Chapter Two

A new rebuke of the Hebrews for their indifference and coldness toward their mother—Zion or Jerusalem (1–4). Shame on Israel and his mother for their lawlessness (5–9). The giving of the Kingdom of Jerusalem as an inheritance to a new people of God from the Gentiles (10–14). Speech of God to the New Testament church with a call to love and the promise of the highest blessings in heaven (15–32). Speech of Ezra concerning the soon coming of the Shepherd and avoiding the temptations of the world (33–37). Glorification of those who profess the truth by the Son of God (38–48).

2 Esdras 2:1. Thus says the Lord: I brought this people out of slavery and gave them my commandments through my servants the prophets; but they would not listen to them, but rejected my counsel. 2 Esdras 2:2. The mother who bore them says to them: “Go, my children; I am a widow and alone. 2 Esdras 2:3. I brought you up with gladness; but I sent you away with weeping and sorrow, because you sinned before the Lord your God and did what is evil in his sight. 2 Esdras 2:4. But now what can I do for you? I am a widow and alone. Go, my children, and ask the Lord for mercy. 2–4. Zion or Jerusalem, as the center of the Old Testament church, is compared repeatedly in the prophets to a mother (Jer 50:12; Hos 2:5). The mother grieves over the sinfulness of her children and her powerlessness to help them. Abandoned by both her children and by God, she reminds us of a defenseless widow for whom joy is inaccessible (Isa 54:4).

2 Esdras 2:5. I call upon you, Father, as a witness against the mother of the children, because they would not keep my covenant. 2 Esdras 2:6. Give them over to shame and their mother to plunder, so that there be no offspring of theirs. 2 Esdras 2:7. Let their names be scattered among the peoples and their memory blotted out from the earth, for they have rejected my covenant. 5–7. God condemns to destruction both the sons, who have broken their covenant with Him, and the mother, who was found powerless to fulfill the task laid upon her of bringing up her children in fidelity to God’s covenant.

2 Esdras 2:8. Woe to you, Assyria, who conceal the unrighteous! O wicked nation! Remember what I did to Sodom and Gomorrah; 8. The reference to Assyria appears quite unexpected from the mouth of one living many centuries after the fall of the Assyrian monarchy. The ten tribes of Israel were led into captivity in Assyria long before the taking of Jerusalem by Nebuchadnezzar. Despite the fact that Assyria soon ceased to have a political existence, the name of Assyria continued for a long time to be applied to the monarchies that succeeded it.

2 Esdras 2:9. Their land lies in bituminous hills and heaps of ashes. That is how I will deal with those who do not obey me, says the Lord Almighty. 2 Esdras 2:10. Thus says the Lord to Ezra: Tell my people that I will give them the kingdom of Jerusalem which I promised to Israel, 2 Esdras 2:11. and I will receive their honor and give them eternal dwellings, which I have prepared for them. 11. The expression “eternal dwellings” is taken from the parable of the Savior about the unrighteous steward (Luke 16:9).

2 Esdras 2:12. The Tree of Life will be for them a fragrant garment; they will not be wearied by labor nor will they grow weary. 12. The Tree of Life is described in detail in the Revelation of John (II:7; XXII:2), from which the author borrows this image.

2 Esdras 2:13. Go and receive; ask for short days, lest they be delayed for you. The kingdom is already prepared for you: keep watch. 13. Belief in the imminent coming of the Kingdom of the Messiah on earth (chiliasm) prevailed in the Christian church during its first three centuries. Expectation of it conditioned the extraordinary success which apocalyptic literature enjoyed among Christians. With a terse apocalyptic call, “keep watch,” the author addresses his readers, foreseeing the nearness of the end. This winged word was passed from mouth to mouth among the bloody persecutions which Christians endured. The Christ Himself called His followers to constant watchfulness (Matt 24:42; Mark 13:35; Luke 21:36 and many others).

2 Esdras 2:14. I bear witness, heaven and earth, that I have done away with evil and created good. I live, says the Lord. 14. The brief utterance “I live, says the Lord,” awakened in the consciousness of early Christians the thought of imminent vengeance upon all His enemies who had persecuted Christianity. It was used by the Old Testament prophets (Isa 49:18; Jer 22:24).

