These are the words of Rabbi Tevia, regarding the trials and afflictions of the evil ones on the chosen in the Northeastern portions of the world.
Behold, I have received these words from Heaven and submit them to you as the true and worthy testament of the things God has planned for His people in the times yet to arrive. I have been taken and shown that which concerns both the righteous and the unrighteous. Bear witness and heed these words that they may offer hope to the afflicted, but a warning of what is to come to the evildoers of this age!
As I was praying and fasting during the Weeks of Booths, behold, an angel came to me during my sleep to deliver a message of the Lord. The angel took me up to a high mountain and opened my eyes to the invisible things of this world. I looked and saw many Heavenly creatures moving quickly all around me doing the business of the Lord. Many of them were too busy to even glance at my existence on that place, but twelve stood as in a choir declaring the Holiness of the Lord in truth and in spirit. When they had finished their chorus, they spoke to me as one voice which was like seven thousand voices impressing upon me to heed the things which they were to show and say to me.
“Thus says the Lord,” they began. “Tell your people that I have watched their sufferings. Tell them I have constantly interceded to make their way straight and have allowed a certain amount of discomfort in this time to draw them back to me. But because of their disobedience to my covenants, there will be an even greater time of tribulation ahead. Do not be fooled, oh Tevia, each of these things must and will happen, each in its own time!
“First, I allowed the dispersion of my children over the northeastern world. While they appeared to keep my laws, indeed, I saw that their hearts were far from me. While appearing to keep themselves separate, they adopted the customs of their neighbors. They perverted my perfect order with transactions and agreements with the foreigner.”
At this time I was shown a vision of four breads. The first was of a soft challah with a beautiful golden crust which was doughy on the inside. The next was of a dense pumpernickel; covered in seeds which could not grow, and tasted bitter but was still filling. The third, a hard piece of matza, and the last was a crust like rock; too hard to even break with the strongest jaw. Eventually, the crust was smashed into crumbs of an uncountable multitude, and a great rain came washing them away never to be seen again. Through all of this, behind all the breads was a beautiful field being harvested and tended by the happiest of workers. And I asked, “What is the meaning of all these things?”
The Angel replied in the words of Hashem, “While waiting for them to see the error of such alliances, I was gentle. I gave to them a series of leaders who appeared as kings and even queens, but who were not overly concerned with my people. These rulers saw the people and would consider them a threat, and move them. However, this was a golden age of the first bread. The challah weave shows the work in the field of my people as they honored me with their labors. The golden crust is the nourishment and happiness I gave them through my festivals and in keeping my word to provide.
The next describes a period of unrest. My people will become enamored with ideas not in keeping with my laws. They will worship philosophical ideas and listen to foreigners who rail against the leaders I placed. So, I will give in to their evil desires in wanting this kind of leadership. This is the second bread. Through it, I would hope a prophetic message would be heeded of the bitterness in following this direction, but heed it they will not. My people will sadly persist in gleaning knowledge of this philosophy while ignoring true understanding. The seeds are the other temporary leaders put in place. However, these seeds are incapable of growing and will fall off of the loaf. They are completely useless and will be cast off by the next bread.
“The third bread is the matza. The matza is the situation they will experience when a dynamic leader will come. He will promise a simple utopia. He will appear to be offering hope to the discomforts they had been experiencing before. He will even be a part of the season of the pumpernickel. But they should not be fooled! Though they will be. It is he who will smash the entire interim government in one blow! In one day all will be undone by him and a new regime will begin. Afterward, there will be a horrible and bloody war between the righteous and the unrighteous, but the evil leader will prevail. There will be famine as he implements his rule. Many of the righteous will perish, and others will barely receive the sustenance they need to even breath any breath of life at all. There will be sickness, but no medicines. There will come help from other nations, but it will not be enough. Families who try to keep what they need to support God’s people will only receive death. Then he will perish, but another will come after him.
“Beware the crust coming after. It will be like eating metal – impossible. The last of the leaders. His reign will be one of absolute terror. No one will be safe from the death he will wield. Even those whom he appears to love will suffer at his hands. Many, many times over again. But it is this evil one who will at last be brought down by my hand.”
And as I looked, I saw the crust as it lay on the hard and barren ground of this last kingdom. In the heavens were the angels. Out from the ground came the multitude of the martyrs from each of these eras. They cried out for justice, they cried out for the anguish they had endured. The blood of those who had endured slaughter stained their clothes and those who had starved stood in their skeletal forms.
