Texts in Conversation
The Shepherd of Hermas quotes a lost book of Eldad and Modad: "The Lord is near those who turn to Him." The Aramaic Targum Pseudo-Jonathan has them prophesy rescue "in the hour of distresses," which looks closer to Hermas in English than in Aramaic.
Share:
2500 BCE
1000+ CE
Shepherd of Hermas 7:4
Early Christian
3 Blessed are all who do righteousness. They will never be destroyed. 4 But you shall say to Maximus, “Behold tribulation comes upon you, if you think fit to deny a second time. The Lord is near those who turn to Him, as it is written in Eldad and Modat, who prophesied to the people in the wilderness.”
Date: 90-140 C.E. (based on scholarly estimates)
Pseudo Jonathan Numbers 11:26
Targum
But two men had remained in the camp; the name of the one Eldad, and the name of the second Medad, the sons of Elizaphan bar Parnak, whom Jokebed the daughter of Levi bare to him when Amram her husband had put her away; and to whom she had been espoused before she gave birth to Mosheh. And the Spirit of prophecy resting upon them, Eldad prophesied, and said: Behold, Mosheh shall be gathered from the world; and Jehoshua bar Nun, the minister of the camps, will be established after him, and will lead the people of the house of Israel into the land of Kenaan, and make it their inheritance. Medad prophesied, and said: Behold, quails come up from the sea, and cover all the camp of Israel; but they will be to the people (a cause of) an offence. And both of them prophesied together, and said: Behold, a king will arise from the land of Magog, at the end of the days, and will assemble kings crowned with crowns, and captains wearing armour, and him will all nations obey. And they will set battle in array in the land of Israel against the children of the captivity; but already is it provided that in the hour of distresses all of them shall perish by the burning blast of the flame that cometh forth from beneath the Throne of Glory; and their carcases shall fall upon the mountains of the land of Israel, and the wild beasts of the field and the fowls of the sky shall come and consume their dead bodies. And afterward will all the dead of Israel live (again), and be feasted from the ox which hath been set apart for them from the beginning, and they shall receive the reward of their works. And they were of the elders who stood in the registers among them; but they had not gone forth to the tabernacle, but had hidden to escape from the dignity; yet they prophesied in the camp.
Search:
Notes and References
“... The expansion in this verse in the Pal. Tgs. reflects the literary remains of a book mentioned in the Athanasian Synopsis of the New Testament. The only extant phrase from that lost book is possibly preserved in The Shepherd of Hermas (Visions 2.3.4); (see K. Lake, The Apostolic Fathers, vol. 2, 22f.): “‘the Lord (kupios) is near those who turn to him’ as it is written in the Book of Eldad and Medad . . .” (note the Ps.-J. parallel: “the Lord (kurios) is near them at the hour of distress”). The reference in Num 11:26-27 is “a fertile field for aggadic interpretation” (Aberbach (1971) EJ vol. 6, 575-576). Ps.-J., Nf, and Frg.Tgs. (PV) contain the details of the prophecy of Eldad and Medad. There are variations in the form of the text, with Ps.-J. aligning its text with Frg.Tg. (V), while Nf’s text alligns itself with Frg.Tg. (P). Common to all the Targums is a prophecy about (a) the arrival of the quail, (b) the death of Moses and the succession of Joshua bar Nun, and (c) the coming of Gog and Magog or a king of Magog against the Israelites, who are delivered by a King Messiah (Nf, Frg.Tgs.) or the Lord (Ps.-J.). ...”
McNamara, Martin, and Ernest G. Clarke
Targum Neofiti 1: Numbers; Targum Pseudo-Jonathan: Numbers
(p. 220) Liturgical Press, 1995
* 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.
Your Feedback:
Leave a Comment
Anonymous comments are welcome. All comments are subject to moderation.
User Comments
,