The Mysteries of Behemoth and Leviathan 291
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THE MYSTERIES OF BEHEMOTH AND LEVIATHAN 291 “THE MYSTERIES OF BEHEMOTH AND LEVIATHAN” AND THE CELESTIAL BESTIARY OF 3 BARUCH* As is typical of many apocalypses, the Apocalypse of Baruch pre- served in Greek (hereafter – G) and Slavonic (S) and known also as 3 Baruch1 is rich with animalistic and botanic imagery: chimeric crea- tures of the lower heavens (chapters 2-3), gigantic celestial beasts (4-6), angelic horses, oxen, and lambs (6 and 9), celestial birds (10), trees (4) and flowers (12)2. The author of 3 Baruch was apparently “like the many, who impiously suppose that the celestial and divine intelligences are many-footed or many-faced beings, or formed with the brutishness of oxen, or the savageness of lions, or the curved beaks of eagles, or the feathers of birds…” (Ps.-Dionysius Areopagite, Cael. Hier. 2). After meeting zoomorphic creatures in the lower heaven(s), the protagonist proceeds to three Great Beasts, all found in the next firmament: (1) Serpent (4:3), called also “Dragon” (4:4; 5:2), drinking from the sea and feeding upon the bodies of the wicked (according to G)3. It is unclear whether this is identical to the Serpent that seduced the first humans (4:8S and 9:7). * The research was supported by the Israel Science Foundation (grant no. 450/07). 1 This pseudepigraphic text, dated at the latest to the 2nd cent. CE, describes how Baruch, accompanied by the angel, ascends through the five heavens, where he beholds several visions, most of them cosmological. Like most pseudepigrapha, 3 Baruch survives only in the Christian tradition, but it is deeply rooted in Jewish lore and cannot be under- stood apart from traditions preserved in early Jewish literature. The work has been pre- served in two recensions, Greek and Slavonic. The lost Greek Vorlage of the Slavonic version must have differed significantly from the tradition represented by the extant Greek text. For monographic research on 3 Baruch, see H.E. GAYLORD, The Slavonic Version of III Baruch, (Ph.D. dissertation) The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, 1983 (= GAYLORD, Slavonic Version), and D.C. HARLOW, The Greek Apocalypse of Baruch (3 Baruch) in Hellenistic Judaism and Early Christiantity (Studia in Veteris Testamenti Pseudepigrapha, 12), Leiden, 1996 (= HARLOW, Baruch). See also É. TURDEANU, L’Apoca- lypse de Baruch en slave, in Apocryphes slaves et roumains de l’Ancien Testament (Studia in Veteris Testamenti Pseudepigrapha, 5), Leiden, 1981, p. 364-391 (= RESlaves 48, 1969, p. 23-48); J.-C. HAELEWYCK, Clavis apocryphorum Veteris Testamenti, Turn- hout, 1998, no 235; A.-M. DENIS et collaborateurs, avec le concours de J.-C. HAELEWYCK, Introduction à la littérature religieuse judéo-hellénistique, 2 volumes, Turnhout, 2000. Part. p. 749-775. 2 Cfr, e.g., Dan 7-8; 1 En. 85-90; 2 En. 12; 15:1; 19:6; 42:1; 4 Ezra 11:1-12:2, 11- 32; Rev 4:6ff; 9:7-10, 17-19; 13:1-18; 17:3, 12; Herm. Vis. 4.1; etc. Titles of ancient sources are abbreviated according to the style of the Journal of Biblical Literature. 3 Greek and Slavonic versions of 3 Baruch are referred as G and S hereafter. Le Muséon 122 (3-4), 291-329. doi: 10.2143/MUS.122.3.2045874 - Tous droits réservés. © Le Muséon, 2009. 92802_Mus09/3-4_03_Kulik 291 4/2/10, 10:36 am 292 A. KULIK (2) Hades or Monster (âpjnßv), which “also drinks from the sea” (only in G), surrounds or interlaces with Serpent in 4:4G, but is identified with the Serpent’s belly in 5:3. (3) Sun Bird (Phoenix), “a bird large as nine mountains,” accompany- ing the sun’s chariot and “guarding the world” from its rays (6:2- 12; 6:14S; 7:3G; 8:1-2, 6). 3 Bar. 4:1-7G; 1-5S (Serpent and Hades) GREEK SLAVONIC 1 And I Baruch said, “Behold, Lord, 1 And I Baruch said, “The Lord has you have shown me great and won- shown me great things.” derful things; and now show me all things for the Lord’s sake.” 2 And the angel told me, “Come, let 2 And the angel said, “Come and let us go through.” us go through these doors; you will see the Glory of God.” [And we entered] with the angel from And we entered with the angel about a that place about a 185 days' journey. 187 days’ journey. 