Глава 14

The command heard by Ezra from the bush to write down the visions given to him (1–8). The prediction of the imminent capture of Ezra from the face of the earth into the company of the Son of God (9) in view of the imminent approach of the end (10–12) and the command to arrange all earthly affairs (13–17). Ezra's prayer for the Holy Spirit to be sent down on him to restore the burned law (18-22). God's command to divide the sacred books into those accessible to everyone and those hidden (23–26). Ezra's farewell speech to the people (27–36). The miraculous restoration of St. books with the assistance of the Holy Spirit (37–48). A note on the death of Ezra (48–50 Eastern translation). 3Ezra 14:1 And it came to pass after three days, that I was sitting under an oak tree, and behold, a voice came out of the bush opposite me and said, Ezra, Ezra! 3Ezra 14:2 I said, Here am I, Lord. And stood on my feet. 1–2. Since Ezra, in the eyes of post-captivity Judaism, was the second Moses, the setting of the last vision completely reproduces the circumstances of the first revelation received by Moses in the bush. The author adds only the detail that Ezra is sitting under an oak tree. Oak, along with cedar, was considered a sacred tree. Like Moses (Exodus III:2–4), Ezra hears a voice coming from a bush calling him by name twice. Ezra's answer is a complete parallel to the words of Moses. 3Ezra 14:3 Then He said to me, “I revealed myself in the bush and spoke to Moses, when My people were slaves in Egypt; 3. Jehovah is revealed to Moses as the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, and to Ezra, the new lawgiver of the Jewish people, as the God of the ancient lawgiver Moses. 3Ezra 14:4 And he sent him and brought My people out of Egypt, and brought them to Mount Sinai, and kept him with Him many days, 3Ezra 14:5 And he revealed to him many wonders, and showed him the mysteries of the times and the end, and commanded him, saying: 3Ezra 14:6 “Declare these words, but hide the rest.” 5–6. Post-exilic Judaism was inclined to attribute deep antiquity to many customs, associating their origin with the name of Moses. Hence the legend was born that Moses wrote a whole series of books, hidden from the people (cf. Deut. V: 1), where prophecies about the last days of the world were set out. The author brings it in order to show that Ezra, who wrote, in addition to the canonical books, a whole series of apocrypha, was only a successor of Moses. 3Ezra 14:7 And now I say to you: 3Ezra 14:8 The signs that I showed you, and the dreams that you saw, and the interpretations that you heard, put them in your heart. 3Ezra 14:9 For you will be taken from men, and you will deal with My Son and with those like you until times are fulfilled. 9 . In the Slavic Bible, instead of the Son of God, there is talk about advice. The error is explained by the fact that in the Vulgate the words cum filio meo were read: cum consilio meo. 3Ezra 14:10 For the age has lost its youth, and the times are drawing near to old age, 3Ezra 14:11 For the age is divided into twelve parts, and nine parts of it and half a tenth part have already passed away, 3Ezra 14:12 And that which is after half a tenth remains. 11–12. The Latin translation is quite obscure. “The age is divided into 12 parts, and 10 parts of it have already passed, as well as half a tenth part; There are already two parts left after the middle of the tenth part.” There are obvious contradictions in the text. If the world remains to exist for 2 1/2 parts, then obviously not 10 1/2, but 9 1/2 parts have passed before this time. In the Syriac and Armenian translation, the division of the world into periods is omitted due to its darkness. In one of the Arabic texts it is replaced by a general indication that the time remaining until the end of the world is insignificant compared to the past. In the Ethiopian translation, the century is divided into 10 parts, it has already entered the tenth part; he still has half a tenth left. Another Arabic translation speaks of dividing the world into 12 1/2, parts, of which 10 have passed. The doctrine of dividing world history into 12 parts was widespread among the magicians, who borrowed it from the division of the year into 12 months (Hilgenfeld. Das Judenthum in dem Persischen Zeitalter. Zeitschrift fur Wissenschaftliche Theotogie, 1666, S. 402–403; Esra und Daniel, 63). It is found in Christian writers: Origen (In Matthaeum Vol. XV, 32. Opera, III, 700), Hilary (Commentarius ad Matthaeum, XX, 6; XVII, 2) and Jerome (In Mich. IV. Opera, VI, 474 sq.). The vastness of these periods suggests