ON HUMAN DISOBEDIENCE TO THE ORDER OF CREATION ("4Q521", fr.

2, and Latin "Life

of Adam et Eve" 29c)
Author(s): Johannes Tromp
Source: Revue de Qumrân, Vol. 21, No. 1 (81) (JUIN 2003), pp. 109-115
Published by: Peeters Publishers
Stable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/24640883
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 ON HUMAN DISOBEDIENCE
TO THE ORDER OF CREATION
(4Q521, fr. 2, and Latin Life of Adam et Eve 29c)

4Q521 4Q521 on the one hand, and the Latin version of the Life of Adam
INanda and
recent short note M. Philonenko has argued that the authors of
Eve 29 on the other, have both quoted from a common literary
source. (1) If his contention is right, this would throw spectac
ular new light on the Latin Life of Adam and Eve (hereafter VAE). The
Latin version is commonly accepted to represent a very late develop
ment of this writing, especially in that part to which section 29 belongs.
This part consists of visions of Adam (VAE 25-29), which belong to the
inner-Latin stage of the writing's development; it may not have been
added to it earlier than the ninth century ce. (2)
In principle, the Medieval Latin author of VAE 25-29 may well
have had access to ancient Jewish writings. If Philonenko's thesis is
right, this author quoted from a writing which existed in Hebrew in, say,
the second century bce. This is possible, but it should be noted that in
that case, this hypothetical writing can in all probability only have been
available to the author of VAE 25-29 in a Latin translation (probably via
a Greek translation), and that in the process of translating transform
ations occur that usually affect the wording as well as the contents of a
writing. Moreover, Philonenko does not claim common dependence of
VAE VAE VAE 29 and 4Q521 for more than one clause, which can, according to
him, be paraphrased as follows: "heaven and earth, day and night obey

(1) '"Les deux et la terre obéiront à son Messie' (4Q521, 2, II, 1 et Vie
latine latine d'Adam et Ève, 29, 8)," Revue d'histoire et de philosophie religieuses 82
(2002),(2002), 115-122.
(2) Cf. J.-P. Pettorelli, "Deux témoins singuliers de la Vie d'Adam et Ève:
Paris, BNF, Lat. 3832 & Milan, B. Ambrosiana, O 35 Sup.," Journal for the
Study Study of Judaism 33 (2002), 1-27; J. Tromp, "The Textual History of the Life of
Adam Adam and Eve in the Light of a Newly Discovered Latin Text-Form," Journal
for the Study of Judaism 33 (2002), 28-41.

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110 JOHANNES TROMP

him, and none of his creatures transgresses his commandment or

changes his works." One may wonder if an agreement between two texts
on such a general statement can prove a literary relationship between
them, or if it is even useful to mention the possibility of such a relation
ship. However, because of the far-reaching consequences Philonenko's
conclusion would have, a closer look at both texts and their possible
interrelationship is in order.

1. 1. 1. 4Q521 ,fir. 2, II1-2 and VAE 29c

Fragment 2 of 4Q521 (3) seems to contain a number of lines which

describe God's salvation for the pious in the time when his anointed one
will rule (II 1-2). The author exhorts his audience to be strong in their
hope on the Lord (‫ )ינדא‬and in his service (II 3). After a blank in the
manuscript, he proceeds to depict the Lord's consideration for those who
await him: he will glorify the pious, free prisoners, give sight to the
blind, heal the wounded and make the dead live, etc. (II4-13); col. Ill of
this fragment seems to continue in more or less the same strain. A
remarkable phrase is found in II 9: ‫םיל!ד]יםב[ קבדא‬, "I shall cling to
those who are awaiting." The first person singular strongly suggests that
the genre which this fragment represents, is not that of a report of an
apocalyptic vision, or of an exhortation in the style of the prophets or 1
Enoch Enoch 91-107, but that of a didactic poem comparable to the Hodayoth.
The lines of this text designated by Philonenko as a quotation, are
II 1-2:

[‫וחישמל ועמטי ץראחו םימ]טה יכ‬

[‫םיטודק תוצממ גוסי אול םב רש]א לכו‬
which can be translated as:

[for the heav]ens and the earth will listen to his anointed one,
[and all t]hat is in them will not turn away from the precepts of the holy
ones.

Read in conjunction with what follows, these lines can be und

stood as part of a description of the eschatological future for which t
author hopes, which will be ruled by an anointed one of God wh
power is so great that heaven and earth, and all that is in them, will o
him. (4)

(3) É. Puech (éd.), "4Q521. 4QApocalypse messianique" in Discoveries in

the the Judaean Desert 25 (Oxford: Clarendon, 1998), 1-38.
(4) For the submission of nature to the anointed one of God, compare Mark
4:41 and synoptic parallels.

