The phoenix is a mythical bird in Greek tradition, closely associated with the sun and known for a long life that renews itself in a fixed cycle, most often every five hundred years. Greek and Roman writers describe its rebirth in two ways. In one, the phoenix decays on its nest of spices and a new bird grows from its body, beginning as a worm, and carries the remains to the altar of the sun at Heliopolis in Egypt. In the other, the phoenix burns itself on its nest and a new bird rises from the ashes. Rabbinic tradition identifies the phoenix with a bird in Job 29, apocalyptic texts such as 3 Baruch and 2 Enoch describe it as an escort of the sun, and Christian writers such as Clement of Rome and Tertullian refer to it as a sign of resurrection.
14 I put on righteousness and it clothed me; my just dealing was like a robe and a turban;15 I was eyes for the blind and feet for the lame;16 I was a father to the needy, and I investigated the case of the person I did not know;17 I broke the fangs of the wicked, and made him drop his prey from his teeth.18 “Then I thought, ‘I will die in my own home, my days as numerous as the grains of sand.19 My roots reach the water, and the dew lies on my branches all night long.20 My glory will always be fresh in me, and my bow ever new in my hand.’
“Also [gam]” is an inclusive term; [as well as Adam,] she also fed the animals, the beasts, and the birds. All of them heeded her [and ate of the fruit] except for one bird that is called ḥol. That is what is written: “I will live many days, like the ḥol” (Job 29:18). The school of Rabbi Yanai says: It lives a thousand years, and at the end of a thousand years, fire emerges from its nest and burns it. An egg-bulk remains of it and it then grows limbs, and lives again. Rabbi Yudan ben Rabbi Shimon says: It lives a thousand years, and at the end of one thousand years, its body wastes away and its wings are shed. But an egg-bulk remains of it and it then grows limbs, and lives again.
14 I put on righteousness and it clothed me; my just dealing was like a robe and a turban;15 I was eyes for the blind and feet for the lame;16 I was a father to the needy, and I investigated the case of the person I did not know;17 I broke the fangs of the wicked, and made him drop his prey from his teeth.18 “Then I thought, ‘I will die in my own home, my days as numerous as the grains of sand.19 My roots reach the water, and the dew lies on my branches all night long.20 My glory will always be fresh in me, and my bow ever new in my hand.’
With regard to the lion, a fever sustained it, since when it suffered from a fever, it did not need to eat; as Rav said: For no fewer than six days and no more than twelve days, fever sustains a person; he need not eat and is sustained from his own fats. Shem continued: With regard to the phoenix [avarshina], my father found it lying in its compartment on the side of the ark. He said to the bird: Do you not want food? The bird said to him: I saw that you were busy, and I said I would not trouble you by requesting food. Noah said to the bird: May it be God’s will that you shall not die, and through that bird the verse was fulfilled, as it is stated: “And I said, I shall die in my nest, and I shall multiply my days as the phoenix” (Job 29:18).
24 And the people murmured against Moses, saying, What shall we drink?25 And Moses cried to the Lord, and the Lord showed him a tree, and he cast it into the water, and the water was sweetened: there he established for him ordinances and judgments, and there he tested him,26 and said, If you will indeed hear the voice of the Lord your God, and do things pleasing before him, and will listen to his commands, and keep all his ordinances, no disease which I have brought upon the Egyptians I will bring upon you, for I am the Lord your God that heals you.27And they came to Elim, and there were there twelve fountains of water, and seventy stems of palm-trees; and they encamped there by the waters.
