The ''Ascension of Isaiah'' is a
pseudepigraphical Judeo-Christian text.
[ Harris, Stephen L., ''Understanding the Bible''. Palo Alto: Mayfield. 1985.] Scholarly estimates regarding the date of the Ascension of Isaiah range from 70 AD to 175 AD.
[Hurtado, Larry. ''Lord Jesus Christ: Devotion to Jesus in Earliest Christianity.'' Eerdmans, 2005, 595-602, p.588 "the Ascension of Isaiah (variously dated from 70 to ca. 175, and hereafter Asc. Isa.)"] Many scholars believe it to be a compilation of several texts completed by an unknown
Christian
Christians () are people who follow or adhere to Christianity, a monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus Christ. The words '' Christ'' and ''Christian'' derive from the Koine Greek title ''Christós'' (Χρ ...
scribe who claimed to be the
Prophet Isaiah, while an increasing number of scholars in recent years have argued that the work is a unity by a single author that may have utilized multiple sources.
Many scholars have seen some similarities with
Gnosticism
Gnosticism (from grc, γνωστικός, gnōstikós, , 'having knowledge') is a collection of religious ideas and systems which coalesced in the late 1st century AD among Judaism, Jewish and Early Christianity, early Christian sects. These ...
and the Ascension of Isaiah.
Dating of the text
It is generally believed that the text is composed of three different sections written at different times, by different authors. The earliest section, regarding chapters 3:13–4:22, was composed at about the end of the first century AD or perhaps early second century and is believed to be a text of Jewish origins which was later on redacted by Christian scribes. The date of the Vision of Isaiah (chapters 6–11) is rather more difficult to determine, but it is no more recent than the third century, since
Jerome
Jerome (; la, Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus; grc-gre, Εὐσέβιος Σωφρόνιος Ἱερώνυμος; – 30 September 420), also known as Jerome of Stridon, was a Christian priest, confessor, theologian, and historian; he is co ...
(c. 347–420 AD) cites a fragment of the work in some of his writings, but from internal evidence it seems that the text is to be placed before the end of the second century AD. The whole work was on a later date assembled as M.A. Kinibb writes:
It is not known when exactly the three sections of the Ascension were combined. The Greek fragment (from the 5th–6th cent.), the palimpsest giving the text of the fragments of the first Latin translation (likewise from the 5th–6th cent.), and the Ethiopic translation (which was made some time during the 4th-6th cent.) all presuppose the existence of the complete work. But the character of the mistakes in the Greek fragment and the Latin palimpsest suggests that the complete work had already been in existence for some time when these manuscripts were copied. It thus seems likely that the three sections of the Ascension were brought together in the third or fourth century A.D., and this is confirmed by the fact that Jerome seems to have known the complete book. It is possible that there were two stages in the process, first the combination of 3:13-4:22 with the Martyrdom, and second the combination of the enlarged Martyrdom with the Vision.
Knibb thus dates the whole text as being written between AD 150 and 200 but assembled at a later time. Most scholars agree that a mid to early second century date for the principal portion of the document is probable, dateable in its present to the least the early part of the second century.
Content
Structure
The book has three main sections:
*The first part of the book (chapters 1–5), generally referred to as the Martyrdom of Isaiah, recounts and expands on the events of
2 Kings
The Book of Kings (, '' Sēfer Məlāḵīm'') is a book in the Hebrew Bible, found as two books (1–2 Kings) in the Old Testament of the Christian Bible. It concludes the Deuteronomistic history, a history of Israel also including the books ...
chapter 21. Isaiah warns the dying
Hezekiah
Hezekiah (; hbo, , Ḥīzqīyyahū), or Ezekias); grc, Ἐζεκίας 'Ezekías; la, Ezechias; also transliterated as or ; meaning "Yah shall strengthen" (born , sole ruler ), was the son of Ahaz and the 13th king of Judah according to th ...
that his
heir,
Manasseh, will not follow the same path. When Manasseh takes over, and Isaiah's warning proves true, Isaiah and a group of fellow prophets head into the desert, and a demon named
Beliar
Belial ( he, , ''Bəlīyyaʿal'') is a term occurring in the Hebrew Bible/Old Testament which later became personified as the devilSee the reference to "Beliar" in ''The Ascension of Isaiah'', at EarlyChristianWritings.com', specifically at ...
inspires a
false prophet
In religion, a false prophet is a person who falsely claims the gift of prophecy or divine inspiration, or to speak for God, or who makes such claims for evil ends. Often, someone who is considered a "true prophet" by some people is simulta ...
named
Belkira to accuse Isaiah of
treason
Treason is the crime of attacking a state authority to which one owes allegiance. This typically includes acts such as participating in a war against one's native country, attempting to overthrow its government, spying on its military, its diplo ...
