The Lives of the Prophets and the Book of the Twelve

Chapter 23 The Lives of the Prophets and the Book of the Twelve

Anna Maria Schwemer

1 Literary Character

The Vitae Prophetarum (Liv. Pro.) are a small collection of biographical ac- counts of twenty-three Old Testament prophets. It is a document of Jewish origin written in Greek language around the turn of the common era, most likely in Jerusalem.1 The influence of the Septuagint is clear even though some traditions suggest also Hebrew or Aramaic sources.2 Each of the short biographies states the name of the prophet, his origin, place and cause of death, and the location of his tomb. This basic structure is supplemented by legendary material about the prophets, although the pro- phetic writings are seldom consulted. Particularly important in this regard are the prophets’ eschatological prophecies and unusual forms of death. The Liv. Pro. are based on the literary model of the biography (Βίος), a genre that was in use in the Greco-Roman world since the third century bce. It consisted of collections of the vitae of important statesmen, poets or philoso- phers. Not only were the famous biographies written by Plutarch and Diogenes Laërtius in circulation, but also less pretentious ones. One such example of a modest form similar to Liv. Pro. has been preserved in P.Oxy. 1800. This papy- rus is a compendium of “Bildungswissen” [educational knowledge] on philo- sophical and literary figures, with a pronounced interest in unusual forms of death.3 In the Greek collections of vitae there are also shorter texts such as the so-called Genos, alongside the longer Bioi. The Liv. Pro. have been preserved with many variants in different recensions, and only through the Christian tra- dition. They were translated into all languages of the Old Church and were widespread. No recension is entirely without a Christian redaction. The fewest

1 Schwemer, Studien, 1:65–71; eadem, Vitae, 539–548; see further the excellent introduction by Mittmann-Richert, Einführung, 156–159. 2 Schwemer, “Verwendung.” 3 Citation: Görgemanns, “Biographie,” 684; cf. Schwemer, “Vitae Prophetarum und Neues Testament,” 201: Sappho is supposed to have jumped to her death because of heartbreak; Euripides eaten by dogs because of ungodliness; Aesop thrown down a cliff by the Delphians.

Christian additions can be found in the so-called anonymous recension (An1) that is placed as an introduction before the books of the prophets in the Codex Marchalianus.4 This is also the oldest preserved text form.5 Here the prophets are arranged strictly in a chronological order and accord- ing to Scriptures. Probably the original arrangement has been preserved in this oldest recension. First are the four Great Prophets: Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, and Daniel with detailed vitae, respectively. Then follow the Minor Prophets in a peculiar arrangement: Hosea, Micah, Amos, Joel, Obadiah, Jonah, Nahum, Habakkuk, Zephaniah, Haggai, Zechariah, and Malachi. At the end there is a selection of seven prophets from the historical books: Nathan, Achijah, Joad, Azariah (2 Chr 15:1–8), Elijah, Elisha, and Zechariah ben Jehoiada (2 Chr 24).6 It is only in the Christian recension of the so-called Pseudo-Dorotheus that the prophets from the Book of the Twelve are explicitly highlighted and enumerated as such in the titles (e.g., “the first of the twelve Prophets” about Hosea). Here Amos is placed explicitly before Micah and designated as ὁ δεύτερoς.7 Each Prophet receives his own profile. The author makes an effort to put together biographical knowledge about the Prophets in the style of Chronicles. It is astonishing how many legendary additions exist beyond the text of the Old Testament in Ancient Judaism.

2 The Lives of the Minor Prophets

2.1 The Prophet Hosea Hosea heads the list of the Twelve Prophets. Since this vita is very short, I will quote it in its entirety (Liv. Pro. 5:1–2):

1 Osee. This one was from Belemoth, [in the territory] of the tribe of Issachar, and he was 2 buried in his hometown8 in peace.

4 Rome, Biblioteca Apostolica Vaticana, Vat. gr. 2125; sixth century. An1 refers to the anonymous recension. 5 Hare, “Lives,” 379; for more details see Schwemer, Studien, 1:12–22. 6 On the arrangement in the different recensions, cf. the chart in Schwemer, Studien, 1:28–29. 7 On the text, see Schwemer, Studien, 2:32*, 34*. The so-called Pseudo-Dorotheus recensions can be traced back only to the Chronicon Paschale. I thank Benjamin Gleede for having kind- ly pointed this out to me. 8 In the Liv. Pro., γῆ can be employed in the sense of homeland and hometown, and also as land or earth. This word usage can be found in the Greek tragic poets, but also in the LXX; cf. Schwemer, Vitae, 585 n. 1a.