243 Look, my lord Moses, at the place we have found,244 cooled by gentle breezes from that shady grove.245 As you can see for yourself, the stream is there,246 and from there at night the pillar of fire gave247 its welcome guiding light. There is a meadow248 lying in cool shade beside the stream,249 and a deep valley pours out in rich abundance250 twelve sparkling springs from a single rock.251 There, tall and strong and heavy with fruit,252stand seventy palm trees, and plentiful grass,253 well watered, provides good pasture for our flocks.254We saw another creature, stranger255and more marvelous than anyone has ever seen.256It was nearly twice the size of the largest eagle.257Its outspread wings shone with many colors.258Its breast was a bright purple,259its legs were crimson, and on its graceful neck260golden feathers curved beautifully.261 Its head had a crest like a rooster's.262 Its yellow eye shone brightly all around,263 and its pupil was like a red seed.264 Its voice was the most beautiful of all.265 It seemed to be the king of all birds,266 as was soon shown, for birds of every kind267 hurried fearfully behind it,268 while it, like a proud bull leading its herd,269 strode out in front with a quick, proud step.
10 For, look, your enemies shall perish; and all the workers of iniquity shall be scattered.11 But my horn shall be exalted as the horn of a unicorn; and my old age with rich oil.12 And my eye has seen my enemies, and my ear shall hear the wicked that rise up against me.13The righteous shall flourish as a palm tree: he shall be increased as the cedar in Lebanon.14 They that are planted in the house of the Lord shall flourish in the courts of our God.15 Then they will be increased in a fine old age; and they shall be prosperous;16 to declare that the Lord my God is righteous, and there is no iniquity in him.
I mean that bird found only in the East, famous for its uniqueness, prodigious in its posterity, which willingly makes its own funeral and so renews itself, departing and succeeding itself at an end that is a birthday: again a phoenix where there is none any more, again itself which is no longer, another and the same.What could be more expressive and more to the point for this cause? Or of what else is it such a proof? God too says in His Scriptures: “For you shall flourish like the phoenix,” that is, out of death, out of the funeral, so that you may believe that the substance of the body can be recovered even from fire.The Lord declared that we are worth more than many sparrows: if not more than phoenixes too, it is no great thing. (Matthew 10:33)But shall men perish once for all, while the birds of Arabia are sure of their resurrection?
10 For, look, your enemies shall perish; and all the workers of iniquity shall be scattered.11 But my horn shall be exalted as the horn of a unicorn; and my old age with rich oil.12 And my eye has seen my enemies, and my ear shall hear the wicked that rise up against me.13The righteous shall flourish as a palm tree: he shall be increased as the cedar in Lebanon.14 They that are planted in the house of the Lord shall flourish in the courts of our God.15 Then they will be increased in a fine old age; and they shall be prosperous;16 to declare that the Lord my God is righteous, and there is no iniquity in him.
Similarly, the three phoenixes ‹inside› Paradise: the first is deathless, the second lives for 1,000 years.Of the third it is written in the sacred Scripture that it is consumed.Similarly, as well, there are three baptisms: the first is spiritual, the second is with fire, the third is with water.Precisely as the phoenix symbolizes the angels, so is the case of the water hydri in Egypt, which symbolizes those who descend into the baptism of a true man.The two bulls in Egypt possess a symbolic meaning, namely, the sun and moon, which is a symbol of Sabaoth, on account of Sophia obtaining the universe from the day that she fashioned the sun and the moon, placing a seal on her heaven, until the age ends.And the worm born out of the phoenix is also symbolic of a human being, of which it is written, “the just man will blossom like a phoenix,” and the phoenix appears first alive, and dies, and rises again, functioning as a symbol of what will happen at the consummation of the age.
1 And I looked and saw other flying elements of the sun, whose names are Phoenixes and Chalkydri, marvelous and wonderful, with feet and tails in the form of a lion, and a crocodile's head, their appearance is purple, like the rainbow; their size is nine hundred measures,2 their wings are like those of angels, each has twelve, and they attend and accompany the sun, bearing heat and dew, as they are ordered by God.
