1/7/2015

The Bible and Interpretation www.bibleinterp.com

bibleinterp.com

TheBibleandInterpretation

13minread original

Themostfascinatingaspectoftheseprayers,however,isthatthey

testifytotheexistenceofavibrantGraeco-Jewishcultureinthe

centuriesafterthedestructionoftheSecondTemplein70CE.

Althoughwecannotstrictlyprovethatthephilosophicalelementswere

alreadypresentintheJewishoriginal(andwerenotfromthehandof

theChristiancompiler),itishighlyprobablethattheseelements

belongedtotheJewishGrundschrift.Inthatcasewewitnessherea

formofJewishHellenism,aculturethatcombinesintenseJewish

pietywithopennesstowardsGreekculture,especiallyitsphilosophical

aspects.

SeeAlso:StudiesinAncientJudaismandEarlyChristianity(Brill

AcademicPublishers;Lamedition,2014).

ByPieterW.vanderHorst

Professoremeritus

UtrechtUniversity,TheNetherlands

www.pietervanderhorst.com

June2015

1.Introduction

https://www.readability.com/articles/2zmwn0tu

1/11

1/7/2015

The Bible and Interpretation www.bibleinterp.com

Anintriguingsetofancientprayertextsistobefoundinthe7

th

book

oftheApostolicConstitutions(hereinafter:AC),alate-fourth-century

churchorder,mostprobablycompiledinSyrianAntiochinthe80sof

thatcentury(VanderHorst2008:3-93).InAC7:33-38wefindsix

prayersinGreekthatarenowgenerallyregardedaschristianized

versionsofsixoriginallyJewishprayertexts,namely,thefirstsixof

theSevenBenedictionsfortheSabbathmorningservice.The

existenceofthesebenedictionsisattestedalreadyintheearliest

rabbinicliterature(Mishnah,Roshha-Shana4.5;earlythirdcentury

CE)andtheyconsistofthefirstthreeandthelastthreebenedictions

oftheShemonehEsreh(theEighteen[Benedictions]),alsocalledthe

Tefillah(=thePrayerparexcellence),plusamiddlebenedictionfor

33)correspondsto

thesanctificationoftheday.Sothefirstprayer(

thefirstbenedictionoftheEighteenBenedictions(Avoth);thesecond

34)tothesecondbenediction(Gevuroth);thethirdprayer

prayer(

35)tothethirdbenediction(Qedushatha-Shem);thefourth(36)to

theextramiddlebenedictionforthesanctificationoftheday

37)totheseventeenthbenediction

(Qedushatha-Yom);thefifth(

38)totheeighteenthbenediction,(Hodaah);the

(Avodah);thesixth(

seventhprayerislackingforunknownreasons.

ScholarsareunanimousthatthesenowChristianprayerswere

originallytheJewishSevenBenedictionsfortheSabbathandthis

convictionisbasedonthefactthatnotonlyeverysingleoneofthese

GreekprayershassomeverbalcorrespondencewithitsHebrew

counterpart,butalsothattheirordercorrespondsexactly.Togivejust

oneclearinstance:thesecondprayer,inAC7:34,endswithaclausein

whichGodiscalledthereviverofthedead(hozopoiostnnekrn)

justasthecorrespondingHebrewbenediction(alsothesecondone,

Gevuroth)endswithpraiseofGodasthereviverofthedead

(mechayyehha-metim).Thesestrikingverbalsimilaritiesand

equivalents,comingastheydoinaprayercollectionandappearing

forthemostpartintheirproperorder,constituteaconvincingcorpus

ofevidencetosuggestthatAC7.3338isaGreekversionofthe

https://www.readability.com/articles/2zmwn0tu

2/11

1/7/2015

The Bible and Interpretation www.bibleinterp.com

HebrewSevenBenedictions(Fiensy1985:134).Itisunknownwhen

theGreektranslationandChristianrevisionofthesebenedictions

wasundertaken,butaccordingtomostscholarsthatmusthavetaken

placebetween150and350CE,mostprobablyinthethirdcenturyCE.