. The king consequently condemns Isaiah to death, and although Isaiah hides in a tree, he is found, and Belkira leads the execution.
**Into the middle of this (3:13–4:22) is a Christian
apocalypse
Apocalypse () is a literary genre in which a supernatural being reveals cosmic mysteries or the future to a human intermediary. The means of mediation include dreams, visions and heavenly journeys, and they typically feature symbolic imager ...
called the Testament of Hezekiah, describing a vision of the coming of Jesus, the subsequent corruption of the Christian church, the rule of Beliar, and the
second coming
The Second Coming (sometimes called the Second Advent or the Parousia) is a Christian (as well as Islamic and Baha'i) belief that Jesus will return again after his ascension to heaven about two thousand years ago. The idea is based on messi ...
. All of this is phrased in such a way that it is clearly a code for the persecution of the Church by
Nero
Nero Claudius Caesar Augustus Germanicus ( ; born Lucius Domitius Ahenobarbus; 15 December AD 37 – 9 June AD 68), was the fifth Roman emperor and final emperor of the Julio-Claudian dynasty, reigning from AD 54 unt ...
and the belief that Nero was an
Antichrist
In Christian eschatology, the Antichrist refers to people prophesied by the Bible to oppose Jesus Christ and substitute themselves in Christ's place before the Second Coming. The term Antichrist (including one plural form)1 John ; . 2 John ...
.
*The second part of the book (chapters 6–11) is referred to as the Vision of Isaiah and describes an angel-assisted journey, prior to the events of the first part of the book, by Isaiah through the Seven
Heaven
Heaven or the heavens, is a common religious cosmological or transcendent supernatural place where beings such as deities, angels, souls, saints, or venerated ancestors are said to originate, be enthroned, or reside. According to the bel ...
s. It is written from a Christian perspective, concentrating on Jesus (named as the "Beloved" in the text) descending through each of the heavens disguising himself as an angel toward earth, his earthly birth, death,
his resurrection, and the
ascension of Jesus.
The extant complete manuscripts of the Ascension of Isaiah include a brief account of Jesus' nativity, birth, and crucifixion (11:2–22). According to Jonathan Knight, these expanded traditions are found in the
Ethiopic translation (E) while the
Slavonic and one of the two
Latin
Latin (, or , ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally a dialect spoken in the lower Tiber area (then known as Latium) around present-day Rome, but through the power ...
translations (S and L2) replace them with a short summary of the earthly appearance traditions. Furthermore, he states that the common outlook among scholars is that 11:2-22 was originally in the Ascension of Isaiah and not a later insertion or adulteration.
Elements of the ''Ascension of Isaiah'' are paralleled in other Jewish and Christian writings. The method of Isaiah's death (sawn in half by
Manasseh) is agreed upon by both the
Babylonian Talmud
The Talmud (; he, , Talmūḏ) is the central text of Rabbinic Judaism and the primary source of Jewish religious law ('' halakha'') and Jewish theology. Until the advent of modernity, in nearly all Jewish communities, the Talmud was the cen ...
and
Jerusalem Talmud
The Jerusalem Talmud ( he, תַּלְמוּד יְרוּשַׁלְמִי, translit=Talmud Yerushalmi, often for short), also known as the Palestinian Talmud or Talmud of the Land of Israel, is a collection of rabbinic notes on the second-century ...
and is probably alluded to by the writer of the
Epistle to the Hebrews
The Epistle to the Hebrews ( grc, Πρὸς Ἑβραίους, Pros Hebraious, to the Hebrews) is one of the books of the New Testament.
The text does not mention the name of its author, but was traditionally attributed to Paul the Apostle. Mos ...
(11:37). The demon Beliar appears in quite a number of apocryphal works, including the ''
Book of Jubilees
The Book of Jubilees, sometimes called Lesser Genesis (Leptogenesis), is an ancient Jewish religious work of 50 chapters (1,341 verses), considered canonical by the Ethiopian Orthodox Church as well as Beta Israel (Ethiopian Jews), where it is ...