But then there came one as a great warrior. Riding a great white bull, wielding a sword of gleaming steel and charging toward the martyrs. He waved his great sword over them and they became whole and healthy again; in new bodies with pure white robes and glowing faces. They beamed and joined the chorus of angels in praises of the Lord. They sang:
Oh, Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God almighty.
He makes right the ways of the world,
He created it from the beginnings and foundations of the universe.
He delivered to us the law of his perfect order.
Now he comes to vanquish the evil one and reestablish His kingdom.
Praise be to the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob!
Forever, Amen! (Selah)
And the mighty warrior went down to do battle with the crust. The crust stood, confident of its massive strength, but the warrior first punctured it with his sword causing a mold to form. It grew and broke the bread in two making it useless to even stand. Then, the great warrior of the Lord raised his sword two more times and smashed each piece so it became only a pile of useless crumbs. Then, he commanded the purifying rains come to wash away the abomination so the whole land may be made whole and beautiful again.
Then, once all was accomplished, the fields and forests of the land became healthy and golden again. A throne appeared in the mountains of the south of the land-which had been the original home of the crust-for the holy warrior to reign and oversee this new kingdom of the Lord’s. And it was perfect. The martyrs rejoined the living and they all happily tended the fields harvesting much grain and producing aromatic and healthy breads such as only the Lord can provide.
Then the angel said to me, “Tevia, write all of these things down and keep them for a season to be revealed at the right time. Know that the Lord is the Lord and knows what is best for His people, Amen!” After, the angel brought me down from the mountain back to my booth where I woke up and ate and thought about these things. Amen.
AUTHORS NOTE – the History and setting of this Apocalypse
This is the ex-eventu tale of the fall of the Tsar and then the Soviet Union up to the time of Stalin. It is pseudopigraphic and is attributed to the character Tevia from “Fiddler on the Roof” (late 1800s). The four “breads” are four governments. First, the Tsars who were difficult, but often just let the Jewish communities live in little pockets. Ivan the Terrible made things more difficult for peasants and eventually a serfdom of sorts was set up in more ancient Russian culture, but except for occasional pogroms or relocations (both pretty awful) they were left alone.
The second bread is that of the interim government. After the “Bloody Sunday” massacre, a dumas was set up by Alexander II and the “October Manifesto” was created granting certain human liberties. However, all the changes were discontinued within a year. After the murder of the Tsar and his family, the Dumas (parliament) was re-established and working on a new constitution to be ratified.
The third bread is Vladimir Lenin. In a one day coup just before the ratification, he cut off all communication and travel, the Dumas were murdered and the Red Russians took over. There was an horrific civil war between the Reds and the White Russians. Once Lenin’s government prevailed, there was a devastating famine (1921). Any family who kept any grain at all was considered a traitor and shot. The United States and other countries aided the newly formed Soviet Union, but the famine persisted.
After Lenin’s death, Joseph Stalin came to power. This is the “crust”. It is as hard as “metal” because Stalin had changed his name from Djugashvili to Stalin and was known as the “Man of Steel” for both his massive work in developing the Soviet Union into an industrial power and because of his hard, cold nature. In his paranoia, it is well established that he would get help eliminating his enemies by those close to him, and then he would have his friends murdered because they knew too much. This was a horrid cycle that continued for quite some time. But, it wasn’t too long before his wrath was issued against the people. Stalin eventually died from a brain aneurism. This is the mold.
The warrior is a messiah figure. This is the part where the ex-eventu ends and the “prophesy” begins. After doing battle and defeating Stalin (the crust) a beautiful new world of great sustenance arrives (which is fitting as they were dealing with great stresses and starvation). Finally, the throne of the new king – or great warrior- is in the south because Stalin was from the Caucasus mountains noting a complete usurpation of the reign of evil.
Sunday, February 27, 2011
The purpose and conflict of "Vaticinium Ex Eventu" Prophesy/Apocalypse
Apocalyptic Literature-Dr. Tim Milinovich, PhD
The very nature of the terms “prophesy” and “apocalypse” tend to incite rather instant and passionate feelings in the Western world. The number of fictional books and movies produced using the Judeo-Christian (and sometimes other faiths) literatures of prophesy and apocalypse are too numerous to even begin to list. The evangelical movement of working to decipher Biblical texts regarding “apocalypse” is exceedingly strong and exceedingly “literal”. There is a tremendous movement which has been ongoing for centuries, but has recently picked up momentum in literally working out days, numbers and events used in scripture to determine the date of Jesus’ Parousia.