Thereisnoconsensus,however,regardingthedegreeof

christianizationoftheseprayers:Someadvocateamaximalist

positionandseethehandoftheChristiancompileronlyinthefew

patentlyChristianpassages;othersadvocateaminimalistposition

andbelievethatonlyafewscrapsoftheJewishoriginalhavebeenleft

unalteredbytheChristiancompiler;andagainotherssteeramiddle

course.Sinceforthepurposesofthisarticleitisnotnecessaryto

distinguishbetweentheJewishVorlageandtheChristianredaction,

wewillleavethisproblematthat.Afterall,insomecasestobe

discusseditisalmostimpossibletomakethisdistinction.

2.BibleandPhilosophy

Insomeoftheseprayerswefindafascinatingblendofbiblicalideas

andphraseologyontheonehand(Newman1999)andelementsand

conceptsthathavetheiroriginintheGreekphilosophicaltraditionon

theother(VanderHorst2014).Letustake,forinstance,AC7.34.6

whichsays:You[God]presentedhim[man]asanornamentofthe

world,youshapedabodyforhimfromthefourbodies,youcreatedfor

himasouloutofnothing,youbestoweduponhimfivefoldsense

perception,butoverthesensesyouplacedthecharioteerofthesoul,

thespirit.Inthisbriefaccountofthecreationofthehumanbeingwe

findseveralGreekphilosophicalmotifs.Inthephraseabodyfromthe

fourbodiesweseetheuseofthewordbodies(smata)inthesense

ofelementswhichistypicallyphilosophical;see,e.g.,Pseudo-

Philolaus,fragment44B12;Aetius,Placita1.3.22;Julian,Oratio4,

132c.Thetheoryofthefourelements(earth,water,air,andfire)hasa

Greekphilosophicaloriginaswell.Theconceptoffourelements(or

roots)astheconstituantpartsofallthatexistswasprobably

https://www.readability.com/articles/2zmwn0tu

3/11

1/7/2015

The Bible and Interpretation www.bibleinterp.com

developedfirstbyEmpedocles,seefragments31B6,17,and18

(Guthrie1965:140-43).ThephraseYoucreatedforhimasouloutof

nothingismostprobablyareferencetobothGen2:7andthe

(Christian?)doctrineofcreatioexnihilo.InatypicallyGreek

philosophicalwaytheauthordrawsacontrastbetweenthematerial

originofthebodyandtheimmaterialoriginofthesoul.Thiswealso

findintheJewishphilosopher-exegetePhiloofAlexandria,e.g.,inhis

OntheCreationoftheCosmos135:He[Moses]saysthatthesense-

perceptibleandindividualhumanbeinghasastructurewhichis

composedofearthlysubstanceanddivinespirit,forthebodycame

intobeingwhenthecreatortookclayandmouldedahumanshapeout

ofit(Genesis2:7),whereasthesoulobtaineditsoriginfromnothing

whichhascomeintoexistenceatallbutfromtheFatherandDirector

ofallthings.NotethatinbothPhiloandourprayerthesoulissaidto

havebeencreatedoutofnothing,stressingitsincorporealityor

immateriality.Youbestoweduponhimfivefoldsenseperception,

namelysight,hearing,smell,taste,touch.Theideaofthefivesenses,

too,hasaGreekphilosophicalorigin,butitwaswell-knowntoJewish

andChristianintellectualsaswell.Butoverthesensesyouplaced

thecharioteerofthesoul,thespirit:Theimageofthecharioteerof

thesoulderivesfromafamouspassageinPlato,Phaedrus246a-b:Let

