Chapter Thirteen

The appearance of a man from the depths of the sea (1–3). His destruction of the enemy (4–11) and summons to himself a peaceful company (12–13). Ezra’s prayer for the interpretation of the vision and the resolution of the question about the advantages of those who live to see the Messiah’s revelation over the preceding generations (14–20). Resolution of the question posed by Ezra (21–24). Explanation of the Messiah’s actions in relation to enemies (25–38) and peaceful society (39–53). Promise of a new revelation (54–58).

2 Esdras 13:1. And it happened after seven days, I saw a vision in the night: 2 Esdras 13:2. and behold, a wind rose from the sea to disturb all its waves. 2 Esdras 13:3. I looked, and behold, there came forth a mighty man with the armies of heaven, and wherever he turned his face to look, all trembled at what was seen beneath him; 3. The text of the Vulgate contains a lacuna, supplied by the Eastern translations. “And I saw, and behold, from the effect of this wind came forth from the depths of the sea as it were a likeness of a man. And I saw, and behold, that man flew with the clouds of heaven.” In the Vulgate, instead of clouds it is said of the thousands of heaven, by which the copyist evidently understood the angelic armies. The description of the man is inspired by the Book of Daniel (VII:13–14), where the Son of Man appears in the same manner coming with the clouds of heaven. The difference between them is that in Daniel, the Son of Man appears directly on the clouds, whereas in Pseudo-Ezra He comes forth from the sea, like the four beasts of Daniel, depicting world monarchies (VII:2), and only then begins to fly in the clouds. Wieseler (299–302) unjustly sees in this addition a striving to soften the supernatural character which the Son of Man bears in Daniel. The author himself explains the detail he introduced in exactly the opposite sense to Wieseler. The man’s appearance from the depths of the sea is a symbol that no one on earth can see him before his revelation. The teaching about the Messiah as a “heavenly man” is found in Philo, the Rabbis, Paul and the Gnostics.

2 Esdras 13:4. and wherever the voice from his mouth came forth, all who heard his voice burned, like wax when it feels fire. 4. Mic 1:4-5, cf. Dan 2:45. In the dream sent to Nebuchadnezzar, a stone cut from a mountain breaks the statue. In the same manner the Son of God hews out for himself a great mountain.

2 Esdras 13:5. And after this I saw: behold, a multitude of people gathered, without number, from the four winds of heaven, to overcome this man who rose from the sea. 2 Esdras 13:6. I saw, and behold, he hewed out for himself a great mountain and flew up upon it. 2 Esdras 13:7. I strove to see the land or place from which this mountain was hewn, but I could not. 2 Esdras 13:8. After this I saw that all who had gathered to overcome him were greatly afraid, yet dared to fight against him. 2 Esdras 13:9. But he, when he saw the assault of the approaching multitude, did not raise his hand, nor held a spear, nor bore any weapon of war; 2 Esdras 13:10. but only, as I saw, he sent forth from his mouth as if a breath of fire, and from his lips as it were a flame of fire, and from his tongue he sent forth sparks and storms, and all this mixed together: a breath of fire and a flame and a mighty storm. 2 Esdras 13:11. And swiftly he rushed upon this multitude which had prepared to fight, and burned them all, so that nothing was seen of the countless multitude except dust, and only a smell from the smoke was left; I saw this, and I was terrified. 9–11. The only instrument of the Messiah in the struggle with enemies is His word, acting as an irresistible stream of fire. Volkmar (183) discerns here an echo of the eruption of Vesuvius which occurred in 80 A.D. But there are no grounds for historical interpretation (cf. Isa 11:4).