3 And he showed me a plain and a ser- 3a And he showed me a plain, and pent, which looked like a rock. there was a serpent on a mountain of rock. And he showed me Hades, and its ap- pearance was dark and impure. And I said, “Who is this dragon, and who is this monster around him?” 5 And the angel said, “The dragon is he who eats the bodies of those who pass through life wickedly, and he is nourished by them. 6 And this is Hades, which also is similar to him, in that also he drinks about a cubit 3b And it drinks one cubit of water from the sea, from the sea every day, and it eats earth like grass. and nothing lacks from it [the sea].” 7 Baruch said, “And how [is that]?” 4 And I Baruch said to the angel, “Lord, he drinks one cubit from the sea. How is it that this sea does not sink?” And the angel said, “Listen, 5 The angel told me, “Listen, Baruch, the Lord God made 360 rivers, the Lord made 373 rivers, of which the primary of all are and the first river is Alphias, Alpheia[s], and Abyros, the second Abyr[os], 92802_Mus09/3-4_03_Kulik 292 4/2/10, 10:36 am THE MYSTERIES OF BEHEMOTH AND LEVIATHAN 293 and Gerikos; the third Agerenik[os]4, the fourth Dounab, the fifth Ephrat, the sixth Zephon, the seventh Ezetius, the eighth Indus, the ninth Thoureselos. And there are 364 others. and because of these the sea does not They fall into the sea, and thus it is sink.” washed, and this way it does not sink. That is why he kindled his heart.” 3 Bar. 5-6 (Sun Bird) 1 And I Baruch told the angel, “Let 1 And I Baruch told the angel, “Let me ask you one thing, Lord. 2 Since me ask you, Lord, one more thing. you told me that the dragon drinks one 2 Since you told me, that the serpent cubit from the sea, tell me also, how drinks one cubit of water from the sea great is his belly?” a day, how great then is its belly that it drinks so much?” 3 And the angel said, “His belly is 3 And the angel told me, “Hades is in- Hades; and as far as lead is hurled by satiable. As far as 255 [?] of lead 300 men, so great is his belly. come, so great is its belly.” Come, then, so that I may show you And he told me, “If you wish, come also works greater than these.” and I will show you mysteries greater than these.” 1 And having taken me he brought me 1 And the angel took me and brought where the sun goes forth. 2 And he me from where the sun goes forth. showed me a chariot-of-four, 2 And he showed me a chariot-of-four, which was with a fire underneath. and there were fiery horses, and the horses were winged angels. And upon the chariot was sitting a And upon this chariot was sitting a man, wearing a crown of fire. The man wearing a fiery crown. And the chariot was drawn by forty angels. chariot was drawn by forty angels. And behold, a bird was circling in [And] behold, one bird is flying, front of the sun, about nine [cubits] away. like one great mountain. 3 And I told the angel, “What is this 3 I told the angel, “Lord, what is this bird?” And he told me, “This is the bird?” And he told me, “This is the guardian of the inhabited world.” guardian of the inhabited world.” 4 And I said, “Lord, how is it the 4 And I said, “How is it the guardian guardian of the inhabited world? of the inhabited world? Show me!” Show me!” 5 And the angel told me, 5 And the angel told me, “This bird, “This bird goes before the sun, and which goes before the sun, stretches stretching out its wings receives its out its wings and hides the fiery rays fire-shaped rays. 6 For if it did not re- of the sun. 6 For if it did not hide the ceive them, the race of men would not rays of the sun, the race of men and 4 e is used here to designate Gk j and CS i, in the Middle Ages pronounced as [i]. 92802_Mus09/3-4_03_Kulik 293 4/2/10, 10:36 am 294 A. KULIK survive, nor any other living creature; every creature on earth would not sur- though, God appointed this bird.” vive because of the flames of the sun. But God has commanded this bird to serve the inhabited world. 7 And it stretched out its wings, 7 But look what is written on the right wing.” And he commanded the bird to stretch its wings, and I saw on its right wing very large and I saw letters, like a threshing floor letters, like the area of a threshing- on earth, of 4,000. Those letters were floor, having the size of about 4,000 purer than gold.