[thesoul]belikenedtotheunionofpowersinateamofwingedsteeds

andtheirwingedcharioteer.Nowallthegodssteedsandalltheir

charioteersaregood,andofgoodstock,butwithotherbeingsthisis

notwhollyso.Withusmen,inthefirstplace,itisapairofsteedsthat

thecharioteercontrols;moreoveroneofthemisnobleandgood,and

ofgoodstock,whiletheotherhastheoppositecharacter,andhis

stockisopposite.Hencethetaskofourcharioteerisdifficultand

troublesome.Philo,too,refersfrequentlytothisPlatonicimage(e.g.,

inSacr.45,Agr.72-73,Migr.67,Leg.1.73;3.118,128,134,136,and

elsewhere).Theideahereisthattherationalpartofthesoul,namely

thespirit,enableshumankindtotakecontroloveritsirrationalparts,

https://www.readability.com/articles/2zmwn0tu

4/11

1/7/2015

The Bible and Interpretation www.bibleinterp.com

thesensesandtheirperceptions,thatmightotherwiseleadthemto

sin.SohereweseeawholeclusterofmotifsthathadaGreek

philosophicalorigin.

AnotherinterestingcaseisthethirdbenedictioninAC7.35,theGreek

versionoftheQedushah,becausetherewefindasmoothtransition

fromGreekphilosophicalterminologytoanalmostmysticallanguage

1,itisstatedthatGodisgoodby

ofbiblicalsignatureandflavor.In

nature.GodsgoodnessismentionedfrequentlyintheBibleandoften

inJewishprayers(Daniel3:89LXX;PsalmsofSolomon5.2;Prayerof

Manasseh11).Butthereitisnotaninherentoressentialqualityof

God;evil,too,maycomefromGod.ThatitisGodsverynature

(physis)tobegoodis,however,atypicallyGreekidea.Abeliefinthe

inherentgoodnessofgodorthegodswaswidelysharedbytheGreek

philosophers;see,e.g.,Plato,Republic379b1,Timaeus29e1-2.This

GreekideawasalsoadoptedbyJewishandChristianphilosophers

suchasPhilo,ClementofAlexandria,andOrigen,buttherabbisand

otherJewsretainedthebiblicalideathatbothgoodandevilcome

fromGodshand.

2,thetextsays,Yourpowerisproclaimedbytheheavensandyour

In

steadfastnessbytheearth,eventhoughitisshakenbecauseitis

hanginguponnothing(orperhaps,Yourpowerisproclaimedbythe

heavensandyoursteadfastnessbytheearth,eventhoughitishanging

uponnothing[onthistextualproblemseeVanderHorst2008:63-4]).

TheideathattheearthishanginguponnothinghasaGreek

cosmologicalbackground(Wright1995:39-41).See,forinstance,the

PresocraticphilosopherAnaximander,fragment12A11:Theearth

staysaloft,notsupportedbyanythingbutstayingwhereitisbecause

itisatthesamedistancefromanything.AndAnaximenes,fragment

13A7,saysthattheearthisaflatbodyridingupontheair.Cf.also

Plato,Phaedo108e-109a;Aristotle,Decaelo294b13-21.Theideais

thatofadisk-shapedordrum-shapedearthheldinplacebyfree

suspensionintheair.Inbiblicalcosmology,however,theideais

https://www.readability.com/articles/2zmwn0tu

5/11

1/7/2015

The Bible and Interpretation www.bibleinterp.com

ratherthattheearthisarounddiskfloatinguponavastextentof

waterorrestinguponpillars.Afterthispassage,philosophyrecedes

intothebackgroundandbiblicalmotifscometothefore.