that the author calculates the time remaining until the end of the world not from his own era, but from the era of the historical Ezra. Leake (182) gives preference to the Ethiopic text, which has only 10 periods. Based on the book's teaching about the four-hundred-year Kingdom of the Messiah (VII:28), he defines each period as 400 years. In this case, the elapsed 9 1/2 parts give 3,800 years and fall approximately to the era of Pompey and Caesar, to which Lieke dates the appearance of the book. Hilgenfeld in his first work (Judische Apokalyptik, 224–225), like Lyka, accepts periods of 400 years, but the twelfth period, in his opinion, captures the Kingdom of the Messiah. From 558 to 30 BC, when the present book was written according to his opinion, about 1 1/2 parts elapsed. Together with the time of the Messianic Kingdom until the final judgment, just 2 1/2 parts remain. Subsequently, Hilgenfeld argued that the author means periods encompassing 7 anniversary years, i.e. 343 years. This account is found at the end of the book (XIV Eastern translation). The fulfillment of 10 parts and the beginning of the eleventh just fall during the life of the historical Ezra. Then 3,500 1/2 years passed from the creation of the world. All 12 parts end around 30 BC. Volkmar (199–201) recognizes the duration of each period as equal to the number of days in the year, i.e. 360 or 365 years. He reconciles two contradictory instructions regarding elapsed and remaining time, proposing to take the middle between these two limits. The midpoint between the 10 1/2 and 9 1/2 periods (3780–3420), or 3600 from the creation of the world, falls approximately 30 years from the first destruction of Jerusalem (558 BC). The onset of the new century is expected between the 1 1/2 and 2 1/2 periods that elapsed after the 30th year of the Babylonian captivity, or between 18 BC and 342 AD, at the very beginning of the 1st century BC. Around this time, the prophetic book of Ezra appeared. Wieseler (286–288) accepts phoenix periods of 500 years. In his opinion, the author attributes the end of the world to the sixth thousand years. The twelfth period embraces the four-hundred-year reign of the Messiah, to which 100 years are added when the world returns to ancient silence (VII: 28–29). According to the book itself, Ezra lived in the first half of the eleventh period (XIV:48). More than 400 years passed from Ezra to Domitian, but less than 500. In 5500, the author expects the appearance of the Messiah. None of these interpretations can be considered convincing. There is not even sufficient reason to consider the periods equal, since the opposite phenomenon occurs in the Apocalypse of Enoch. Gunkel corrects the contradictory Latin text with the help of Ethiopic in this form: “for the century is divided into 12 parts, it has already come to a tenth, to half a tenth; two parts remain after half a tenth.” He argues that in the Latin translation, instead of ten, there could have been nine parts flowing from the creation of the world to Ezra. In the period remaining until the end, he sees an echo of the apocalyptic number that determines the duration of the trials (3 1/2 times; cf. Rev. XI: 9, 11; XII: 14). The author, shortening this period, wants to say that the difficult days that will precede his death have long arrived for the world. 3Ezra 14:13 Now therefore build up your house and discipline your people, comfort the downtrodden and renounce corruption, 3Ezra 14:14 and let go of mortal thoughts from yourself, throw away human burdens, remove from yourself the infirmities of nature and put aside thoughts that are painful for you, and prepare to move away from these times. 3Ezra 14:15 For hereafter there will be more evils than you have seen now. 3Ezra 14:16 As much as the age weakens from old age, so much will evil increase for the living. 16. “The eagle you saw in the vision is already hurrying” (XI:1; XII:35). 3Ezra 14:17 The truth will move further away, and the lie will draw closer; The vision you saw is already hastening to come. 3Ezra 14:18 Then I answered and said, Behold, I am before Thee, O Lord; 3Ezra 14:19 I will go as You commanded me, and will warn the present people; but who will teach those who will be born later? 3Ezra 14:20 For the world lies in darkness, and those who live in it are without light; 3Ezra 14:21 Because Your law is burned up, and therefore no one knows what You have done or what they should do. 21. IV:23. The legend of the destruction of the Old Testament books by Nebuchadnezzar is based on the incident of the burning of the scroll with the prophecy of Jeremiah by the Jewish king Joachim (Jer XXXVI:23) and the remark of the prophet Habakkuk (I:4) about the destruction of the law, as well as the destruction of St. books and persecution of Antiochus Epiphanes. Due to the lack of holy books, no one knows either the past history of the Jewish people or their future. 