'', the ''
Book of Enoch'', the ''
Testaments of the Twelve Patriarchs
The Testaments of the Twelve Patriarchs is a constituent of the apocryphal scriptures connected with the Bible. It is believed to be a Pseudepigrapha, pseudepigraphical work of the dying commands of the twelve sons of Jacob. It is part of the Osk ...
'', and the ''
Sibylline Oracles''. Finally, Isaiah's journey through the Seven Heavens parallels that of Enoch in the ''
Second Book of Enoch''.
The first section of the text also contains hostility toward the
Samaritans
Samaritans (; ; he, שומרונים, translit=Šōmrōnīm, lit=; ar, السامريون, translit=as-Sāmiriyyūn) are an ethnoreligious group who originate from the ancient Israelites. They are native to the Levant and adhere to Samarit ...
, a Jewish sect that claim to be Jews left behind during the
Babylonian exile
The Babylonian captivity or Babylonian exile is the period in Jewish history during which a large number of Judeans from the ancient Kingdom of Judah were captives in Babylon, the capital city of the Neo-Babylonian Empire, following their def ...
disowned by the remainder.
Proto-Trinitarianism
Some scholars have noted that the Ascension reflects a proto-Trinitarian perspective, such as when the inhabitants of the sixth heaven sing praises to "the primal Father and his Beloved Christ, and the Holy Spirit".
Larry Hurtado
Larry Weir Hurtado, (December 29, 1943 – November 25, 2019), was an American New Testament scholar, historian of early Christianity, and Emeritus Professor of New Testament Language, Literature, and Theology at the University of Edinbu ...
writes;
The most extended narrative of heavenly worship is in 9.27–42, however, where a similar triadic view is presented. Having reached the seventh heaven, which is bathed in incomparable light, Isaiah sees innumerable angels and "all the righteous from the time of Adam onwards" (9.6–9). Then, after his angel guide explains how the descent of the Beloved One will make it possible for the righteous to receive their robes, crowns, and thrones (9.10–26), Isaiah sees a figure "whose glory surpassed that of all" being worshiped by Adam, Abel, and all the other righteous and angels (9.27–28). Crucially, at this point the angel guide directs Isaiah to "Worship this one," whom the angel identifies as "the Lord of all the praise which you have seen" (9.31–32), the Beloved One; Isaiah joins in the worship and sung praise directed to this figure. Then another glorious figure approaches, subsequently identified as "the angel of the Holy Spirit who has spoken in you and also in the other righteous" (9.36), and Isaiah is likewise told
to join the angels in worshiping this one (9.35–36). Finally, in a carefully prepared climax to this scene, Isaiah sees "the Great Glory" (but with his spirit, for it appears that his eyes are blinded by the light of this glory, 9.37), and he relates how "my Lord" and "the angel of the Spirit" both offered worship to this third figure, along with "all the righteous" and the angels (9.40–42).
Theological controversy
The ''Ascension of Isaiah'' suggests early Christian belief in
subordinationism, similar to that of
Origen
Origen of Alexandria, ''Ōrigénēs''; Origen's Greek name ''Ōrigénēs'' () probably means "child of Horus" (from , "Horus", and , "born"). ( 185 – 253), also known as Origen Adamantius, was an early Christian scholar, ascetic, and the ...
and, later,
Novatian
Novatian (c. 200–258) was a scholar, priest, and theologian. He is considered by the Catholic Church to have been an antipope between 251 and 258. Some Greek authors give his name as Novatus, who was an African presbyter.
He was a noted th ...
.
The text describes the worship of the "Great Glory" by the "Beloved" and the "Angel of the Holy Spirit," implying hierarchy in the ranks of the trinity. Further, it is suggested that the angels escorting Isaiah in his ascension are none other than Jesus ("the Beloved") and the Angel of the Holy Spirit. By the text labeling Jesus and the Holy Spirit as angelic beings, a Christology and pneumatology are established that distinguish "the LORD" from "my LORD" and the Holy Spirit.
This would be cause to label the story as heretical in the Western Orthodox tradition, along with similar theological beliefs, such as Arianism. Nonetheless, early Jewish-Christians, most likely in the Palestinian region, would have found this story influential in understanding theology, pneumatology and Christology, largely due to its referral to the Hebrew scriptures' prophets.