2 Esdras 2:15. Mother! Embrace your children; bring them up with gladness; like a dove, strengthen their feet, for I have chosen you, says the Lord. 15. The comparison of the new Zion (cf. II:40) with a dove is drawn by the author from the Greek text of the Prophet Zephaniah (III:1): “O bright and delivered city, a dove!” (cf. 3 Esdras V:26).

2 Esdras 2:16. And I will raise the dead from their resting places and bring them out of the tombs, for I recognize my name in Israel. 16. Cf. Isa 26:19-20; Ezek 37:12-13.

2 Esdras 2:17. Do not fear, mother of the children, for I have chosen you, says the Lord. 2 Esdras 2:18. I will send you my servants Isaiah and Jeremiah; with their advice I have consecrated and prepared for you twelve trees laden with various fruits, 2 Esdras 2:19. and as many springs flowing with milk and honey, and seven very high mountains producing roses and lilies, by which I will fill your children with joy. 18–19. The Prophet Ezekiel (XLVII:12), in depicting the blessings awaiting Israel, mentions a stream and trees on which new fruits will ripen every month. The Revelation of John (XXII:2) applies this description to the Tree of Life growing in the midst of paradise. The author of the book under consideration speaks of twelve trees and twelve springs, having in mind to represent symbolically the high significance for the church of the twelve apostles, nourishing all Christians with spiritual food. The new Zion is protected on all sides by mountains immersed in the aroma of roses and the profusion of lilies. According to the testimony of the ancient prophetic book of Esdras (V:24) from all the flowers in the universe God chose the lily as his special possession (cf. Matt 6:28).

2 Esdras 2:20. Vindicate the widow, execute judgment for the poor, help the needy, protect the orphan, clothe the naked, 2 Esdras 2:21. care for the infirm and the weak, do not mock the disabled, defend the maimed, and lead the blind to the vision of my light, 2 Esdras 2:22. keep the old and the young within your walls, 2 Esdras 2:23. wherever you find the dead, commit them, sealed, to a grave, and I will give you the first place in my resurrection. 20–23. The list of moral precepts is drawn partly from the Prophet Isaiah (I:17; cf. Ps 81:3-4), but chiefly from the Gospel of Matthew (XXV:35–39).

2 Esdras 2:24. Rest and be at peace, my people, for your rest has come. 24. Cf. Heb 3:11 (Ps 94:7-11); IV:3, 10–11.

2 Esdras 2:25. Nurse your children, good nurse; strengthen their feet. 2 Esdras 2:26. Of the servants whom I gave to you, let none of them perish, for I will demand them from you. 2 Esdras 2:27. Do not falter. When the day of tribulation and distress comes, others will weep and groan, but you will be joyful and abundant. 27. Here the attitude of the Christian church toward persecutions expected in the near future is depicted. Obviously the book was written at a time when the church enjoyed comparative peace. This was during the early reign of Septimius Severus before the edict of 202 A.D. Crowns of martyrdom not only did not inspire fear in Christians but drew them to themselves. Even the most severe persecutions were powerless to disturb the bright outlook on life that Christians possessed.

2 Esdras 2:28. The Gentiles will envy you, but they will not be able to do anything against you, says the Lord. 28. Christianity aroused envy in the Gentiles because it alone gave true peace (v. 24) and satisfied all the demands of the human spirit.

2 Esdras 2:29. My hands will cover you so that your children will not see Gehenna. 29. The concept of Gehenna as a place of eternal torment is not found in the Old Testament and is clearly taken from the Gospel (cf. Matt 5:29-30 and many others).

2 Esdras 2:30. Be comforted, mother, with your children, for I will save you. 2 Esdras 2:31. Remember your children that sleep, for I will bring them out from the hidden places of the earth and show them mercy; for I am merciful, says the Lord Almighty. 31. The most vivid expression of the strong bonds of love, unbroken even by death, during the era of persecutions against Christianity was the celebration of the Eucharist at the tombs of martyrs.

2 Esdras 2:32. Embrace your children until I come and show them mercy; for my springs are overflowing and my grace will not fail. 32. An appeal for firmness, fully understandable in the time of persecutions.

