Andrey Anatolyevich, hello. First, I want to recall these words from the prophecy of Ezra:

Third Book of Ezra, Chapter 7

1. Behold, the time will come when the signs that I foretold you will come, and the bride will appear, and appear, now hidden by the earth.
2. And everyone who gets rid of the previously listed evils will see My miracles for himself.
3. For my Son Jesus will be revealed to those who are with Him, and those who remain will enjoy four hundred years.
4. And after these years, My Son Christ and all people who have breath will die.
5. And the age will turn into ancient silence for seven days, just as it was before, so that no one will remain.
6. After seven days the sleepy eyelid will rise and the damaged one will die.
7. And the earth will give up those who sleep in it, and the ashes of those who silently live in it, and the repositories will give up the souls entrusted to them.
8. Then the Most High will appear on the throne of judgment, and troubles will pass, and long-suffering will end.
9. There will be one judgment, the truth will be established, faith will be strengthened.
10. Then action will follow, reward will be revealed, truth will shine, untruth will cease to dominate.

"The Bride Now Hidden by the Earth"(line 26), means the Christian Church. The Apostle Paul writes about this: “The Church is the wife and bride of Christ”(Eph. 5:22-32). Word Earth means common people. This can also be understood through examples: Rev. 13:3; 3 Esdras 7:20-35; 2 Kings 15:23; 1 Par. 16:31; Ps. 33:8; Jer. 22:29; Hosea 1:2; Micah 1:2; Zechariah 12:12. Thus, the point here is that the Church will be composed of the earth, that is, of the common people at the coming of Jesus Christ and His resurrection from the dead. Eastern translations - Armenian, Arabic and Ethiopian - predict that with the advent of the next century “The city that is now invisible will be revealed.” We are talking, apparently, about the Heavenly Jerusalem. He is spoken of below in the same vision (VIII, 52) and in the next one (Chapter IX, X).

"Damaged Age"(7:31) means the history of mankind from Adam to the end of world history, which is “damaged” by the fall of Adam and the corruption of the human race. "The Sleepy Age"(7:31) here means the time before the Fall and the expulsion of Adam from paradise. The same century will rise when “The Most High will appear on the throne of judgment”(7:33), that is, at the very end of world history.

Ezra says that "in seven days"(7:30, 31) until the Judgment of the Most High “all people who have breath will die... so there will be no one left”(7:29, 30). This can be read in a psalm by King David: “The Lord will smite kings in the day of his wrath; He will bring judgment on the nations, he will fill the earth with corpses."(Ps. 109: 5, 6), which is discussed in more detail in the chapter “Armageddon”.

The Bible says:

“the idea of ​​the four-hundred-year reign of the Messiah on earth has its basis in the Genesis writer’s narrative about the Egyptian captivity” (p. 269). In a conversation with Abraham (Gen. XV, 13), its duration is determined at 400 years. Based on the words of the Psalter “rejoice us in the days in which You struck us for the years in which we saw disaster”(Ps. 89: 15) the rabbis drew a complete parallel between the time when God struck Israel with various disasters, and the time of the future age of triumph of the people of God (Gfrorer, II. 252, 253).

However, I believe that the figure 400 years could have been obtained by Ezra as a result of an incorrect calculation. The fact is that Ezra himself writes that in his book the action takes place "in Babylon, in the thirtieth year after the destruction of the city"(III Ezra 3:1), and Jerusalem was destroyed by Nebuchadnezzar in 586 year BC e. This means that the action itself takes place in 556 year BC e. or in 3448 according to the Hebrew calendar from the creation of the world. Ezra further writes: “Then the Lord said to me: The age has lost its youth, and the times are approaching old age, for the age is divided into twelve parts, and nine parts of it and half a tenth have already passed away, and that which is after half a tenth remains.” (III Ezra 14:10-12).

Thus we get.

Third Book: The third book of Ezra is one of the books of the Bible. The third book of Maccabees is one of the books of the Bible. The third book of Moses (Book of Leviticus) is one of the books of the Bible. The Third Book of Kings (First Book of Kings) is one of the books of the Bible ... Wikipedia

ESRA THE THIRD BOOK- Prophet Ezra writing a book. Miniature from the Amiatina Codex. Beginning VIII century (Laur. Amiat. I. Fol. 5r) Prophet. Ezra writing a book. Miniature from the Amiatina Codex. Beginning VIII century (Laur. Amiat. I. Fol. 5r) non-canonical biblical book, not ... ... Orthodox Encyclopedia

This term has other meanings, see Book Three. The Third Book of Maccabees is one of the deuterocanonical books of the Bible. It has nothing in common with the first two books, since the events described in it belong to a different time and ... Wikipedia

This term has other meanings, see Book Three. The Third Book of Kings is part of the Bible, the Old Testament in the Septuagint and in the Orthodox canon. In the Hebrew Bible (Tanakh), as well as in the Catholic and Protestant canon... ... Wikipedia

This term has other meanings, see Book Two. Fragment of the second book of Ezra from the Vatican Codex (IV century) The second book of Ezra (Ezra) one ... Wikipedia

ESRA 1-3 BOOKS.- Old Testament. SCRIPTURES bearing the name of Ezra, a figure of the Restoration era. 1st book Ezra is one of the *Historical books of the Old Testament. canon and is placed after the 2nd book. Paralipomenon. Initially, she most likely formed one whole with Her, and it stands... ... Bibliological dictionary

ESRA THE FIRST BOOK- [Book of Ezra], a biblical book that tells about the return of the Jews from Babylonian captivity to Palestine and about the activities of Zerubbabel and Ezra to restore the Jerusalem temple and organize religions. life. Place in the canon In Jewish... ... Orthodox Encyclopedia

- (Hebrew סֵפֶר מְלָכִים‎, Sefer Mlahim), two books (I Kings, מְלָכִים א׳ and II Kings, מְלָכִים ב׳) of the canonical Hebrew Bible, completing the cycle of the early prophets. In the Septuagint and the Orthodox canon following it, as well as in the Vulgate and Peshitta, this is III and ... ... Wikipedia

- (Book of Enoch) (1 Enoch) one of the most significant apocrypha of the Old Testament. The Apostle Jude refers to this book in his letter. The text is mentioned by the ancient writers Tertullian, Origen and others. However, the text itself was unknown until the 18th century... Wikipedia

The Books of Kings are four historical books of the Old Testament in the Septuagint and in the Orthodox canon. The Four Books of Kings of the Orthodox canon in the Jewish Codex of Holy Books (Tanakh) comprise only two books. One of them, which includes... ... Wikipedia

that the head no longer appeared, which remained together with the four wings that passed to it and rose to reign, but whose kingdom was weak and full of disturbances.

2 . In the Vulgate, unexpectedly, instead of two ( XI:24; XII:29) refers to four small wings passing under the right head. This error occurred due to an omission. In the manuscripts of the Latin text in this place there is talk first of the disappearance of 4 small wings, and then of two wings nestled under the right head. Just like before, marking the death of 12 large wings ( XI:22), the author incidentally mentions two subordinate appendages that disappeared along with them, and now, having talked about the destruction of the third head, he adds a note about the death of 4 small wings adjacent to the 3 heads, which did not change their place. In Eastern translations the idea is expressed with greater clarity. “And so the head that remained alive did not appear again. And the two wings that went over to her arose and rose up to reign, and their reign was weak and full of rebellion.” Since the third head dies at the hand of the Messiah, and the coming of the Messiah is expected by the author only in the future, it must be admitted that the book appeared in the last years of the reign of Domitian (61–96), around 96 A.D. Domitian did not leave behind successors. The author, who lived through the troubled time from the death of Nero to the accession of the Flavians, anticipated its resumption and depicted it in the form of two subordinate wings, ruling after the third head, likely contenders for the throne after the death of Domitian. The compilation of the prophetic book of Ezra is dated no later than 96 by Gfrerer (I, 88), Dilman (Herzogs Real-Encyklopedie B. XII. 1-te Aufl. und 2-te Aufl., 355), Wieseler (281–283), Bissel (644), Reis (736), Shearer (328), Wellhausen (241–245), Gunkel (352) and Lagrange; (497, 498, 500). Other researchers, such as: Volkmar (352–354), Langen (130–134), Renan (366–369), Gausrath (84–86), Rosenthal, Zeckler (446–447), Dilman in his last work ( Ueber das Adlergesicht in der Apokalypse des Esra) and Clemen (242–243) are inclined to believe that the author survived Domitian, who fell from the sword of the Praetorians ( Suetonius, Domitianus, 27. Dio Cassius, LVII, 15–17), since the interpretation of the vision is quite consistent with history, talking about the death of the last head from the sword ( XII:27–28). The decline of power and rebellion that characterized the reign of the last two subsidiary wings really made themselves felt under Nerva (96–98). The decrepit old man, who relied not on the army, but on civilians, was powerless to breathe life into the decaying Greco-Roman empire. Finally, in October 97, a revolt of the Praetorians broke out, after which Nerva invited Trajan to be his co-ruler to save the empire from unrest. Not long before this, the author wrote his book. However, the text of the vision itself strongly speaks against such a view. The appearance of the Messiah, after whose accusatory speech the last head disappears, is only expected by the author in the very near future. There is no basis for an allegorical understanding of it in the sense of obviousness for every imminent retribution for the blood shed by a fratricide (Volkmar). Even more strange is the view of Lieke (in the first edition of his book, 1832) and Baldensperger, who push back the writing of the book to the reign of Trajan. During his reign, the thought of the imminent death of the Roman eagle could not arise.

And I saw, and then they disappeared, and the whole body of the eagle burned, and the earth was horrified, and I woke up from anxiety, frenzy of mind and great fear and said to my spirit:

3 . In the next vision, the enemies of the Messiah are destroyed by fire coming out of His mouth ( XIII:10–11). In the prophet Daniel (VII:1) the fourth beast is burned.

Behold, you have caused this to me by testing the ways of the Most High.

Behold, I still tremble in heart and am very weak in my spirit, and I have no strength at all from the great fear that struck me that night.

So now I will pray to the Almighty that He will strengthen me to the end.

And I said: Sovereign Lord! if I have found grace in Your sight, if You have found me righteous before many, and if mine has truly risen before Your face,

7 . Wed. VI:32.

Strengthen me and show me, Your servant, the meaning of this terrible vision, in order to completely calm my soul:

8 . The prophet asks God to completely console his restless soul by explaining the meaning of his dream. The vision of his wife, depicting the glorious future of Zion, calmed him only partly. The main question of how the Roman yoke will be overthrown is revealed only in this vision.

for You have judged me worthy to show me the last times. And He said to me:

This is the meaning of this vision:

the eagle which you saw rising from the sea is the kingdom shown in vision to your brother Daniel;

11 . XI:39.

but it was not explained to him what I will now explain to you.

12 . The interpretation of the vision is not clear. A similar feature is strongly felt in the book of the prophet Daniel, which served as a model for the author. This circumstance prompts us to assign only a secondary place to its interpretation when analyzing the vision, especially in view of some of the contradictions noticed between the interpretation and the text of the vision itself.

Behold, the days are coming when a kingdom more terrible than all the kingdoms that existed before it will rise on earth.

13 . XI:40–43.

Twelve kings will reign in it, one after another.

14 . XI:1.

The second of them will begin to reign and will retain power for a longer time than the other twelve.

15 . XI:13–17.

This is the meaning of the twelve wings you saw.

this means that after the time of that kingdom there will be considerable strife, and the kingdom will be in danger of falling; but it will not fall then and will be restored to its original state.

17–18. XI:7–10. The Latin translation dates the troubles that threaten Rome's fall to the time after the reign of the 12 great wings (post tempus regni illius). According to eastern translations, they take place among their reign (inter tempus regni illius). Obviously, the author hints at the unrest that tore the empire apart after the death of Nero before the accession of Vespasian. The latter returned Rome to its former greatness.

And what did you see eight small underwing feathers connected to the wings, this means

that eight kings will rise in the kingdom, whose times will be easy and the years will be fleeting, and two of them will perish.

When the middle time draws near, the four will remain until the time when its end is near; and two will remain until the end.

19–21. XI:11, 22–31 ; XII:2–3. The interpuncture must be corrected. Expression "when the mean time approaches" refers to the first two small wings. By “tempus medium” we mean the period of interregnum, which was just discussed ( XII:18, by eff. and Armenian lane). Four further wings precede 3 heads ( XI:24–31) and the last two follow them.

And that you saw three heads resting, this means

22 . XI:4.

that in the last days of the kingdom the Most High will erect three kingdoms and subdue many others to them, and they will rule over the earth and its inhabitants

23 . XI:32. The Latin translation suffers from vagueness due to the fact that the Greek word βασιλείς (kings) was taken for βασιλείας (kingdoms). Eastern texts reproduce the author’s thought in this form: “In his very last days, the Most High will raise up three kings, and they will introduce many innovations in him and will rule over the earth.”

with greater oppression than all that were before; that's why they are called eagle heads,

for they will complete his iniquities and put an end to him.

25 . XI:44(lat. handicraft). The author explains why the symbol of eagle heads was chosen for the three kings, whose reign would entail the end of the fourth world monarchy. They "will lead" (recapitulabunt - translation of the Greek άνακεφαλαιώσουσι ) the lawlessness of their predecessors. This term has an apocalyptic character. According to Jewish eschatology, at the end of the world, the hitherto scattered evil, as well as the good, will be gathered together and reach complete completion. In the eyes of the Jews, any foreign yoke was lawlessness. This was felt all the more strongly after the destruction of Jerusalem and the burning of the temple by Titus (70 BC). The religious feeling of the Jews was most offended by the cult of the emperors, which finally developed under the Flavians. Vespasian was declared a god after his death. Titus established an entire college of priests for this purpose, called the Flavials. Titus was also ranked among the gods immediately after his death. Domitian proclaimed himself a god during his lifetime, allowing Roman citizens to call himself dominus and deus noster ( Plinius. Panegiricus II. Suetonius. Domitianus 4, 5, 13). The didrachm, previously donated by the Jews for their temple, after its burning was supposed to be given to the Capitoline Temple, restored by the Flavians after the fire. Under Domitian, a new temple was built near it, dedicated to the house of the Flavians (gens Flavia).