Enter the concept of the Vaticinium Ex Eventu style of prophesy. The mere mention of such a mechanism of genre in scripture instantly creates a firestorm of opinions, articles, dissentions, defenses and more. The “Vaticinium Ex Eventu” literally translates from the latin: prophesy from (or after) the event. The idea of the formation of a work in this manner assumes a “pseudepigraphy” whereas the writer assumes the identity of a respected wise person of a previous age. This “wise person” is documenting certain future events which were given during a revelation. (In keeping with the usual definition of apocalyptic literature, this revelation is from heaven either through an otherworldly journey, or a vision delivered by otherworldy creatures.) Of course, though attributed to the “wise person”, if the work is written by someone else, they would naturally have knowledge of the events and the prophesy would appear to have been accurate.
So the question is raised, what is the purpose of the ex eventu? Must it be a crisis of faith or is it an affirmation of faith? With an understanding of the mode of declaration and the literary mechanisms of the ancient world, the notion of a subversive motive is obtuse. The purpose of texts using this device was to teach, exhort and edify.
The typical Evangelical position has a difficult time with ex eventu. Especially as it could deny the authority of scripture if prophesy contained in the Canonized Bible is indeed pseudepigraphic. I.e. did or did not Daniel write the book of Daniel? Did or did not the apostles write the gospels? To say they did not could be considered a complete affront to the authority of scripture. And there is a good point with that argument. If, indeed, Daniel did not write Daniel (and it is often considered one of the pseudepigraphic ) one could easily use it as a good reason to doubt the whole of scripture and thus, not believe. The group of www.badnewsaboutchristianity.com has chosen to do exactly that and have a full article to proselytize the non-believer. (It is referred to as: Christian Deceptions 4: The Restrospective Prophesy.)
In the wake of such arguments and with the genuine intention of refutation for the purpose of apologetics, evangelical scholars have endeavored to engage the argument of the authority of scripture. The evidence of the reliability of scripture is argued in general terms regularly through the use of logic and archeological findings of writings in pure forms such as those found with the Dead Sea Scrolls. “Thanks to archeology and the Dead Sea Scrolls, we now know. One of the scrolls was a complete MS of the Hebrew text of Isaiah. It is dated by paleographers around 125 B.C. This MS is more than 1000 years older than any MS we previously possessed.” [“The Best of Josh McDowell: A Ready Defense” Bill Wilson, Thomas Nelson Publishers c1993, pp 50-51]
Other evangelical scholars have worked to defend texts such as Daniel. One example of an anti-ex eventu defense of Daniel is the article by Dr. G. Ch. Aalders, PhD (1880-1960). [“The Book of Daniel: Its Historical Trustworthiness and Prophetic Character”; Evangelical Quarterly 2.3 (July 1930): 242-254] His work argues against negative criticism used to declare the Biblical book inaccurate, and he point by point approaches the major arguments given to him at the time. Dr. Aalders even goes so far as to defend what is often considered as the major inaccuracy: the demise of Antiochus. “We point to the death of Antiochus, predicted Dan. viii. 25 and xi.45: he was ‘broken without hand,’ a severe illness made him meet his fate. Critics consider it as a contradiction… but this is only due to a misunderstanding of the text…” While not specifically stated in his introduction, the conclusion of the article addresses ex eventu by name.
“Consequently, the suppositions which has to sustain the vaticinia ex eventu theory lacks exegetical validity… For, of course, the belief in the truth of Holy Writ does not depend upon the result of any scientific investigation, yet, over against the claim of negative Bible criticism, as if it were arriving at its conclusions merely by a thorough, impartial investigation of the Bible itself, we have to throw strong light upon the fact that a solid, accurate, scientific examination of the Bible does not impugn its truth.”
While his conclusion shows his opinion that his defense of the text has proven it may be historically verified, how this is supposed to deny ex eventu does not seem to be well-argued. A more accurate than previously thought text could argue either way for ex eventu or perfect prophesy. The purpose of its citation here is to show existing supportable work by the evangelical community to combat ex eventu specifically.
Moving forward, Dr. Aalders begs the question: Is it a “crisis” to use a scientific method and determine that a text (more importantly a truth text i.e. scripture) may, in fact, not be perfectly accurate? Is making such a “discovery” equivalent to maligning scripture? One may reasonably infer that this is the very concern of Dr. Aalders.
