1 Enoch 14:9

Pseudepigrapha

8 And the vision was shown to me: Behold, in the vision clouds called me and a mist summoned me, and the course of the stars and the lightnings sped and hastened me, and the winds in the vision caused me to fly and lifted me upward, and took me into heaven. 9 And I went in until I drew near to a wall built of crystals and surrounded by tongues of fire: and it began to frighten me. And I entered the tongues of fire and drew near to a large house built of crystals: and the walls of the house were like a mosaic floor of crystals, and its foundation was of crystal. 10 Its ceiling was like the path of the stars and the lightnings, and between them were fiery cherubim, and their heaven was clear as water.

Acts 2:3

New Testament

1 Now when the day of Pentecost had come, they were all together in one place. 2 Suddenly a sound like a violent wind blowing came from heaven and filled the entire house where they were sitting. 3 And tongues spreading out like a fire appeared to them and came to rest on each one of them. 4 All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit, and they began to speak in other languages as the Spirit enabled them. 5 Now there were devout Jews from every nation under heaven residing in Jerusalem.

 Notes and References

"... Some early Jewish writings could show awareness of or be inspired by the OT image of “tongues of fire” being associated with a divine theophany in a heavenly or earthly temple. The phrase “tongues of fire” also occurs in these Jewish passages. Perhaps 1 Enoch 14:8—25 offers a parallel to the fiery “tongues” in the Isaiah passages and in Acts 2:3 ... What could such a heavenly scene have to do with the earthly scene of Pentecost depicted in Acts 2? On the one hand, it is possible that the wording “tongues of fire” in 1 Enoch is merely a coincidental parallel to Acts 2. On the other hand, the contextual usage of the wording in 1 Enoch may have some overlap with the use of the same phrase in Acts 2. The Enoch passage may be a creative development of the above Exodus and Isaiah texts, the latter of which appears to be a development of imagery from the Sinai theophany. In the light of this 1 Enoch text, could it be that the descent of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost “from heaven” in the form of “tongues of fire” is to be conceived as the descent of God’s tabernacling presence from his heavenly temple? Since the heavenly temple is partly pictured by “tongues of fire,” it might be appropriate for the descent of that temple to be pictured with the same thing ..."

Beale, G. K. Handbook on the New Testament Use of the Old Testament: Exegesis and Interpretation (pp. 126-127) Baker Academic, 2012

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