Texts in Conversation
In 2 Corinthians 12, Paul describes being caught up to the third heaven, a common idea in Jewish apocalyptic traditions, which envisioned multiple layers of heaven. The apocalyptic text of 3 Baruch similarly depicts an ascent to the fifth heaven.
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2500 BCE
1000+ CE
3 Baruch 11:1
Greek Apocalypse of Baruch
Pseudepigrapha, Apocalypses
1 And the angel took me and led me from there to a fifth heaven. 2 And the gate was closed. And I said, Lord, will this gateway not open so that we can enter? And the angel said to me, We cannot enter until Michael comes, who holds the keys of the Kingdom of Heaven; but wait and you will see the glory of God. 3 And there was a great sound, like thunder. And I said, Lord, what is this sound? 4 And he said to me, Michael, the commander of the angels, is now coming down to receive the people's prayers. 5 And a voice called out, Let the gates be opened. And they opened them, and there was a roar like thunder. 6 And Michael came, and the angel who was with me went to meet him and bowed to him and said, Greetings, my commander and commander of our whole order.
Date: 1–200 CE (based on scholarly estimates)
2 Corinthians 12:2
New Testament
1 It is necessary to go on boasting. Though it is not profitable, I will go on to visions and revelations from the Lord. 2 I know a man in Christ who fourteen years ago (whether in the body or out of the body I do not know, God knows) was caught up to the third heaven. 3 And I know that this man (whether in the body or apart from the body I do not know, God knows) 4 was caught up into paradise and heard things too sacred to be put into words, things that a person is not permitted to speak.
Date: 55–57 CE (based on scholarly estimates)
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Notes and References
"... Paul says that he was snatched up to the third heaven. Heaven is the abode of God and of those closely associated with him (see "our Father in heaven," Matthew 6:9; "the angels in heaven," Mark 13:32). A journey to heaven where revelations are received about things on the other side is a familiar idea in first century apocalyptic and rabbinic materials (Bietenhard 1976:191-92). The notion of a multiplicity of heavens began to surface in the intertestamental period (2 Maccabees 15:23; 3 Maccabees 2:2, "king of the heavens"; Wisdom of Solomon 9:10, "the holy heavens"; Tobit 8:5, "the heavens"). Some Jewish materials speak of only one heaven (such as Philo; 2 Esdras 4:9), while others tell of three (Testament of Levi 2-3, "the uppermost heaven"), five (3 Baruch 11, "the angel led me to the fifth heaven") and even seven heavens (such as Pesiqta Rabbati 98a, "God opened seven heavens to Moses") ..."
Linda L. Belleville, 2 Corinthians, IVPNTC (Downers Grove, IL: IVP Academic, 2011), 208–209.
* 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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