Texts in Conversation
Revelation describes the sea, Death, and Hades surrendering their dead for judgment, with 4 Ezra similarly describing the dead rising to be judged. Both are based on traditions that connect the sea with Sheol or Hades, describing every realm of the dead releasing those within them.
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Revelation 20:13
New Testament
11 Then I saw a large white throne and the one who was seated on it; the earth and the heaven fled from his presence, and no place was found for them. 12 And I saw the dead, the great and the small, standing before the throne. Then books were opened, and another book was opened—the book of life. So the dead were judged by what was written in the books, according to their deeds. 13 The sea gave up the dead that were in it, and Death and Hades gave up the dead that were in them, and each one was judged according to his deeds. 14 Then Death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. This is the second death—the lake of fire. 15 If anyone’s name was not found written in the book of life, that person was thrown into the lake of fire.
Date: 92-96 C.E. (based on scholarly estimates)
Source
4 Ezra 7:32
2 Esdras
Pseudepigrapha
28 My son the Messiah shall appear with his companions and bring four hundred years of happiness to all who survive. 29 At the end of that time, my son the Messiah shall die, and so shall all mankind who draw breath. 30 Then the world shall return to its original silence for seven days as at the beginning of creation, and no one shall be left alive. 31 After seven days the age which is not yet awake shall be roused and the age which is flesh shall die. 32 The earth shall give up those who sleep in it, and the dust those who rest there in silence; and the storehouses shall give back the souls entrusted to them. 33 Then the Most High shall be seen on the judgment- seat, and there shall be an end of all pity and patience. 34 Judgment alone shall remain; truth shall stand firm and faithfulness be strong;
Date: 70-100 C.E. (based on scholarly estimates)
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Notes and References
"... In Revelation 20:13 the three places of the dead are the sea, Death and Hades. The personified Death may be this author's substitute for Abaddon, since he has used the latter name for the king of the demons (rather than the ruler of the dead) in 9:11. Death and Hades are a standard pair in Revelation and may represent the Old Testament pair Sheol and Abaddon, though there is also Old Testament precedent for the pair Death and Sheol (Hosea 13:14). More problematic is the sea. It is not plausible to introduce a distinction between body and soul into this verse, so that sea is the place from which the bodies of those who have died at sea are recovered, while Death and Hades surrender their souls ... more probably, and in the light of several Old Testament passages which closely associate the subterranean ocean with Sheol (e.g. 2 Samual 22:5-6; Job 26:5; Psalm 69:15), the sea is here simply another synonym for Sheol. Thus Revelation 20:13 preserves the synonymous parallelism exhibited by the tradition as found elsewhere ..."
Bauckham, Richard
The Fate of the Dead: Studies on the Jewish and Christian Apocalypses
(pp. 280-281) Brill, 1998
* 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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