And what did you see, that the big head no longer appeared, this means that one of the kings will die on his bed, however with torment,

26 . XI:33. The details of the disappearance of the first head are quite consistent with the circumstances of Vespasian's death. The expression of the book that he “will die on his bed, but with torment” is quite applicable to him. Vespasian died suddenly of dysentery ( Suetonius. Vespasianus 24. Dio Cassius, LX-VI, 17. Aurelius Victor, 9). The Jews thought that he died from the same painful illness that brought Antiochus Epiphanes to the grave, and they saw in this the punishing hand of Providence.

and the sword will devour the remaining two;

the sword of one will devour the one who is with him, but in due course he too will die by the sword.

27–28. XI:35. The death of the third head from the sword expresses only the general idea that Domitian will suffer the same violent death for fratricide. He is killed by the Messiah by the action of His speech.

And what did you see, two underwing feathers moved to the head located on the right side,

29 . XI:24.

these are those whom the Most High preserved at the end of the kingdom, that is, a kingdom that is meager and full of worries.

30 . XII:2(Eastern translation).

The lion whom you saw rise up from the forest and roar, speaking to the eagle and convicting him of his iniquities with all his words that you heard,

31 . XI:37–46.

this is the Anointed One, preserved by the Most High against them and their wickedness to the end, who will convict them and bring their oppressions before them.

32 . In the Vulgate and the Slavic translation, instead of the Anointed One (Unctus), it speaks of the wind (ventus). The error is explained by the similarity in the style of the corresponding Latin words. The scribe imagined the Messiah as a wind rising from the sea and sweeping away the wicked from the face of the earth ( XIII:27). All Eastern translations note the origin of the Messiah from the seed of David.

He will bring them to the judgment of the living and, having exposed them, will punish them.

In his mercy he will deliver the remnant of my people, those who are preserved within my borders, and will make them glad until the end comes, the day of judgment, which I told you about at the beginning.

34 . After the destruction of the fourth Daniel monarchy, He showers His favors on the Jews who survived the trials: the four-hundred-year Kingdom of the Messiah opens ( VII:27–29). The above historical interpretation of the vision of the eagle as applied to the Roman Empire from Julius Caesar to Domitian is currently generally accepted (Corrodi, Lieke in the 1st edition of his work, Gfrerer, Dielman, Volkmar, Ewald, Langen, Wieseler, Keil, Gausrath, Renan , Drummond, Reis, Bissel, Rosenthal, Baldenschlerger, Zeckler, Thomson, Wellhausen, Shearer, Gunkel, Lagrange and Bertholet). All others are significantly inferior to it, allowing for a number of contradictions to the vision in significant details. Shavrov (114–133) applies the vision of the eagle to the Syro-Egyptian monarchy formed after the death of Alexander the Great. Her yoke weighed heavily on Israel until the Maccabees, when Judea gained independence. The prophetic book of Ezra appeared, in his opinion, under Simon the Righteous (143–125 BC). Shavrov justifies the unification of the two kingdoms in the image of an eagle by the fact that both of them were equally hostile to Palestine and, one before the other, tried to subjugate it to themselves. Under the 12 large wings we mean 7 Syrian kings: 1) Seleucus I Nicator (312–232), 2) Antiochus I Soter (282–261), 3) Antiochus II Theos (261–246), 4) Seleucus II Callinicus (246– 225), 5) Seleucus III Keraunus (225–231), 6) Antiochus III the Great (223–187) and 7) Seleucus IV Philopator (187–176), and 5 Egyptian: 1) Ptolemy I Lagus (324–284) , 2) Ptolemy II Philadelphus (284–246), 3) Ptolemy III Euergetes (246–221), 4) Ptolemy IV Philopator (221–204) and Ptolemy V Epiphanes (204–180). The prophet's remark that some of the 12 great wings, although they rose, did not receive power ( XI:21), indicates that they did not own Palestine. The Syrian kingdom, which had greater success in the struggle for the possession of Palestine, occupies the right side of the eagle in the vision; Egyptian - left. Behind the second wing, distinguished by its longevity, lies Ptolemy Lagus (324–284). The three heads of the eagle are Antiochus IV Epiphanes (176–164), Antiochus V Eupator (164–162) and Demetrius I Soter (162–150). Under Antiochus Epiphanes, the second Temple of Jerusalem was turned into a sanctuary of Zeus. Antiochus IV died from a painful illness ( XII:26). After him, Demetrius Soter, the son of Seleucus Philopator, and Antiochus Eupator, the son of the deceased, came forward as contenders for the throne. The first defeated the second and stabbed him with a sword ( XI:35), and he himself was subsequently killed by Alexander Balas ( XII:28). Under the guise of 8 small wings, persons who were in hostile relations with the 12 kings listed above are depicted. In the first two of them you can see the commanders Alexander, Antigonus and his son Demetrius. Both of them fought with Seleucus Nicator and Ptolemy Lagus and at one time owned Palestine ( XI:22). The next 4 represent Heliodorus, who poisoned Seleucus Philopator in order to seize the throne, Demetrius Soter, also depicted under the symbol of the right head, and the two sons of Ptolemy Epiphanes, Ptolemy VI Philometor (180–146) and Ptolemy VII Physcon (146–117). Antiochus Epiphanes, taking advantage of the minority of his nephews, captured Egypt and took away the opportunity for competition ( XI:24–31). Hidden behind the last two accessory wings are: the impostor Alexander Balas (150–145), posing as the son of Antiochus Epiphanes, and Demetrius II Nicator (145–144). Under them, Syria lost its former importance, and in 143 Judea gained independence. The leader of the people was recognized as the high priest Simon, represented in a vision as a lion, as well as the anointed one. Shavrov’s interpretation captures two monarchies, while the vision speaks of one ( XI:39–40; XII:11). As a result of this, Shavrov is forced to allow the simultaneous rule of two kings, Syrian and Egyptian, while the book of Ezra says that 12 Kings will rule one at a time ( XI:8; XII:14). Details reported in the book of Ezra about the duration of the reign of the second great wing ( XI:16 ), are left unattended by Shavrov. In fact, Ptolemy Lagus reigned far from twice as long as Seleucus Nicator. Shavrov understands the eating of the fifth and sixth accessory wings by the middle head only in an allegorical sense. Simon the Just did not play the major role that is attributed to the vision of the Messiah. The final destruction of the Syrian and Egyptian monarchy in his time was out of the question. Hilgenfeld (Judische Apokalyptik, 217–221; Esra und Daniel, 43–57; Messias Judaeorum. 85–95) admits that the fourth Danielic monarchy can only mean Greco-Macedonian rule. It ended in the middle of the 1st century BC, when Egypt and Syria were conquered by Rome. This was seen as a sign of the future end. The members of the second triumvirate are depicted in the form of three heads. Julius Caesar is of course under the middle, Antony under the left and Octavian under the right. The words of the book about the death of the middle head on the bed, but with agony, seem to indicate that Caesar’s death occurred not in war, but in peacetime. Likewise, death by sword only means defeat in war, since Anthony remained alive after the battle with Octavian at Actaeus (30 BC). The appearance of the prophetic book of Ezra dates back to 30 BC. Hilgenfeld reveals no less arbitrariness in relation to the 12 large and 8 small wings. At first (Judische Apokalyptik) he saw them as the Ptolemies who ruled the Egyptian monarchy. The first group consists of: 1) Alexander the Great (336–323), 2) Ptolemy I Lagus (323–283), 3) Ptolemy II Philadelphus (385–247), 4) Ptolemy III Euergetes (247–222), 5) Ptolemy IV Philopator (222–206), 6) Ptolemy V Epiphanes (204–181), 7) Ptolemy VI Philometor (181–146), 8) Ptolemy VII Physcon (146–117), 9) Cleopatra I (130–89) , 10) Ptolemy VII Latyrus (117–107, 86–81), 11) Ptolemy IX (Alexander I 107–69), 12) Ptolemy X (Alexander II 81), 13) Ptolemy XI (Alexander III 80) and 14) Ptolemy XII Auletes or Dionysius the Younger (80–51). Ptolemy X and Ptolemy XI, who reigned for only a few days, should be classified as small wings, disappearing simultaneously with the 12 large ones. Under the two small wings that went under the right head, there are probably two sons of Physcon, Ptolemy I Appion, who ruled Cyrene until 96, and Ptolemy I, who ruled Cyprus until 58. The possessions of both were captured by the Romans. The right head in this place is only a symbol of Roman power. Behind the next 4 accessory wings are hidden: the daughter of Ptolemy Auletes Veronica (58–55) and his son Ptolemy XIII (51–47), then Ptolemy XIV (47–44) and Cleopatra II (51–31). Under Cleopatra, in 47 BC, Egypt became a Roman province. What is especially striking in this interpretation is the artificiality with which the rulers of Cyrene and Cyprus were included among the small wings, just to make up for the missing figure. Feeling himself the weakness of this interpretation, Hilgenfeld (Esra und Daniel; Messias Judaeorum) applied the same method to the house of the Seleucids. But since there were more names here than needed, he had to throw some out. In all such cases, he relies on the lists of Syrian kings given by various historians. He lists the Seleucids in this order: 1) Alexander the Great (336–323), 2) Seleucus I Nicator (323–280), 3) Antiochus I Soter (280–261), 4) Antiochus II Theos (261–246), 5) Seleucus II Callinicus (246–229), 6) Seleucus III Keraunus (227–224), 7) Antiochus III the Great (234–187), 8) Seleucus IV Philopatra (187–175), 9) Antiochus IV Epiphanes ( 175–163), 10) Demetrius I Soter (162–150), 11) Demetrius II Nicator (146–138, 128–125) and 12) Antiochus VII Sidetes (137–128) correspond to 12 large wings. Adjacent to them are two small wings - Antiochus VIII Grypus (125-96) and Antiochus IX Cyzitic (113-95), who constantly fought among themselves. For average time (tempos medium, XII:21) between the disappearance of the large and two small wings and the awakening of heads falls the reign of the son of Gripus, Seleucus VI (95–93), the son of Antiochus IX of Cysis, Antiochus X Eusebius (93), another son of Gripus, Demetrius Eucherus and, finally, the son of Eusebius, Antiochus XIII of Asia or the son of Grypus, Philip. In 64 BC, the Seleucids lost their throne forever. In this sense, one should understand the words of the book about eating two small wings with the middle head. Two small wings, separated from the rest, represent the side line of the Seleucids that survived the death of Antony; this is the son of Grypus, Philip, who was offered to take the Egyptian throne in 57, the husband of Veronica, Seleucus Kiviozakt, who took part in the reign, or the brother of Antiochus XIII of Asia. You can also see here a reference to the kings of Commagene Antiochus and Mithridates, who considered themselves to be Seleucids. The very complexity of the techniques that Hilgenfeld is forced to resort to speaks against his opinion. It is difficult to recognize the author as such a connoisseur of history as Hilgenfeld represents him. It is also unclear why the author, who in his opinion lived in Egypt, takes up the history of the Syrian monarchy. In both of Hilgenfeld's theories, the unity of the monarchy, depicted under the symbol of the eagle, the longevity of the second wing, more than twice the reign of his successors, and the exact information of the book about the death of the first and second heads, which in no case admit of an allegorical interpretation, are not maintained. Laurens (Gfrörer. Prophetae Veteres Pseudepgraphi, 162–166), Van der Ulis (179–189), Lieke (in the 2nd edition of his book 196–209) attach the vision of the eagle to the history of Rome from Romulus to Julius Caesar. By three heads they mean Sulla, Pompey and Caesar. Sulla, represented under the image of the middle head, died according to the book of Ezra from a painful illness ( XII:26). In the book's remark that the right head kills the left ( XII:26 ), contains a hint of the victory of Julius Caesar over Pompey. The book of the prophet Ezra was written, in their opinion, either during the life of Caesar (Like), or shortly after his assassination (Van der Ulis), or, finally, after the death of Anthony, between 28 and 25 AD. BC (Laurence). Previously, this view was expressed by Zemler (Vorzfugliche theologische Briefe. Lpsiae, 1781. T. I. S. 134–195) and Vogel (Commentatio de conjectures usu in crisi Novi Testamenti. Altonij, 1795. P. 50–51), who did not try to unravel the entire vision . Laurens selects 20 names of kings and power seekers from Roman history from the founding of Rome to Caesar and divides them into 2 groups. The first of them, corresponding to 12 large wings, includes 7 Roman kings: 1) Romulus, 2) Numa Pompilius, 3) Tullus Hostilius, 4) Ancus Marcius, 5) Tarquinius I the Elder, 6) Servius Tullius and 7) Tarquinius II the Proud, and then five larger seekers for the throne: decemvir Appius Claudius, Spurius Melius, Marcus Manlius, Tiberius Gracchus and Caius Gracchus. 8 small wings are made up of individuals who tried to seize power: Tribune Sulpicius, Marius the Elder, Cinna, Marius the Younger, Carbon, Sertorius, Lepidus and Antony. Van der Ulis and Lieke eliminate the connection between kings and defenders of the republican system that Laurens allowed in his explanation of the large wings. They argue that digital vision data cannot be given strict meaning. According to the first, the author of the prophetic book of Ezra increased Daniel's number of horns on the fourth beast in order to show that all the rulers of Rome were more than 11. In choosing the number he took, he could have been guided by the design of the eagle's wings. Ancient ornithology had 6 groups of feathers for each eagle wing that controlled its flight. The author combined with his figure the idea of ​​a significant, but not infinite number of Roman rulers and at the same time the completeness of their power. When explaining the details, Van der Ulis replaces the numbers in the introduction of the eagle with numbers from Daniel's vision of the fourth beast. It takes 11 large wings. The disappearance of two small wings simultaneously with them suggests that the author did not know all the Roman rulers, but only 9. The remaining 6 small wings hint at Marius the Elder, Cinna Marius the Younger, Carbon, Antony and Lepidus. Like connects the number of large wings with the legend of the austitia that Romulus and Remus used when founding the city. These were 12 Korshunov. Lieke admits the possibility that the last of the small wings refers to Octavian before his proclamation as emperor. The main drawback of the theory of Laurens, Van der Ulis and Lieke is that the global character of the fourth Daniel monarchy is not maintained in it. Before the conquest of Palestine by Pompey, Roman history was of no interest to the Jew. To explain the completeness with which the author depicts the history of Rome during its darkest period, it must be assumed that he studied it from Livy. It is impossible to recognize the digital data of the vision as a mere imitation of the book of Daniel: the author treats his sample very freely, omitting in it the most important detail, the appearance of the eleventh horn, which destroys all the others. There is no basis for interpreting the death of the left head from the sword in the sense of Pompey’s defeat in the war. Gutschmid (II, 240–258) and Le-Ir ( Ler-Hir. Etudes bibliques, I, 184–192) extend the vision of the eagle to the history of the Roman Empire from Julius Caesar to the beginning of the 3rd century. This view was previously expressed by Corrodi (cited by Laurence. Gfrorer. Prophetae Veteres psendepigraphe 161) and Hartwig (Apologie der Apokalypse. F. IV. Chemnitij, 1783. S. 211–212). By three heads they mean Septimius Severus (193–211) and his two sons, Geta (211–212) and Caracalla (211–217). Caracalla killed Geta, with whom they reigned after the death of their father, but he himself was subsequently killed by Macrinus ( XII:27–28). The remaining emperors Gutschmid and Le-Ir are divided into two groups depending on the length of their reign. The 6 large wings on the right side of the eagle correspond to the 6 emperors from the house of Julia; under the guise of large wings lying to the left, Vespasian (69–79), Domitian (81–96), Trajan (98–117), Hadrian (117–138), Antony Pius (138–161) and Marcus Aurelius (161– 180). The first 2 small wings mean Titus (79–81) and Nerva (96–98), the next 4 Commodus (180–192), Pertinax (193), Didius Julianus (193) and Pescennius Niger (193–194) and finally the last 2, the murderer of Caracalla Macrinus (216–217) and his son, Diadumenian, killed in 218. Shortly before this event, a vision of the eagle was drawn up. It represents a later interpolation in the book that appeared in agreement with Hilgenfeld in 31 BC. Le-Hire makes minor changes to the list of his predecessor. It combines the reigns of Marcus Aurelius and Commodus, following the example of Clement of Alexandria. Instead, he names Clodius Albinus, who was co-ruler with Septimius Severus (194–197). The inconsistency of this view follows from the fact that the vision of the eagle forms an essential part of the book, closely connected with the previous vision of the wife and the subsequent vision of the husband. In the selection of names one feels the same arbitrariness that distinguishes Hilgenfeld’s painstaking constructions - Galba, Ottocus and Vitellius are completely omitted, as they turn out to be superfluous. Kai Caligula is placed among the large wings on the right side, although he occupied the throne for only 3 years. Gutschmid violates his standard of classifying emperors as major or minor wings by classifying Commodus as a minor wing despite his twelve-year reign. The explanation under consideration does not stand up to the chronological indications given in the vision of small wings. Titus and Nerva did not rule before the interregnum ( XII:21), and then when Vespasian ensured the peace of the empire. The remark about the participation of the right and left heads in eating the third pair of small wings does not apply to Goethe and Caracalla. Both did not take the slightest part in the deposition of Didius Julian and Pescennius Niger by their father. Attributing the origin of the entire book to the beginning of the 3rd century (Hartwig) is hampered by the fact that Clement of Alexandria, who died in 217, cites an excerpt from the prophetic book of Ezra as a divinely inspired work. From this it is obvious that it appeared long before the third century, when the passion for eschatology had already disappeared, and such a work could not attract the attention of readers.

