The Passion Narrative in the Sibylline Oracles
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further proof of the influence of Ps 68:22 LXX. See also Nicklas, “Apokryphe Passions- traditionen” (n. 3), 274, n. 52. 50 Gospel of Peter, 16: “And someone of them said: ‛Give him to drink gall with vine- gary wine.’ And having made a mixture, they gave to drink;” Barn. 7:3: “When fixed to the cross, He had given Him to drink vinegar and gall;” Barn. 7:5: “Because to me, who am to offer my flesh for the sins of my new people, you are to give gall with vinegar to drink;” Melito of Sardis, On Pascha, 79:573:574: “You prepared for Him sharp nails and false witnesses and ropes and scourges and vinegar and gall;” 582–583: “While you had wine to drink and bread to eat, He had vinegar and gall.” See Mara, Évangile de Pierre (n. 9), 129–132, although she does not mention the Sibylline Oracles; Nicklas, “Apokry- phe Passionstraditionen” (n. 3), 274, n. 52. 51 See Moo, The Old Testament (n. 6), 249–252 and 278–280 and Massaux, Influence (n. 28), 89. 52 My own translation. For a detailed study of this short hymn, see M.D. Usher, “The Sixth Sibylline Oracle as a Literary Hymn,” Greek, Roman and Byzantine Studies 36 (1995), 25–49, and J.-M. Roessli, “Le VI e livre des Oracles sibyllins,” in: Les Sibylles. Actes des VIII e Entretiens de La Garenne Lemot, Nantes 18–20 octobre 2001, (ed. By J. Pigeaud; Nantes 2005), 203–230. An exhaustive bibliography of the previous scholarship on this book will be found there. 53 Lactantius, Div. Inst., 4:18:19: “And another Sibyl rebukes the land of Judaea in these verses: ‛For you, entertaining hurtful thoughts, did not recognize your God sporting with mortal thoughts; but crowned Him with a crown of thorns, and mingled dreadful Jean-Michel Roessli 322
is found in Book 1 of the Sibylline Oracles, appears in this violent judge- ment, where all Israel is identified with Sodom. Sib Or 1:375–378 and Sib Or 8:305–309 The Sibylline Oracles go immediately from the pseudo-meal offered to Jesus to the tearing of the Temple veil and to the darkness in the middle of the day. The first Book reverses the order of the events, as do the canonical Gospels; the eighth Book prefers to have the tearing of the veil before the darkness. Sib Or 1:375–378 nu,x e;stai skoto,essa pelw,rioj h;mati me,ssw| There will be monstrous dark night in midday kai. to,te dh. nao.j Solomw,nioj avnqrw,& poisin And then indeed the temple of Solomon will effect sh/ma me,g v evkele,sei( o`po,tan vAidwne,oj oi=kon a great sign for men, when he goes to the house of Hades be,setai avgge,llwn evpanastasi,hn teqnew/& sin) Announcing the resurrection to the dead. Sib Or 8:305–309 naou/ de. scisqh/| to. pe,tasma kai. h;mati me,ssw| The veil of the Temple will be rent, and in midday nu,x e;stai skoto,essa pelw,rioj evn trisi.n w[raij) there will be dark monstrous night for three hours.
ouvke,ti ga.r krufi,w| te no,mw| naw|/ te la& treu,ein For it has been again revealed that there would no longer be obedience to a temple fantasi,aij ko,smou kekalumme,nw| au=tij evdei,cqh nor to a secret law hidden behind the illusions of the world, auvqe,ntou kataba,ntoj evpi. cqono.j avena,oio) when the eternal sovereign came down to earth.
