John 1:51 and the Motif of “Jacob's Ladder” in Genesis 28:12
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John 1:51 and the motif of “Jacob’s ladder” in Genesis 28:12 By JAESOON KIM Dissertation Submitted in fulfullment of the requirements for the degree: Philosophiae Doctor New Testament Studies In the Faculty of Theology University of Pretoria Supervisor: Prof. Gert J. Steyn December 2015 SUMMARY Title: John 1:51 and the motif of “Jacob’s ladder” in Genesis 28:12 Researcher: Jaesoon Kim Promoter: Prof. Gert J. Steyn Degree: Doctor of Philosophy The motif of “Jacob’s vision” in John 1:51 is used to prove that Jesus was the apocalyptic Son of Man who fulfilled the promise that was given to Jacob through his dream in Genesis 28:12. This dream was different from Joseph’s (Gn 37:9) or Abimelech’s (Gn 20:8). From the gate of heaven that Jacob mentioned after the dream, it is possible to interpret the vision of Jacob eschatologically. In Ezekiel’s vision (Ezk 1:1) and Daniel’s vision (Dn 7:13), there are eschatological approaches about the open heaven and the one that comes from heaven. Therefore the vision of Jacob through the dream in Bethel was interpreted eschatologically by later traditions. The interpretation of the Rabbinic tradition about Jacob’s dream has an eschatological perspective. For example: the author of Jacob’s Ladder, the first century CE Pseudepigraphon, interpreted it as an eschatological vision according to their interpretation of the archangel in Genesis 5-7. The Rabbi in Genesis Rabba also interpreted it as a celestial icon as it is perceived in mysticism. Jacob’s dream is mentioned in the Testament of Levi, and the dream of Levi is added to it. The dream of Levi is an extension of Jacob’s dream. Levi was invited to heaven by the angel to receive the priesthood. It is a celestial interpretation of Jacob’s vision. In the tradition of the intertestamental period, the Son of Man was understood as an eschatological figure. i The author of John’s gospel also used this vision with the concept of the “Son of Man”, which is considered as an apocalyptic term. Nathanael and all the people with him who heard Jesus’ promise in Jn 1:51, understood it as an eschatological promise. It was not a personal promise to Nathanael alone, but a general promise to all who listened to it and all the readers of John’s gospel. It is therefore possible to interpret this promise as an apocalyptic interpretation of Gn 28:12 similar to those of the Rabbis. There are three motifs in Jn 1:51: the open heaven (Ezk 1:1), the angels ascending and descending (Gn 28:12), and the Son of Man (Dn 7:13). These three motifs are eschatological concepts in the Old Testament tradition as well as in Judaism. It means that Jn 1:51 has to be understood with its eschatological promise. In Revelation the concept of the open heaven is also used. The ascending and descending angels are described in more detail in Revelation. The open heaven is used in Rv 4:1, and 19:11, and the Son of Man appeared in Rv 1:13, 14:14. Although the direct phrase “the angels ascending and descending” is not used, the scenes of the angels are discribed as moving between heaven and earth to execute the judgement of God on the last day. From this conception, it can be concluded that the promise in Jn 1:51 has to be interpreted as a connecting point of the eschatological interpretation to Revelation. ii Keywords The ladder of Jacob Pseudepigraphy Apocryphon The angels ascending and descending The open heaven The Son of Man Revelation Eschatology Ascension Parousia iii ABBREVIATIONS A. Abbreviations of the Bible books Old Testament New Testament Gn Genesis Mt Matthew Ex Exodus Mk Mark Lv Leviticus Lk Luke Nm Numbers Jn John Dt Deuteronomy Ac Acts Jos Joshua Rm Romans Jdg Judges 1 Cor 1 Corinthians Ruth Ruth 2 Cor 2 Corinthians 1 Sm 1 Samuel Gl Galatians 2 Sm 2 Samuel Eph Ephesians 1 Ki 1 Kings Phlp Philippians 2 Ki 2 Kings Col Colossians 1 Chr 1 Chronicles 1 Th 1 Thessalonians 2 Chr 2 chronicles 2 Th 2 Thessalonians Ezr Ezra 1 Tm 1 Timothy Neh Nehemiah 2 Tm 2 Timothy Es Esther Tt Titus Job Job Phlm Philemon Ps Psalms Heb Hebrews Pr Proverbs Ja James Ec Ecclesiastes 1 Pt 1 Peter Can Song of Songs 2 Pt 2 Peter Is Isaiah 1 Jn 1 John Jr Jeremiah 2 Jn 2 John Lm Lamentations 3 Jn 3 John Ezk Ezekiel Jude Jude Dn Daniel Rv Revelation Hs Hosea Jl Joel Am Amos Ob Obadiah Jnh Jonah Mi Micah Nah Nahum Hab Habakkuk iv Zph Zephaniah Hg Haggai Zch Zechariah Ml Malach B. General Abbreviations A.D. Anno Domini B.C. Before Christ BHS Biblia Hebraica Stuttgartensia Cf. 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