2 And he showed me a chariot with four horses, with a fire burning underneath, and a man was sitting in the chariot, wearing a crown of fire, (and) the chariot (was) drawn by forty angels. And look, a bird was circling in front of the sun, about nine cubits away.3 And I said to the angel, What is this bird? And he said to me, This is the guardian of the earth.4 And I said, Lord, how is he the guardian of the earth? Teach me.5 And the angel said to me, This bird flies alongside the sun and spreads his wings to catch its fiery rays.6 For if he did not catch them, the human race would not survive, nor would any other living creature. But God appointed this bird for this purpose.7 And he spread his wings, and I saw on his right wing very large letters, as large as a threshing floor, the size of about four thousand modii; and the letters were of gold.8 And the angel said to me, Read them. And I read and this is what they said: Neither earth nor heaven gave me birth, but wings of fire gave me birth.9 And I said, Lord, what is this bird, and what is his name?10 And the angel said to me, His name is Phoenix.11 (And I said), And what does he eat? And he said to me, The manna of heaven and the dew of earth.
1 Then the elements of the sun, called Phoenixes and Chalkydri break into song, therefore every bird flutters with its wings, rejoicing at the giver of light, and they broke into song at the command of the Lord.2The giver of light comes to give brightness to the whole world, and the morning guard takes shape, which is the rays of the sun, and the sun of the earth goes out, and receives its brightness to light up the whole face of the earth,3 and they showed me this calculation of the sun's course. And the gates it enters are the great gates used to calculate the hours of the year;
12 And I said, Does the bird excrete? And he said to me, He excretes a worm, and the excrement of the worm is cinnamon, which kings and princes use. But wait and you will see the glory of God.13 And while he was talking with me, there was a sound like a thunderclap, and the place where we were standing shook. And I asked the angel, My Lord, what is this sound? And the angel said to me, The angels are now opening the three hundred and sixty-five gates of heaven, and the light is being separated from the darkness.14And a voice came which said, Light giver, give radiance to the world.15 And when I heard the noise of the bird, I said, Lord, what is this noise?16 And he said, This is the bird who wakes the roosters on earth from sleep. For just as people communicate with their mouths, the rooster too signals to those in the world in his own language. For the sun is made ready by the angels, and the rooster crows.
1 Then the elements of the sun, called Phoenixes and Chalkydri break into song, therefore every bird flutters with its wings, rejoicing at the giver of light, and they broke into song at the command of the Lord.2The giver of light comes to give brightness to the whole world, and the morning guard takes shape, which is the rays of the sun, and the sun of the earth goes out, and receives its brightness to light up the whole face of the earth,3 and they showed me this calculation of the sun's course. And the gates it enters are the great gates used to calculate the hours of the year;
1 The Gryphon is the largest bird of all the birds of heaven. It lives in the far East in an inlet of the ocean-stream. And, when the sun rises over the water-depths and lights the world with its beams, the Gryphon spreads out its wings and receives the rays of the sun. And another rises with it, and the two fly together toward the sunset, as it is written: "Spread your wings, dispenser of light; give the world light."2 In the same way the two Gryphons stand for the Godhead, that is, for the Archangel Michael and the Holy Mother of God, and they receive your spirit, so that it may not be said: "I do not know you."3 Physiologus spoke well about the Gryphon.
1 And he took me and led me where the sun rises.2 And he showed me a chariot with four horses, with a fire burning underneath, and a man was sitting in the chariot, wearing a crown of fire, (and) the chariot (was) drawn by forty angels. And look, a bird was circling in front of the sun, about nine cubits away.3And I said to the angel, What is this bird? And he said to me, This is the guardian of the earth.4And I said, Lord, how is he the guardian of the earth? Teach me.5And the angel said to me, This bird flies alongside the sun and spreads his wings to catch its fiery rays.6For if he did not catch them, the human race would not survive, nor would any other living creature. But God appointed this bird for this purpose.7 And he spread his wings, and I saw on his right wing very large letters, as large as a threshing floor, the size of about four thousand modii; and the letters were of gold.8 And the angel said to me, Read them. And I read and this is what they said: Neither earth nor heaven gave me birth, but wings of fire gave me birth.9 And I said, Lord, what is this bird, and what is his name?10 And the angel said to me, His name is Phoenix.11 (And I said), And what does he eat? And he said to me, The manna of heaven and the dew of earth.12 And I said, Does the bird excrete? And he said to me, He excretes a worm, and the excrement of the worm is cinnamon, which kings and princes use. But wait and you will see the glory of God.