The two events are narrated in the Synoptics (Matt 27:51; Mark 15:38; Luke 23:45; and Matt 27:45; Mark 15:33; Luke 23:34), but the treatment in the Sibylline Oracles is quite different. Apart from the reverse order of the two events, Book 8 is very close in its formulation to the Synoptics, since the substantive nao,j and the verb
gall.’ [Sib Or 6:22–24]” (Translated by Fletcher, Ante-Nicene Fathers [n. 27], 120–121.) Lactantius has another variant in the first hemistich of verse 23, which explains the dif- ference in translation; on this, see Roessli, “Le VI e livre des Oracles sibyllins” (n. 52), 226–227. The Passion Narrative in the Sibylline Oracles 323
sci,zw are found in it. Only the word pe,tasma replaces, for obvious metric reasons, the composite word katape,tasma of the Synoptics. Furthermore, Book 8 seems to link the tearing of the veil and the coming of the Word on earth to the lifting of all restrictions on reaching God (v. 307–309): “For it
54 These verses are certainly to be read in relation to lines 299–301, as if they were written to follow them (“For it has been again revealed…”). They also refer to one of the possible interpretations of Matt 27:51 (“
” [NRSV]) the veil of the sanctuary pointing possibly both to the veil separating the parvis of the Temple itself – the renting of which opens up access to the presence of God to the pa- gans – as well as to the veil separating the Holy place from the Holy of Holies – the tearing of which means the end of the priesthood of the An- cient Covenant. 55 This is not the same in the first book, where the Sibyl takes some liberties in describing the Temple (nao,j) as “Solomonian” – as she does again later (v. 393). 56 She predicts not the tearing of the veil – which is totally absent in this version of the narrative – but that a great sign (sh/ma) would echo from the Temple. This imagery belongs to the sib- ylline repertoire of signs (sh,mata) and prodigies (Sib Or 4:56; 12:74; 14:221, and, above all, Sib Or 8:244). 57
known to the Synoptics (Matt 27:45, Mark 15:33, and Luke 23:44) and
54 My translation. Collins’ translation is: “For no longer with secret law and temple must one serve / the phantoms of the world. That which had been hidden was again made manifest / when the eternal sovereign came down to earth.” Compare also with Terry, Sibylline Oracles (1899, n. 26), 60: “For it was no more pointed out again / How to serve secret temple and the law / Which had been covered with the world’s displays, / When the Eternal came himself on earth,” and with Roessli, “Les oracles sibyllins” (n. 26), 1077: “Car il fut à nouveau révélé qu’on ne servirait plus un temple / et une loi secrète qui se cache dans les images du monde, / une fois le souverain éternel descendu sur terre.” A similar idea is found later in 8:326–328: “… appearing gentle to all so that he [the king Jesus] may lift our yoke / of slavery, hard to bear, which lies on our neck / and undo the
438, who refers to Hagner, Matthew 14–28 (n. 42), 849. See also Nicklas, “Apokryphe Passionstraditionen” (n. 3), 275, who rightly identifies the law of Sib Or 8:307 with the Jewish Torah, and wonders sceptically (n. 54) if the “secret law” of this verse has some- thing to do with the secret revelation added to the Torah, of which the apocalyptic tradi- tion speaks. 55 See note to Matt 27:51 (TOB [n. 42]). 56 The adjective Solomw,nioj is found only here and in Sib Or 3:167, 214 in the Judaeo-Hellenistic literature. 57 See Lightfoot, The Sibylline Oracles (n. 1), 437. Jean-Michel Roessli 324
happens after the tearing of the veil, contrary to what happens in Book 8. In the Synoptics there is darkness from the sixth to the ninth hour, i.e. for three hours, but it is not said that it was night during the day. The Gospel
speaks of darkness at midday (v. 15): “it was noon and darkness came over all of Judea.” 58 The Gospel of Peter differs when this happens abruptly before the drinking scene and because the drink consists in a mixture of gall and vinegar (v. 16), something we do not find in the Sibylline Oracles. So, it seems that once again the Gospel of Peter and the Sibylline
other, since we find as many points of convergence as points of divergence between them. 59
Patristic tradition 60 saw in the miraculous darkness at Calvary the ac- complishment of the prophecies by Amos 8:9 “‘On that day,’ says the Lord GOD, ‘I will make the sun go down at noon, and darken the earth in broad daylight’” and Jer 15:9: “… her sun went down while it was yet day.” 61
Lactantius offers a good example, since he refers to these biblical prophe- cies before quoting our Sibylline verses: Therefore, being lifted up and nailed to the cross, He cried to the Lord with a loud voice, and of His own accord gave up His spirit. And at the same hour there was an earthquake; and the veil of the temple, which separated the two tabernacles, was rent into two parts; and the sun suddenly withdrew its light, and there was darkness from the sixth even to the ninth hour. Of which event the prophet Amos testifies: ‛And it shall come to pass in that day, says the Lord, that the sun shall go down at noon, and the daylight shall be darkened; and I will turn your feasts into mourning, and your songs into lamentation.’ Also Jeremiah: ‛She who brings forth is affrighted, and vexed in spirit; her sun is gone down while it was yet mid-day; she hath been ashamed and confounded; and the residue of them will I give to the sword in the sight of their enemies.’ And the Sibyl: ‛And the veil of the temple shall be rent, and at midday there shall be dark vast night for three hours.’