3Ezra 14:22 But if I have found mercy from You, send down the Holy Spirit on me, so that I may write everything that has been done in the world from the beginning, that has been written in Your law, so that people may find a path and that those who want to live in the last times may live. 1Ezra 14:23 And He answered and said to me, Go, gather the people, and tell them not to look for you for forty days. 23. Wed. Ex XXIV:18; XXXIV:28; Deuteronomy IX:9, 18. 3Ezra 14:24 Prepare for yourself more tablets and take with you Sarius, Daurius, Salemius, Echan and Asiel, these five who are able to write quickly. 24. The names of five husbands are found in the Old Testament books. These are Sarei (Seraiah, Ezra II:2; Neh. X:2; XI:11; XII:1, 12), Davi (Dibri, Lev XXIV:11), Selemiah (Schelemiah, Ezra II:46; X:39), Ethan (Etan, in Syrian and Armenian Elkanah, Elkanah, 1 Chronicles IX:16) and Aziel (Aziel, Tob I:1; cf. Neh. III:8; 3Ezra 14:25 And come here, and I will kindle in your heart the lamp of understanding, which will not go out until what you begin to write is finished. 3Ezra 14:26 And when you have done this, then declare some things, and tell others secretly to the wise. Tomorrow at this hour you will begin to write. 3Ezra 14:27 Then I went as He commanded me, and gathered all the people and said: 3Ezra 14:28 Hear, O Israel, these words: 3Ezra 14:29 Our fathers were strangers in Egypt, and were delivered from there, 3Ezra 14:30 and they received the law of life, which they did not keep, which you also broke after them. 3Ezra 14:31 And the land was given to you for an inheritance, and the land of Zion; but your fathers and you committed iniquity and did not keep the ways that the Most High commanded you. 3Ezra 14:32 And He, as a righteous judge, has taken away from you this day what He had given you. 3Ezra 14:33 And now you are here, and your brothers among you. 33. Hilgenfeld (100), Zeckler (471) and Gunkel (400) convey this passage as follows: “And now you are here, and your brothers are in the innermost places of the earth” (introrsum transl. Greek ένδότερον). The author speaks of the 10 tribes of Israel (XIII:41–46). 3Ezra 14:34 If you control your feelings and form your heart, you will preserve your life and receive mercy after death. 3Ezra 14:35 For judgment will come after death, when we live; and then the names of the righteous will be declared and the deeds of the wicked shown. 3Ezra 14:36 ​​Let no one come to me today, and do not seek me until forty days. 3Ezra 14:37 And I took five men, as He commanded me, and we went into the field and stayed there. 3Ezra 14:38 And behold, the next day a voice called to me: Ezra! open your mouth and drink what I give you to drink. 3Ezra 14:39 I opened my mouth, and behold, a full cup was given to me, which was filled as if with water, but the color of it was like fire. 39. Wed. Acts II:3. The cup given to Ezra is filled as if with water, but the color of this water is like fire. These are symbols of Divine revelation, pure as water, and acting on the human heart with the same irresistible and cleansing power as fire. 3Ezra 14:40 And I took it and drank; and when I drank, my heart breathed with reason and wisdom grew in my chest, for my spirit was strengthened by memory; 40. The author gives a thorough analysis of a person’s mental state when he receives Divine revelation. “And so I took (the cup) and drank, and when I drank, my heart burst forth with wisdom, wisdom grew in my chest, and my spirit retained memory.” The influence of the Holy Spirit on the human heart is depicted in accordance with the psalmist (XLIV:2). The remark that the spirit of the prophet in a state of spiritual illumination retains memory is meant to distinguish true revelation from false. While in simple states of ecstasy a person acts unconsciously and cannot remember anything about them, Ezra, inspired by the Holy Spirit, retains full consciousness and can reproduce in his mind everything that happened to him. 3Ezra 14:41 My mouth was opened and shut no more. 3Ezra 14:42 The Most High gave understanding to five men, and at night they wrote in order what was said to them and what they did not know. 42. The men “wrote down in order” what was said to them, using signs (notis, Eastern translation) that they did not know. Obviously here is an echo of Ezra’s replacement of the ancient square letter with a new one. 3Ezra 14:43 At night they ate bread; but I spoke during the day and was not silent at night. 