This is the dream you saw, and this is its meaning.

You alone were worthy to know this secret of the Almighty.

Write all this that you have seen in a book and put it in a secret place;

and teach this to the wise of your people, whose hearts you recognize as capable of receiving and keeping these secrets.

37–38. The revelation given to Ezra should not be made available to the entire people, since not everyone is able to understand it. The Prophet is commanded to immortalize him by committing him to writing and placing the book in a secret place. A similar example occurs twice in the book of Daniel (VIII:26; XII:4). A characteristic feature of all apocalyptic literature is the well-known shroud of mystery with which the book was shrouded. Since each apocalypse was usually attributed to a person who lived several centuries, and often even millennia ago, it was necessary to more or less plausibly explain to the reader why the book was completely unknown for so long and only recently put into circulation. There was a belief that revelations about the last days of the world were assigned only to the wise of the people, which were kept in deep secret from others, or had to lie in a secret place until the very last time.

And you stay here another seven days so that you can be shown what the Almighty will be pleased to show you. And he walked away from me.

When, at the end of seven days, all the people heard that I had not returned to the city, they all gathered, from small to large, and came to me and said to me:

what have we sinned against you? And how did they offend you that you, leaving us, are sitting in this place?

41 . Just as after the first vision the leader of the people, Falthiel, comes to the prophet ( V:16–19), and now all the people, young and old, gather to Ezra and beg him to return to the city. The entire introductory episode characterizes the high role of Ezra for the Jews in captivity. He is the only prophet, and the people would rather become victims of the fire that destroyed Jerusalem than lose it.

You alone among all the people remained to us, like a bunch of grapes, like a lamp in a dark place, and like a pier and a ship saved from a storm.

42 . The Vulgate text needs correction. “Of all the prophets, you alone remain with us, like a bunch of grapes, like a lamp in a dark place, and like a harbor for a ship that has escaped a storm.” The meaning of the prophet is compared with the meaning of the harbor, where a ship caught in a storm finds safe shelter and salvation.

Are there really not enough disasters that have befallen us?

If you leave us, it would be better for us to burn when Zion burned.

For we are no better than those who died there. And they cried with a loud cry. Answering them, I said:

Now go every one to your house, and I will come to you after these days.

And the people went into the city, as I told them,

And I remained in the field for seven days, as I was commanded, and in those days I ate only wild flowers, and grass was my food.

A non-canonical biblical book not preserved in Hebrew. and Greek texts of the OT; her Church Slav. translation, as well as most translations into new languages ​​(including the Synodal translation) were made from the Vulgate. In publications of glory. and Russian Bible E. because it is the last Old Testament book and is located after the 3rd book of Maccabees.

Name and composition

In the Vulgate, E. is called “The Fourth Book of Ezra,” and begins with the words “The Second Book of Ezra of the Prophet...”. It is traditionally believed that Ezra was not its author; it is named after him “mainly because he is the person who, through an angel, here receives revelations about the destinies of the Jewish people” (Lopukhin. Explanatory Bible. T. 7A. P. 217).

Typically, a book is divided into a prologue (chapters 1-2), the main part (chapters 3-14) and an epilogue (chapters 15-16), and the prologue and epilogue are considered later additions compared to the main part (Ibid. p. 218) . In zap. scientific literature, the main part of Ezra is called “The Apocalypse of Ezra” or “The Fourth Book of Ezra”, the prologue is “The Fifth Book of Ezra”, and the epilogue is “The Sixth Book of Ezra” (ABD. Vol. 2. P. 612) (see table in verse 1 of Ezra).

Text

E. because it has been preserved in whole or in part for several years. lat. manuscripts (for more details see: Apokalypsen. 1981. S. 292; Unterweisung. 2001. S. 768-769). In addition, an important source for the reconstruction of lat. text of the book are quotations from it by ancient church writers (Unterweisung. 2001. S. 769-770).

Manuscript sources are usually divided into those belonging to the so-called. French and Spanish groups. Franz. group (designated φ) consists of Codex Sangermanensis (c. 821-822, Paris. Lat. 11505) and Codex Amiatinus (IX century, Amiens. Bibl. Comm. 10), in Spanish (designated ψ) - Codex Complutensis (X century ., Matrit. Univ. Centr. 31), Codex Mazarinaeus (XI-XII centuries, Paris. Mazarin. 3 4), Codex Epternacensis (1051-1081, Luxemburg. Bibl. Nat. 264), etc. An important witness of lat. text is the so-called The Sistine-Clementine edition of the Vulgate, published in 1604, under Pope Clement VIII, because it contains discrepancies from manuscripts that have not reached us.

One of the features of most armor. manuscripts of the book - the presence in the text of a lacuna corresponding to modern. numbering of verses 3 Ezra 7. 35-106. This fragment of text is found in all ancient translations that do not depend on the Vulgate, and accordingly is absent in Church Orthodoxy. and Russian translations. In 1865 it was discovered that in place of a lacuna in one of the armor. manuscripts - Codex Sangermanensis - the sheet originally included in it is missing. On this basis, it was concluded that all lat. manuscripts with a lacuna depend on this codex. In 1875 Lat. the text of this fragment was found and published (Bensly. 1875).

Language

Most researchers believe that E. was originally written in Hebrew. language, although not a single fragment of the original text has survived and there are no traces of its use in extra-biblical Hebrew. literature (Stone. 1990. P. 1; for the opinions of various scientists on this issue, see: Violet. 1924. P. XXI). Perhaps in ancient times the book was translated into Greek. language, but this translation has been preserved only in quotations and allusions in other works (see: Mussies G. When do Graecisms Prove that a Latin Text Is a Translation? // Vruchten van de Uithof: Studien opgedragen aan H. A. Brongers. Utrecht, 1974 . P. 100-119). About the existence of Greek The translation of the book can also be judged by the transliterations of the Greek. words in lat. and Copt. texts (for example, in the Vulgate: chaus - 3 Rides 5.25; abyssis - 3 Rides 6.5 and many others; it is possible, however, that many of these words were borrowed into the Latin language earlier and managed to assimilate in it by the time the book was translated - Klijn. 1983. P. 11). An attempt was made to reconstruct the Greek. text of the book (Hilgenfeld A., ed. Messias Judaeorum. Lipsiae, 1869. S. XXXVIII-XLVI).

Some researchers suggest that the book was originally partially or completely written in Aram. language. Aram theory. the origin of the book is defended, for example, in the monograph by L. Gry (Gry L. Les dires prophétiques d "Esdras. P., 1938. 2 vol.). However, for most of the examples he gave, more convincing explanations were given, suggesting a Hebrew original ( Stone, 1967, pp. 109-111. The final solution to this question is complicated by the fact that the Literary Hebrew language, in which the book could have been written, was significantly influenced by the Aramic language (Idem. 1990, p. 11).

Time and place of writing

At the beginning of the main part of the book, on behalf of Ezra, an indication is given of the time when the events described in it took place: “In the thirtieth year after the destruction of the city I was in Babylon...” (3 Ezra 3.1). If we assume that this refers to the destruction of Jerusalem in 587 BC, then this contradicts primarily the information about the life of Ezra contained in the canonical book bearing his name, according to which he lived much later in the Persian Empire , “during the reign of Artaxerxes” (1 Ezra 7.1). Perhaps 3 Rides 3.1 refers to the destruction of Jerusalem in 70 AD; in accordance with this plural. scholars believe that the book was compiled ca. 100 AD (eg, Schreiner. 1981. S. 301), however, it is very likely that this indication is not significant at all for dating the book and represents only a typological parallel to the beginning of the Book of Prophets. Ezekiel (“And it came to pass in the thirtieth year...” - Ezekiel 1.1).

Already in the early period of study of Ezra, repeated attempts were made to use the descriptions of the apocalyptic signs contained in it, received by Ezra from the angels or directly from God, to date the book. At the same time, researchers identified these descriptions with various historical events, believing that the book was compiled after these events. So, for example, the ruler “whom those who live on earth do not expect” (3 Rides 5.6) was associated with Herod the Great (Gutschmid A., von. Die Apokalypse des Esra und ihre spätern Bearbeitungen // ZWTh. 1860. Bd. 3. S. 78) or with Augustus Octavian (Hilgenfeld A. Die jüdische Apokalyptik in ihrer geschichtlichen Entwickelung. Jena, 1857. S. 237). Contained in certain armor. manuscripts and eastern translations, references to “cracks” in many places (chasm or abyss; in the modern edition of the Vulgate - chaus; in the Synodal translation - confusion - 3 Rides 5.8) were attributed to the earthquake of 31 BC or to the eruption of Vesuvius in 79 AD (Faye E., de. Les apocalypses juives. P., 1892. P. 44-45). Many also tried to see in the verses about Jacob and Esau (3 Ezra 6. 7-10) indications of various historical characters, but most likely Esau symbolizes the Roman Empire (for more details, see: Stone. 1990. P. 9, 159-161; I Dem. 1989. P. 6-7; Cohen G. Esau as a Symbol in Early Medieval Thought // Jewish Medieval and Renaissance Studies / Ed. A. Altmann. Camb., 1967. P. 19-20).