2 Esdras 2:33. I, Ezra, received the command on Mount Horeb from the Lord to go to Israel. When I came to them, they rejected me and despised the commandment of the Lord. 33. From Mount Horeb Moses received the command from the Lord to go to Israel (Exod 3:1), hearing the voice from the burning bush. At the same place Ezra was deemed worthy of a revelation. The origin of this detail is explained by the author’s desire to draw a parallel between Ezra, who recreated the destroyed sacred books, and Moses, the lawgiver of the Hebrew people. Post-exilic Judaism recognized the significance of both for the people of God as completely identical. In the older prophetic book of Ezdras there likewise takes place a revelation from a bush, closely reminding one at first of God’s conversation with Moses at Horeb (XIV:1–6).

2 Esdras 2:34. Therefore I say to you, O nations, who can hear and understand: wait for your Shepherd. He will give you eternal rest, for He is near, the One who will come at the end of the age. 34. The name Son of God as Shepherd is taken from the parable of the Savior (John 10:11).

2 Esdras 2:35. Be prepared for the reward of the kingdom, for the undimmed light will shine upon you for eternity. 2 Esdras 2:36. Flee from the shadow of this age. Accept the sweetness of your glory. I openly testify concerning my Savior. 2 Esdras 2:37. Receive the entrusted gift and rejoice, giving thanks to Him who called you into the heavenly kingdom. 36–37. Here is revealed the view of the relationship of the Messiah’s work to divine plans. The Savior, having called people into the Kingdom of Heaven, fulfilled the will of God. The concept of “Savior” (Luke 2:11; John 4:14) and “Kingdom of Heaven” (Matt 5:19) the author drew from the Gospels.

2 Esdras 2:38. Rise up and stand, and behold the number marked for the supper of the Lord, 2 Esdras 2:39. who, having departed from the shadow of this age, received bright garments from the Lord. 2 Esdras 2:40. Receive your number, Zion, and conclude your people, clothed in white garments, who have fulfilled the law of the Lord. 2 Esdras 2:41. The number of your desired sons is full. Ask for the power of the Lord, that your people may be sanctified, called from the beginning. 2 Esdras 2:42. I, Ezra, saw on the mountain of Zion a great multitude, which I could not number, and all of them praised the Lord in songs. 38–42. Ezra beholds on Mount Zion (v. 42) the praise of those who have confessed the name of God, that is, the martyrs. The author paints his picture with the colors of the Apocalypse. A countless multitude of martyrs is marked or sealed (Rev 7:4-5) by God. According to the Apocalypse (XIV:1) this mark consists in the fact that the name of the Father is written on their foreheads. They shall be partakers of the supper of the Lord (Rev 19:9). They shall be clothed in white garments. White garments are the symbol of martyrdom. The Apocalypse gives such an explanation (VII:13–14): “These are those who have come out of great tribulation; they have washed their garments and made them white in the blood of the Lamb.”

2 Esdras 2:43. Among them was a youth of majestic beauty, surpassing all of them, and he placed crowns on the head of each one of them, and he grew more exalted still; I was seized with wonder. 2 Esdras 2:44. Then I asked the Angel: Who are these, my lord? 2 Esdras 2:45. He answered me, saying: These are those who have laid aside their mortal garment and clothed themselves in the immortal, and they have confessed the name of God; now they are crowned and receive the palms of victory. 2 Esdras 2:46. I asked: And who is this youth who places crowns upon them and gives them the palms? 2 Esdras 2:47. He answered me: This is the Son of God Himself, whom they glorified in this age. And I began to praise those who had stood firm so courageously for the name of the Lord. 43–47. The majestic youth places crowns (cf. Rev 4:4) upon the head of each of the confessors and distributes to them palm branches as a sign of their victory over the flesh. With palm branches an innumerable multitude of people stands before the throne according to the testimony of the Apocalypse (VII:9).

2 Esdras 2:48. Then the Angel said to me: Go and tell my people what wonderful deeds of the Lord God you have seen. 48. The first and second chapters present a perfectly complete whole. Their main purpose is to comfort Christians and give them steadfastness in the bloody trials that lie ahead. Having described the blessings bestowed upon the Church as a result of Israel’s rejection, the author concludes his book with a vivid picture of the triumph of Christian martyrs in the Kingdom of Heaven.