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 ON HUMAN DISOBEDIENCE TO THE ORDER OF CREATION 111

In contrast, VAE 29a-d is a survey of history in the Danielic apocalyp

tic tradition, presented as a prophecy by Adam addressed to Seth. In it,
the protoplast tells his son that God will appear in majestic fire and will
give his law and commandments to all; also, he will sanctify his glorious
house. Next, however, people will transgress his commandments, and he
will ruin their sanctuary and disperse them all over the world. After
some time, God will save them from their dispersion, and they will once
again build a house for God in their land, greater than the first one. But
iniquity will again be greater than justice. After that, God will be seen to
live among humankind, justice will shine and the house of God will be
greatly honored. The devil will no longer be able to damage those who
believe in God. God will raise a faithful people which will be saved
forever; but he will punish the impious who hate his law.
At this point, the survey of history seems to end. The next sentence is
the one to which Philonenko has drawn our attention [the quotation comes
from the Rhinelandish text-form of the Latin Life of Adam and Eve (5)]:

Caelum Caelum et terra, nodes et dies et omnes creaturae obediunt deo et non
praeteribuntpraeteribunt eius mandatum nec mutabunt opera sua, et homines mutabun
turtur derelinquentes legem domini. (6)

Heaven and earth, nights and days, and all creatures obey God, and they
will not transgress his commandment nor change their works; but people
will be changed because they forsake the law of the Lord.

This sentence creates a contrast between heaven and earth and all
of God's creatures on the one hand, and humankind on the other: the
entire universe is obedient to God, (7) only humans are disobedient.
Having made this statement on the general sinfulness of humankind, the
author of VAE 29 continues by saying that for this reason, the Lord will
reject the impious, but that the just will shine as the sun before God. It is
by water that people will be purified; but those who refuse to be purified
by water, will be condemned (presumably, this purification by water
refers to the Christian baptism).
In the context of VAE 29, the sentence under discussion serves as a
transition from the quasi-prophetic survey of history to the description
of the criterion on which the final judgement will be based: whether one
has been purified from sin, or has refused to be purified.

(5) To be published by J.-P. Pettorelli in Archivum latinitatis medii aevi; I

thank Mr. Pettorelli for providing me with the text and critical apparatus of this
passage.
(6) Thus according to Pettorelli's edition. Philonenko, p. 118, citing a
number of manuscripts, prefers to read obedient instead of obediunt, and ei
instead of deo.
(7) Cf. Ps 148:6, on God's power over the cosmos: praeceptum posuit et
non praeteribit.

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112 JOHANNES TROMP

On the surface, there is an undeniable similarity between 4Q521, fr.

2, II 1-2 and VAE 29c, but there are also some differences. First, in
4Q521 4Q521 heaven and earth are said to obey "his anointed one," whereas in
VAE VAE 29 they are said to obey "God" (or, according to the variant,
"him"). Second, 4Q521 does not include the "nights and days," mention
ed in VAE 29. Third, 4Q521 uses the term ‫י‬10‫ג‬, "to be (qal; niph.: to
become) disloyal," which in the Septuagint is usually rendered with
forms of ÈKK^iveîv or CKfaoxâvai, in the Vulgate with words such as
declinaredeclinare and averti, which cannot be said to be the same as praeterire
in VAE 29. Fourth, the agreement between "all that is in them" of 4Q521
with omnes creaturae in VAE 29 concerns the sense only, not the word
ing. Fifth, 4Q521 refers to the commandment of the "holy ones," presu
mably the angels; VAE 29, in contrast, speaks of "his," that is, God's
commandment. Sixth, the phrase in VAE 29, "nor change their works,"
has no equivalent in 4Q521.
These differences would be meaningless if it was otherwise clear
that the authors of 4Q521 and VAE 29 quoted from the same source.
This, however, is not the case, and the thesis of Philonenko loses still
more of its attraction if it is acknowledged that the similarity between
both passages covers only a part of the sentence in the Latin text. In VAE
29, the sentence concludes with the phrase et homines mutabuntur dere
linquenteslinquentes legem domini, a phrase which gives the entire sentence its
point and meaning. (8) For this author, the reason to cite heaven and
earth's obedience to God is to express the amazing fact that humans are
the only creatures who are disobedient. This, however, is a traditional
motif not only in Greco-Roman Judaism, but still in the time of the
author of VAE 29, as I shall demonstrate in the next section.