As an argument in favor of dating the book at the turn of the 1st and 2nd centuries. according to R.H. they cite, for example, the vision of an eagle from the 11th and 12th chapters. At the same time, the 3 heads of the eagle are identified with Rome. emperors of the 2nd half. I century: Vespasian, Titus and Domitian. In addition, the very content of the book largely corresponds to the era: the temple was destroyed, the city was devastated, and it seemed that the fate of Israel was finally decided. Researchers believe that the questions raised by Ezra seriously “occupied the pious” Jews in those years (Apokalypsen. 1981. S. 302), and the destruction of Jerusalem by Titus in 70 AD was the event that had the most significant impact on worldview author of the book (Stone. 1990. P. 10). The probable time of compilation of E. since, according to many. modern researchers, could have been the last years of the reign of the emperor. Vespasian (69-79 AD) (Ibid. P. 365-371).

Further assessments are given based on an analysis of quotations from E. and in other works. The earliest allusion to E. because, according to some researchers, is contained in the Epistle of St. Barnabas, where it is said that believers receive remission of sins by “sprinkling with the blood” of the Lord (ἐν τῷ ῥαντίσματι αὐτοῦ τοῦ αἵματος - Barnaba. Ep. 12. 1); this place is associated with the prediction received by Ezra in the 1st vision that “blood will drip from the tree” (de ligno sanguis stillabit - 3 Ezra 5.5). If this quote is authentic, the main part of E. since can be attributed to the turn of the 1st and 2nd centuries, however, many scholars dispute the connection between these 2 texts (Stone. 1990. P. 9).

The earliest indisputable quotation from E. t.k. is contained, according to most researchers, in the “Stromata” of Clement of Alexandria: “Why did not my mother’s womb become my tomb, so that I would never see the judgment of Jacob and the troubles of the house of Israel?” - says the prophet Ezra” (Clem. Alex. Strom. III 16; cf.: 3 Ezra 5.35). Based on this, it is concluded that the book has already been translated into Greek. tongue ok 190 g

The situation is similar with Lat. with quotes from E. since. So, for example, in the found text, which fills in the gaps from the 7th chapter. (absent in the Synodal translation), various categories of people are likened to metals: gold, silver, copper and lead (3 Rides 7.52-57 according to the Vulgate text; in the Synodal translation in these verses there is another text). The same metals are mentioned in Tertullian’s discussions on another subject (Tertull. De resurr. 7. 8), which has given some researchers reason to talk about the dependence of both texts on each other (Stone. 1990. P. 9). Dr. possible allusions to E. since in the writings of Tertullian and Sschmch. Cyprian, bishop Carthage, are also not recognized by everyone as authentic. The earliest indisputable lat. quotation from E. because it belongs to St. Ambrose, bishop Mediolansky (Ibidem), which, however, does not specify the time of creation of the book or its translation into Latin. language.

Scientists have different opinions regarding the possible place where the book was written. One of the common viewpoints. is based on the message that Ezra lived in Babylon (3 Ezra 3.1, 28-29) and his denunciation of the sins of Babylon may refer to Rome in the 1st century, since in the literature of this time Rome is often called Babylon ( cf.: Rev. 14. 8; 16. 19; 17. 3-5). Dr. Researchers consider Palestine to be a possible place where the book was written, citing the fact that the original language in which the book was written was Hebrew, as well as the presence of parallels with the 2nd Apocalypse of Baruch (Ibid. P. 10).

Ancient translations

The book is preserved in Latin, Syriac, Ethiopian, Georgian, Arabic, Armenian. and fragmentarily in Copt. translations; all of them were executed, apparently, from the Greek. text (Ibid. P. 2). Slav., Armenian and cargo. translations were made from Latin. The translation into Hebrew has been preserved. language made in the 16th century. also from Latin, possibly using sire. and Greek texts (Bialer Y. L. Min ha-genazim: Description of Manuscripts and Historical Documents. Jerushalayim, 1967. P. 36 (in Hebrew)). One of the Arabs. translations were made from sire. text. According to the most authoritative classification in science, lat. and sire. translations form one branch, all other translations form another (Blake. 1926). The prologue (chapters 1-2) and epilogue (chapters 15-16) of the book are contained only in lat. manuscripts and are not found in other translations. This is one of the main arguments in favor of the fact that these chapters represent a later addition to the book (Stone. 1990. P. 4).

The book begins with the genealogy of Ezra, which is based on similar texts of 1 Ezra 7.1-5 and 2 Ezra 8.1-2, with the difference that it talks about 3 new characters - Ahijah, Phinehas and Elijah. The manuscripts are in Spanish. There is no group pedigree.

Following the genealogy, the “word of the Lord” is transmitted to Ezra: God calls on him to convict the Israelites of their iniquities. God reminds the Israelites of His benefits, of miraculous help during the exodus from Egypt and during their stay in the desert (3 Rides 1.13); he reproaches them for ingratitude, idolatry and murder (3 Rides 1.6, 26). He promises to exact the blood of the prophets (3 Rides 1.32; cf. Luke 11.49); foreshadowing the consequences of His wrath, “says the Lord Almighty: your house is empty” (3 Rides 1.33; cf. Matt. 23.38; Luke 13.35). The houses of the Israelites will be handed over to “the people to come,” who will believe in God, although He “showed them no signs” (3 Rides 1:35). The Lord calls on Ezra to look “at the people coming from the east,” whose leaders He will make the Old Testament righteous men and prophets (3 Rides 1.38-40). In the future, God calls these people “My people” (see, for example: 3 Rides 2.10).

In the 2nd chapter. in the image of the mother of the Israeli people, mourning him, Jerusalem or Zion is depicted, apparently, as the center of the Old Testament church (Lopukhin. Explanatory Bible. T. 7A. P. 228; cf.: Jer 50. 12; Hos. 2. 5). Ezra is charged with proclaiming to the people of God that God will give them the “kingdom of Jerusalem,” “eternal mansions” (3 Ezra 2.10, 11; cf. Lk 16.9) and “the tree of life” (3 Ezra 2.12; cf. : Rev 2. 7; 22. 2). God promises to raise “the dead from their places” and send “My servants Isaiah and Jeremiah” to His new people (3 Rides 2:16, 18). He instructs His people in justice and mercy and promises them peace and security from the pagans (3 Rides 2.20-28). Addressing the pagans, God calls on them to wait for the Shepherd, who will give them “eternal rest, for He who will come at the end of the age is near” (3 Rides 2.34).

Ezra reports that he received “the command from the Lord to go to Israel” on Mount Horeb (Latin accepi... in montem Horeb; in the synodal translation the mountain is called Oreb - 3 Ezra 2.33). “On Mount Zion” he saw “a great multitude that he could not number, and they all glorified the Lord with songs” (3 Ezra 2.42); Probably, they mean those who confessed the name of God, that is, martyrs (Lopukhin. Explanatory Bible. T. 7A. P. 231). Among this host was a majestic youth who laid “crowns on the head of each of them”; The angel informed Ezra that this young man was “the very Son of God, whom they glorified in this age.” The angel sends Ezra to announce to the people “the wondrous deeds of the Lord God” (3 Rides 2.43-48).

What follows is a description of the 7 visions of Ezra. The 3rd chapter, opening the 1st vision, begins with a story about how “in the thirtieth year after the destruction of the city (i.e. Jerusalem - Author)” Ezra’s “spirit was troubled at the sight of “the devastation of Zion and the wealth of the living in Babylon" (3 Rides 3.1-3). He turned “to the Most High” (Altissimus; this title of God is used 68 times in the book) with a speech (3 Rides 3.4-36), in which he asks to resolve his bewilderment: why God destroyed Jerusalem for the sins of its inhabitants and at the same time suffers much the great iniquities of Babylon? Ezra prefaces his request with a narration of events from the Creation of the world and the fall of Adam to the destruction of the Jerusalem temple (3 Ezra 3.4-27). He talks about 4 periods of human history and Heb. people: about the creation of Adam, his sin and the punishment for this sin by death (3 Rides 3.4-7); about the sin of subsequent generations of people and about their punishment by the flood (3 Rides 3.7-10); about the life of Noah and his descendants, who sinned but were not punished; about the patriarchs and the exodus from Egypt, about the giving of the law and about the sin of Israel (3 Rides 3. 11-22); about the reign of David, about the infidelity of the people to God after the death of the king and about the subsequent punishment of God (3 Ezra 3. 23-27). The sins of people and the punishments for them are connected with the sin of Adam: “...as on Adam there was death, so on these the flood” (3 Rides 3.10), “...the first Adam transgressed the commandment and was defeated; so are all who came from him” (3 Ezra 3.21). The sins of the Israelites are explained in the same way: “... they sinned... in everything they did as Adam and all his descendants did” (3 Ezra 3. 25-26).

Ezra says that the “inhabitants of Babylon” live no better than the Israelites (3 Ezra 3.28). The central question of the entire book, which he formulates, is connected with the fate of the Israeli people and the destruction of Jerusalem: why did God “destroy” His people, but preserved their enemies “and did not show any sign about it” (3 Ezra 3.30)? As a justification for the sin of the Israelites, Ezra cites the fact that God “did not take away the evil heart from them” (3 Ezra 3.20; the expression “evil heart” apparently goes back to Gen. 6.5 - Stone. 1990. P. 63); as a result of this, they were doomed to sin, like all the descendants of Adam.

To answer Ezra’s perplexities, an angel was sent to him, “whose name is Uriel.” He reproaches Ezra for arrogance and explains to him the impossibility of “comprehending the way of the Most High” (3 Ezra 4. 1-2). Uriel offers Ezra the choice of weighing the “weight of fire,” measuring the “breath of wind,” or returning “the day that has already passed” (3 Ezra 4.5). In response to Ezra’s refusal to do the impossible for a person, Uriel convinces him that since he cannot know “and that which... has been with you from youth,” he should not even think about “containing the path of the Most High within himself and in this already noticeably corrupted... the age understands corruption” (3 Rides 4. 10-11).

Next, Uriel told Ezra a parable about the war between the forest and the sea, whose plans to seize each other's territory were in vain. Ezra condemned the vanity of their attempts, “for the earth was given to the forest, and a place was given to the sea,” after which Uriel explained the inappropriateness of his own bewilderment about God’s Providence: “For just as the earth was given to the forest, and the sea to its waves, so those who dwell on the earth can understand only this what is on earth; and those who dwell in heaven can understand that they are on the heights of heaven” (3 Rides 4:13-21).

Despite Uriel's reproaches, Ezra, turning to God, repeats his question several times. modified form. He justifies himself by saying that he wants to know “not... about the highest, but about what happens to us every day.” Ezra asks God: “...why was Israel given over to the heathen to reproach? why the people whom You loved were given over to wicked tribes, and the law of our fathers was reduced to nothingness...” (3 Ezra 4.23). He receives an answer, this time more mysterious: “...evil has been sown, but the time has not yet come to eradicate it”; this evil seed was “sown in the heart of Adam from the beginning,” and until the time of harvest it “will give birth” to new evil (3 Ezra 26-32).

Ezra's next question, “when will this be,” is answered by “Jeremiel the Archangel.” He explains to Ezra the inviolability of divine definitions about the end of times: “The Most High has weighed this age in scales, and measured the times with a measure, and numbered the hours, and will not move or speed up...” (3 Ezra 4.33, 36-37). Jeremiel dispelled Ezra's fears that this period was being postponed “for the sake of the sins of those living on earth,” comparing the inevitability of the fulfillment of the divine plan with a woman expecting childbirth “after the completion of the nine-month period” (3 Ezra 4. 38-42). In response to Ezra’s desire to know, “whether what is to come is greater than what has passed, or what is to come to pass than what is to come?” (3 Rides 4.45), Jeremiel shows him a vision and explains the meaning of “similarity” (demonstrabo tibi interpretationem similitudinis - 3 Rides 4.47): the smoke remaining after the flame and the drops on the ground after the rain mean that “the measure of the past has exceeded "(superabundavit quae transivit mensura - 3 Rides 4.50). At the same time, Jeremiel reports that he was “not sent to speak” with Ezra about his life (3 Ezra 4.52).

The next speech “about signs” (de signis - 3 Ezra 5.1), addressed to Ezra, is pronounced either by Jeremiel (cf. 3 Ezra 4.36, 52), or, more likely, by Uriel (cf. 3 Ezra 5 20; Stone 1990, 107). This speech says that “the way of truth will be hidden, and the world will become poor in faith, and unrighteousness will increase” (3 Ezra 5. 1-2). Terrible events (“the sun and moon will shine in the middle of the night three times a day; and blood will drip from the tree, the stone will give birth to its voice”, “the Sea of ​​Sodom will spew out fish, it will emit a voice at night unknown to many”, “women will give birth to monsters”) will accompany the accession of the one “whom those who live on earth do not expect” (3 Rides 5.4-8); his reign will be marked by the mutual hatred of people (“all friends will take up arms against each other”) and their indiscretion (“the mind will be hidden, and the mind will retire into its storehouse” - 3 Ezra 5.9). Ezra was promised that he would hear other prophecies if he “prayed and wept... and fasted for seven days” (3 Ezra 5:13).