2 Esdras 13:12. After this I saw that man descending from the mountain and calling to himself another multitude, a peaceful one. 2 Esdras 13:13. And many approached him; some with joyful faces, and some with sorrowful ones; some were bound, others were carried – and I was overwhelmed with great fear, awoke and said: 13. After the destruction of enemies, the Messiah descends from the mountain and calls to himself peaceful people. Some of them show joy, others show sorrow; some are bound, others are brought as sacrificial gifts (aliqui adducentes ex eis qui offerebantur). By the bound people are understood the Jews held in bondage by Rome (Lücke, 180, Gunkel, 395). Volkmar’s assumption that deceased persons are meant here cannot be accepted, since according to the author’s view, the resurrection of the dead precedes not the “parousia,” but the last judgment. The meaning of the last words of this verse is very obscure. Lücke (180) sees in them a discourse about sacrifices. Ewald sees gifts brought to God by people. It is most natural to understand them in the sense that the survivors from destruction, peacefully inclined toward Israel, lead Jews to the Messiah as sacrificial gifts. The image is taken from the Book of Isaiah (LXVI:20): “The saved from among the gentiles shall present all the Jews from all nations as a gift to the Lord on horses and chariots, on litters and on mules, and on swift camels, just as the sons of Israel bring a gift to the house of the Lord in a clean vessel” (Lücke and Gunkel).

2 Esdras 13:14. You have shown me these wonders from the beginning and judged me worthy to receive my prayer; 2 Esdras 13:15. show me also the meaning of this dream, 2 Esdras 13:16. because, as I understand with my mind, woe to those who will be left behind until those days, but even more woe to those who are not left behind. 2 Esdras 13:17. For those who are not left behind were sorrowful. 2 Esdras 13:18. Now I understand that what is appointed for the last days will meet them, but also those who are left behind. 2 Esdras 13:19. Therefore they have come into great dangers and great difficulties, as these dreams show. 2 Esdras 13:20. But it is easier for one in danger to endure this than to pass away from this world like a cloud and not see what will happen in the last times. He answered me and said: 17–20. This passage should be corrected. “Those who are not to be left behind will be saddened, knowing what is kept for the last days, and not participating in it; but woe to those who remain, for they will see great dangers and great need, as these dreams show. But it is better by means of dangers to attain this than to disappear from the world like a cloud and not to see what will happen in the last time.” The question about the fate of the dead before the “parousia” in relation to the living is posed by the Apostle Paul (1 Thess 4:15), using for the designation of the living the same term περιλειπόμενοι, which the 3rd Book of Ezra uses (VI:25; VII:28; IX:8; XIII:16–24). Hilgenfeld concludes on the basis of the similarity in particular expressions that the Apostle Paul borrowed the solution of this question from the Prophet Ezra. But there is a fundamental difference between them. According to the Apostle, those remaining alive will have no advantages over the dead. The dead are raised and together with the living are caught up in the clouds to meet the Lord. In the prophetic Book of Ezra, on the contrary, the fate of those who died before the last days is compared with a cloud, which leaves no trace on the heavens. The advantage of those remaining consists in the fact that they will be participants in the four-hundred-year Kingdom of the Messiah. Only after it does the general resurrection and last judgment commence.

2 Esdras 13:21. And I will tell you the meaning of the vision, and will open to you what you are speaking of. 2 Esdras 13:22. As you have spoken of those who are left behind, behold the explanation: 2 Esdras 13:23. whoever endures the danger at that time will preserve themselves, and those who fall into danger are those who have deeds and faith in the Almighty. 23. “He who brings danger at that time will himself preserve those who fell into it, who have deeds and faith in the Almighty.” God will render His help to the righteous amid the dangers which they must endure at the end of the world.

2 Esdras 13:24. Know then that those who are left behind are more blessed than the dead. 2 Esdras 13:25. Behold the explanation of the vision: for you saw a man rising from the midst of the sea, 2 Esdras 13:26. this is He whom the Most High has kept for many times, who by Himself will deliver His creation and direct those who are left behind. 26. The Messiah in the Latin text is attributed creative activity in contradiction to other clearer testimonies of the same book about all being created by God alone without any mediation (VI:6). The Eastern translations contain the correct reading. “This is He whom the Most High keeps for a long time, through whom (per quem) He will free His creation.”