3heangelsarecalledafieryarmybecauseinearlyJudaism

In

angelswereoftenthoughttohaveabodyoffireonthebasisofPs

103[104]:4whomakesspiritshismessengersandflamingfirehis

ministers(seeOlyan1993:71-73).Thenitissaidabouttheseangels:

Theholyseraphim,whotogetherwiththesix-wingedcherubimsing

foryouthesongofvictory,cryoutwithnever-silentvoices:Holy,

holy,holyistheLordSabaoth,heavenandeartharefullofyour

glory!Thatseraphimandcherubimarementionedherein

combinationhastodowiththefactthatseraphimarementionedin

Isaiah6asthesix-wingedangelswhosingtheTrishagion(Holy,holy,

holy)quotedhere,andthattheangelswhoarementionedinthe

contextofEzekiel3:12,quotedimmediatelyhereafter,areidentified

ascherubiminEzekiel10.ThequoteofIsaiah6:3isnotexact,forthe

HebrewandalsotheGreekversionsofthebiblicaltexthaveonlythe

earthisfullofyourglory(not:heavenandearth),butmostearly

Christianliturgieshavetheformulawithheavenandeartharefullof

yourglory(Werner1959:282-287)Soheavenandmaybeanaddition

bytheChristiancompiler.Yetitcancertainlynotbeexcludedthatthe

formulaheavenandearthdoesderivefromaJewishsourcesince

oneoftheThanksgivingHymns(Hodayot)fromQumranclearly

alludestoIsaiah6:3withthewords,Yourholyspirit()thefullness

ofheavenandearth()yourglory,thefullnessof(1QHVIII12).

Thenthetextgoeson:Andthemultitudesoftheotherorders-angels,

archangels,thrones,dominions,principalities,authorities,and

powers-saywithaloudvoice:BlessedbethegloryoftheLordfrom

hisplace(Ezekiel3:12).Itispreciselythiscombinationofquotes

fromIsaiah6:3andEzekiel3:12(andtheirdistributionovertwo

differentgroupsofangels)thatisthecharacteristiccoreofthe

Qedushah(theHebrewcounterpartofthisprayer)andistobefound

https://www.readability.com/articles/2zmwn0tu

6/11

1/7/2015

The Bible and Interpretation www.bibleinterp.com

asearlyastherabbinictreatiseTosefta,Berakhot1.9,andalsoinlater

Jewishmysticaltexts,theso-calledHekhalottreatises,suchas3

2,HekhalotRabbati197,andMaaseh

Enoch(SeferHekhalot)

555(Swartz1992:129).Further,thereisthestrikingfact

Merkavah

that,whereasthebiblicaltextofEzekiel3:12doesnotexplicitlystate

thatitistheangelicbeingswhorecitetheblessing,thisismade

explicitintheAramaictranslation(Targum)ofthisversebyadding

andtheysay,exactlyasisdonehereinourtext.Theconceptofan

angelicliturgyhasancientrootsandisattestedinmanyearlyJewish

sources,especiallyinawidevarietyofJewishapocalypticand

mysticaldocuments(2Enoch8.8,17.1,20.3;4QShirotOlatha-

Shabbat;11Q5xxvi[HymntotheCreator];andfrequentlyinthe

Hekhalotliterature).

4,thetextsays:Israel,yourearthlyassemblythatwastakenoutof

In

thenations,emulatesthepowersinheavendayandnightwhenit

singswithanoverflowingheartandawillingsoul:Thechariotofthe

Lordistenthousand-foldthousandsofthrivingones;theLordis

amongthematSinai,attheholyplace(Psalm67[68]:18).Theepithet

earthlyisaddedhereinordertostressthatthepeopleofIsraelforms

theearthlycounterpartoftheheavenlypowers(=theangelicorders)