“Phalthiel, the leader of the people” (Phalthihel dux populi; in the synodal translation - Salafiel - 3 Rides 5.16), who appeared to Ezra, called on him to eat bread, strengthen himself and not leave Israel, which was entrusted to him “in the land of migration” (3 Rides 5.16). 16-18). Ezra rejected Phaltiel’s proposal and “fasted for seven days, groaning and weeping, as the Angel Uriel commanded” (3 Ezra 5. 19-20). Ezra's soul "received the spirit of understanding," and he again "began to speak before the Most High." Ezra repeats his main question: why did God give up His people, whom He loved and to whom He “gave... the perfect law”? What confuses Ezra most of all is that God carries out His punishment through other wicked nations: “And if You have already greatly hated Your people, then let them be punished by Your hands” (3 Ezra 5. 21-30).

What follows is Ezra's 2nd vision. An angel was sent to him, “who came” the previous night (qui ante venerat ad me praeterita nocte - 3 Ezra 5. 31; it is not entirely clear what we are talking about, since Ezra fasted for 7 previous nights; in the synodal translation this the place is translated as "before the night"). The angel tells Ezra that he cannot love Israel more “than He who created her” (3 Ezra 5:33). Offering Ezra impossible tasks (“gather for me the scattered drops and revive the withered flowers...”), the angel tells him the words of God: “... just as you cannot do any of the things that have been said, so you cannot know My destinies, nor the limits of love, which I promised to the people" (3 Rides 5:36-40).

Ezra's next question is related to the fate of different generations of people at the end of time: “... what will those who were before me, or we, or those who will be after us?”; Apparently, Ezra feared that God’s love for people (3 Ezra 5.41) could only apply to the last generation (Stone. 1990. P. 145). God’s answer to Ezra can be understood in such a way that “judgment will be carried out simultaneously on all humanity, both on those who died earlier, and on those contemporary to the author and subsequent generations” (Lopukhin. Explanatory Bible. T. 7A. P. 254-255; cf. : 1 Thessalonians 4. 13-17). Ezra continues to question God; this time he wants to know about the mediator between God and people: “...if I have found favor in Your sight, show Your servant through whom You visit Your creation?” (3 Rides 5.56); perhaps Ezra wanted to know whether God would have an intermediary “to carry out the final judgment on people” (Lopukhin. Explanatory Bible. T. 7A. P. 257). God responds that just as “when creating the world” He “did not resort to anyone’s help, so He will not need a mediator to carry out the final judgment on people” (Ibid.; cf.: 3 Ezra 6.6).

As during the 1st vision (3 Ezra 4.44), Ezra boldly asks God about other signs of the last times: “...if I have found grace in Your sight, I pray You, show Your servant the end of Your signs, some of which You showed me last night” (3 Rides 6.11-12). God allowed Ezra to hear “a voice speaking, and its noise was like the sound of many waters” (3 Ezra 6.17; cf. Rev. 1.15), and then told him about the misfortunes of people before the final judgment: “...the books will be opened "(3 Rides 6.20; cf. Rev. 20.12), "the sown fields will suddenly appear as unsown" (3 Rides 6.22). People will be horrified to hear how “the trumpet will sound with a noise” (3 Ezra 6.23; cf. 1 Thessalonians 4.16; Rev. 8-9), and everyone who after this “remains alive will himself be saved and see salvation Mine” (3 Rides 6.25). Then a new era of existence will come, “evil will be destroyed” and “the truth will appear,” and “the heart of the living” will change (3 Rides 6. 26-28). The vision again ends with a call to Ezra to fast and pray for 7 days, which is a condition for the continuation of divine revelations about the future (3 Ezra 6.31).

The speech that Ezra addresses to God after the next week of fasting is devoted to the same problem - the fate of the Israeli people. Ezra recalls in detail the creation of the world: the appearance of light “from the treasuries” of God (3 Ezra 6.40), the division of the waters and the establishment of the firmament (3 Ezra 6.41), the foundation of the dry land, the appearance of fruits and “many different pleasures for the taste” (concupiscentia gustus multiformis - 3 Rides 6.44), the creation of the sun and the moon for man (3 Rides 6.45), the bringing out of the water and the emergence of animals on earth to glorify the wondrous deeds of God (3 Rides 6.48, 53). The most significant act of God was the creation of Adam, whom He “made ruler over all... creatures” (3 Ezra 6.54). The entire universe is intended for Adam, and through him - for the chosen people. Ezra again repeats his question about the misfortune of Israel and the prosperous fate of the wicked nations: “We ... Your people, whom You called Your firstborn, Your only begotten, Your beloved, have been delivered into their hands.” In this case, according to Ezra, the creation of the world loses its meaning: “If this age was created for us, then why do we not receive an inheritance?” (3 Rides 6.58-59).

At the end of this speech, Ezra was awarded the 3rd vision, which began with the appearance of an angel (apparently, it was Uriel again - 3 Rides 7.1; cf.: 3 Rides 4.1). He compares the fate of Israel to a vast sea and to a city that is “situated on a plain.” To dominate the sea, it is necessary to overcome the “entrance... in a cramped place”, and to enter the city, you need to pass the “entrance... on a steep side”; so for Israel “the entrances of this age became narrow, painful, and weary.” The condition for receiving the “future age” prepared by God, the entrances of which are “spacious, safe and bear the fruit of immortality,” is for the living to remain in what is “cramped and distressed” (3 Rides 7:4-14).

Developing the thought, the angel explains to Ezra that although both the righteous and sinners “suffered hardship,” apparently equally (3 Rides 7.17-18), the righteous will receive a reward, and sinners will be punished, because they “despised the law... they rejected His promises, they did not have faith” (3 Ezra 7.24). God, through an angel, predicts the appearance of His Son (revelabitur enim Filius meus), who, together with His followers, will “enjoy four hundred years” (3 Ezra 7.28). After “these years” the Son of God will die and with Him “all people who have breath.” After 7 days, the earth will “give up... those who sleep in it” and “the Most High will appear on the throne of judgment” to establish the truth and strengthen faith (3 Rides 7. 29-33). Frightened by the angel's words about the inevitability of a fair trial, Ezra asks about the possibility of prayer for the unrighteous; He gives as examples the prayer of Abraham “for the Sodomites”, Moses - “for the fathers who sinned in the wilderness”, Joshua - “for Israel in the days of Achan”, etc. The angel points out to him the difference between the “present age”, which “is not end”, from “the end of this time”, when “no one will be able to save the lost, nor destroy the victorious” (3 Ezra 7. 36-45).

Ezra mourns the fate of sinners, among whom he counts himself: “What good does it do for people to live in sorrow in the present age, and expect punishment after death?” Ezra considers the sin of Adam to be the cause of this disastrous state of people; he believes that God “it would have been better not to give the land to Adam, or, when it had already been given, to keep him so that he would not sin.” The angel interprets the position of a person prone to sin in the world in a different way: “... this is a thought about the struggle that a born person must wage on earth, so that if he is defeated, he will endure what you said, and if he wins , receive what I say” (3 Rides 7.46-58). Ezra, apparently satisfied with the angel's answer, glorifies the mercy of the Most High: “He is long-suffering, for He shows long-suffering to those who have sinned... He is generous, for He is ready to give according to need.” Without the mercy of God, salvation would be almost impossible: “He is the judge, and if He had not forgiven those who were created by His word, and had not destroyed the multitude of crimes, perhaps out of the countless number only a very few would have remained” (3 Ezra 7.64 -70). The angel reminds Ezra that there will be few who will enter the “world to come”: just as the earth produces “much substance” for making clay, “and not much dust, from which gold is made,” so in relation to the fate of people - “many are created.” but few will be saved” (3 Rides 8.1-3).

Ezra again turns to God, this time comparing Israel to a baby to whom God “gave members,” whom He raised and whom He hopes He will revive as His creation. It is for Israel that Ezra “sheds tears” before God; he prays “for himself and for them,” because “he heard that the Judge would soon come” (3 Ezra 8.8-18). Ezra asks God not to look “at the sins of His people,” but to remember only the deeds of those “who clearly taught the law” of God. Ezra and his fellow tribesmen do not have “deeds of righteousness,” but God should not be “grieved” because of this; interceding for Israel, Ezra calls on God to have mercy on the Israelites, even if they “have no essence of good works” (3 Ezra 8.20-36). God, however, comparing the posthumous fate of people with various plants planted by the farmer, says that just as “not everything planted will take root, so those who are sown in this age will not all be saved” (3 Ezra 8. 37-41; cf. : Matthew 13.24-30). Again calling on God to show mercy, Ezra continues this comparison and says that there may be natural external reasons for the death of the seed, for example. lack and excess of water; Apparently, he means the damage to human nature after the fall of Adam, because of which he can no longer live according to the commandments of God (3 Rides 8.42-45; cf. 3 Rides 4.30). God approves of Ezra’s humility and advises him to think about himself, promising him paradise, the tree of life and “the treasure of immortality” (3 Ezra 8.48-54); he should no longer “feel about the multitude of those who are perishing,” because they deserved their destruction: “... they, having received freedom, despised the Most High... they trampled on His righteous... they said in their hearts: “There is no God”” . Only a few know that “now is approaching” the coming righteous judgment of God, when sinners will be condemned. Ezra receives evidence that people are responsible for their actions: “God did not want to destroy man, but the created ones themselves have dishonored the name of Him who created them” (3 Ezra 8.55-61).

Having heard about the many signs that God will do “at the end,” Ezra asks him about the time of these events. God does not give a direct answer, but calls to measure “time in itself,” so that from the fact that “a certain part of the signs have passed before those indicated,” it will be possible to conclude “that this is the time at which the Almighty will begin to visit century created by Him” (3 Rides 8.63 - 9.2). “The Times of the Most High,” like ordinary events, have a beginning and an end; their beginning is marked by “miracles and powers” ​​(initia manifesta in prodigiis et virtutibus), and the end by “actions and signs” (consummatio in actu et in signis - 3 Ezra 9.6). God speaks of the reality of the torment of sinners, who “abhorred the law... did not understand it, but despised it... when the place for repentance was still open to them”; such people “will know Me after death in torment” (oportet post mortem in cruciamento cognoscere - 3 Rides 9. 11-12). At the same time, for Ezra, thinking about how “the wicked will be tormented” is not useful; he should, on the contrary, find out “how the righteous, to whom the world belongs, will be saved” (3 Ezra 9.13). The number of righteous people being saved is small; God “preserved for Himself one berry from a bunch of grapes and one planting from a multitude”; this “planting” is especially dear to God, since it was this that He “grew with great difficulty” (3 Ezra 9.21-22).

Ezra was supposed to spend the next 7 days without fasting, but after they had passed, he should have gone out into a flowering field and begun unceasing prayer to the Almighty, eating only flowers (3 Ezra 9.23-25). Having fulfilled this command, Ezra once again returns to the main theme of the book - the fate of Israel. He compares the giving of the law to a people to the way the earth receives “a seed, or a ship in the sea, or any vessel for food or drink.” While in these examples from everyday life, “if what is sown or what is placed in is damaged,” then “even what is sown perishes,” it happened differently with Israel: he himself perished, “ but the law did not perish, and remains in its force” (3 Rides 9.34-37).

The answer to Ezra’s speech is the 4th vision that he then had. A woman appeared to him, “crying and sobbing with a great cry” (3 Ezra 9.38). When Ezra asked about the reasons for her grief, she told him about how, after her many years of prayer, the Almighty gave her a son, whom she “fed... with great difficulty.” When her son “went to take a wife” and during the feast “entered the bridal chamber,” he immediately “fell and died” (3 Ezra 9.42 - 10.1). Despite the consolations of her fellow citizens, the woman went out to the field where Ezra had found her and planned to stay there to “weep and fast” until death. Ezra told her reproachfully that he considered it inappropriate to cry for only one son, at a time when the earth should grieve over the fall of “so many who are born in it.” Ezra calls on the woman to be consoled “for the sake of the sorrow of Jerusalem”: in a difficult time, when “our temple is destroyed... Our Holy Place is profaned... the banner of Zion is deprived of its glory,” she should leave her “great sorrow,” put aside “many sorrows” and ask the Almighty to “grant... peace and relief of labor” (3 Rides 10. 2-24). While Ezra was speaking, the woman’s “face and gaze suddenly shone... her appearance became brilliant,” and she “let out such a loud and... terrible sound of voice” that the earth shook, and Ezra “lay as if dead and in an unconscious state." He received help in the “frenzy of the mind” and interpretation of the vision from the “Angel Uriel” (3 Rides 10. 25-26, 28-30, 37).

This vision, according to Uriel, was the response of the Most High, who sees that Ezra “grieves unceasingly for his people.” Woman - “this is Zion”; the fact that she “was barren for thirty years” meant that “for thirty years no sacrifice had yet been made in Zion.” The birth of a son pointed to Solomon's first sacrifice in the temple, and his sudden death indicated the fall of Jerusalem (3 Ezra 10:39-48). Uriel encourages Ezra and promises that the next night he will have a “vision of the greatest works” of the Most High, which He will “do for the inhabitants of the earth in the last days” (3 Ezra 10. 55-59). What was revealed to Ezra in a dream “that night and the next” (3 Rides 10.60) constitutes the content of the 5th vision.

Ezra saw how “an eagle rose from the sea, which had twelve feathered wings and three heads,” with the middle head being the largest, large feathers coming out of the wings, and from those in turn smaller ones, etc. The eagle flew everywhere and “reigned over the earth and over all its inhabitants.” Suddenly, “from the midst” of his body, he “sent forth a voice to his feathers” and called on them to stay awake one by one. What follows is a detailed description of the alternate reign “over all the earth” and the disappearance of the eagle’s feathers (3 Ezra 11. 1-28). Following the feathers, the middle head reigned, devouring the feathers that claimed power, and “two other heads united with it” (3 Ezra 11.30). After some time, “and the middle head suddenly disappeared” (3 Ezra 11.33), and of the remaining “the head on the right side devoured the one that was on the left” (3 Ezra 11.35).