2 Esdras 13:27. And as for what you saw coming forth from his mouth as it were a wind, fire and a storm, 2 Esdras 13:28. and that he held neither spear nor any weapon of war, but his assault destroyed the multitude that came to overcome him, behold the explanation: 2 Esdras 13:29. behold, the days are coming when the Most High will begin to deliver those who are on the earth, 2 Esdras 13:30. and will bring amazement to those living on the earth. 2 Esdras 13:31. And they shall undertake wars one against another, city against city, one place against another, people against people, kingdom against kingdom. 31. Isa 19:2; Matt 24:7; Mark 13:8; Luke 21:10.

2 Esdras 13:32. When this happens and the signs appear which I showed you before, then my Son will be revealed, whom you saw as a man ascending. 2 Esdras 13:33. And when all peoples hear his voice, each will abandon war in their own land, which they have among themselves. 32–33. Zechariah XIV:2–3; Ezek 38-39; Joel 2:20; Rev 19:19.

2 Esdras 13:34. And there will gather together in one assembly a countless multitude, as if wishing to go and overcome Him. 34. Rev 16:16.

2 Esdras 13:35. And He shall stand upon the summit of Mount Zion. 35. Rev 14:1.

2 Esdras 13:36. And Zion will come and be shown to all, prepared and built, as you saw the mountain carved without hands. 36. VII:26.

2 Esdras 13:37. And My Son will convict the impieties devised by these nations, which their evil thoughts brought near, the storms and torments by which they will begin to be tormented, 37. “And My Son will Himself convict the nations coming to Him for their impieties, which are compared to a storm, and will set before them their evil designs and the torments which they will begin to suffer...”

2 Esdras 13:38. and which are like fire; and He will destroy them without labor by the law, which is like fire. 2 Esdras 13:39. And as for what you saw, that He gathered to himself another, peaceful company: 2 Esdras 13:40. these are the ten tribes which were carried away captive from their land in the days of King Hoshea, whom Shalmaneser, the king of Assyria, carried into captivity, and transported them beyond the river, and they were carried into another land. 39–40. By the river beyond which Shalmaneser resettled the captive Israelites is understood the Euphrates (Syr.). In the manuscripts of the Latin text it says either 10 or 9 tribes of Israel. The latter count is accepted by the Ethiopic and one of the Arabic translations (Arab. 2). The Syriac and another Arabic text (Arab. 1) count 9 and a half tribes. The first reading is the simplest. It excludes from the 12 tribes 2 tribes – Judah and Benjamin, which made up Judea. The number of Israelite tribes decreases by one if one excludes from them the tribe of Dan, which apparently died out early (1 Chr 4-7; Rev 7:4-8). Some scholars (Lücke, 181) explain the fractional count by the fact that only half of the tribe of Joseph was considered, namely the tribe of Ephraim; others (Ewald, III, 410. Gutschmid, II, 278) by the fact that the tribes of Judah, Simeon, and half of Benjamin were included in Judea.

2 Esdras 13:41. They resolved in their counsel to leave the multitude of gentiles and to depart to a distant land, where mankind had never dwelt, 2 Esdras 13:42. so that there they might keep their own laws, which they had not kept in their own land. 2 Esdras 13:43. With difficulty they came near the river Euphrates; 2 Esdras 13:44. for the Most High wrought wonders for them at that time and stopped the flowing of the river, while they passed through; 44. Cf. Josh 3:15-17; Isa 11:15-16.