1 Let us consider the marvelous sign that is seen in the regions of the east, that is, in the area around Arabia.2There is a bird called the phoenix. This bird, the only one of its kind, lives for five hundred years; and when it has reached the time of its end and must die, it makes itself a coffin of frankincense and myrrh and other spices, which it enters when the time is fulfilled, and so it dies.3 But, as the flesh rots, a worm is produced, which is nourished by the moisture of the dead creature and grows wings. Then, when it has grown strong, it takes up the coffin that holds the bones of its parent, and carrying them it travels from the country of Arabia all the way to Egypt, to the place called the City of the Sun.4 and in the daytime, in the sight of all, it flies to the altar of the Sun and lays them on it; and having done this, it sets out to return.5 So the priests examine the records of the dates, and they find that it has come when the five hundredth year is completed.
2 And he showed me a chariot with four horses, with a fire burning underneath, and a man was sitting in the chariot, wearing a crown of fire, (and) the chariot (was) drawn by forty angels. And look, a bird was circling in front of the sun, about nine cubits away.3 And I said to the angel, What is this bird? And he said to me, This is the guardian of the earth.4 And I said, Lord, how is he the guardian of the earth? Teach me.5 And the angel said to me, This bird flies alongside the sun and spreads his wings to catch its fiery rays.6For if he did not catch them, the human race would not survive, nor would any other living creature. But God appointed this bird for this purpose.7 And he spread his wings, and I saw on his right wing very large letters, as large as a threshing floor, the size of about four thousand modii; and the letters were of gold.
Rabbi Yehuda ben Rabbi Simon said: [The serpent said:] ‘Everything that was created after its counterpart dominates that counterpart. The heavens were created on the first day and the firmament on the second. Does it [the firmament] not hold them up? That is a rhetorical question. The firmament was created on the second day and the vegetation on the third – does it [the firmament] not supply water for it? Vegetation was created on the third day and the luminaries on the fourth – do they [the luminaries] not cause its [the earth’s] produce to grow? The luminaries were created on the fourth day and the birds on the fifth – the ziz is a very large bird and when it flies it obscures the orb of the sun. Man was created after everything in order to dominate everything. Hurry and eat [the fruit] now, before He creates additional worlds and they will dominate you.’
2 And he showed me a chariot with four horses, with a fire burning underneath, and a man was sitting in the chariot, wearing a crown of fire, (and) the chariot (was) drawn by forty angels. And look, a bird was circling in front of the sun, about nine cubits away.3 And I said to the angel, What is this bird? And he said to me, This is the guardian of the earth.4 And I said, Lord, how is he the guardian of the earth? Teach me.5 And the angel said to me, This bird flies alongside the sun and spreads his wings to catch its fiery rays.6 For if he did not catch them, the human race would not survive, nor would any other living creature. But God appointed this bird for this purpose.7 And he spread his wings, and I saw on his right wing very large letters, as large as a threshing floor, the size of about four thousand modii; and the letters were of gold.8 And the angel said to me, Read them. And I read and this is what they said: Neither earth nor heaven gave me birth, but wings of fire gave me birth.9 And I said, Lord, what is this bird, and what is his name?10 And the angel said to me, His name is Phoenix.11 (And I said), And what does he eat? And he said to me, The manna of heaven and the dew of earth.
1 The Gryphon is the largest bird of all the birds of heaven. It lives in the far East in an inlet of the ocean-stream. And, when the sun rises over the water-depths and lights the world with its beams, the Gryphon spreads out its wings and receives the rays of the sun. And another rises with it, and the two fly together toward the sunset, as it is written: "Spread your wings, dispenser of light; give the world light."2 In the same way the two Gryphons stand for the Godhead, that is, for the Archangel Michael and the Holy Mother of God, and they receive your spirit, so that it may not be said: "I do not know you."3 Physiologus spoke well about the Gryphon.