The eagle, at the moment when he had only one head left, was approached by a lion, “running out of the forest and roaring,” and told him the accusatory words of the Almighty. The eagle, which is one of the 4 animals that God “set to reign in His age,” “judged the earth unjustly,” and the news of its injustice and cruelty “went up to the Most High.” The lion pronounced a divine sentence to the eagle: “... disappear you, eagle, with your terrible wings... so that the whole earth may rest and be freed from your violence, and hope for the judgment and mercy of its Creator” (3 Ezra 11. 37-46) . At these words, Ezra saw the head and 4 wings of the eagle “disappear, and the whole body of the eagle was burned, and the earth was horrified.” From a terrible vision, Ezra woke up in trembling; he decided that this was a punishment for him for testing “the ways of the Most High.” He turned to God in prayer, asking him to strengthen him and explain to him “the meaning of this terrible vision, in order to completely calm his soul” (3 Ezra 12. 1-9).

Explaining Ezra's dream, God connects what he saw with the vision of the 4 beasts, the former prophet. Daniel (cf. Dan 7). Ezra is, however, in a more advantageous position, since an interpretation unknown to the prophet will be revealed to him. Daniel. The eagle with 3 heads “is the kingdom shown in the vision to Daniel”; it is “more terrible than all the kingdoms that were before it.” The 12 wings of the eagle symbolize 12 kings, who will rule this kingdom “one after the other”; The 2nd of these kings “will retain power for a longer time.” The voice heard by Ezra, coming “from the middle of the body” of the eagle, means that strife and danger await this kingdom. 8 “small underwing feathers connected to the wings” mean the short-term reigns of subsequent kings, and 2 similar feathers transferred to “the head located on the right side” - preserved by the Almighty “towards the end of the kingdom, that is, a kingdom meager and full of worries” ( 3 Rides 12. 11-30).

The central figure of the 5th vision is the lion, whom Ezra “saw rising from the forest and roaring, speaking to the eagle and convicting him of his lies.” According to the divine interpretation of the dream, “this is the Anointed One (unctus), preserved by the Most High... Who will reprove” the wicked at the end of time. At the same time, God gives Ezra a comforting promise about the relationship of the Anointed One to Israel: “He in mercy will deliver the remnant of my people... and will make them glad until the end comes, the day of judgment” (3 Ezra 12.31-34).

Finding himself the only person worthy “to know this secret of the Most High,” Ezra was to write down the contents of the vision and its interpretation “in a book” and put it “in a secret place,” and also communicate all this to the wise “of the people,” whom he recognized as “able to receive.” and keep these secrets." After another 7 days of staying in the same place, the Almighty “will be pleased to show” Ezra a new vision (3 Ezra 12.36-39).

Ezra's seven-day fast before his next vision was interrupted by the arrival of city residents, who were concerned about his long absence. They reproached Ezra for leaving them without any apparent reason after so many disasters that had befallen them; this was doubly difficult for them, since he remained to them “like a bunch of grapes, like a lamp in a dark place, and like a pier and a ship saved from a storm.” In response to these reproaches, Ezra explained that he “came to this place to pray for the devastated Zion”; after his request to go “everyone to his own house,” the people went to the city, and Ezra continued his fast, eating “only flowers of the field” and grass (3 Ezra 12.40-51).

In the 6th vision, which Ezra also had in a dream, he was shown how “a mighty man came out with the army of heaven” from a wind-swept sea. The look of this man and his voice made everyone around tremble, but there were “many people” who wanted to overcome him. “A strong man... sculpted himself a big mountain and flew up to it”; Seeing armed men coming towards him, he sent out “from his mouth like a breath of fire and from his lips like a breath of flame” and burned the entire multitude of attackers. Seeing that there was nothing left of them “but dust,” Ezra was afraid. Having destroyed his enemies, the “strong man” called to himself “another multitude, a peaceful one,” and people began to gather to him, “some with cheerful faces, and others with sad faces, some were tied up, others were brought.” Ezra, who was “exhausted with great fear” from everything he saw, woke up and in prayer asked God to show him “the meaning of this dream” (3 Ezra 13. 1-15).

Fulfilling Ezra’s request, God explained to him that a “strong man” is one “who by himself will deliver His creation” (3 Ezra 13.26). He comes “out of the middle of the sea” (3 Rides 13.25), since “no one on earth can see My Son, nor those who are with Him, except during His day” (3 Rides 13.51-52). Wars and other signs of the near future will serve as a sign of the coming of the Son of God, when “the Most High will begin to deliver those who are on earth.” Hearing His voice, people will leave their wars with each other and gather together, “as if desiring to go and overcome Him.” The Son of God will stand on the top of Mount Zion and there he will “reprove the wickedness” of people and “destroy them without difficulty with the law, which is like fire” (3 Ezra 13. 25-38). The “peaceful society” He gathered is the “ten tribes” of Israel, led into captivity by Shalmaneser and who decided to “leave the multitude of the pagans and go to a far country” in order to keep the law and live a righteous life there. Destroying “many nations gathered together” who had taken up arms against Him, “He will protect His people who remain. And then he will show them many miracles” (3 Rides 13:39-50). Hearing this interpretation of his dream, Ezra “went out into the field, praising and thanking the Most High” for His miracles and benefits.

After 3 days, Ezra had his last, 7th vision. Sitting under an oak tree, he heard the voice of God coming from a nearby bush (vox exivit contra me de rubo). God predicts to Ezra that he will be “taken... from men” and will “treat” those like him and the Son of God. Since “the age is divided into twelve parts,” of which 9 and a half have already passed, Ezra must understand that little time remains before the final judgment. God commands him to admonish the people, to cast aside “mortal thoughts” and “weaknesses of nature” and prepare to “transmigate from these times” (3 Ezra 14. 1-14). Hard times are coming, “there will be more disasters... evil will multiply for the living...”. Ezra promises to admonish the people, but he is concerned about the fate of the descendants “who will then be born.” Therefore, he asks God: “... send down the Holy Spirit on me (inmitte in me spiritum sanctum)”; possessed of the Holy Spirit, Ezra will be able to write “everything... that was written in the law” so that “those who want to live” righteously in the last times will be able to do so. God told Ezra the names of 5 people “able to write soon,” ordered them to be brought and prepared “more tablets” for writing, and promised to kindle in Ezra’s heart “a lamp of reason that will not go out,” with its help he would be able to write down everything he needed. Part of what was written could be announced to the people, the rest should be conveyed to the “wise (sapientibus)” (3 Ezra 14.15-26).

Fulfilling the command of God, Ezra called on the people to “control their feelings” and let him go for 40 days along with 5 husbands, which the Almighty showed him. Arriving with them “into the field,” Ezra heard a voice commanding him to drink the cup of water that was given to him. After this, Ezra was filled with wisdom, and his spirit was “strengthened by memory.” Over the course of 40 days, 94 books were written, of which the first 24 Ezra had to lay open so that they “could be read by both the worthy and the unworthy,” and the remaining 70 he should have saved “in order to transmit them to the wise of the people” (3 Rides 14. 27-47).

God calls on Ezra to openly speak “words of prophecy” to the people and not be afraid of malicious intent against himself. Ezra receives an answer to his perplexity about the fate of Israel and announces to their people: God promises to punish the wicked, exacting “from them all innocent blood,” and to lead His people “with a mighty hand and an outstretched arm” from Egypt (symbolizing here, apparently , pagan world). All the rulers “from the east and the south, from the north and Lebanon” will be punished for the fact that they dealt cruelly with the “elect” of God: “My right hand will not spare sinners, and the sword will not cease to strike those who shed innocent blood on the earth” (3 Ezra 15 1-22).

The last times will be accompanied by formidable signs and terrible battles, in which the elements (“clouds from the east and from north to south”) and monsters (“spawn of the dragons of Arabia”) will participate along with people. God promises terrible punishment not only to Babylon, the main oppressor of the Israeli people, but also to Asia, “a partner in the hope of Babylon and in her glory,” who “imitated the hated in all her deeds and enterprises,” as well as Egypt and Syria (3 Rides 15. 29-48). People will perish from fire, disease, hunger and sword, but “they will not turn from their iniquities.” The number of deaths will be so great that there will be “great desolation (desertio multa)” on the earth and there will be no one to enjoy the fruits of the bountiful harvest (3 Rides 16.2-35).

Those who remain faithful to the Lord must be admonished by these prophecies, because “disasters will not be slow to come to the earth.” The people of God must prepare for battle, and in the midst of disasters they must be “like strangers on earth.” People should not hope to live long in peace and enjoy the fruits of their labors: “Let the sower think that he will not reap... those who marry will not bear children.” God especially warns those who commit “every sin on earth”: they will be quickly punished, “for in just a little while, unrighteousness will be removed from the earth, and righteousness will reign.” Any attempts by sinners to lie to the Lord, hiding their sins, are in vain, because He who created the earth “knows all the deeds of people and their undertakings, and their thoughts and their hearts.” The wicked will be put to shame when their sins “will be revealed to men, and iniquity will appear as accusers in that day” (3 Ezra 16:36-67).

Addressing the elect, God commands them to “forgive their sins” and promises to deliver them from “all sorrow” during the trial ahead of them. “The wrath of a numerous horde is kindled against the people of God,” so that some will even be killed “to be sacrificed to idols.” The main thing in these coming “days of tribulation” is not to be afraid and not to doubt faith in God and to “follow His commandments and commandments” (3 Rides 16.68-77).

Main themes of the book

The fate of the Israeli people

About whom Ezra repeatedly asks God, to one degree or another determines the content of all of Ezra’s visions. The main question of the book was formulated by Ezra in 3 Ezra 3. 27-36: why is only Israel punished by God for sins, while other nations live even more wickedly? The immediate answer was, in fact, the 1st vision, but subsequent visions also examine related issues: the connection between the fate of Israel and its chosenness; the creation of the world by God and the small number of those being saved; reconciliation of God's mercy with His justice, etc. (Stone. 1990. P. 36).

The most important answer to Ezra, who mourned the destruction of Jerusalem and the punishment of the people of Israel, was the promise of the destruction of Rome and the vindication of Israel. For each specific question, Ezra receives appropriate answers from the angel: the works of God are a mystery and man cannot understand them; God loves His people and will vindicate them; He cares for the few who are saved, and not for the many who are condemned; God's mercy operates in this world, while His justice will be fully manifested only in the future world. Some modern researchers believe that the most meaningful part of the book is precisely Ezra’s questions and his speeches addressed to God, while the answers he receives turn out to be ordinary and unremarkable. They satisfy the author of the book and return to him “the integrity of thought that was lost” under the impression of the destruction of the Jerusalem Temple (Ibidem).

Adam's sin

discussed by Ezra in the 1st speech addressed to God; in it he finds justification for the sins of Israel, since the “root of evil” was inherited by “all... who came” from Adam (3 Ezra 3.21). Ezra says that Adam transgressed the commandment “with an evil heart” (cor malignum; this expression apparently goes back to Gen. 6.5: “... every thought and intent of their heart was evil”); Ezra does not name the source of this “evil heart”, the evil will of Adam that drew him into sin. Nowhere in the book does it say that the source of this evil will and, accordingly, the evil in the world is God; Moreover, Ezra prays “for the gift of the heart... so that fruit may come into being, by which every corrupted person who bears the name of man can live” (3 Ezra 8.6); at the end of time, “the heart of the living will change and turn into a different feeling” (3 Ezra 6.26), which can be understood as the liberation of Adam from the power of sin weighing on him. In contrast to E., because in rabbinic sources there is an idea that the creator of the evil human will is God, who, however, gave people the ability to overcome it (for more details, see: Urbach E. E. The Sages: Their Concepts and Beliefs. Camb. (Mass.), 1987. P. 472).

Adam's crime, which came from an “evil heart,” led to certain consequences. He himself and his descendants were condemned to death (3 Rides 3.7; cf. Gen. 3.19; Rom. 5.12-14; 1 Cor. 15.21-22), life on earth was filled with disasters, and “there were entrances this century is cramped, painful, weary” (3 Rides 7.12; cf. Gen. 3.17-19). However, despite this, the book repeatedly affirms that people have free will, thanks to which it is possible to fulfill the commandments of God (3 Rides 7. 19-24; 8. 56-62).

Contrasting the present and future centuries

occupies an important place in the book. The “two ages” are most clearly spoken of in 3 Rides 7.50: non fecit Altissimus unum saeculum sed duo (translation from the Vulgate text: the Most High created not one, but two ages; in other places in the book it speaks of 2 times - 3 Rides 6 7). The book contains various characteristics of the future. centuries: it will be spacious and safe (3 Rides 7.13); its beginning will be the “day of judgment” (dies... iudicii (3 Rides 7.113)); it is intended only for a few righteous people, in contrast to this age, which “the Most High created for many” (3 Ezra 8.1); he will be filled with perfect goodness and perfect wisdom (3 Rides 8.52) and immortality (3 Rides 7.13); in it the “grain of evil seed” sown “in the heart of Adam from the beginning” (3 Rides 4.28-30) will be eradicated, and the “root of evil” will be sealed (3 Rides 8.53). Blessings will be. centuries, apparently, are the opposite of those curses with which, in the understanding of the author of the book, the present century is characterized. Such a clear opposition gave rise to a number of researchers to find in E. elements of a dualistic approach (Stone. 1990. P. 93). The determinism characteristic of the author of the book, according to which the time of the end of the world and the number of those who will be saved are predetermined, is compared with the dualistic determinism of the Qumran texts. communities, in which the lot of a person, consisting in his belonging to God or Belial, is known already before his birth (for example, 1QS 3. 13-16; The Rule Scroll / Ed., introd. comment.: J. S. Licht. Jerusalem, 1965).