43. In a state of spiritual insight, Ezra does not fall silent either day or night, no longer feeling the need for food. Even when the scribes refresh themselves with water, he does not cease to pour out his feelings in hymns of praise to the Creator. 3Ezra 14:44 And in forty days ninety-four books were written. 44. In the Latin copies and the Vulgate, the number of books restored by Ezra is incorrectly named (904, 974, in the Vulgate 204). Eastern translations speak of 94 books, consisting of 24 books of the Jewish canon and 70 apocrypha. The author counts 24 canonical books according to the number of letters of the Greek alphabet, following a later tradition that evaded Josephus' count (Contra Appionem, I, 8). Epiphanius of Cyprus accepts this division of books with minor changes (De mensuris et ponderibus, 10). According to his testimony, the Jews sent Ptolemy II 22 books that were part of the canon and 72 apocrypha. The legend about the restoration of the sacred books by Ezra, conveyed in the 3rd book of Ezra, found an echo in patristic literature. Their burning in captivity is recognized by Leontius of Byzantium (De sectis, p. 428), Photius of Constantinople (Angel Meier. Scriptores Veteres T. I, p. 171), Isidore of Seville (Origines VI, 3; De officiis Ecclesiasticorum II, 12; De vita et morte Sanctorum LXI) and Optatus Milevian (De schismate donatistarum. Edit. Dupin. Liber VII, p. 110). Most church fathers and teachers talk only about damage to books. These include Irenaeus (Adversus haereses, III, 21, 2), Clement of Alexandria (Stromata, I, 22; cf. I, 21), Eusebius of Caesarea (Historia Ecclesiasytica V, 8; Chronica Angel Meier. Scriptores Veteres. T. VIII, p. 344), Chrysostom (Homilia VIII in Epistolam ad Hebraeos. Montaucon T. XII, p. 90) and Theodorit (Praefatio in Psalmos; Praefatio in Cantica Canticorum). Restoration of St. books were, according to Irenaeus, Clement of Alexandria, Eusebius, Basil the Great (Epistola ad Chilonem), Theodoret and Isidore of Seville, completed by Divine inspiration without the help of any lists. Origen (Hexapla. Monfaucon. T. I. Praeliminaria, p. 85), Leontius of Byzantium and Optatus of Milevia claim that Ezra restored St. books for memory, without mentioning Divine illumination. Chrysostom accepts the presence of Divine illumination when revising damaged books. Synopsis of Athanasius and Jacob of Edessa (Epistola XIII. Ed. Wright. The journal of Sacred Literature for January 1867) deny not only the restoration of the book, but also their correction, attributing to Ezra only the publication of the surviving copies. Jerome (Adversus Helvidium, 7) and Tertullian (De cultu teminarum I, 3) speak of the restoration of the sacred books in general terms, without regard to their former state. The legend found an echo even in Mohammedanism (Calmet. Dictionnaire historique de la Bible. T. II, 426). 3Ezra 14:45 And when the forty days were completed, 3Ezra 14:46 The Most High said: The first ones that you wrote, lay them out openly, so that both the worthy and the unworthy can read, 3Ezra 14:47 But save the last seventy to give them to the wise of the people; 3Ezra 14:48 because in them is a conductor of reason, a source of wisdom and a river of knowledge. So I did. 48. Apocalypses in certain circles of Judaism were valued above canonical books. Eastern translations, after the story of the miraculous restoration of the books, briefly note the year of Ezra’s death. This is the place according to the Syriac text: "48. And I did this in the seventh year of the sixth week, 5,000 years, 3 months and 12 days from the creation of the world. 49. And then Ezra was taken and received into the land of his kind, after he had written. 50. He himself was called the scribe of the knowledge of the Most High forever and ever.” All other translations give the time of Ezra's death exactly the same as the Syriac with minor changes (Arm. 5,000 years 2 months, Eph. 5,000 years 3 months 10 days, one Ar. 5,025 years 3 months 12 days and another 5,000 years 3 months 22 days). In 3 months 12 days, Gunkel sees an apocalyptic period, to denote which the Apocalypse (XI: 9, 11) uses the expression: “three days and a half.” According to the testimony of Julius Africanus, the Jews considered 5,500 years from the creation of the world to Christ. With this chronology, the life time of the historical Ezra falls precisely on the years indicated in the eastern translations.