Sixth Ezra: The Text and Origin

297 Pages·1998·15.97 MB·English

by  Theodore A. Bergren

SIXTH
EZRA
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SIXTH
E Z RA
The Text and Origin
THEODORE A. BERGREN
New York • Oxford
Oxford University Press
1998
Oxford University Press
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Copyright © 1998 by Theodore A. Bergren
Published by Oxford University Press, Inc.
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All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced,
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without the prior permission of Oxford University Press.
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Bergren, Theodore A.
Sixth Ezra : the text and origin / Theodore A. Bergren.
p. cm.
Appendix includes text of 2 Esdras 15-16 in English and Latin
Includes bibliographical references and index.
ISBN 0-19-511201-6
1. Bible. O.T. Apocrypha. Esdras, 2nd, XV-XVI—Criticism,
Textual. 2. Bible. O.T. Apocrypha. Esdras, 2nd, XV-XVI—
Criticism, interpretation, etc. I. Bible. O. T. Opocrypha.
Esdras, 2nd, XV-XVI. Polyglot. 1997. II. Title.
BS1715.2.B48 1997
229'.1—dc20 96-34718
1 3 5 7 9 8 6 42
Printed in the United States of America
on acid-free paper
In loving memory of my mother,
Joan M. Bergren
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Preface
This book is an introduction to the early Christian writing known as 6 Ezra (2 Esdras
15-16). Since 6 Ezra has never been critically edited or studied in depth, my first con-
cern has been to establish the book's text and then to proceed inductively from there.
My main objectives are to determine as closely as possible the book's most accurate
text, religious affiliation, date, original language, provenance, and Sitz im Leben. Al-
though comments on various parts of the text appear where they are relevant, I have
not attempted to provide a systematic commentary.
Although 6 Ezra has never been edited or surveyed in detail, scholars have, of course,
been aware of its existence and have commented on it. Since it is important to take
into consideration past scholarship before making a new effort, 1 have included in
chapter 1 a chronological survey of all published scholarship to date that has contrib-
uted to the book's study. Also, like any text from antiquity, 6 Ezra has its own history
of transmission through the ages, in this case a relatively complicated one; chapter 1
reviews this history.
As stated, the starting point for this study is the text of 6 Ezra. Proper consideration
of this topic involves several stages: first, collecting all of the relevant textual evidence;
second, evaluating this evidence; and third, attempting to construct a text that most
closely approximates the original. Chapter 2 surveys all of the primary and secondary
witnesses to the text of 6 Ezra. The "primary" witnesses are eight complete Latin manu-
scripts and one fragmentary Greek one. The "secondary" evidence comprises three ap-
parent quotations of 6 Ezra in later literature and one epitome of the book.
The next step is to construct a stemma—a chart tracing the genealogical relation-
ships and avenues of descent—of all the main textual witnesses. Although this task is
often impossibly convoluted, in the case of 6 Ezra it proves to be manageable. In turn,
such a stemma allows one to evaluate more intelligently the readings of the witnesses.
As it happens, the textual witnesses for 6 Ezra fall into two main groups, or recensions;
chapter 3 traces the stemma from the individual manuscripts up to the level of these
two recensions.
VIII PREFACE
The two recensions of 6 Ezra are distinct enough that a careful analysis is necessary
to determine their relationship and relative merit. This final phase of textual study is
the subject of chapter 4, which concludes that one recension (the "French") is the more
original, while the other (the "Spanish") is a secondary adaptation of it.
The present volume is constructed deliberately so that summaries of all of the major
issues and points of concern—text, authorship, date, and so on—are provided in the
first chapter, under the heading "goals and conclusions of the present study." Thus, a
summary of our deliberations on the text of 6 Ezra in chapters 2—4 is included under
the heading "text and recensional relationship" in chapter 1. Furthermore, the con-
crete "realium" underlying the sometimes abstract discussion in chapters 2-4—the
text of 6 Ezra itself—is presented in complete form in Appendix 1, in a critical edi-
tion. A "running," sequential version of this text, without variants, is given in Appen-