12 And I said, Does the bird excrete? And he said to me, He excretes a worm, and the excrement of the worm is cinnamon, which kings and princes use. But wait and you will see the glory of God.13 And while he was talking with me, there was a sound like a thunderclap, and the place where we were standing shook. And I asked the angel, My Lord, what is this sound? And the angel said to me, The angels are now opening the three hundred and sixty-five gates of heaven, and the light is being separated from the darkness.14And a voice came which said, Light giver, give radiance to the world.15 And when I heard the noise of the bird, I said, Lord, what is this noise?16 And he said, This is the bird who wakes the roosters on earth from sleep. For just as people communicate with their mouths, the rooster too signals to those in the world in his own language. For the sun is made ready by the angels, and the rooster crows.
1 The Gryphon is the largest bird of all the birds of heaven. It lives in the far East in an inlet of the ocean-stream. And, when the sun rises over the water-depths and lights the world with its beams, the Gryphon spreads out its wings and receives the rays of the sun. And another rises with it, and the two fly together toward the sunset, as it is written: "Spread your wings, dispenser of light; give the world light."2 In the same way the two Gryphons stand for the Godhead, that is, for the Archangel Michael and the Holy Mother of God, and they receive your spirit, so that it may not be said: "I do not know you."3 Physiologus spoke well about the Gryphon.
3 For I passed on to you as of first importance what I also received—that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures,4 and that he was buried, and that he was raised on the third day according to the scriptures,5 and that he appeared to Cephas, then to the twelve.6 Then he appeared to more than 500 of the brothers and sisters at one time, most of whom are still alive, though some have fallen asleep.
2 There is a bird in India called the Phoenix. And at the end of five hundred years he comes to the trees of Lebanon, and fills his wings with pleasant fragrances, and he announces his return to the priest of Heliopolis early in the month Nisan or Adar (that is Phamenoti or Pharmuti). And the priest, when he hears the news, comes and fills up the altar with vine wood. And the bird comes to Heliopolis laden with the fragrance of pleasant spices, and settles on the altar, and kindles a fire and burns himself. And on the following morning the priest searches through the ashes on the altar and finds a small worm in them. And on the second day, look, he grows feathers and becomes like a young bird. And on the third day they find him just as before, the Phoenix, and he greets the priest, and flies away and returns to his old dwelling-place.3 If this bird has the power to kill himself and come to life again, how can reasonable men complain about our Lord Jesus Christ when He said: "I have power to lay down my life and to take it again."
He tells us that no person has ever seen this bird eat, that in Arabia it is looked upon as sacred to the sun, that it lives five hundred and forty years, that when it becomes old it builds a nest of cassia and sprigs of incense, which it fills with perfumes, and then lays its body down upon them to die; that from its bones and marrow there springs at first a sort of small worm, which in time changes into a little bird: that the first thing that it does is to perform the obsequies of its predecessor, and to carry the nest entire to the city of the Sun near Panchaia, and there deposit it upon the altar of that divinity.
1 Let us consider the marvelous sign that is seen in the regions of the east, that is, in the area around Arabia.2 There is a bird called the phoenix. This bird, the only one of its kind, lives for five hundred years; and when it has reached the time of its end and must die, it makes itself a coffin of frankincense and myrrh and other spices, which it enters when the time is fulfilled, and so it dies.3 But, as the flesh rots, a worm is produced, which is nourished by the moisture of the dead creature and grows wings. Then, when it has grown strong, it takes up the coffin that holds the bones of its parent, and carrying them it travels from the country of Arabia all the way to Egypt, to the place called the City of the Sun.