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58 Gospel of Peter, v. 15a: h=n de. meshmbi,a kai. sko,toj kate,sce pa/san th.n VIoudai,an. Translated by Ehrman, Lost Scriptures (n. 7), 32. See Nicklas, “Apokryphe Passionstradi- tionen” (n. 3), 274. 59 On this, see, of course, Nicklas, “Apokryphe Passionstraditionen” (n. 3), who did not take Books 1 and 6 into account in his comparison. 60 Irenaeus, haer., 4:33:12; Tertullian, Against the Jews, 10; Against Marcion, 4:42; Cyprian, Testimonia, 2:23; Eusebius, Evangelical Demonstration, 10:6:1; Aphraate, Homelies, 1:11; Cyril of Jerusalem, Cat., 13:25. 61 Amos 8:9 LXX: du,setai o` h[lioj meshmbri,aj. Jer 15:9: evpe,du o` h[lioj auvth/| e;ti mesou,shj th/j h`me,raj . See E. Massaux, Influence (n. 28), 89–90. 62 Lactantius, Div. Inst., 4:19:2–5: “Suspensus igitur et adfixus exclamauit ad Deum uoce magna et ultro spiritum posuit. Et eadem hora terrae motus factus est et uelum tem- pli quod separabat duo tabernacula scissum est in duas partes et sol repente subductus est et ab hora sexta usque in nonam tenebrae fuerunt. Qua de re Amos propheta testatur: ‛Et
The Passion Narrative in the Sibylline Oracles 325
Neither the Sibyl in Book 1 nor the Sibyl in Book 8 mentions the simultaneous earthquake of Matt 27:51 (“ The earth shook, and the rocks were split”) and parallels. 63
In Book 1 the sound or sign (sh/ma) which resounds in the Temple coincides with the descent of Christ into Hell. 64 In Book 8 the descent happens when the veil of the temple is rent and the night comes in midday. This event seems present in the NT (cf. 1 Cor 15:20: “the first fruits (avparch,) of those who have died,” and perhaps 1 Pet 3:19: “
), where it is connected to prophetic expectations. When Lactantius cites Sib Or 8:312–314 in his Divine Institutes (4:19:10), he does it in relation to Psalm 3:6 [3:5] and 16 (15):10, and above all Hos 6:2 (“After two days he will
tradition, especially at the beginning, has a hard time agreeing about what Christ actually said when he was in Hell. 65 The Sibylline Oracles reflect this diversity of views. In Book 1, Christ is presented as proclaiming the resurrection of the dead without any exception (v. 378). In Book 8, however, he offers hope for all the saints (v. 310-311; cf. v. 227), and announces the end of time and the last day (v. 311). Verse 312 goes further in promising that Christ will put an end to death: “And he will complete the
Lactantius understood it: “And the Sibyl, too, said that he would impose a terminus on death after a sleep of three days: ‘And the sleep of death hav-
erit in illo die, dicit Dominus, occidet sol meridie et obtenebricabitur dies lucis: et co- nuertam dies festos uestros in luctum et cantica uestra in lamentationem.’ Item Hiere- mias: ‛Exterrita est quae parit et taediuit anima, et subiuit sol ei, cum adhuc medius dies esset, contusa est et maledicta: reliquos eorum in gladium dabo in conspectu inimicorum eorum.’ Et Sibylla: [Or sib 8,305–306]” (Translated by W. Fletcher, Ante-Nicene Fathers [n. 27], 122.) 63 Lightfoot, The Sibylline Oracles (n. 1), 437. 64 VAidwne,oj is probably a poetic form of VAidhj (8:310) rather than the genitive of Adonis (VAidwneu,j), as Collins believed and which I correct. 65 On this topic, see R. Gounelle, La descente du Christ aux enfers. Institutionalisa- tion d’une croyance (CEA; Série Antiquité 162; Paris 2000); id. (ed.), La descente du Christ aux enfers (Supplément Cahiers Évangile 128; Paris 2004), although he says no- thing about the Sibylline Oracles. Jean-Michel Roessli 326
ing been undergone, he shall be dead for three days. And then coming back from the dead he shall come to light, the first of resurrection, showing the beginning to those called.’ (Sib Or 8:312-314)” 66
Sib Or 1:377b–380 ))) o[po,tan VAidwne,oj oi=kon ... when he goes to the house of Hades
bh,setai avgge,llwn evpanastasi,hn teqne& w/sin Announcing the resurrection to the dead. auvta.r evph.n e;lqh| trisi.n h;masin evj fa,oj au=tij
When he comes again in three days to the light
kai. dei,xh| qnhtoi/si tu,pon kai. pa,nta dida,xh| and shows his wounds and teaches all...
