” and the “Vision of Isaiah.” It is possible that the “Ascension” is only another name for the “Vision,” for in Chapter x., which belongs to the “Vision” portion, an account is given of Isaiah ascending to the seventh heaven. But, in any case, two writings are incorporated in the book. Moreover, there aremany additions made by a Christian editor. These various elements belong to different dates; the earliest is the “Martyrdom,” which comprises ii. i-iii. 12, v. 2-14; this is of Jewish authorship, and belongs to the first half of the first centuryA.D.; the final words of this portion have a special interest inasmuch as the reference to the sawing asunder of Isaiah there mentioned points to this being the authority for the statement in Hebrews xi. 37. The words are as follows: “But Isaiah neither cried aloud nor wept whilst he was being sawn asunder, for his mouth spoke with the Holy Ghost until he had been sawn asunder.” Next in date is a short apocalypse (iii. 13-v. 1); this gives arésuméof the early history of the Christian Church, and foretells the last judgement; this is by a Christian author, and belongs to about the middle of the first centuryA.D., or a little later. Lastly, there is the “Vision” (vi.-xi.), which is likewise Christian, and belongs to the end of the first centuryA.D.The first chapter is probably an addition by a Christian editor, the date of which cannot be fixed. The whole of this material has come down to us in an Ethiopic version; this was made from the original Greek, only fragments of which have survived; a Latin version which was made from the Greek existed at one time, but here again only fragments have come down to us.

[Literature.—Schürer, German ed., III, pp. 290-294; Morfill and Charles,The Book of the Secrets of Enoch(1896); Forbes and Charles, inThe Apocr. and Pseudep. of the O.T., II, pp. 425-469.]

This Apocalypse, called also the “Slavonic Enoch” on account of the language in which it has survived, has nothing to do with the “Ethiopic Book of Enoch” already dealt with, excepting that it sometimes reproduces the phraseology and conceptions of the latter. Some sections, the exactextent of which it is impossible to define (Charles), have a Hebrew background and were originally written in this language; these are, at latest, pre-Christian; but the main part of the book was written in Greek, and belongs to about the middle of the first centuryA.D., at any rate to some period prior to the yearA.D.70, for in lix. 2 the sacrificial system is referred to which presupposes the existence of the Temple (“For a man offers clean animals and makes his sacrifice that he may preserve his soul. And if he offer as a sacrifice from clean beasts and birds, he preserves his soul”). There are numberless indications in the book to prove that the author was a Jew, but of the Hellenistic type, for in questions affecting the origin of the earth, sin, death, etc., he adopts Platonic, Egyptian and Zend elements into his system (Charles) in a way which would have been impossible to a Palestinian Jew; he is, however, so far orthodox in that he upholds the sacrificial system, as we have seen, and believes in the Law and in the life eternal. It is interesting to note that the writer frequently quotes passages from Ecclesiasticus in its Greek form, and was also evidently conversant with the Book of Wisdom.

There is one point of especial interest in this book to which a brief reference may be made. We meet here for the first time with the Jewish conception of the Millennium; therationaleof its origin is thus given by Charles: “The account in Genesis of the first week of creation came in pre-Christian times to be regarded not only as a history of the past, but as a forecast of the future history of the world so created. Thus as the world was created in six days, so its history was to be accomplished in 6,000 years; for 1,000 years are with God as one day (cp. Ps. xc. 4; 2 Peter iii. 8), and as God rested on the seventh day, so at the close of the 6,000 years there would be a rest of 1,000 years, i.e. the millennium.” It is also worth adding that the doctrine of the seven heavens is treated in this book with a fulness and clearnessnot found elsewhere; for an illuminating discussion on the subject see Morfill and Charles’ edition of the book, pp. xxx.-xlvii.

[Literature.—Schürer, II, iii. pp. 83-93, German, ed., III, pp. 305-315; Ryssel, in Kautzsch, II, pp. 404-446; Charles,The Apocalypse of Baruch(1896); and inThe Apocr. and Pseudep. of the O.T., II, pp. 470-526.]

This Baruch apocalypse is called the Syriac one because this is the language in which it has come down to us; it is to be distinguished from the “Greek Apocalypse of Baruch” § (k), which is an entirely different work. In its present form it is composite in character, but all its component parts may be assigned to the periodA.D.50-100. To disentangle the various elements contained in the book from one another is a very difficult task; we follow Dr. Charles in giving the following details. The authors are all Pharisees; some lived before, and some after the destruction of Jerusalem inA.D.70; the portions written before this date consist of an Apocalypse (xxvii.-xxx. 1), and two Visions (xxxvi.-xl. and liii.-lxxiv,); these chapters are important for the Messianic teaching contained in them. The portions written after the yearA.D.70 include the rest of the book, with the exception of a few chapters added by a final editor. The present Syriac book is a translation from a Greek version of the original Hebrew.

This apocalypse is one of the most important books we possess for the study of Judaism at the beginning of the Christian era; all the vital doctrines come in for consideration—the doctrine of God, of the Law, of the Messiah, Original Sin and Free-will, Works and Justification, Forgiveness, and the Resurrection.

[Literature.—Schürer,Op. cit., II, iii. pp. 146, 147, German ed., III, pp. 294-305; Fuchs in Kautzsch, pp. 506-528; F. C.Conybeare in theJewish Quarterly Review, vii., pp. 216 ff. (1895); Charles, in theApocr. and Pseud. of the O.T., II, pp. 407-424.]

This Jewish work, belonging possibly to the end of the first centuryA.D., consists of forty-three chapters, most of which have their parallel in the fifty-one chapters of theLife of Adam and Eve. The original language of both was Hebrew; the latter exists now only in a Latin form, while the Apocalypse is extant in Greek and Armenian. How the book came to have the name of Moses in the title is difficult to say; he is not mentioned in the book, which is strictly a legendary life of Adam and Eve. For the study of the doctrine of sin the book has some value, but the apocalyptic elements are very sparse; the life hereafter and the resurrection are, however, referred to.

This book does not come within our period as it was written, probably, at the end of the second centuryA.D.; it is only mentioned here for the purpose of pointing out again that it is to be distinguished from the “Syriac Apocalypse of Baruch” dealt with above.

This chapter does not lend itself to a Summary as in the case of the others.

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