Browsing by Author "Ford, Jason"

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    Judgment in 4 Ezra, 2 Baruch, and Apocalypse of Abraham
    (2019-12-03) Ford, Jason; Henze, Matthias
    When the Roman army destroyed Jerusalem’s temple in 70 CE, it altered Jewish imagination and compelled religious and community leaders to devise messages of consolation. These messages needed to address both the contemporary situation and maintain continuity with Israel’s religious history. 4 Ezra, 2 Baruch, and Apocalypse of Abraham are three important witnesses to these new messages hope in the face of devastation. In this dissertation I focus on how these three authors used and explored the important religious theme of judgment. Regarding 4 Ezra, I argue that by focusing our reading on judgment and its role in the text’s message we uncover 4 Ezra’s essential meaning. 4 Ezra’s main character misunderstands the implications of the destroyed Temple and, despite rounds of dialogue with and angelic interlocutor, he only comes to see God’s justice for Israel in light of the end-time judgment God shows him in two visions. Woven deeply into the fabric of his story, the author of 2 Baruch utilizes judgment for different purposes. With the community’s stability and guidance in question, 2 Baruch promises the coming of God’s judgment on the wicked nations, as well as the heavenly reward for Israel itself. In that way, judgment serves a pedagogical purpose in 2 Baruch–to stabilize and inspire the community through its teaching. Of the three texts, Apocalypse of Abraham explores the meaning of judgment must directly. It also offers the most radical portrayal of judgment. For Apocalypse of Abraham, the violent judgment of Israel’s enemies serves as Israel’s own reward for their faithfulness. Apocalypse of Abraham’s community gets to avenge their own suffering. Through close textual analysis of judgment in 4 Ezra, 2 Baruch, and Apocalypse of Abraham, my dissertation offers a more robust understanding of Early Judaism’s theological development in the years after 70 CE.