The structure of God's world

and the laws of the universe are repeatedly used by the author of the book as parables and images of future events. Reflecting on the order of things and Divine Providence, he talks about the “meetings” of trees in the forest and the waves of the sea (3 Rides 4. 13-18), about the vision of a flame in a burning furnace and a cloud filled with water (3 Rides 4. 48-49) ; compares the sorrow of the earth about “the fall of so many born on it” with the sorrow of a mother who lost her son (3 Ezra 10.9-13). In plural Such descriptions of the unchangeable natural order of things in the world, usually spoken by an angel, emphasize the inviolability of God's institutions (Stone. 1990. P. 102). The book also contains 2 praises of God by Ezra himself for His works of creation: the 1st is a detailed description of the creation of “this age” over 6 days (3 Ezra 6.38-54); In 2 Ezra, he reverently discusses the formation of the human body “in the mother’s womb,” after which “both that which is preserved and that which is kept... are preserved, and the mother’s womb in due time gives back that which has been preserved, that which has grown in it” (3 Ezra 8. 8-9).

The end of times

is one of the most important concepts in the book. God has determined in advance all the dates of the “present age”, most of which remain in the past: “... the age is divided into twelve parts, and nine parts of it and half a tenth have already passed away” (3 Ezra 14.11). The time of the end remains a mystery, known only to a few: Moses (3 Rides 14.5), Abraham (et demonstrasti ei temporum finem, translation from the Vulgate text from 3 Rides 3.14: [You] showed him the end of times) and perhaps more several to people. This time is determined by God in advance and, apparently, cannot be changed, despite the requests of Ezra (3 Ezra 4. 36-37; 5. 49). The idea of ​​divine control over all times and events, past and future, is clearly expressed in 3 Ezra 13.58: “...He controls the present and what will happen in times...” Scholars also note the fact that Ezra refrains from “extensive quasi-mathematical calculations” characteristic of plural. other works of that time (Stone. 1990. P. 102).

According to the observation of researchers (Idem. Coherence. 1983), the author of the book uses the term “end” to refer to at least 2 different eschatological events: the last judgment (dies... iudicii erit finis temporis, the end of time will be the day of judgment - 3 Rides 7. 113 according to the Vulgate text) and the fall of the wicked kingdom (it will happen at the “end of times” (finis temporum) 3 Ezra 11. 39-46). Attempts were made to separate these 2 meanings of the word finis (end) in the book, linking them with 2 eschatologies - national and universal (Kabisch. 1889. P. 67-70, 75), however, a careful analysis of the text of the book showed the groundlessness of such an understanding. It is more likely that the term does not correspond to some point in time in the future, but denotes "a turning point in the eschatological scheme"; such an understanding has deep foundations in the deterministic views of the author of the book (Stone. 1990. P. 103).

Receiving Divine Inspiration

writers of sacred books are also presented in the book. When the need arose to restore for the Israeli people the books lost during the destruction of Jerusalem, Ezra asked God in prayer: “...send upon me the Holy Spirit (inmitte in me spiritum sanctum), so that I write everything that has been done in the world from the beginning what was written in Your law" (3 Ezra 14.22); he was promised that “a lamp of understanding that will not go out” would be lit in his heart (3 Ezra 14:25). After some time, Ezra was given “a full cup... which was filled as if with water, but the color of it was like fire,” after drinking from this cup, he felt intelligence in his heart, and wisdom in his chest (3 Rides 14. 38-40). Some scientists (Stone. 1990. P. 120) see in this description a parallel with the consumption of the “book scroll” of the prophet. Ezekiel (Ezekiel 2.8 - 3.3); the fact that the gift of inspiration is represented in the form of a bowl of water is possibly due to the influence of the Hellenistic concept of “divine intoxication” (Philo. De ebrietate. 146-148). In other descriptions of receiving revelation, Ezra goes through 2 stages: “confusion” from worries or “thoughts of the heart” (3 Rides 3.1; 5.21; 6.36; 9.27), after which “excitement of the spirit” occurs (in the synodal translation - “my spirit was troubled” - 3 Rides 3.3), “inflammation of the spirit” (3 Rides 6.37) and “opening of the mouth” (3 Rides 9.28).

God's Judgment

awaiting people at the end of time is the central theme of 2 Ezra's vision. At the beginning of the vision, Ezra answers the angel: “My insides torment me every hour when I try to comprehend the path of the Most High and explore at least part of His judgment” (3 Ezra 5.34). Moreover, the judgment (iudicium) of God is probably understood here as a synonym for the “way of the Most High” (semita Altissimi), that is, the activity of God in relation to the world (Stone. 1990. P. 149). Further, Ezra is proclaimed on behalf of God that he cannot know either judgment (in the Vulgate - iudicium; in the synodal translation - “to know My destinies”), nor the limit of love that God promised his people (3 Ezra 5.40). To Ezra's question about Bud. the fate of the generations who lived before and after him, God says: “... I will liken My judgment to a crown” (3 Ezra 5.42); according to researchers, we are talking here about “God’s eschatological judgment” (Stone. 1990. P. 149; Keulers. 1922. P. 160-171).

In a similar way, one can interpret the words about judgment, about the “day of judgment” in other places of the book (dies iudicii; for example, 3 Ezra 7.104 according to the text of the Vulgate). Of all God's creatures, only man awaits this judgment with fear; animals are in a more advantageous position because “they do not await judgment... after death” (3 Rides 7.66 according to the Vulgate text). At this judgment, which will be “in the last times” (in novissimis temporibus - 3 Rides 7.73 according to the Vulgate text), each person will give an account for his deeds, for that “injustice or justice” (iniustitias... aut iustitias - 3 Rides 7.105 according to the Vulgate text), which he created during his life. Those people will be condemned who did not “know the ways” of God, “despised His law, rejected His promises... did not do His works” (3 Ezra 7.24); this happened to them because they “were carried away by sinful deceptions and said about the Most High that He does not exist” (3 Ezra 7.23).

The coming eschatological judgment is described as a semblance of an ordinary earthly court: when the long-suffering (longanimitas) of the Most High ends, He “will appear... on the throne” (3 Rides 7.33), which indicates the legal nature of the court (Volz P. Die Eschatologie der judischen Gemeinde . Tüb., 1934). The interpretation of the vision of the eagle says that the Anointed One (unctus) will put the wicked “in the judgment of the living and, having convicted them, will punish them,” after which, through mercy, he will “deliver the remnant of the people” of God (3 Ezra 12. 33-34). Here we are talking, probably, not about the last judgment, since the end of times has not yet arrived, but about one of the eschatological events preceding it. Some researchers also believe that the image of the court is used in the book in different senses, but an exact classification is apparently impossible (Stone. 1990. P. 150-151).

Image of the Messiah-Redeemer

interpreted differently in ancient translations and arouses considerable interest in modern times. researchers.

I. Terminology. The main part of the book repeatedly speaks in the name of God about His Son. In this regard, a discussion arose among scientists about whether it can be considered that in the Jewish environment in the end. I century according to R.H. there was a messianic title “Son of God”. Name options in Lat. text: “My Son Jesus” (Filius meus Iesus - 3 Rides 7.28), “My Son Christ” (Filius meus Christus - 3 Rides 7.29), “My Son” (Filius meus - 3 Rides 13.32; 13.52; 14.9). The word filius (son) can be considered corresponding to the Greek. ὑιός and Heb. (), and then the messianic figure in the book turns out to be the “Son of God,” but the plural. researchers (see, for example: Stone. 1990. P. 207) consider another correspondence more likely: Greek. παῖς (child, servant) and Heb. ( - slave, servant), then the theological understanding of the term turns out to be completely different - cf. Isaiah 42.1: “Behold My Servant”; ; This opinion was first expressed in the 2nd half. XIX century (Drummond J. The Jewish Messiah. L., 1877). As an argument, the fact is given that in place of Filius meus in Ethiopian. translation stands (literally - my servant, my youth - 3 Rides 7.29), and in one of the Arabic. translations - ( - my slave - 3 Rides 13.52; form emended from ). If the original text referred to the “Son of God,” it is difficult to imagine that a Christian translator would change the meaning to “youth, servant” (the reverse transition would be quite likely - Stone. 1990. P. 207). The sire testifies in favor of the fact that the original was “Son of God”. translation of the book, fully consistent with the Vulgate: (My Son - 3 Rides 7. 28, 29; 13. 32, 37, 52; 14. 9). The problem is far from being completely resolved; Cargo creates additional complexity. and Said Copt. translations, where there are gaps in the manuscripts in most relevant places; moreover, cargo. the text in the surviving places differs significantly from the Vulgate and adds one more epithet: “My chosen Anointed” (3 Ezra 7. 28, 29). There is no consensus among scholars as to whether the passage of 3 Esdras 7. 28-29, where the Son of God is called Jesus and Christ (Iesus, Christus), should be considered to be the result of later Christ. influences, or it had the same form in the original text (Stone. 1989. P. 74; Sjöberg E. K. T. Der Menschensohn im äthiopischen Henochbuch. Lund, 1946).

II. The role of the Messiah-Redeemer. In the 3rd vision, the Messiah is called the Son of God and participates in those events and miracles that will be revealed to everyone “who gets rid of the evils previously counted” (3 Ezra 7.27); the elect will “enjoy with Him four hundred years” (3 Rides 7.28), after which He will die, and with Him “all people who have breath” (3 Rides 7.29).

In the 5th vision, the role of the Messiah is more significant: He acts as in the symbolic dream of Ezra (the lion pronouncing judgment on the eagle - 3 Rides 11. 37-46; perhaps this refers to the origin of the Messiah from the tribe of Judah; cf.: Gen. 49. 9 ), and in the corresponding interpretation of this dream (“The Lion whom you saw... is the Anointed One, preserved by the Most High against them and their wickedness to the end” - 3 Rides 12. 31-32). He will “deliver the remnant of the people” in Palestine “and make them glad until the end comes, the day of judgment” (3 Ezra 12:34). The main function of the Messiah is connected, therefore, with the fate of the Roman Empire (probably, it seems to the author the embodiment of world evil, and its destruction symbolizes the eschatological war of good and evil - Stone. 1990. P. 210), which differs significantly from the 3rd visions.

In the 6th vision, the Messiah is presented as a man rising out of the sea, before whom all stood in awe; He was accompanied by the heavenly army, and none of those who attacked Him could resist (3 Rides 13. 1-11). The multitude of peaceful people who then converge on him, “some with cheerful faces, and others with sad ones,” symbolizes the 10 tribes of the Israeli people (3 Ezra 13. 12-13, 39-47). There is also a mention of the Messiah in the 7th vision, where Ezra receives a promise from God that he will be taken from people in order to “deal with My Son and with those like you until times are ended” (3 Ezra 14.9) .

III. Understanding the Messiah. Based on all the texts where the Messiah is mentioned (the very name Messiah-Anointed in the Vulgate text is contained in 2 places: christus - 3 Rides 7.29; unctus - 3 Rides 12.32), researchers believe that the author of the book considers Him to be pre-existent (Stone 1990. P. 212). He will take care of the righteous who will survive the disasters of the last times. His kingdom, apparently, will not be eternal; moreover, it is said that it will have an end (3 Ezra 7.29; 12.34). However, the Messiah's role as the destroyer of the Roman Empire and restorer of Israel connects Him with the main theme of the book - the fate of the people of Israel.

Connections with other works of Jewish literature

E. because it contains obvious parallels with the main apocalyptic works (see Art. Apocalyptic), the creation of which in science is usually attributed to the era of the Second Temple (1-2 books of Enoch, 2-3 Apocalypses of Baruch , the Apocalypse of Abraham, as well as the biblical Book of the Prophet Daniel and the book of Revelation). So, for example, in the interpretation of the 5th vision, Ezra is told that the eagle, which he “saw rising from the sea, is the kingdom shown in the vision to Daniel”; prophet Daniel is called the “brother” of Ezra (visum est in visu Danihelo fratri tuo - 3 Ezra 12.11; cf. Dan 7). This, as researchers believe, indicates that E. was considered as part of a continuous tradition of apocalyptic literature, to which the Book of the Prophets belonged. Daniel. The fact that the author calls Daniel his brother is one of the evidence that he considered himself the chosen one of God, and his mission as unique (cf. 3 Ezra 3.14 and 14.5, which says that much of God revealed only to Ezra).

The central position that Ezra occupies in the activity of restoring the text of Scripture (3 Rides 14. 37-48), distinguishes E. because among others. works of apocalyptic literature. In the early apocalypses there is no such theme (although in many of them there is a plot common to Hellenistic culture, describing the written recording in books of divine secrets revealed to people; cf., for example: Dan 12. 4: “And you, Daniel, hide these words and seal the book until the time of the end." Researchers explain this by the fact that the book was written during the period of active formation of the Jewish biblical canon and, accordingly, a change in attitude towards Scripture; that is why the author of the book considered it necessary to connect the Divine revelation he accepted with the act of renewing Scripture. His motives “will remain incomprehensible unless viewed in the light of the new role that the Bible played in Judaism at that time” (Stone 1990, p. 37). The desire of the author of the book to give authority to the apocalyptic teaching contained in the book is also expressed in the fact that this teaching, in his opinion, was already accepted by Moses at Sinai: “... and he brought him to Mount Sinai... and revealed to him many miracles and showed the secrets of times and the end" (3 Rides 14.4-5).