17 This is why the Father loves me—because I lay down my life, so that I may take it back again.18 No one takes it away from me, but I lay it down of my own free will. I have the authority to lay it down, and I have the authority to take it back again. This commandment I received from my Father.”19 Another sharp division took place among the Jewish people because of these words.20 Many of them were saying, “He is possessed by a demon and has lost his mind! Why do you listen to him?”
1 Our Lord Jesus Christ said: "I have power to lay down my life and I have power to take it again" (John 10:18). And the Jews were angry at what he said.2 There is a bird in India called the Phoenix. And at the end of five hundred years he comes to the trees of Lebanon, and fills his wings with pleasant fragrances, and he announces his return to the priest of Heliopolis early in the month Nisan or Adar (that is Phamenoti or Pharmuti). And the priest, when he hears the news, comes and fills up the altar with vine wood. And the bird comes to Heliopolis laden with the fragrance of pleasant spices, and settles on the altar, and kindles a fire and burns himself. And on the following morning the priest searches through the ashes on the altar and finds a small worm in them. And on the second day, look, he grows feathers and becomes like a young bird. And on the third day they find him just as before, the Phoenix, and he greets the priest, and flies away and returns to his old dwelling-place.3 If this bird has the power to kill himself and come to life again, how can reasonable men complain about our Lord Jesus Christ when He said: "I have power to lay down my life and to take it again."
1Let us consider the marvelous sign that is seen in the regions of the east, that is, in the area around Arabia.2 There is a bird called the phoenix. This bird, the only one of its kind, lives for five hundred years; and when it has reached the time of its end and must die, it makes itself a coffin of frankincense and myrrh and other spices, which it enters when the time is fulfilled, and so it dies.3 But, as the flesh rots, a worm is produced, which is nourished by the moisture of the dead creature and grows wings. Then, when it has grown strong, it takes up the coffin that holds the bones of its parent, and carrying them it travels from the country of Arabia all the way to Egypt, to the place called the City of the Sun.
If the universe is too slight a figure of the resurrection, if creation signifies nothing of the kind, because its several parts are said not so much to die as to cease, and are thought not to be revived but reshaped, take the fullest and strongest example of this hope, since it is a living thing, subject both to life and to death.I mean that bird found only in the East, famous for its uniqueness, prodigious in its posterity, which willingly makes its own funeral and so renews itself, departing and succeeding itself at an end that is a birthday: again a phoenix where there is none any more, again itself which is no longer, another and the same.
1Let us consider the marvelous sign that is seen in the regions of the east, that is, in the area around Arabia.2 There is a bird called the phoenix. This bird, the only one of its kind, lives for five hundred years; and when it has reached the time of its end and must die, it makes itself a coffin of frankincense and myrrh and other spices, which it enters when the time is fulfilled, and so it dies.3 But, as the flesh rots, a worm is produced, which is nourished by the moisture of the dead creature and grows wings. Then, when it has grown strong, it takes up the coffin that holds the bones of its parent, and carrying them it travels from the country of Arabia all the way to Egypt, to the place called the City of the Sun.4 and in the daytime, in the sight of all, it flies to the altar of the Sun and lays them on it; and having done this, it sets out to return.5 So the priests examine the records of the dates, and they find that it has come when the five hundredth year is completed.
2 There is a bird in India called the Phoenix. And at the end of five hundred years he comes to the trees of Lebanon, and fills his wings with pleasant fragrances, and he announces his return to the priest of Heliopolis early in the month Nisan or Adar (that is Phamenoti or Pharmuti). And the priest, when he hears the news, comes and fills up the altar with vine wood. And the bird comes to Heliopolis laden with the fragrance of pleasant spices, and settles on the altar, and kindles a fire and burns himself. And on the following morning the priest searches through the ashes on the altar and finds a small worm in them. And on the second day, look, he grows feathers and becomes like a young bird. And on the third day they find him just as before, the Phoenix, and he greets the priest, and flies away and returns to his old dwelling-place.3 If this bird has the power to kill himself and come to life again, how can reasonable men complain about our Lord Jesus Christ when He said: "I have power to lay down my life and to take it again."4 For the Phoenix takes on the image of our Lord, when, coming down from heaven, he brought with him both wings full of pleasant fragrances, the excellent heavenly words, so that as we stretch out our hands in prayer we become filled with the pleasant scent of his mercy.
