Apocryphon of Ezekiel
Encyclopedia
Apocryphon of Ezekiel is an apocrypha
l book, written in the style of the Old Testament
, as revelations of Ezekiel
. It survives only in fragments including quotations in writings by Epiphanius
, Clement of Rome and Clement of Alexandria
, and the Chester Beatty Papyri
185. It is likely to have been composed circa 50 BC
- 50 AD, although some scholars suggest a date closer to 70 CE.
The largest fragment tells of a king who holds a feast to which he invites everyone except two beggars, a blind man and a cripple. The two are angry and determine to have their revenge: the cripple sits on the blind man's shoulders, and together they damage the king's orchard, but the king discovers what they have done and punishes them both. The moral of the story, according to the narrator, is that this proves the resurrection of the body, since soul and body must function together.
4QPseudo-Ezekiel, one of the Dead Sea Scrolls
, is possibly further fragments of this text, or it may be a different work concerning Ezekiel, but it is difficult to tell.
Apocrypha
The term apocrypha is used with various meanings, including "hidden", "esoteric", "spurious", "of questionable authenticity", ancient Chinese "revealed texts and objects" and "Christian texts that are not canonical"....
l book, written in the style of the Old Testament
Old Testament
The Old Testament, of which Christians hold different views, is a Christian term for the religious writings of ancient Israel held sacred and inspired by Christians which overlaps with the 24-book canon of the Masoretic Text of Judaism...
, as revelations of Ezekiel
Ezekiel
Ezekiel , "God will strengthen" , is the central protagonist of the Book of Ezekiel in the Hebrew Bible. In Judaism, Christianity and Islam, Ezekiel is acknowledged as a Hebrew prophet...
. It survives only in fragments including quotations in writings by Epiphanius
Epiphanius of Salamis
Epiphanius of Salamis was bishop of Salamis at the end of the 4th century. He is considered a saint and a Church Father by both the Eastern Orthodox and Catholic Churches. He gained a reputation as a strong defender of orthodoxy...
, Clement of Rome and Clement of Alexandria
Clement of Alexandria
Titus Flavius Clemens , known as Clement of Alexandria , was a Christian theologian and the head of the noted Catechetical School of Alexandria. Clement is best remembered as the teacher of Origen...
, and the Chester Beatty Papyri
Chester Beatty Papyri
The Chester Beatty Biblical Papyri or simply the Chester Beatty Papyri are a group of early papyrus manuscripts of biblical texts. The manuscripts are in Greek and are of Christian origin. There are eleven manuscripts in the group, seven consisting of portions of Old Testament books, three...
185. It is likely to have been composed circa 50 BC
50 BC
Year 50 BC was a year of the pre-Julian Roman calendar. At the time, it was known as the Year of the Consulship of Paullus and Marcellus...
- 50 AD, although some scholars suggest a date closer to 70 CE.
The largest fragment tells of a king who holds a feast to which he invites everyone except two beggars, a blind man and a cripple. The two are angry and determine to have their revenge: the cripple sits on the blind man's shoulders, and together they damage the king's orchard, but the king discovers what they have done and punishes them both. The moral of the story, according to the narrator, is that this proves the resurrection of the body, since soul and body must function together.
4QPseudo-Ezekiel, one of the Dead Sea Scrolls
Dead Sea scrolls
The Dead Sea Scrolls are a collection of 972 texts from the Hebrew Bible and extra-biblical documents found between 1947 and 1956 on the northwest shore of the Dead Sea, from which they derive their name...
, is possibly further fragments of this text, or it may be a different work concerning Ezekiel, but it is difficult to tell.