intheircommonliturgywhichisconductedinunisonbyangelsabove

andthepeopleofIsraelbelow.Thephraseemulatingthepowersin

heavenreferstotheideathatIsraelstrivestojoininandkeepin

harmonywiththeangelicchoirsintheirheavenlyliturgy.Thismotif

ofthecoordinationofheavenlyandearthlyliturgy,oftheunited

praisebetweentheearthlyandheavenlycommunities,iswell-known

intheearlyhistoryofJewishworship.Itoccursalreadyinthe

QumranHodayothandtheSongsoftheSabbathSacrifice(4QShirot

Olatha-Shabbat).See,e.g.,1QHXI21-23He[apurifiedhuman

being]cantakeaplacewiththehostoftheholyones[=angels]and

canenterincommunionwiththecongregationofthesonsofheaven

[=angels].Youcasteternaldestinyformanwiththespiritsof

knowledge[=angels],sothathepraisesyournameinthecommunity

https://www.readability.com/articles/2zmwn0tu

7/11

1/7/2015

The Bible and Interpretation www.bibleinterp.com

ofjubilation.FromtheSongsoftheSabbathSacrifice,e.g.,4Q40021-

7topraiseyourglorywondrouslywiththegodsofofknowledge

[=angels]andthepraiseworthinessofyourkingshipwiththeholiest

oftheholyones[=angels](Chazon2003:42-3).ThequotefromPsalm

67[68]:18(ThechariotoftheLordistenthousand-foldthousandsof

thrivingones;theLordisamongthematSinai,attheholyplace)also

playsanimportantroleinearlyJewishangelologicalandmystical

speculations,ifonlybecauseGodschariot(=throne)isprominentin

thisverse,whichwasacentralmotifinthesespeculations.Allthis

makesabundantlycleartowhatdegreewearedealingherewitha

thoroughlyJewishtext.

BywayofconclusionIwishtoaddressbrieflythequestionofwhether

whatwehavehereisamysticalprayer.Therecanbelittledoubtafter

thepreviousparagraphsthatseveralofthemotifsfoundinthis

synagogalprayerplayaprominentroleinthemysticaltextsoflate

antiqueJudaism.Butotherwiseourprayerdoesnotgiveusanycause

tothinkthatthisGreekformoftheQedushahhaditsSitzimLebenin

mysticalcircles.NotonlythefactthattheotherJewishprayersinAC

7.33-38donotdisplayanymysticalelementsmilitatesagainstthis

conclusion,theprayeritselfseemstogiveindicationsthatthe

mysticalmotifsdidnotfunctioninamysticalSitzimLeben.The

4says,Israel,yourearthly

mostimportantindicationisthat

assembly,emulatesthepowersinheavendayandnightwhenit

sings.ThefactthatthetextsoemphaticallystatesthatitisIsraelon

earththatcoordinatesitspraisewiththeliturgyoftheangelsin

heavenseemstoprecludeanynotionofamysticalascenttoheaven

wherethebelieversjointheangelsintheirheavenlyliturgy.Our

prayerisdevoidofanymysticalform,content,orfunction.The

mysticalelementsinourprayerareofaliterarynature:Theytakeup

motifsfromabiblicalandpostbiblicalprayertraditionthatinsomeof

itsphasesmayhavehadamysticalring.Butinthesynagoguesof

SyrianAntioch,wheretheseprayersfunctionedontheSabbathinthe

periodwhenthecompileroftheApostolicConstitionsadoptedand

https://www.readability.com/articles/2zmwn0tu

8/11

1/7/2015

The Bible and Interpretation www.bibleinterp.com

adaptedtheminordertoobviatetheneedsofhisjudaizingChristian

parishioners(VanderHorst2000),thesemysticalphraseswere

probablynomorethanliteraryremnantsorechoesofamystical

traditionthathaditsearliestattestationsintheDeadSeaScrollsand

laterresurfacedwithnewpotentialinmysticalMerkavahcircles.

Themostfascinatingaspectoftheseprayers,however,isthatthey

testifytotheexistenceofavibrantGraeco-Jewishcultureinthe

centuriesafterthedestructionoftheSecondTemplein70CE.