Demons
Theological demons noted in the text are:
*
Belial
Belial ( he, , ''Bəlīyyaʿal'') is a term occurring in the Hebrew Bible/Old Testament which later became personified as the devilSee the reference to "Beliar" in ''The Ascension of Isaiah'', at EarlyChristianWritings.com', specifically at ...
is the angel of lawlessness (
Antinomianism
Antinomianism (Ancient Greek: ἀντί 'anti''"against" and νόμος 'nomos''"law") is any view which rejects laws or legalism and argues against moral, religious or social norms (Latin: mores), or is at least considered to do so. The term h ...
) and is also identified as
Samael and
Satan
Satan,, ; grc, ὁ σατανᾶς or , ; ar, شيطانالخَنَّاس , also known as the Devil, and sometimes also called Lucifer in Christianity, is an entity in the Abrahamic religions that seduces humans into sin or falsehoo ...
.
*
Samael is identified in the vision that Isaiah experienced, wherein he ascended to the firmament and notes, "there I saw Sammael
icand his hosts, and there was great fighting therein. ...as above so on the earth
elowalso; for the likeness of that which is in the firmament is here on the earth."
Samael is also often identified as ''Malkira'' (
Heb.: מלך רע ''melek ra'' - lit. "king of evil", "king of the wicked"; or מלאך רע ''malach ra'' - "messenger of evil", "angel of iniquity"), which are all epithets of the false prophet sent by Belial to accuse Isaiah of treason.
Composition
According to the theory of
R. H. Charles
Robert Henry (R. H.) Charles, (Cookstown, 6 August 1855–Westminster, 1931) was an Irish Anglican theologian, biblical scholar, professor, and translator from Northern Ireland. He is known particularly for his English translations of numerous a ...
, the text incorporates three distinct sections, each once a separate work that is a single compilation here. Of these, one, the first, appears to have been written by a
Jewish
Jews ( he, יְהוּדִים, , ) or Jewish people are an ethnoreligious group and nation originating from the Israelites Israelite origins and kingdom: "The first act in the long drama of Jewish history is the age of the Israelites""The ...
author, and the other two by
Christians
Christians () are people who follow or adhere to Christianity, a monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus Christ. The words ''Christ'' and ''Christian'' derive from the Koine Greek title ''Christós'' (Χρι ...
. However modern scholarship holds that it was all the work of Christians writers.
According to Charles, ''The Martyrdom'' consists of:
E. Norelli suggests on the contrary that the whole text, even if written in different times, is the expression of a
docetic
In the history of Christianity, docetism (from the grc-koi, δοκεῖν/δόκησις ''dokeĩn'' "to seem", ''dókēsis'' "apparition, phantom") is the heterodox doctrine that the phenomenon of Jesus, his historical and bodily existence, an ...
Christian
Christians () are people who follow or adhere to Christianity, a monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus Christ. The words '' Christ'' and ''Christian'' derive from the Koine Greek title ''Christós'' (Χρ ...
prophetic group related with the group attacked by
Ignatius of Antioch
Ignatius of Antioch (; Greek: Ἰγνάτιος Ἀντιοχείας, ''Ignátios Antiokheías''; died c. 108/140 AD), also known as Ignatius Theophorus (, ''Ignátios ho Theophóros'', lit. "the God-bearing"), was an early Christian writer ...
in his letters to
the Smyrnaeans and to
the Trallians. According to this scholar chapters 6-11 (the Vision) are older than chapters 1–5 (which represent a later pessimistic introduction to the original Vision), the date of composition is the end of the 1st century AD, and the narrative of Mary's pregnancy (AI 11:2-5) is independent from the
Gospel of Matthew
The Gospel of Matthew), or simply Matthew. It is most commonly abbreviated as "Matt." is the first book of the New Testament of the Bible and one of the three synoptic Gospels. It tells how Israel's Messiah, Jesus, comes to his people and ...
. After Norelli, other scholars rejected characterizing the Ascension of Isaiah as a docetic text.
[Hannah, Darrell D. "The ascension of Isaiah and docetic christology." Vigiliae christianae 53.2 (1999): 165–196.]
Manuscript tradition
The text exists as a whole in three
Ge'ez manuscript
A manuscript (abbreviated MS for singular and MSS for plural) was, traditionally, any document written by hand – or, once practical typewriters became available, typewritten – as opposed to mechanically printed or reproduced ...
s of around the 15th-18th centuries, but fragments have also survived in
Greek
Greek may refer to:
Greece
Anything of, from, or related to Greece, a country in Southern Europe:
*Greeks, an ethnic group.
