The Pseudepigraphical Greek Apocalypse of Ezra

I have returned to my re-reading of a series of ancient documents associated with Jews or Christians of long ago. To what purpose? To learn more about the roots of my Judeo-Christian faith; but also to remind myself that men and women of every age have asked the same human questions: What of suffering? Does God judge justly? Why are we even here?

Tonight's reading was short and in essence, is the story of a man who got no answer to his burning question. But it also acquainted me with its first modern translator, the esteemed Constantin von Tischendorf, who traveled far and wide and labored diligently to prove to the world that the Bible had been faithfully transmitted over the centuries; as well as the recent translator of the work, Michael E. Stone, another great scholar,

Greek Apocalypse of Ezra

Once again, we have a strange little writing of unknown provenance, and a composition date that ranges from 150 to 850 A.D. We have no knowledge of whether it was ever accepted as a sacred writing, who wrote it or why, other than he was a Greek-speaking Christian and probably sought to build on existing Ezraic tradition, esp. 4th Ezra.

Though a 15th century Greek manuscript of the text was known to scholars, it fell to the great scholar Constantin von Tischendorf to publish the first edition for the modern age. (In Latin?) This was the same man who discovered the earliest extant version of the Bible, Codex Sinaiticus, in St. Catherine’s Monastery at Sinai; and who also published, in 1847, an account of his journeys, “Travels in the East.”

This edition is the work of Michael E. Stone, emeritus professor of Armenian Studies at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. Another interesting scholar and a poet as well.

The writer’s God is one who can be approached, even argued with. And this Ezra does.
It begins with his request to be glorified that he may see God’s mysteries, and find an answer to his gloomy question: isn’t it better that mankind was never born?

God and Ezra both acknowledge that His judgment is just but Ezra, as noted above, wonders why sinful man was created. He gets no real response but seeks to see hell itself. The various torments bring forth his question, again, and still no answer.

Ultimately, God takes his soul to glory and the questions are never answered.

Cain's gain

Students of the Bible have long wondered at Cain's motive for killing Abel. Simple jealousy? Modern revelation, in the Book of Moses (Pearl of Great Price) adds back the lost information that the crime was not so much about hurt feelings and sibling rivalry as it was about something far more evil.

Cain had made a pact with Satan, being convinced that by killing Abel, he could become wealthy -- get gain.

It is terribly ironic that the very meaning of Cain's name is "possession" or "gain." That last detail I just learned yesterday, reading in the Tanakh (the Hebrew Bible). I'm not sure that Joseph Smith the Prophet had any idea of that connection, when he brought forth the lost details of the Book of Moses to the world.

Septuagint

I have been reading Eusebius' "History of the Church" and today came across his discussion of Justin Martyr and Trypho. Found it very interesting -- Justin accuses the Jewish religious leaders of "cutting out" passages from the scriptures that referred to the coming Messiah.

What passages? Apparently a few from Ezra and Jeremiah and also from the Psalms.

What is his evidence? That these passages still can be found in the Septuagint but not in the Hebrew (Masoretic) text.

I wonder, if these passages are still not included in the modern Christian Bibles, what that does for those who believe in Inerrancy?

I have been aware for awhile of the nature and history of the Septuagint. Now I realize that I need to include it in my own library, as a student of scripture.

The LDS-authored notes accompanying my copy of the KJV (p. 622) assert, after all, that "[Septuagint manuscripts] in some cases have no doubt preserved older and truer readings."

A point of interest: that men have cut out passages from the Bible is LDS doctrine. However, the Book of Mormon lays the blame, not upon the Jews, but upon the Gentiles.

"...The book that thou beholdest is a record of the Jews ... and when it proceeded forth from the mouth of a Jew it contained the fulness of the gospel of the Lord ... wherefore, these things go forth from the Jews in purity unto the Gentiles ... and after they go forth by the hand of the twelve apostles of the Lamb, from the Jews unto the Gentiles, thou seest the formation of the great and abominable church ... after the book hath gone forth through the hands of the great and abominable church, that there are many plain and precious things taken away from the book, which is the book of the Lamb of God." 1 Nephi 13: 23-28.