Timeline
Job 29:18 / Genesis Rabbah 19:5
500–401 BCE
Job 29:18
Hebrew Bible
500 CE
Genesis Rabbah 19:5
Rabbinic
Job 29:18 / Sanhedrin 108b
500–401 BCE
Job 29:18
Hebrew Bible
450–550 CE
Sanhedrin 108b
Rabbinic
LXX Exodus 15:27 / Exagoge 254
300–201 BCE
LXX Exodus 15:27
Septuagint
200–101 BCE
Exagoge 254
Pseudepigrapha, Wisdom and Poetry
LXX Psalms 91:13 / Tertullian, On the Resurrection of the Flesh 13
100–1 BCE
LXX Psalms 91:13
Septuagint
205–215 CE
Tertullian, On the Resurrection of the Flesh 13
Early Christian
LXX Psalms 91:13 / On the Origin of the World 24:10
100–1 BCE
LXX Psalms 91:13
Septuagint
270–330 CE
On the Origin of the World 24:10
Nag Hammadi
2 Enoch 12:1 / 3 Baruch 6:2
1–100 CE
2 Enoch 12:1
Pseudepigrapha, Apocalypses
1–200 CE
3 Baruch 6:2
Pseudepigrapha, Apocalypses
2 Enoch 15:2 / 3 Baruch 6:14
1–100 CE
2 Enoch 15:2
Pseudepigrapha, Apocalypses
1–200 CE
3 Baruch 6:14
Pseudepigrapha, Apocalypses
2 Enoch 15:2 / Physiologus 47:1
1–100 CE
2 Enoch 15:2
Pseudepigrapha, Apocalypses
150–350 CE
Physiologus 47:1
Early Christian
3 Baruch 6:4 / Clement of Rome, 1 Clement 25:2
1–200 CE
3 Baruch 6:4
Pseudepigrapha, Apocalypses
90–100 CE
Clement of Rome, 1 Clement 25:2
Early Christian
3 Baruch 6:5 / Genesis Rabbah 19:4
1–200 CE
3 Baruch 6:5
Pseudepigrapha, Apocalypses
500 CE
Genesis Rabbah 19:4
Rabbinic
3 Baruch 6:5 / Physiologus 47:1
1–200 CE
3 Baruch 6:5
Pseudepigrapha, Apocalypses
150–350 CE
Physiologus 47:1
Early Christian
3 Baruch 6:14 / Physiologus 47:1
1–200 CE
3 Baruch 6:14
Pseudepigrapha, Apocalypses
150–350 CE
Physiologus 47:1
Early Christian
1 Corinthians 15:4 / Physiologus 40:2
55–57 CE
1 Corinthians 15:4
New Testament
150–350 CE
Physiologus 40:2
Early Christian
Pliny the Elder, Pliny Natural History 10.2 / Clement of Rome, 1 Clement 25:2
77 CE
Pliny the Elder, Pliny Natural History 10.2
Classical
90–100 CE
Clement of Rome, 1 Clement 25:2
Early Christian
John 10:18 / Physiologus 40:3
90–110 CE
John 10:18
New Testament
150–350 CE
Physiologus 40:3
Early Christian
Clement of Rome, 1 Clement 25:1 / Tertullian, On the Resurrection of the Flesh 13
90–100 CE
Clement of Rome, 1 Clement 25:1
Early Christian
205–215 CE
Tertullian, On the Resurrection of the Flesh 13
Early Christian
Clement of Rome, 1 Clement 25:2 / Physiologus 40:2
90–100 CE
Clement of Rome, 1 Clement 25:2
Early Christian
150–350 CE
Physiologus 40:2
Early Christian