Texts in Conversation
Ezekiel 1:28 describes a vision of dazzling light and a rainbow surrounding the divine throne, presenting the prophet’s encounter with the cosmology of divine glory. Sirach 49:8 recalls Ezekiel as one who saw a vision of that glory, placing him within a larger history of prophets.
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Ezekiel 1:28
Hebrew Bible
26 Above the platform over their heads was something like a sapphire shaped like a throne. High above on the throne was a form that appeared to be a man. 27 I saw an amber glow like a fire enclosed all around from his waist up. From his waist down I saw something that looked like fire. There was a brilliant light around it, 28 like the appearance of a rainbow in the clouds after the rain. This was the appearance of the surrounding brilliant light; it looked like the glory of the Lord. When I saw it, I threw myself face down, and I heard a voice speaking.
Date: 6th Century B.C.E. (based on scholarly estimates)
Source
Sirach 49:8
Ben Sira, Ecclesiasticus
Deuterocanon
6 who set fire to the chosen city of the sanctuary, and made its streets desolate, as Jeremiah had foretold. 7 For they had mistreated him, who even in the womb had been consecrated a prophet, to pluck up and ruin and destroy, and likewise to build and to plant. 8 It was Ezekiel who saw the vision of glory, which God showed him above the chariot of the cherubim. 9 For God also mentioned Job who held fast to all the ways of justice. 10 May the bones of the Twelve Prophets send forth new life from where they lie, for they comforted the people of Jacob and delivered them with confident hope.
Date: 195-175 B.C.E. (based on scholarly estimates)
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Notes and References
"... Ben Sira displays his knowledge of prophetic history generally and appears to refer to a specific collection of Twelve Prophets. In his narrative history, he refers to the three major prophets in the same order found in the Hebrew canon, from Isaiah (Sirach 48:22), to Jeremiah (49:6), to Ezekiel (49:8), culminating with a reference to the Twelve Prophets (49:10). Ben Sira meticulously only uses the title prophet to refer to characters from the conquest of the land until the exile, indicating that he has a specific concept in mind. These prophets are not merely sages, but speak for God and see visions (46:13, 16). He also references the Twelve Prophets in a similar form to that found in the later Masoretic Text: “And also the Twelve Prophets” (49:10). The use of the title “the Twelve Prophets” is likely an assumed recognizable entity. Ben Sira seems to be familiar with the twelve books as a grouping of prophetic writings. In conclusion, we see that he is familiar with a prophetic history like that found in the Jewish Scriptures and regards them as instructive for his community ..."
Beckman, Peter
Ben Sira’s Canon Conscious Interpretive Strategies: His Narrative History and Realization of the Jewish Scriptures
(pp. 562-575) Themelios, Vol. 46, Issue 3, 2021
* The use of references are not endorsements of their contents. Please read the entirety of the provided reference(s) to understand the author's full intentions regarding the use of these texts.
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