The purpose of such a style of prophesy in its proper setting is a necessary component of investigation. Ex eventu was a normative tool of communication throughout the ancient world. Multiple religions relied upon it to encourage their faithful. Kenton Sparks, in his book “Ancient Texts for the Study of the Hebrew Bible” [Hendrickson Publishers, Inc. 2005] notes its use in Mesopotamian, Egyptian, Persian and Greek apocalypses. Likewise, Christopher Buck’s article “Baha’u’llah as Zoroastrian savior” [Baha’i Studies Review, vol. 8-1998] gives another example of an apocalypse using the ex eventu method. “The prophecies of the Persian messiah, Shah Bahram Varjavand, are clearly modeled on the legendary Persian warlord Bahram obin …”
Why would ancient authors use this technique? First, by attributing its authorship to a hero or wise person who is known throughout the culture, the text gains instant credibility. Secondly, it was the regular thought of the era that history was cyclical. Ex eventu would be useful in retelling the events of a significant period in the culture’s history when it was recurring so the faithful could steel themselves in preparation. “There is no doubt, of course, that this pseudoprophetic device would have duped some readers, but it is perhaps more helpful to view the practice as a pious ruse rather than as a mendacious attempt to mislead.” (Sparks p.250)
Supporting the position that those who declare texts to be pseudepigraphic ex eventu works are not working to subvert the faithful is defended by Dr. Sam Storms. A self-professed “Reformed Evangelical”, his article “Apocalyptic” is a very brief outline/introduction to the entire genre of Apocalyptic literature. [www.enjoyinggodministries.com/ariticle/apocalyptic] In his section “Special Note on Daniel” he says:
“It is not necessarily the case that a scholar who places Daniel in the 2nd century and thus classifies it as pseudepigraphical does so because he has an anti-supernatural bias or is philosophically opposed to the possibility of predictive prophecy. Many believe that Daniel is simply another example of Jewish apocalyptic which, although canonical, manifests the same characteristics as all the ancient literature in that particular genre.”
He then utilizes a quote from John J. Collins which will be expanded here from Storm’s original text. “Nebuchadnezzar and Cyrus of Persia were unquestionably historical figures, but the stories in which they are mentioned are not for that reason factual. One can grant the a priori possibility of predictive prophecy without conceding that we find it in Daniel.” [Daniel with an Introduction to Apocalyptic Literature, John J. Collins, William B. Eerdmans Publishing Co. pp. 28-29] In this quote is the very permission by a highly esteemed scholar in the field of apocalyptic literature to believe both elements of historicity and mystery in these texts.
If it can be understood that each of these works, indeed most all apocalypses and several major prophesies were written during a time of real or perceived persecution or threat to ideology, then whether or not the writings were before or after the fact become moot. The point that this mode of declaration would or can only serve to undermine the authority of God is to misunderstand the genre and the authors entirely. “Apocalyptic literature is crisis literature. These writings were produced during a time of perceived crisis to offer hope to oppressed and beleaguered individuals by giving them an alternative picture of reality…” [Apocalyptic Literature: a Reader, Mitchell G. Reddish, Hendrickson Publishers, Inc. 1995 p.24]
Below are three examples of generally accepted scholarly accounts of the situations for many profound apocalyptic texts, both canonical and non-canonical as stated in “Reader”:
• Book of Daniel – The persecution of the Jews by Antiochus Epiphanes (p.27) but written as though during the diaspora into Babylon.
• The Animal Apocalypse- attributed to Enoch, during the Maccabean revolt also during the time of Antiochus Epiphanes. (p.43) but written as if from almost the beginning of days.
• 4 Ezra-100C.E. to bemoan the destruction of Jerusalem (p.58) but written as though from the scribe Ezra in around 556. (p.58)
To borrow heavily, indeed to allow another to speak the natural conclusion of grappling with the potential ethical/faith crisis which one could have in response to the idea of the Vaticinium Ex Event, Reddish states it perfectly:
“…for those people who value the religious dimension of apocalyptic literature, these writings continue to challenge and comfort. The eschatological visions of the apocalypses often serve at catalysts…serve as forceful reminders that the world…is not the way it should be…” (p36)
The very nature of the terms “prophesy” and “apocalypse” tend to incite rather instant and passionate feelings in the Western world. The number of fictional books and movies produced using the Judeo-Christian (and sometimes other faiths) literatures of prophesy and apocalypse are too numerous to even begin to list. The evangelical movement of working to decipher Biblical texts regarding “apocalypse” is exceedingly strong and exceedingly “literal”. There is a tremendous movement which has been ongoing for centuries, but has recently picked up momentum in literally working out days, numbers and events used in scripture to determine the date of Jesus’ Parousia.
