jewish apocalyptic literature - T-Space - University of Toronto PDF
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THE CORRUPTION AND IKEDEMPTION OF CREATION: AN EXEGETICAL STUDY OF ROMANS 8: 19-22 IN LIGHT OF JEWISH APOCALYPTIC LITERATURE A Thesis submitted to the Faculty of Wycllffe College and the Biblical Department of the Toronto School of Theology. In partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Theology awarded by Wycliffe College and the University of Toronto. by Harry Alan Hahne Toronto, Ontario April 1997 copyright GI 1997 Harry Alan Hahne I * m National Library Bibliotheque nationale of Canada du Canada Acquisitions and Acquisitions et Bibliographic Services services bibliographiques 395 Wellington Street 395, rue Wellington Ottawa ON K1A ON4 Ottawa ON K1A ON4 Canada Canada Your fib Volre nilerence Our file Notre rdldrence The author has granted a non- L'auteur a accorde une licence non exclusive licence allowing the exclusive pexmettant a la National Library of Canada to Bibliotheque nationale du Canada de reproduce, loan, distribute or sell reproduire, prCter, distribuer ou copies of this thesis in microform, vendre des copies de cette these sous paper or electronic formats. la forme de microfiche/filrn, de reproduction sur papier ou sur format electronique. The author retains ownership of the L'auteur conserve la propriete du copyright in this thesis. Neither the droit d'auteur qui protege cette these. thesis nor substantial extracts fiom it Ni la these ni des extraits substantiels may be printed or othenvise de celle-ci ne doivent Ctre imprimes reproduced without the author's ou autrement reproduits sans son permission. autorisation. THESIS ABSTRACT Romans 8: 19-22i s the major passage expressing the apostle Paul's concepts of the present condition and the eschatological hope of the natural world. The passage says that the creation was corrupted and now suffers because of the Fall of h m t y . Creation also longs for the eschatological glorification of the children of God, because at that time the natural world will be transformed to freedom and glory. It has become a commonplace for New Testament scholars to claim that Paul's thought was strongly influenced by Jewish apocalyptic thought. The apocalyptic elements in the theology of Romans 8: 19-22h ave been acknowledged even by many scholars who do not accept the general premise that Paul's theology is rooted in Jewish apocalyptic thought. Although the genre of this passage is not an apocalypse, the worldview, the theology and inany of the expressions are very similar to those found in Second Temple Jewish apocalyptic writings. Unfortunately, there is a tendency for many researchers simply to say that the passage is "apocalyptic" without clearly indicating what is meant by that term. This study examines the views of the corruption and redemption of creation in several major Jewish apocalyptic works written between the third century B.C. and about 100 AD. (1 Enoch, Jubilees, 2 Enoch, 4 Ezra, 2 Baruch and the Apocalypse of Moses/Life of Adam and Eve). The function of the personification of the natural world in communicating the message about the corruption and redemption of creation is also explored. Following a detailed exegetical study of Romans 8: 19-22,t he view of the corruption and redemption of creation in this passage is compared to the approaches taken in the Jewish apocalyptic writings to determine the ways in which Paul's thought in this passage is similar to and different from Jewish apocalyptic theology. The diversity of views in the Jewish apocalyptic writings shows that it is not enough simply to label the theoiogy of Romans 8: 19-22a s "apocalyptic." It is important to identify the particular type of apocalyptic thought closest to Paul's ideas. The Jewish apocalyptic materials represent several streams of thought, all of which are "apocalyptic" in perspective, despite their diversity. These ideological streams can be distinguished by their treatment of three key issues: (1)t he corruption of creation in this age; (2)t he cause of the conuption of creation; and (3)t he future hope for the redemption of the material creation. (1)T here is a tension in many Jewish apocalyptic writings between the creation as under God's control and the creation as damaged by sin. Although a few writings stress the perfection and consistent operation of the natural world, the majority describe creation as corrupted due to sin. Even many writings that emphasize the normally consistent operation of the natural world indicate that at least parts of creation are corrupted or that creation is corrupted at speciflc times in history. Romans 8: 19-22 follows that majorlty stream of Jewish apocalyptic writings that stresses that creation has been corrupted by sin. (2)I n Jewish apocalyptic writings creation may be corrupted due to the sins of the fallen Watchers, human sins. or both. Among those works that focus on human sins, the corruption may be either due to the Fall, ongoing human sins, or eschatological human sins. Romans 8: 19-22f ocuses on the decisive damage that the Fall of humanity brought to the created order. resulting in the enslavement of creation to corruption and fuwity. (3)T he majority of Jewish apocalyptic writings look fo~wardto an eschatological redemption of creation. Some anticipate a new creation, while others expect the transforma- - tion of the present creation either to its pre-Fall condition or to a perfect state that exceeds what it lost due to sin. Many works describe a temporary, earthly golden age with a perfected natural world. Romans 8: 19-22f ollows that stream of apocalyptic thought that looks forward to the permanent transformation of the existing creation. the removal of the damage caused by sin, and the perfection of creation to share the glory and freedom of the glorified children of God. Paul, however, does not describe the exact eschatological changes that the natural world will undergo, in contrast to the vivid descriptions found in many Jewish apocalyptic writings. CONTENTS ............................................... TABLES AND FIGURES vii ................................................ LISTOFABBREVIATIONS viii .................................................... ACKNOWLEDGMENTS k ........................................................ INTRODUCTION 1 ................... The Corruption and Redemption of Creation in Paul's Thought 1 . ......... The Relationship Between Rom 8:19-22a nd Jewish Apocalyptic Literature 3 .......................................... The Scope of the Present Study 5 .............. CHAFTER 1: HISTORY OF THE INTERF'RM'ATION OF ROMANS 8:19-22 8 ................................................ PatristicInterpretation 8 ............................................... Medieval Interpretation 29 ......................................... Reformation Era Interpretation 42 ....................................... 18th-1 9th Century Interpretation 50 ................................................ ModemInterpretation 61 ................................ Commentaries and Articles on Romans 61 . ............... Rom 8: 19-22i n Studies of Eschatology and Pauline Theology 69 ......................................... Summary of Modem Views 78 Excursus: The Conuption and Redemption of Creation in Works on Theology of ...................................................... Nature 81 CHAPTER 2: HISTORY OF RESEARCH ON THE APOCALYPTIC .................................... BACKGROUND TO ROMANS 8: 19-22 100 ............................ Characteristics of Jewish Apocalyptic Literature 100 ................................. The DHiculty of D e w "A pocalyptic" 100 . . The Conuption and Redemption of Creation as Features of Apocalyptic Thought 102 ........ The Corruption and Redemption of Creation in Jewish Apocalyptic Writings 104 ............... The Relationship of Paul's Thought to Jewish Apocalyptic Writings 109 ............................ The Apocalyptic Dimensions of Romans 8: 19-22 125 .................................................... Conclusions 135 SECTION 11: THE CORRUPTION AND REDElldPTION OF CREATION IN JEWIsH APOCALYPTIC LITERATURE CHAPTER 3: EARLY JEWISH APOCALYPTIC LITERATURE ....................... 139 . ........................... 1 Enoch Book 1 (ch 1-36):T he Book of Watchers 140 ...................... Date. Provenance and Unity of the Book of Watchers 140 ill .................................................... 1Enoch1-5 141 ................................................... 1 Enoch 6- 16 147 .................................................. 1 Enoch 17-36 157 ................................. Summary of the Book of the Watchers 161 . ......................... 1 Enoch Book 3 (ch 72-82): The Astronomical Book 162 .......................... Date and Provenance of the Astronomical Book 162 ......................................... 1 Enoch 72: 1-80:1 ; 82: 1-20 162 ............................................... 1 Enoch 80:2-81:lO 166 ................................... Summary of the Astronomical Book 169 . ........................... 1 Enoch Book 4 (ch 83-90): The Book of Dreams 169 ............................ Date and Provenance of the Book of Dreams 169 . ................................... The First Dream Vision (Ch 83-84) 170 . ................................... The Animal Apocalypse (Ch 85-90) 172 ..................................... Summary of the Book of Dreams 175 . .......................... 1 Enoch Book 5 (ch 91- 108): The Epistle of Enoch 176 .......................... Date. Provenance and Unity of 1 Enoch Book 5 176 ............................ The Apocalypse ofweeks (93:3-10;9 1:ll-17) 178 . ....................................... ANaturePoem(Ch 93.11-1.4). 182 ............. The Epistle of Enoch (91 : 1- 10 18-19; 92; 93: 1.2. 1 1-14: 94- 105) 182 . ..................................... The Birth of Noah (Ch 106-107) 187 ...................................... Summary of Book 5 of 1 Enoch 188 ................................................. The Book of Jubilees 190 ................................ Date. Provenance and Genre of Jubilees 190 ......................................... TheComptionofCreation 192 ......................................... The Redemption of Creation 202 ...................................... The Personification of Creation 211 .............................................. Summary of Jubilees 212 .................................. CHAPTER 4: 2 ENOCH (SLAVONIC ENOCH) 214 .............................. Date. Provenance and Recensions of 2 Enoch 214 ............................................ The Corruption of Creation 218 ........................... The Consistent Operation of the Natural World 218 .................................. Aspects of the Conuption of Creation 220 ............................. The Cosmic Impact of Sin Prior to the Flood 222 ................................. Accountability for Treatment of Nature 224 ........................................... The Redemption of Creation 224 .............................................. TheComingNewAge 224 ......................................... Characteristics of Paradise 226 ............................................. Nature in the New Age 228 ......................................... The Persodcation of Creation 230 ..................................... ....... Summary of 2 Enoch .,, 232 CHAPTER 5: JEWISH APOCALYPTIC LITERATURE ........................................ FROM THE FIRST CENTURY AD 234 . ........................... 1 Enoch Book 2 (ch 37-71): The Book of Parables 234 ............................ Date and Provenance of the Book of Parables 234 . ........................................... First Parable (ch 38-44) 236 . ......................................... Second Parable (ch 45-57) 239 . ........................................... Third Parable (ch 58-7 1) 242 .................................... Summary of the Book of Parables 250 ........................................ 4 E m . 251 ................................. Date Provenance and Unity of 4 Ezra 251 ......................................... The Corruption of Creation 255 ......................................... The Redemption of Creation 264 ...................................... The Personification of Creation 276 ............................................... Summaryof4Em 278 ......................................................... 2Baruch 280 ............................... Date. Provenance and Unity of 2 Baruch 280 ......................................... The Corruption of Creation 283 ......................................... The Redemption of Creation 292 ...................................... The Personification of Creation 303 ............................................. Summaryof2Baruch 306 ....................... The Apocalypse of Moses and the Life of Adam and Eve 307 Date. Provenance and Genre of the Apocalypse of Moses and the Life of Adam and ........................................................ Eve 307 ......................................... The Corruption of Creation 312 ......................................... The Redemption of Creation 316 ...................................... The Personification of Creation 319 ........... Summary of the Apocalypse of Moses and the Life of Adam and Eve 320 CHAPTER 6: SUMMARY: THE CORRUPTION AND REDEMPTION OF CREATION IN JEWISH ........................................... APOCALYl?T'ICLITERATURE 322 ..................................................... GeneralTrends 322 ............................................ The Corruption of Creation 323 .................................. Causes of the Corruption of Creation 324 .................................. Aspects of the Corruption of Creation 327 ........................................... The Degree of Corruption 329 ................................ Summary of the Corruption of Creation 330 ........................................... TheRedemptionofCreation 332 ...................... The Relationship Between the Old and New Creation 332 ............................. The Future Dwelling Place of the Righteous 334 ................................ The Eschatological Changes in Creation 335 ......................................... Nature in the Future World 337 ............................... Summary of the Redemption of Creation 338 ......................................... The Personification of Creation 340 ............................................ W e s o f Personification 340 ......................................... Functions of Personification 342 ............................. Summary of the Personification of Creation 343 SECTION IIk INTERPRETATION OF ROMANS 8:19-22 IN THE LIGHT OF JEWISH APOCALYPTIC LITERATURE ................................ CHAPTER 7: EXEGESIS OF ROMANS 8: 19-22 347 .................. The Theme and the Relationship of the Passage to Its Context 347 .............................................. Structure of the Passage 350 ................................................ The Meaning of K d q 353 .......................................... The Interpretation of Verse 19 361 .......................................... The Interpretation of Verse 20 370 .......................................... The Interpretation of Verse 2 1 381 .......................................... The Interpretation of Verse 22 391 . ............................... Summary of Major Themes in Rom 8: 19-22 401 ......................................... TheCorruptionofCreation 401 ......................................... The Redemption of Creation 403 ...................................... The Personification of Creation 405 CHAPTER 8: COMPARISON OF ROMANS 8: 19-22 AND JEWISH APOCALYPTIC .......... LITERATURE ON THE CORRUPTION AND REDEMPTION OF CREATION 407 ............................................ TheCorruptionofCreation 407 ................................ The Impact of Sin on the Natural World 407 ..................................... TheCauseofCosmicCorruption 408 .............................. Is Creation Itself Fallen or a Victim of Sin? 411 .................................. Aspects of the Corruption of Creation 412 .......................... The Period During Which Creation is Corrupted 414 ................... The Solidarity Between Humanity and the Natural World 416 ........................................... The Redemption of Creation 417 .................... The Hope of the Eschatological Redemption of Creation 417 ................... The Relationship Between the Old and the New Creations 418 ................................ The Time of the Redemption of Creation 419 . . The Redemption of Creation and the Eschatological Destiny of the People of God 420 ............................ Eschatological Changes in the Natural World 421 ................................................. TwoAgeDualism 423 ................... The Solidarity Between Humanity and the Natural World 424 ......................................... ThePersoniflcationofCreation 425 ............................... Aspects of the Natural World Personifled 425 ............................................ Types of Personification 426 ..................................... TheFunctionsofPersoniflcation 429 ............. The Function of the Corruption and Redemption of Creation Themes 431 ....................................................... CONCLUSIONS 435 .................................. Apocalyptic Theology or Literary Genre? 435 .................................... The Quesiion of Literary Dependence 436 . ............. The Strands of Jewish Apocalyptic Thought Closest to Rom 8: 19-22 437 ....................................................... BIBLIOGRAPHY 440 TABLES AND FIGURES Tables . .............................. Table 1: Patristic Views of Icrlcq in Rom 8: 19-22 24 ........................... Table 2: Patristic Views of the Conuption of Creation 26 ........................... Table 3: Patristic Views of the Redemption of Creation 27 .... Table 4: Symmetrical and Asymmetrical Patristic Views of Creation and Redemption 28 ....... Table 5: Medieval Views of the Corruption of Creation and the Meaning of lctlolq 38 .......................... Table 6: Medieval Views of the Redemption of Creation 40 .... Table 7: Symmetrical and Asymmetrical Medieval Views of Creation and Redemption 41 ..... Table 8: Refonnation Views of the Conuption of Creation and the Meaning of ICr(0l.s 49 ........................ Table 9: Reformation Views of the Redemption of Creation 50 . .......... Table 10: 18th-19thC entury Views of the Meaning of lniq in Rom 8: 19-22 59 ...... Table 11: 18th-19thC entury Views of the Conuption and Redemption of Creation 59 . .................. Table 12: Modem Views of the Meaning of mla~in Rom 8: 19-22 79 Table 13: Relationship Between Judgment and Blessings of the Flood and Eschatological ............................................................. Eras 156 .................................. Table 14: Summary of the Book of Watchers 161 ................................. Table 15: Summary of the Astronomical Book 169 ................................... Table 16: Summary of the Book of Dreams 175 ...................................... Table 17: Summary of 1 Enoch Book 5 189 ............................................ Table 18: Summary of Jubilees 213 ............................................ Table 19: Summary of 2 Enoch 233 ................................... Table 20: Summary of the Book of Parables 251 ............................................. Table 2 1: Suxnmary of 4 Ezra 279 ........................................... Table 22: Summary of 2 Baruch 307 ......... Table 23: Summary of the Apocalypse of Moses and The Life of Adam and Eve 321 ............... Table 24: The Corruption of Creation in Jewish Apocalyptic Literature 330 .............. Table 25: The Redemption of Creation in Jewish Apocalyptic Literature 338 ............ Table 26: The Personification of Creation in Jewish Apocalyptic Literature 344 .................................. Table 27: Birth Pangs in the New Testament 395 ........................ Figure 1: Apocalyptic Views of the Corruption of Creation 323 ......... Figure 2: Apocalyptic Views of the Relationship of the Old and New Creations 333 ....................... Figure 3:A pocalyptic Views of the Destiny of the Righteous 335 . . . Figure 4: The Corruption of Creation in Jewish Apocalyptic Writings and Rom 8: 19-22 437 . . Figure 5: The Redemption of Creation in Jewish Apocalyptic Writings and Rom 8: 19-22 438 LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS General Works ANF A. Roberts and J. Donaldson, eds., The Ante-Nlcene Fathers APOT R H. Charles, ed., The Apocrypha and Pseudepfgapha of the OM Testament K C John Baillle, ed., Library of Chr[sm Classics NIDCC J. D. Douglas. ed., N u In ternational Mctionary of the Christinn Church Nmm Colin Brown, ed.. New Intemtlonal M c t l o ~o~f lN~ew Testament Theology NPNF H. Wace and P. SchaE, trans.,A Select Lfbrary of the Nicene and Post-Nicene FaMs of the Christian Church OTF' James H. Charlesworth. ed., The OM Testurrmt Pseudepigmpha PG J. P. Mgne, ed., Patrologfa Gmeca PL J. P. Migne, ed., Patrologfa Lutina TDNT G. Kittel and G. Friedrich. eds., Theological Mctlo~aryof the New Testament NT New Testament OT Old Testament Journal abbreviations taken from the Journal of Biblical Literature Insbuctions for Apocalyptic Writings 1 En. First (Ethiopic) Enoch 2 En. Second (Slavonic) Enoch 2 Bar. Second Baruch 4 Ez. Fourth Ezra AA Animal Apocalypse (second dream vision in 1 Enoch Book 4) AB Astronomical Book (1 Enoch Book 3) Ap. Mos. Apocalypse of Moses AW Apocalypse of Weeks in 1 Enoch Book 5 BD Book of Dreams (1 Enoch Book 4) BP Book of Parables (1 Enoch Book 2). A parable number may be specified (BP 1). BW Book of Watchers (1 Enoch Book 1) Ep. En. Epistle of Enoch in 1 Enoch Book 5 E;n. Noah Book of Noah in 1 En. Book 5 'Tub. Jubilees LAE Life of Adam and Eve Pss. Sol. Psalms of Solomon Sib. Or. Sibylline Oracles
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