h[xei dV eivj vAi,dhn avgge,llwn evlpi,da pa/sin He will come to the Hades announcing hope for all toi/j a`gi,oij( te,loj aivw,nwn kai. e;scaton h=mar the holy ones, the end of ages and last day, kai. qana,tou moi/ran tele,sei tri,ton h=mar u`pnw,saj and he will complete the fate of death when he has slept the third day. kai. to,t v avpo. fqime,nwn avnalu,saj eivj fa,oj h[xei
And then, returning from the dead, he will come to light, prw,toj avnasta,sewj klhtoi/j avrch.n u`po& dei,xaj
first of the resurrection, showing a begin- ning to the elect... Conclusion When one examines the relationships between the Scriptures and the Books of the Sibylline Oracles considered in this paper, it can be con- cluded that the latter reveal clear affinity with the Gospel of Matthew, as is frequently the case for several Christian literary works written before the third century. They also show the faint influence of other canonical writ- ings, of certain apocrypha and, of course, of the Prophets. However, we find no explicit quotations from Mark and Luke in Books 6 and 8, 67 while
Mark shows up in Book 1 by a short allusion to the story of John the Bap-
66 Lactantius, Div. Inst., 4:19:10: “Et ideo Sibylla impositurum esse morti terminum dixit post tridui somnum: [Sib Or 8:312–314]” (Translated by M.F. McDonald, in The Fathers of the Church. A New Translation, vol. 49; New York 1964, 297–298). The pas- sion narrative ends here. Books 1 and 8 continue with the apparition of the Resurrected and his ascension to heaven (Sib Or 1:380–381 and 8:318–320), preceded in 8:315–317 by an exegesis of the baptism. 67 See Massaux, Influence (n. 28), 80–98, for the last point 97. See also W.-D. Köh- ler, Die Rezeption des Matthäusevangeliums in der Zeit vor Irenäus (WUNT II.24; Tü- bingen 1987). The Passion Narrative in the Sibylline Oracles 327
tist’s murder (1:342–343) and an apparent verbal similarity (1:373). 68 In Book 1 there are still more episodes closely copied from Matthew than in Books 6 and 8, and some passages specifically reflect the vocabulary of John (1:373–374, and 1:340–341 and 360–361 for episodes other than the passion narrative), which does not seem to be the case in Books 6 and 8. The main difference consists of opposing views on Jesus’ attitude towards the Law. The Sibyl of Book 1 asserts that he “will fulfil” it (v. 332), while the Sibyl of Book 8 insists that he will abolish it and all what is connected to it (vv. 300–301; 307–309, 326b–328, quoted by Lactantius in Div. Inst. 7:18:8.) 69 Furthermore, Book 8 is much more interested in mystical and typological interpretations and its language is much more metaphorical, sometimes even a bit florid (see, e. g., Sib Or 8:294–298). The juxtaposition and combination of various Gospel sources cause us to think that the authors of these works could have used a Gospel harmony, since there is evidence for such harmonies for this period (second and third centuries). 70 Nevertheless, the Oracles are sometimes too eclectic for a harmony, although some episodes might reflect such an approach, for example, the fusion of two episodes: the mockery of Jesus with a crown of thorns and a reed before the crucifixion and the piercing of his side during the crucifixion in 1:373-374 and 8:294-296. In fact, the Sibyl seems particularly interested in the Gospel narratives which have a prophetic background or which explicitly quote prophetic texts. Thus, the Sibyl shows an inclination for Matthew and other New Testament writings which incorporate prophetic testimonies applicable to Christ. So, for example, the obstinate refusal of Israel to recognize Jesus as the Messiah in Sib Or 1:360–364; 368–371, is read alongside Isa 6, quoted in the Gospels and the Acts. The bad treatment reserved to the Messiah in
which are themselves paraphrased in the Synoptics. The same thing hap- pens with the gall and the vinegar which come from Psalm 68 LXX, al- luded to by John and clearly reinterpreted by Matthew. The Sibyls oscillate constantly between the Gospels, the Prophets as quoted in the Gospels, and the original prophetic sources, sometimes through a New Testament cita- tion (Sib Or 1:365–366: ptu,smata; Sib Or 8:289: evmptu,smata; Sib Or 1:367
68 Lightfoot, The Sibylline Oracles (n. 1), 426 finds a single – perhaps accidental – echo of Luke (Sib Or 1:371). 69 Lactantius, Div. Inst., 7:18:8: “He will take away the intolerable yoke of slavery which is placed on our neck, and he will do away with impious laws and violent chains.” (Translated by W. Fletcher, The Ante-Nicene Fathers [n. 27], 116.) Yüklə 246,16 Kb. Dostları ilə paylaş:
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