Enter the concept of the Vaticinium Ex Eventu style of prophesy. The mere mention of such a mechanism of genre in scripture instantly creates a firestorm of opinions, articles, dissentions, defenses and more. The “Vaticinium Ex Eventu” literally translates from the latin: prophesy from (or after) the event. The idea of the formation of a work in this manner assumes a “pseudepigraphy” whereas the writer assumes the identity of a respected wise person of a previous age. This “wise person” is documenting certain future events which were given during a revelation. (In keeping with the usual definition of apocalyptic literature, this revelation is from heaven either through an otherworldly journey, or a vision delivered by otherworldy creatures.) Of course, though attributed to the “wise person”, if the work is written by someone else, they would naturally have knowledge of the events and the prophesy would appear to have been accurate.
So the question is raised, what is the purpose of the ex eventu? Must it be a crisis of faith or is it an affirmation of faith? With an understanding of the mode of declaration and the literary mechanisms of the ancient world, the notion of a subversive motive is obtuse. The purpose of texts using this device was to teach, exhort and edify.
The typical Evangelical position has a difficult time with ex eventu. Especially as it could deny the authority of scripture if prophesy contained in the Canonized Bible is indeed pseudepigraphic. I.e. did or did not Daniel write the book of Daniel? Did or did not the apostles write the gospels? To say they did not could be considered a complete affront to the authority of scripture. And there is a good point with that argument. If, indeed, Daniel did not write Daniel (and it is often considered one of the pseudepigraphic ) one could easily use it as a good reason to doubt the whole of scripture and thus, not believe. The group of www.badnewsaboutchristianity.com has chosen to do exactly that and have a full article to proselytize the non-believer. (It is referred to as: Christian Deceptions 4: The Restrospective Prophesy.)
In the wake of such arguments and with the genuine intention of refutation for the purpose of apologetics, evangelical scholars have endeavored to engage the argument of the authority of scripture. The evidence of the reliability of scripture is argued in general terms regularly through the use of logic and archeological findings of writings in pure forms such as those found with the Dead Sea Scrolls. “Thanks to archeology and the Dead Sea Scrolls, we now know. One of the scrolls was a complete MS of the Hebrew text of Isaiah. It is dated by paleographers around 125 B.C. This MS is more than 1000 years older than any MS we previously possessed.” [“The Best of Josh McDowell: A Ready Defense” Bill Wilson, Thomas Nelson Publishers c1993, pp 50-51]
Other evangelical scholars have worked to defend texts such as Daniel. One example of an anti-ex eventu defense of Daniel is the article by Dr. G. Ch. Aalders, PhD (1880-1960). [“The Book of Daniel: Its Historical Trustworthiness and Prophetic Character”; Evangelical Quarterly 2.3 (July 1930): 242-254] His work argues against negative criticism used to declare the Biblical book inaccurate, and he point by point approaches the major arguments given to him at the time. Dr. Aalders even goes so far as to defend what is often considered as the major inaccuracy: the demise of Antiochus. “We point to the death of Antiochus, predicted Dan. viii. 25 and xi.45: he was ‘broken without hand,’ a severe illness made him meet his fate. Critics consider it as a contradiction… but this is only due to a misunderstanding of the text…” While not specifically stated in his introduction, the conclusion of the article addresses ex eventu by name.
“Consequently, the suppositions which has to sustain the vaticinia ex eventu theory lacks exegetical validity… For, of course, the belief in the truth of Holy Writ does not depend upon the result of any scientific investigation, yet, over against the claim of negative Bible criticism, as if it were arriving at its conclusions merely by a thorough, impartial investigation of the Bible itself, we have to throw strong light upon the fact that a solid, accurate, scientific examination of the Bible does not impugn its truth.”
While his conclusion shows his opinion that his defense of the text has proven it may be historically verified, how this is supposed to deny ex eventu does not seem to be well-argued. A more accurate than previously thought text could argue either way for ex eventu or perfect prophesy. The purpose of its citation here is to show existing supportable work by the evangelical community to combat ex eventu specifically.