Althoughwecannotstrictlyprovethatthephilosophicalelements

werealreadypresentintheJewishoriginal(andwerenotfromthe

handoftheChristiancompiler),itishighlyprobablethatthese

elementsbelongedtotheJewishGrundschrift.Inthatcasewe

witnesshereaformofJewishHellenism,aculturethatcombines

intenseJewishpietywithopennesstowardsGreekculture,especially

itsphilosophicalaspects.Itisoneofthetestimoniestotheeffectthat

thesynthesisofGreekwisdomandJewishfaiththatweseeinPhilo

andotherJewishauthorsoftheSecondTempleperiod(Sterling

2005)didnotdisappearaftertheriseofrabbinism(notethatanother

importanttestimonytothecontinuityofJudaeo-Greekcultureafter

70CEcanbefoundintheca.3.000Graeco-Jewishinscriptionsfrom
nd

the2

th

centuriesCE,onwhichseeVanderHorst2014b).

Bibliography
Chazon,E.G.HumanandAngelicPrayerinLightoftheDeadSea

Scrolls,inChazon(ed.),LiturgicalPerspectives:PrayerandPoetryin

LightoftheDeadSeaScrolls(Leiden:Brill,2003),34-47.

Fiensy,D.A.PrayersAllegedtoBeJewish.AnExaminationofthe

ConstitutionesApostolorum(Chico:ScholarsPress,1985).

https://www.readability.com/articles/2zmwn0tu

9/11

1/7/2015

The Bible and Interpretation www.bibleinterp.com

Guthrie,W.K.C.AHistoryofGreekPhilosophy,vol.2(Cambridge:

CambridgeUniversityPress,1965).

Newman,J.H.PrayingbytheBook:TheScripturalizationofPrayerin

SecondTempleJudaism(Atlanta:ScholarsPress,1999).

Olyan,S.M.AThousandThousandsServedHim:Exegesisandthe

NamingofAngelsinAncientJudaism(Tbingen:MohrSiebeck,

1993).

Sterling,G..E.TheJewishPhilosophy:ThePresenceofHellenistic

PhilosophyinJewishExegesisintheSecondTemplePeriod,inC.

Bakhos(ed.),AncientJudaisminitsHellenisticContext(Leiden:Brill,

2005),131-153.

Swartz,M.D.MysticalPrayerinAncientJudaism.AnAnalysisof

MaasehMerkavah(Tbingen:MohrSiebeck,1992).

VanderHorst,P.W.JewsandChristiansinAntiochattheEndofthe

FourthCentury,inS.E.Porter&B.W.R.Pearson(eds.),Christian-

JewishRelationsThroughtheCenturies(Sheffield:Sheffield

AcademicPress,2000),228-238.

VanderHorst,P.W.TheHellenisticSynagogalPrayersinthe

ApostolicConstitutions,inP.W.vanderHorst&J.H.Newman,Early

JewishPrayersinGreek(BerlinNewYork:WalterdeGruyter,

2008),3-93.

VanderHorst,P.W.GreekPhilosophicalElementsinSomeJudaeo-

ChristianPrayers,inhisStudiesinAncientJudaismandEarly

Christianity(Leiden:Brill,2014),100-110.

VanderHorst,P.W.Saxajudaicaloquuntur:LessonsfromEarly

JewishInscriptions(Leiden:Brill,2014).

https://www.readability.com/articles/2zmwn0tu

10/11

1/7/2015

The Bible and Interpretation www.bibleinterp.com

Werner,E.TheSacredBridge:TheInterdependenceofLiturgyand

MusicinSynagogueandChurchduringtheFirstMillennium

(London:DennisDobson-NewYork:ColumbiaUniversityPress,

1959).

Wright,M.R.CosmologyinAntiquity(LondonNewYork:Routledge,

1995).

Usetheformbelowtosubmitanewcomment.Comments
aremoderated
andlogged,andmaybeedited.Youmustprovideyourfull
name.
Inappropriatematerialwillnotbeposted.Pleasedonot
postinappropriatewebsites,theywillbedeleted.

OriginalURL:

http://www.bibleinterp.com/articles/2015/06/van398018.shtml

https://www.readability.com/articles/2zmwn0tu

11/11