Page:Jewish Encyclopedia Volume 1.pdf/729

673 ;

THE JEWItiU ENXYCLOPEDIA

673 Levi, viii.



Kev. viii.l,

etc.



compare Hennas," Siniil."

tbe "watchers" {eypr/yopoi, pTy), Dan. iv. 14(20 Masoretic te.xt): Enoch, i. .5, xii. 2, etc.; Slav. Enocli, xviii. 3; Testament Xaphtali. iii.; the great beasts which "came up out of the sea." Dan.vii. 3; II Esd. .i. 1; Rev. xiii. 1; the traditional employment of such monsters to symbolize the heathen worldpowers, successive rulers being reijresenteil by u series of heads, horns, or wings, and so on. In point of theological teaching, also, there is to be observed the same noteworthy transmission of material (see t he examples in § III. ). It is plain that the fixity of tliis "apocalyptic tntdition" is due to the nature of the subject-matter. The writerof such visionsof the future was obliged to deal to some extent with dt Unite things— per-sons, events, times, and places. The end of the world, for example, could take ])lace in but one way and after the scene had once been described, a subsequent writer on this theme coidd not disregard or contradict the former description without throwing discredit upon his own work. In no other branch of literature is it so indispensable and so ea.sy to have the sui)port of tradition. It was tliis desire forautheuticity.cliietly, that caused the mostof thes<' writings to be put forth under the names of former great men of Israel. Only in the case of the Christian " Shepherd " of Ilermas does the author write in his own name. In spite of this uniformity of tradition, the liooks of this group exhitiit very consideraI>le diversity. In the development of .lewish apocaControllingf lyplic literature two controlling moMotives. tivi'S may be especially ol)served: interest in the future especially the future of the true Israel and interest in the secrets of the universe. The two oldest apocalypses that have been jtreserved Daniel and Enoch may serve to represent these two main divisions. The Hook of Daniel is the most strongly patriotic of all the apocalyp.ses. Very little attention is jKiid in it to the unseen world; no great interest in the current mythology is apparent; here alone among all the writings of this cla.ss there is no reference to theancient Hebrew history. The cschatology of the book immensely important as it is. and strongly empliasized by the author Iiimself is crowded into the briefest possible space, vii. 13 et »/'/., 27, xii. 1-3. Angels are maile prominent onlv fur the purpose of emi)hasi/.ing the fact that (ioi! and His hosts are in direct control of all that has come upon the Jews. That to which everylhing else is subordinated is the prediction of the iniTiieiliate future. The tiews are 8o<m to be delivered from their oppressors, and the ix. 6, 12;



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faithful will triumph forever. as.soeiated with r)aniel in the

Another book, to be above ela.ssitication,

but of a very dilTerenl character, this another anil most important

ment

is II

Esilras.

line of

In

develop-

Theological interests are in is exemplilieil. (Questions <neerning the ilealing the foreground. of (iod with His jieople. anil His ultimate purposes The doctrine of for them, are asked and answered. the Messiah is plaitdy set forth. In all these respects, the (Syriac) Apocalypse of Baruch is the coimterpart of II Es<lras. The Hook of Enoch, representing the other main division of this literature, is cliietly concerned with the heavens aliove. and the mysteries of the uni verse. Interest in tr future of Israel is by no means wanting, but it occupies a very subordinate Angels and demons, the heaveidy Ixidies, the place. places and conditions of departed spirits, are among Tlii' the subjects which receive most attention. book is composit<', consisting, in fact, of several independent books of dilTerent dates; Its national

I.—13

Apocalypse

apocalyptic portion belongs in time near the Book of Daniel. A number of apocalyp.ses, generally of minor religious value, follow in this track. The most noteworthy example of degeneration along this line is furnished by the Greek Apocalypse Baruch. Both of these varieties of ajiocalyptic exercised a profound influence on the nation. Such doctrines, conunon to both of them, as those of the resurrection, the millennium, and the ilessianic kingdom, were soon given an assured place in the common belief. The elaborate mythology and occult science of the Enoch literature were inherited by the.Jewish Midrash and the early Christian writing.s. As for the more distinctly i)atriotic apocalypses, especially Daniel and II Esdras, there is abundant evidence that they gave in full measure what they were designed to give: encouragement, and anew religious impulse to the pious in Israel. For the detailed evidence of their great influence on the development of both Jewish and Christian theology, see the articles devoted to the separate books. The Jewish apocalyptic writings were not the property of any sect or school. Their point of view was in general that of Palestinian orthodoxy, of the type of which the Pharisees were the best representatives. Most of them, but probably not all, were written in Palestine, Most of them, but not all, were composed in the Hebrew language. It is a mistake to regard the writers as men of a pessimistic turn of mind, or to contrast them sharply, as a cla.ss. with the prophets. So far as religious teaching is concerned, it is not po.ssible to draw any distinct line between projihecy and Apocalypse, The development in this regard was continuous, as some, at least, of the writers themselves felt; see the use of rrpoOTfiia. Kev. i. 3, xxii. 7 et sfq. The appearance of the successive apocalypses did not mark successive periods of )H-rsecution. or unusual distress, as has sometimes l)een a.ssimied. After the Book of Daniel, there is no evidence that any writing of this kind was called forth by the immediate circumstances of the people. From the Jews this type of composition pa,sscd over to the Christians, who both wrote books of their own on this model, and still oftener appropriated existing Jewish books in their entirety or interpolated them. Theadditions to II Esdras(chaps. called also "Tt Ezra") are perhaps i.. ii., XV.. xvi.: most striking illustration of the last-named prothe cess.

§ V.

Other ramplis

will be

mentioned below.

The Jewish Apocalypses. Tlw

following

of theihief npresentatives of Jewish aporalyptic. As the .several books are treated at length elsewhere, otdy the briefest description of them is given here, the aim being to prcM'iit in each case such particulars as will best illustrate the history of the growth of this literature. 1. Daniel. The latter part of this book (written probably Hi.") it.c.) is the oldest Jewish Apocalypse known to us. Cha|)s. i.. iii.-vi. have little or none of the "apocalyptic " character. For a characterization of chaps, vii. -xii.. see above, tj IV. 2. Enoch. Oldest portion written about 120 B.C. the reinaiiuler within a period of ]ierhaps fifty years. Original langviage was certainly Semitic, prolmbly Hebrew. For the most part it is typicallvapocalvptic. and a mine of characteristic material; see ^ IV. Esiiecially i>rominent features an' iingelology. .s«'cn'ts of the unseen world, explanation of natural phenomena, the history of the world, arranged in its successive '• periods." .111(1 the Missianii' kingdom 3. Slavonic Enoch (or Book of the Secreta of Enochv Written probably iti the former lialf of the first century of the common era. Original language

isa

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