2. The Contrast of the Universe's Obedience to Human Disobedience

The most famous occurrence of the traditional contrast used in VAE

2929 is 1 Enoch 2-5. In this passage the author calls upon his audience to
observe the stars and see how they do not change their ways, according
to the commandment of God; to observe the earth, on which everything
happens without anything being changed (éç oùk cdX,010ûv1ca 2:2;
cf. the recurrences of this phrase in 5:2-3), and summer and winter, the
trees, and so forth. Then the contrast with humans is made: "You are not
steadfast and do not act according to his commandments, but you have
become disloyal (à71écrrr|œ)" (5:4). (9)

(8) Philonenko has entirely ignored this phrase in his discussion.

(9) M. Black (ed.), Apocalypsis Henochi graece (Pseudepigrapha Veteris
Testamenti graece 3: Leiden: Brill, 1970), 19-20.

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 ON HUMAN DISOBEDIENCE TO THE ORDER OF CREATION 113

1 1 Enoch 2-5 is not the only instance of this traditional motif; on the
contrary, many Jewish and Christian texts from the Hellenistic and
Roman periods exhibit this pattern. (10) It is clear, that the contrast
between the universe's obedience to God's commandments and human
disobedience was a very common formula to indicate the uniquely
human capacity to transgress the divine order of creation.
It should be noted that the motif remained popular in later cent
uries. A much later example of the schema is found in one of the seven
teenth century classics of Dutch poetry, Early Morning in May, by Dirk
Rafaëlsz. Camphuysen (1586-1627). It starts with praise for the Creator:
"How good and wise the Architect / That built the universe," and conti
nues by sketching the perfectly blissful existence of nature awakening in
spring: flowers bloom, bees produce wax, the lark is happily singing.
Their contentness with the Lord's providence is then contrasted with
humankind's miserable state of being ever-dissatisfied: "Their ev'ry
need is met in full / Desire's woe is still'd / Except in man alone, that
fool / Through his perverted will." (11)
Also, it is hardly surprising to come across a similar point in a ser
mon by John Calvin (1509-1564) on Psalm 148. Commenting on its
statement that the irrational creatures—the sun, the weather, the ani
mais—are continually praising, as a manner of speech, the Lord, Calvin
said: "Car combien qu'elles n'ayent point parolle distincte, qu'elle
n'ayent point jugement ne apprehension, si est ce que là nous voyons
ung ordre tel que Dieu l'a estably. Elles se gouvernent selon leur naturel
et s'acquictent de leur debvoir, et nous, de nostre part, nous tirons tout
au rebours et à l'opposite. Ne fauldra il pas que nous soyons condamp
nez pour avoir mal profficté en l'escholle des bestes comme des veaulx,
des asnes et des chevaulx, que ceulx là facent myeulx leur debvoir et
qu'ilz gardent myeulx leur naturel que ne font pas les hommes?" (12)

(10) As elaborately discussed by L. Hartman, Asking for a Meaning. A

Study Study of 1 Enoch 1-5 (Coniectanea biblica NT 12: Lund: Gleerup, 1979). For a
recent, concise treatment of this matter, see G.W.E. Nickelsburg, 1 Enoch. A
Commentary Commentary on the Book of 1 Enoch, Chapters 1-36; 81-108 (Hermeneia: Min
neapolis: Fortress, 2001), 152-155, whose examples of the motif include Jer
5:20-29; Sir 16:24-30; 1QS III 15-IV 26; lQ34bis, ft. 3, II 1-4; Ps. Sol. 18:10
12; T. Napht. 3:2-4:1; Visio Pauli 3 and 7; Sifre Deuteronomy 32:1 (§ 306); see
also H.W. Hollander and M. de Jonge, The Testaments of the Twelve Patriarchs.
A A Commentary (Studia in Veteris Testamenti pseudepigrapha 8; Leiden: Brill,
1985), 304-308.
(11) Mayschen Morgenstondt, verse 10: "Elck Diertjen heeft sijn vollen
wensch / En quel-begeert leydt stil / Behalven in den dwasen Mensch / Door sijn
verkeerden wil"; D.R. Camphuysen, Stichtelijcke Rymen, om te lesen of te sin
gen,gen, quoted from the 14th edition, Amsterdam 1669, p. 561; translation mine.
(12) E. Miilhaupt (ed.), Johannes Calvin. Psalmpredigten; Passions-,
Oster- und Pfingstpredigten (Supplementa calviniana 7; Neukirchen-Vluyn:

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114 JOHANNES TROMP

Somewhat nearer in time to the composition of VAE 29 is the fifth

chapter of the Admonitions by Franciscus of Assisi (1181/82-1226), in
which he warns his reader against arrogance. His warning is motivated
by the following reason: Et omnes creaturae, quae sub caelo sunt,
secundum secundum se serviunt, cognoscunt et obediunt Creatori suo melius quam
tu.tu. (13)

The following examples were found with the help of the Patrologia
latinalatina Electronic Database. (14)
The motif is used by Absalon, abbot of Springiersbach (f 1196):
Attende Attende ergo, o anima, et vide, si dolor similis sicut dolor tuus. Omnes
enimenim creaturae legi naturae obediunt: quippe oritur sol et occidit, et ad
locum locum suum revertitur naturaliter; intrant flumina in mare, et ad fontem
suumsuum revertuntur, ut iterum fluant. Omnia gaudent in suis similibus, tu sola
facta facta ignobilis, a conditionis tuae dignitate te dejecisti, quia terrena in
habitationehabitatione praegravata, passionibus carnis compelleris deservire. (15)

Bruno of Asti (1048-1123), abbot of Montecassino, equally

deplores the disobedience of man:
SedSed o miseria semper lugenda, et magis lacrymis, quam verbis exponenda!
OmnisOmnis creatura est obediens Deo, praeter illam, quae facta est ad imagi
nemnem Dei. Solus diabolus, et homo inobediens invenitur; cum nulla alia
creatura creatura inobediens inveniatur. (16)

These examples of the traditional pattern of nature's obedience to

God as contrasted to humankind's disobedience are randomly selected.
They do show, however, that the motif was very much alive in Medieval
and Renaissance Europe. Seen in combination with the currency of the
motif in early Judaism, this suggests a continuous tradition, (17) and
makes the assumption of literary dependence redundant.

Neukirchener, 1981), 15-23: "Du dimanche dernier jour de septembre 1554";

quotation from p. 19.
(13) K. EBer and E. Grau (eds.), Die opuscula des hl. Franziskus von Assisi
(Spicilegium bonaventurianum 13; Grottaferrata, 19892), 109.
(14) The search formula used was: "creatura* within 10 words of obedi*
OR oboedi*"; obviously, more instances may be found, if, for example, more
intermittent words are allowed, or synonyms are tried.
(15) J.-P. Migne (ed.), Stephani abbatis Genovefiae ... Epistolae ... Absa
lonislonis abbatis Sprinckirsbacensis ... scripta quae supersunt (Patrologia latina
211; Paris, 1855), col. 198.
(16) J.-P. Migne (éd.), S. Brunonis Astensis abbatis Montis Casini et epi
scopusscopus Signiensium opera omnia (Patrologia latina 165; Paris, 1904), col. 936.
(17) For an earlier example of the motif in the Latin church, see the sermon
by John Chrysostom, translated by Paul the Deacon (ca. 720/724-ca. 799) as
Homily Homily 60, which is entirely devoted to the subject of man's disobedience:
J.-P. Migne (ed.), Venerabilis Bedae ..., Pauli Winfridi diaconi scripta quae
supersunt universa (Patrologia latina 95; Paris, 1861), esp. col. 1206.

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 ON HUMAN DISOBEDIENCE TO THE ORDER OF CREATION 115

Conclusion Conclusion

In the final paragraph of his note, Philonenko draws a far-reaching

conclusion from the alleged literary relationship between 4Q521, fr. 2,
and VAE 29c. On the Latin Life of Adam and Eve, he comments: "Loin
d'y trouver l'écho de légendes chrétiennes, il y aura lieu d'y chercher à
l'avenir ... l'empreinte de traditions juives anciennes et, sans doute,
esséniennes." (18)
I have no doubt that the literary history of the Life of Adam and Eve
in all its various versions eventually reaches back into ancient Roman
times, (19) and that it contains numerous traditions that have their origin
in pre-Christian Judaism. The motif discussed in this note, very much
alive in Christianity, but originating in the second century bce at the
latest, is but one of many instances. However, there is also no doubt that
VAE VAE 25-29 was written in Latin by a Medieval Christian author. That
this author used traditions that were current in his own mental environ
ment (i.e., in Christian thought of the High Middle Ages), is much more
likely than the possibility that he quoted an ancient Jewish, or even
Essene writing for this one, rather general statement.

Johannes Tromp.

(18) Philonenko, o.c., p. 121.

(19) For the assumption of its origin in the second to fourth centuries CE,
see M. de Jonge and J. Tromp, The Life of Adam and Eve and Related Literature
(Guides to Apocrypha and Pseudepigrapha 4; Sheffield: Sheffield Academic
Press, 1997), 77.

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