The greatest number of verbal parallels and semantic connections are found in the main part of E. because with the 2nd Apocalypse of Baruch. Since similarities “in addition to the peculiarities of phraseology and plots are also contained in the structure, place and time of action” (Stone. 1990. P. 39), plural. researchers believe that E. t.k. served as a source for the author of the 2nd Apocalypse of Baruch (Violet. 1924. P. lV), which was written as an answer to the questions raised in E. t.k. (Metzger 1983. P. 522). Another possibility is that the common source for both books was the Antiquities of the Bible attributed to Philo of Alexandria; This is supported by numerous parallels between the 3 texts (for a list of these places, see: James M. R. The Biblical Antiquities of Philo. L., 1917. P. 46-58), and especially the proximity of the Latin language. text E. t. k. and lat. translation of “Biblical Antiquities” (Ibid. P. 54). The parallels with the Apocalypse of Abraham are much fewer and less significant (Stone. 1990. P. 42).

A final clarification of the connections between Jewish literature and other Jewish works of that time remains an impossible task due to the insufficiency of available data. In this regard, it is generally accepted that parallels with the 2nd Apocalypse of Baruch indicate at least the proximity of many of the ideas contained in the book to the teachings of rabbinic Judaism of the first centuries AD; however, the attribution of its author to any specific group or movement in Judaism of the 1st century. impossible (Ibid. P. 40, 42).

Use of the book in Christianity

first centuries is confirmed by the presence of a large number of quotations and allusions (for more details, see: Violet. 1910. S. XLIV-L; Idem. 1924. S. L-LV), as well as the existence of translations into plural. languages ​​of Christ Churches. The status of these transfers varied. So, in Armenian tradition, the book was often included in biblical manuscripts and, apparently, was revered almost on a par with the books of the Bible, while in the Georgian Church it was poorly known (only 3 manuscripts have been preserved - Stone. 1990. P. 43). The reasons and fact of the disappearance of the Greeks remain unclear. text of the book, although the same thing happened with several. other works of intertestamental writing, for example. with the 1st Book of Enoch and the Book of Jubilees.

The most significant was the influence of E. since in lat. church tradition. In the Middle Ages, it was often included in biblical manuscripts and, despite the determination of the Council of Trent on its non-canonical status, it continues to be published in editions of Latin. Bibles as an app. From lat. Many secondary translations have been made of the text (for example, Armenian, Georgian, Church Slavonic, modern Greek and Hebrew).

Apocryphal apocalypses associated with E. t.k.

Several have survived. apocalyptic works, in which the protagonist is Ezra. According to researchers, they depend either directly on E. because, or on some later. lost work, which in turn used material from E. t.

I. “The Greek Apocalypse of Ezra” is preserved in 2 manuscripts (first published: Tischendorf. 1866; modern edition, taking into account both manuscripts: Wahl. 1977). Was written in Greek. language and probably used Greek. text by E. t.k. (Violet. 1910. S. L-LIX); date of writing unknown. The text is heterogeneous, so researchers highlight several. sources from which he was born. compiled (Stone. 1990. P. 44). The book tells how Ezra, having prayed for the revelation of the mysteries of God to him, was taken to heaven, where he interceded for sinners and prayed for God’s mercy towards people. He is shown the disasters of the last times and the depths of hell, in which sinners receive punishment; then he receives revelations about the signs of the appearance of the Antichrist. A separate theme of the book is connected with Ezra’s thoughts about the creation of man by God, and it ends with a description of his struggle for his soul, death and burial.

In addition to numerous parallels with Ezra, the very structure of the text in the form of dialogues and the method of argumentation used by the main character are considered clearly borrowed (Stone. Greek Apocalypse of Ezra. 1983. P. 569).

II. “The Vision of Ezra” in most manuscripts has the full title “Visio Beati Esdrae” (Vision of Blessed Ezra; modern edition: Wahl. 1977). Ezra ends up in hell, where he sees how sinners cannot overcome the fiery gates through which the righteous pass. He enters the gates of hell, and what follows is a description of hell much like the Greek Apocalypse of Ezra. Then he enters paradise, where he appears before God on behalf of the righteous. The book ends with a section about the Antichrist and Ezra's dispute with the angel about his soul. The work survives only in lat. manuscripts, mainly XI-XIV centuries. Researchers identify 4 forms of the text, and the most complete version (rkp. Vat. Barber. Lat. 2318, XIV-XV centuries) has additional parallels with the “Greek Apocalypse of Ezra” and with the “Apocalypse of Shadrach” (Bogaert P.-M. Une version longue inédite de la “Visio Beati Esdrae” dans le Légendier de Teano (Barberini Lat. 2318) // RBen. 1984. Vol. 94. P. 50-70). The original text was written no later than the 10th century. in Greek language. Researchers note the presence of dependence on E. t.k. and the apocalypses of Ezra and Shadrach, however, “the nature of this dependence should be revised taking into account the newly discovered manuscripts” (Stone. 1990. P. 45).

III. The Apocalypse of Shadrach is preserved in a single manuscript from the 15th century. The introduction and conclusion, not included in the publication (James M. R., ed. Apocrypha Anecdota: A Coll. of Thirteen Apocryphal Books and Fragments. Camb., 1893. P. 130-137), as some researchers suggest, could have belonged to St. Ephraim the Syrian (Mercati G. S. The Apocalypse of Sedrach // JThSt. 1910. Vol. 11. N 4. P. 572-573). Greek the language in which this work is written is usually characterized as late (Agourides S. Apocalypse of Sedrach // The Old Testament Pseudepigrapha. L., 1983. Vol. 1. P. 605-613). Researchers disagree about the origin of this text: some find its Jewish roots (Ibid. P. 606), while others note only its “atypicality for Byzantine Christianity” (Stone. 1990. P. 45). The works closest to it are considered to be “The Greek Apocalypse of Ezra” and “The Vision of Ezra” (I dem. 1982. P. 1-6).

It is unlikely that the compilers of this work attributed it to Shadrach, one of the 3 companions of the prophet. Daniel. In connection with this, many scientists believe that Shadrach is a distorted spelling going back to the name Ezra (this opinion was first expressed in the work: James M. R., ed. Apocrypha Anecdota. Camb., 1893. P. 130), and therefore consider Ezra the main character. The "Apocalypse..." tells of Ezra's ascension to heaven, where he talks with God about the purpose of creation. The main topics for discussion are Adam's sin, its consequences and God's attitude towards it. God asks Ezra several times. intractable questions, in order to show his inability to understand such things (cf.: 3 Ezra 4. 5-9). Then the taking of Ezra's soul and the funeral service after his death are told; Issues related to sin and human repentance are discussed.

IV. “The Questions of Ezra” contain reflections on the posthumous fate of the soul in the form of questions and answers. Preserved in Armenian. language in lengthy (A; ed.: Ankanon Girk' Hin Ktakaranac. Venetik, 1896) and short (B; ed.: Stone M. E. Two New Discoveries Touching on the Non-canonical Ezra Books // Sion. Jerusalem, 1978. Vol. 52. P. 45-50) editions. Researchers suggest that the Questions of Ezra could have two sources: a dialogue between Ezra and an angel about the fate of the soul and a description of the soul’s ascent to heaven. In any case, they were significantly influenced by E., both in terms of content and composition (Stone. 1990. P. 46).

Medieval astrological works

often used the image of Ezra in their predictions. The reason for this remains unclear, however, in all likelihood, it was the “prophetic status” of Ezra, evidence of which in the Middle Ages was the text of E. t.k. (Ibidem; I dem. 1982. P. 14-16). The most famous of these works is the “Revelation of Ezra,” which came down to several times. lat. manuscripts (the earliest - 9th century). It describes a method for predicting weather, crops, etc. based on what day of the week January 1st fell on. the corresponding year. There are translations of this text into European. languages; English the version was published several times under the title “Ezra Pater” (see: Matter E. A. The “Revelatio Esdrae” in Latin and English Traditions // RBen. 1982. Vol. 92. P. 376-392).

Three similar texts in Greek have been preserved. language. The 1st gives a list of favorable and unfavorable days of the year (Nau F. Analyze de deux opuscules astrologiques attribués au prophète Esdras // ROC. 1907. Vol. 12. P. 14-15); The 2nd is similar to lat. “The Revelation of Ezra” (Ibid. P. 16-17); The 3rd gives a list containing the birthdays and deaths of various biblical characters (Ibid. P. 17-21).

Lit.: Tischendorf C., von. Apocalypses Apocryphae Mosis, Esdrae, Pauli, Iohannis. Lipsiae, 1866; Bensly R. L., ed. The Missing Fragment of the Latin Translation of the Fourth Book of Ezra. Camb., 1875; idem., ed. The Fourth Book of Ezra. Camb., 1895; Kabisch R. Das vierte Buch Esra auf seine Quellen untersucht. Gott., 1889; Violet B., ed. Die Esra-Apokalypse (IV Esra). Lpz., 1910. Bd. 1: Die Überlieferung; idem., ed. Die Apokalypsen des Esra und des Baruch in deutscher Gestalt. Lpz., 1924; Keulers J. Die eschatologische Lehre des vierten Esrabuches. Freiburg i. Br., 1922; Blake R. P. The Georgian Version of Fourth Esdras from the Jerusalem Manuscript // HarvTR. 1926. Vol. 19. P. 308-314; Stone M. E. Some Remarks on the Textual Criticism of 4 Ezra // Ibid. 1967. Vol. 60. P. 107-115; idem. The Metamorphosis of Ezra: Jewish Apocalypse and Medieval Vision // JThSt. 1982. Vol. 33. N 1. P. 1-18; idem. Coherence and Inconsistency in the Apocalypses: The Case of “The End” in 4 Ezra // JBL. 1983. Vol. 102. N 2. P. 229-243; idem. Greek Apocalypse of Ezra // The Old Testament Pseudepigrapha / Ed. J. H. Charlesworth. L., 1983. Vol. 1: Apocalyptic Literature and Testaments. P. 561-579; idem. Features of the Eschatology of 4 Ezra. Atlanta, 1989; idem. Fourth Ezra: A Comment. on the Book of Fourth Ezra. Minneapolis, 1990; Wahl O. Apocalypsis Esdrae, Apocalypsis Sedrach, Visio Beati Esdrae. Leiden, 1977; Apocalypse. Gütersloh, 1981. Lfg. 4: Das 4. Buch Esra / Hrsg. J. Schreiner. (JSHRZ; 5); Klijn A. F. J., ed. Der lateinische Text der Apokalypse des Esra. B., 1983; Metzger B. The Fourth Book of Ezra // The Old Testament Pseudepigrapha. L., 1983. Vol. 1. P. 528-529; Unterweisung in lehrhafter Form. Gütersloh, 2001. Lfg. 7: 5. Esra-Buch; 6. Esra-Buch/Hrsg. M. Wolter. (JSHRZ; 3).

A. K. Lyavdansky, E. V. Barsky

2 For I have seen the desolation of Zion and the wealth of those living in Babylon.

3 And my spirit was troubled, and I began to speak with fear to the Most High, 4 and said: Sovereign Lord! You spoke from the beginning, when you alone founded the earth, and commanded dust, 5 and gave Adam a mortal body, which was also the work of Your hands, and breathed into him the spirit of life, and he became alive before You, 6 and brought him into paradise, which Thy right hand planted before the earth brought forth fruit; 7 You commanded him to keep Your commandment, but he violated it, and You condemned him to death, and his family and the generations and tribes that came from him, the peoples and their branches, which are without number.

8 Every people began to walk according to their own desires, doing foolish things in Your sight and despising Your commandments.

9 In time, You brought a flood on the inhabitants of the earth and destroyed them, 10 and it was fulfilled on each of them, just as death was on Adam, so the flood was on these.

11 You left one of them, Noah and his family, and from him came all the righteous.

12 When those who dwell on the earth began to multiply, and sons and nations and many generations multiplied, and again began to indulge in wickedness more than the first, 13 when they began to commit iniquity before You: You chose for Yourself a man from among them, whose name was Abraham, 14 and You loved him. and you revealed your will to him alone, 15 and made an everlasting covenant with him, and told him that you will never forsake his seed. And he gave him Isaac, and to Isaac he gave Jacob and Esau; 16 You chose Jacob for yourself, but you rejected Esau. And Jacob multiplied exceedingly.

17 When You brought his seed out of Egypt and brought him to Mount Sinai, 18 Then you bowed the heavens, set down the earth, shook the world, caused the deep to tremble and the whole world to turmoil.

19 And Your glory passed away in four phenomena: in fire, earthquake, stormy wind and frost, to give law to the seed of Jacob and joy to the family of Israel, 20 but did not take away the evil heart from them, so that your law might bear fruit in them.

21 With an evil heart, the first Adam transgressed the commandment and was overcome; so are all who came from him.

22 Infirmity and law remained in the heart of the people with the root of evil, and the good fell away and the evil remained.

23 The times passed and the years ended, and You raised up for Yourself a servant named David; 24 He commanded him to build a city of Your name and in it to offer You incense and sacrifices.

25 This was accomplished for many years, and then those who inhabited the city sinned, 26 doing in all things just as Adam and all his descendants did; for they also had an evil heart.

27 And You delivered Your city into the hands of Your enemies.

28 Do the inhabitants of Babylon live better, and for this reason they rule Zion?

29 When I came here, I saw wickedness without number, and in this thirtieth year of captivity my soul saw many sinners, and my heart fainted, 30 for I saw how You support these sinners and spare the wicked, but destroyed Your people, but He preserved Your enemies and did not show any sign about it.

31 I don't understand how this path could change. Is Babylon doing better than Zion?

32 Or has another people known You besides Israel? or what nations believed in Your covenants, like Jacob?