dix 2, while Appendix 3 provides an English translation.
An area of scholarly concern closely related to the text of 6 Ezra is the Latin vo-
cabulary of the book—its character, its affinities, and especially its more unusual ele-
ments. This topic is treated in chapter 5.
A further avenue of investigation which, in this case, logically precedes consider-
ation of date, provenance, and so on, is the question of the religious affiliation of the
author of 6 Ezra. This issue is pursued in chapter 6. The conclusions reached there
are also summarized in the "goals and conclusions" section of chapter 1. The book's
date of composition, perhaps the most vexed issue in the study of 6 Ezra, is dealt with
in chapter 7; again, the conclusions arrived at there are reprised in chapter 1.
Finally, there are a number of important elements of our study that, although highly
significant, do not warrant a full chapter of discussion. These topics—6 Ezra's origi-
nal language, provenance, Sitz im Leben, and eschatology—are all treated under sepa-
rate headings in the "goals and conclusions" section of chapter 1.
To summarize the conclusions of this study, we argue that 6 Ezra is a Christian
composition, written in Greek, deriving from Asia Minor (probably) or Egypt. It seems
to date from the second or third century, probably between 262 and 313 C.E. These
conclusions are influenced largely by evidence within the text for a persecution of the
Christian community within which the book was composed, a persecution which had
occurred in the past, was being experienced in the present, or was expected in the near
future. This persecution is reflected in virtually every aspect of the text, including its
eschatology, which interprets the present sufferings as a time of testing by God and a
precursor of the end. The book envisages a future in which those in the community
who remain faithful will be rewarded, while backsliders will be like a field which is
devoured by fire (16:78). In sum, 6 Ezra claims to record the words of God speaking
through an unnamed prophet, predicting worldwide eschatological catastrophes as a
result of human wrongdoing, warning unrepentant "sinners" of their imminent de-
struction, and promising deliverance from the tribulations to those of God's "elect"
who remain steadfast and keep God's commandments in the time of trial.
Richmond, Virginia T.A.B.
February 1997
Acknowledgments
My major debt of gratitude in the writing of this volume is owed to Robert A. Kraft,
my Doktorvater and former graduate adviser at the University of Pennsylvania.
Dr. Kraft not only introduced me to 6 Ezra, in a graduate seminar many years ago,
but also provided me with the intellectual, scholarly, and computer tools with which
to carry out this study. Those familiar with his scholarly dedication and one-pointed-
ness, sense of humor, and joie de vivre will appreciate what a pleasure it was to have
worked with him.
I have also enjoyed an ongoing working relationship with Michael E. Stone of the
Hebrew University of Jerusalem, at various times both in Jerusalem and here in Vir-
ginia. Dr. Stone, besides having a deserved reputation as a master of Ezra lore, is gen-
erally a boundless source of creative ideas and has provided input on many aspects of
this project.
As the book developed, I sought the advice of many experts in the history and lit-
erature of the period from which 6 Ezra stems. Among these have been Professors
William A dler of the North Carolina State University, Glen Bowersock of the Insti-
tute for Advanced Study in Princeton, David Frankfurter of the University of New
Hampshire, John Gager and Martha Himmelfarb of Princeton University, Frederick
Knobloch of the University of Maryland, Ross Kraemer of the University of Pennsyl-
vania, David Levenson of the Florida State University, George Nickelsburg of the
University of Iowa, David Potter of the University of Michigan, Walter Stevenson of
the University of Richmond, and Benjamin Wright of Lehigh University.
Much of the early work on this book was done in connection with my previous
study of 5 Ezra (Fifth Ezra: The Text, Origin and Early History [Atlanta: Scholars Press,
1990]). In this connection I am indebted to two distinguished European scholars of
the Latin Bible, Dr. Hermann Josef Erede, Director of the Vetus Latina Institut in
Beuron, and Dr. Andre Thibaut of the Abbazia San Girolamo in Rome. Each of these
scholars not only provided me with copies of manuscripts but also graciously re-
sponded to numerous inquiries.