*Greek language, a branch of the Indo-European language family.
**Proto-Greek language, the assumed last common ancestor ...
,
Coptic,
Latin
Latin (, or , ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally a dialect spoken in the lower Tiber area (then known as Latium) around present-day Rome, but through the power ...
, and
Old Church Slavonic
Old Church Slavonic or Old Slavonic () was the first Slavic literary language.
Historians credit the 9th-century Byzantine missionaries Saints Cyril and Methodius with standardizing the language and using it in translating the Bible and other ...
. All three component texts appear to have been in Greek, and it is possible that the "
Martyrdom of Isaiah" derives from a
Hebrew
Hebrew (; ; ) is a Northwest Semitic language of the Afroasiatic language family. Historically, it is one of the spoken languages of the Israelites and their longest-surviving descendants, the Jews and Samaritans. It was largely preserved ...
or
Aramaic
The Aramaic languages, short Aramaic ( syc, ܐܪܡܝܐ, Arāmāyā; oar, 𐤀𐤓𐤌𐤉𐤀; arc, 𐡀𐡓𐡌𐡉𐡀; tmr, אֲרָמִית), are a language family containing many varieties (languages and dialects) that originated i ...
original. Comparison of the various translations suggests that two different recensions of the Greek original must have existed; one on which the Ethiopic and one of the Latin versions were based, and the other on which the
Slavonic and the other Latin version were based. Fragments of both Greek versions have survived. The work's current title is derived from the title used in the Ethiopic manuscripts (Ergata Īsāyèyās'' – "The Ascension of Isaiah"). In antiquity,
Epiphanius also referred to it by this title (in Greek: Τὸ Αναβατικὸν Ἡσαΐου), as did
Jerome
Jerome (; la, Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus; grc-gre, Εὐσέβιος Σωφρόνιος Ἱερώνυμος; – 30 September 420), also known as Jerome of Stridon, was a Christian priest, confessor, theologian, and historian; he is co ...
(in Latin: ''Ascensio Isaiæ'').
Textual sources
From the authoritative texts, two
recension Recension is the practice of editing or revising a text based on critical analysis. When referring to manuscripts, this may be a revision by another author. The term is derived from Latin ''recensio'' ("review, analysis").
In textual criticism (as ...
s may traced to the Greek
autograph MS.
# The ''Greek Legend'' and the Latin fragments support the first recension (G
1) of the Greek autograph MS (G).
# The Greek Amherst Papyri, the ''Ethiopic'', the ''Slavonic'', and the fuller ''Latin Version'' follow the second recension (G
2).
Notes
References
Bibliography
*
*
*Enrico Norelli (1995), ''Ascensio Isaiae: Commentarius (Corpus Christianorum. Series Apocryphorum)''
*Enrico Norelli (1994), ''L'Ascensione di Isaia. Studi su un apocrifo al crocevia dei cristianesimi.''
Further reading
*
*''Ascensio Isaiae apocrypha (fragmenta versionis latinae antiquae in cod. Vat. lat. 5750 servata)'' CC SA, 7 (Cl. Leonardi, 1995) pp. 205-209 (chapter)
*''Ascensio Isaiae apocrypha (versio latina partis finalis sub titulo 'Visio Isaiae' a. 1522 ab Antonio de Fantis edita)'' CC SA, 7 (Cl. Leonardi, 1995) pp. 215-233 (chapter)
*
*
*Shakhmatov, Alekseĭ Aleksandrovich., Lavrov, Petr Alekseevich., Tschižewskij, Dmitrij. (1957)
Sbornik XII veka Moskovskago uspenskago sobora: vypusk pervyĭ Apophoreta Slavica, Vol.:1. Netherlands: Mouton, 1957.
External links
edited by
Robert Henry Charles
Robert Henry (R. H.) Charles, (Cookstown, 6 August 1855–Westminster, 1931) was an Irish Anglican theologian, biblical scholar, professor, and translator from Northern Ireland. He is known particularly for his English translations of numerous ...
in 1900
Martyrdom of Isaiah: 2012 Translation & Audio Version* This is primarily a study of exegesis, as understood at the time; Charles cites himself several times.
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Ascension Of Isaiah
1st-century books
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2nd-century books
2nd-century Christian texts
3rd-century books
3rd-century Christian texts
Apocryphal revelations
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Texts in Ge'ez
Isaiah
New Testament apocrypha
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