2 Esdras 13:45. for through that land they traveled for a long time, a year and a half; this land is called Arsareth. 41–45. The land to which the Israelites were resettled is characterized by 4 features. No one dwelt there before them. It lies far from Assyria, so that the journey there takes 1 and a half years. The land is situated beyond the Euphrates. Its name is Arsareth (Arsareph). The legend about this resettlement is devoid of all credibility and stands in obvious contradiction with other sacred books. One cannot allow that the Assyrians would permit the captive people in full measure to emigrate. History testifies that the Israelites were far from distinguished by that loyalty to the law which is here presented as the chief reason for emigration. On the contrary, they completely dissolved in the pagan mass, adopting its faith and language and losing their nationality. The complete silence about the 10 tribes of Israel in the accounts of the canonical books about the return from captivity of the Jews under Cyrus and Artaxerxes created a legend that the 10 tribes live somewhere in an unknown land, enjoying all possible benefits. Some scholars’ attention was directed toward finding a city of antiquity closely approaching in name the here-mentioned land of Arsareth. Basnage (Historia Judaeorum. Lib. VI, c. 2. Goth. IV, p. 934. Cited Fabricius. Codex Pseudepigraphus Veteris Testamenti, II, 190) discerns in it a city in Media beyond the River Araxes; Gutschmid (II, 278–281) – the principal city in southeastern Armenia, Arsarata, which was the center of an extensive Jewish colony, established long ago in Greater Armenia. Volkmar derives the name of the land from the Hebrew eretz arat. This name was applied to Mount Ararat in Northern Armenia. Many scholars were satisfied by enumerating various states where the Israelites might have found refuge. They allowed resettlement in China, India, Turkestan, Afghanistan, and even America (Corrodi. 231–238). Most plausible is the supposition of Renan (355), Zöckler (470), and Gunkel (397) that here is given not some particular, but the most general designation of “another land,” to which the Israelites went from captivity. They bring the land of Arsareth closer to the Hebrew eretz acheret (another land). This name is used by the author himself (XIII:40) and by the Talmudists. Even Josephus (Antiquities of the Jews XI, 5, 2) believed in the existence of the land of Arsareth, where the Israelites carried into captivity live.

2 Esdras 13:46. There they lived until the last time. And now, when they begin to come, 46. Cf. Sir 48:10; Isa 49:6. In the prophets, liberation from captivity embraces all Jews.

2 Esdras 13:47. The Most High will again stop the waters of the river, so that they might pass; therefore you saw a peaceful multitude. 2 Esdras 13:48. But those who are left of your people are those who are within my boundaries. 48. Having passed along the legend of the ten tribes of Israel, the author turns to the fate of the Jews living after their return from captivity within the bounds of the Holy Land. By this he wishes to express the thought that all Jews who came safely through the final trials will be participants in the messianic Kingdom.

2 Esdras 13:49. For when He begins to destroy the multitude of gathered peoples together, He will protect His people who remain. 2 Esdras 13:50. And then He will show them a multitude of wonders. 2 Esdras 13:51. I said: Lord God! Explain this to me: why did I see a man rising from the midst of the sea? 2 Esdras 13:52. And He said to me: just as you cannot search out and know what is in the depths of the sea, so no one on earth can see My Son, nor those who are with Him, except at the time of His day. 51–52. Gunkel points out that the appearance of the Son of God from the depths of the sea is unusual for prophetic literature, where the Messiah is represented as coming from heaven. In view of this, he connects the image of the man with the mythological conception of the god of the sun, who rises up to heaven from the sea, climbs the heavenly mountain, destroys his enemies with his burning rays, and establishes his peaceful kingdom. Against this view one must say that the explanation given by the author for the emergence of the man from the depths of the sea is distinguished by such simplicity and naturalness that there is no need to question the author’s independence in this particular. Through his image, the prophet wanted to say that the Son of God is as inscrutable to the human mind as the depths of the sea.

2 Esdras 13:53. Behold, this is the interpretation of the dream that you saw and by which you alone have been enlightened here. 2 Esdras 13:54. You have forsaken your deeds and devoted yourself to My law and sought it, 2 Esdras 13:55. for you have ordered your life in wisdom and called understanding your mother. 2 Esdras 13:56. Therefore I have shown you the recompense from the Most High; after three days I will show you another and reveal to you the important and wonderful. 2 Esdras 13:57. Then I went and came out into the field, much praising and thanking the Most High for the wonders that He performed from time to time, 2 Esdras 13:58. and that He governs the present and what will come in times, and I sat there three days.