Moving forward, Dr. Aalders begs the question: Is it a “crisis” to use a scientific method and determine that a text (more importantly a truth text i.e. scripture) may, in fact, not be perfectly accurate? Is making such a “discovery” equivalent to maligning scripture? One may reasonably infer that this is the very concern of Dr. Aalders.
The purpose of such a style of prophesy in its proper setting is a necessary component of investigation. Ex eventu was a normative tool of communication throughout the ancient world. Multiple religions relied upon it to encourage their faithful. Kenton Sparks, in his book “Ancient Texts for the Study of the Hebrew Bible” [Hendrickson Publishers, Inc. 2005] notes its use in Mesopotamian, Egyptian, Persian and Greek apocalypses. Likewise, Christopher Buck’s article “Baha’u’llah as Zoroastrian savior” [Baha’i Studies Review, vol. 8-1998] gives another example of an apocalypse using the ex eventu method. “The prophecies of the Persian messiah, Shah Bahram Varjavand, are clearly modeled on the legendary Persian warlord Bahram obin …”
Why would ancient authors use this technique? First, by attributing its authorship to a hero or wise person who is known throughout the culture, the text gains instant credibility. Secondly, it was the regular thought of the era that history was cyclical. Ex eventu would be useful in retelling the events of a significant period in the culture’s history when it was recurring so the faithful could steel themselves in preparation. “There is no doubt, of course, that this pseudoprophetic device would have duped some readers, but it is perhaps more helpful to view the practice as a pious ruse rather than as a mendacious attempt to mislead.” (Sparks p.250)
Supporting the position that those who declare texts to be pseudepigraphic ex eventu works are not working to subvert the faithful is defended by Dr. Sam Storms. A self-professed “Reformed Evangelical”, his article “Apocalyptic” is a very brief outline/introduction to the entire genre of Apocalyptic literature. [www.enjoyinggodministries.com/ariticle/apocalyptic] In his section “Special Note on Daniel” he says:
“It is not necessarily the case that a scholar who places Daniel in the 2nd century and thus classifies it as pseudepigraphical does so because he has an anti-supernatural bias or is philosophically opposed to the possibility of predictive prophecy. Many believe that Daniel is simply another example of Jewish apocalyptic which, although canonical, manifests the same characteristics as all the ancient literature in that particular genre.”
He then utilizes a quote from John J. Collins which will be expanded here from Storm’s original text. “Nebuchadnezzar and Cyrus of Persia were unquestionably historical figures, but the stories in which they are mentioned are not for that reason factual. One can grant the a priori possibility of predictive prophecy without conceding that we find it in Daniel.” [Daniel with an Introduction to Apocalyptic Literature, John J. Collins, William B. Eerdmans Publishing Co. pp. 28-29] In this quote is the very permission by a highly esteemed scholar in the field of apocalyptic literature to believe both elements of historicity and mystery in these texts.
If it can be understood that each of these works, indeed most all apocalypses and several major prophesies were written during a time of real or perceived persecution or threat to ideology, then whether or not the writings were before or after the fact become moot. The point that this mode of declaration would or can only serve to undermine the authority of God is to misunderstand the genre and the authors entirely. “Apocalyptic literature is crisis literature. These writings were produced during a time of perceived crisis to offer hope to oppressed and beleaguered individuals by giving them an alternative picture of reality…” [Apocalyptic Literature: a Reader, Mitchell G. Reddish, Hendrickson Publishers, Inc. 1995 p.24]
Below are three examples of generally accepted scholarly accounts of the situations for many profound apocalyptic texts, both canonical and non-canonical as stated in “Reader”:
• Book of Daniel – The persecution of the Jews by Antiochus Epiphanes (p.27) but written as though during the diaspora into Babylon.
• The Animal Apocalypse- attributed to Enoch, during the Maccabean revolt also during the time of Antiochus Epiphanes. (p.43) but written as if from almost the beginning of days.
• 4 Ezra-100C.E. to bemoan the destruction of Jerusalem (p.58) but written as though from the scribe Ezra in around 556. (p.58)
To borrow heavily, indeed to allow another to speak the natural conclusion of grappling with the potential ethical/faith crisis which one could have in response to the idea of the Vaticinium Ex Event, Reddish states it perfectly:
“…for those people who value the religious dimension of apocalyptic literature, these writings continue to challenge and comfort. The eschatological visions of the apocalypses often serve at catalysts…serve as forceful reminders that the world…is not the way it should be…” (p36)
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