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4Q544

Visions of Amram

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Fragment 1

1 Qahat there, to stay and to dwell and to build [the tombs of our fathers … and many men from among the sons of my uncle went up with us together … every] 2 man, and of our work there was a very great deal, until [the dead should be buried. In the first year of my authority, when there was a frightening rumor of war, our company turned back to the land of Egypt, and I went up to bury them] 3 quickly, but they had not built the tombs of their fathers. [And my father Qahat and my wife Jochebed left me to stay and to build and to take for them all that they needed from the land of Canaan. And we dwelt in Hebron] 4 while we were building. And there was war between [Philistia and Egypt,⁠ and Philistia and Canaan were prevailing over Egypt …] 5 And they closed the [borders of] Egypt, and it was not possible [for my wife Jochebed to come from Egypt to Canaan …] 6 for forty-one years. And we were not able to [return to Egypt … therefore not … the war] 7 between Egypt and Canaan and Philistia. And [during] all this, [Jochebed] my wife [was far from me in the land of Egypt … my charge … who with me] 8 was not. And I did [not] take another wife [for myself]. And women […] 9 all, that I would return to Egypt in peace and see the face of my wife [… and I was looking at the angels whom I saw] 10 in my vision, the vision of the dream. And behold, two were arguing over me⁠ and saying [… of his] 11 and they were holding a great dispute over me.⁠ And I asked them, “Who are you, that you thus [have power over me?” … And they said to me, “We] 12 [thus] are rulers, and rule over all the sons of Adam.” And they said to me, “Which of us do you⁠ [seek to be ruled by?” And behold, I lifted my eyes and saw,] 13 [and one] of them, his appearance was dreadful like a serpent, [and all] his clothing was many-colored,⁠ and he was dark with darkness. [His face …] 14 [And the other, I looked,] and behold … […] in his appearance, and his face was smiling, and [he was covered with clothing …] 15 [exceedingly, and above his eyes …]

Texts in conversation

Compare 4Q544 1:13 and Shepherd of Hermas 61:5 and Shepherd of Hermas 62:1

Dead Sea Scrolls, Biblical Retellings · Early Christian

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Summary

In 4Q544 from the Dead Sea Scrolls, the dark angel wears multicolored clothing. The Shepherd of Hermas similarly dresses its angel of indulgence in a saffron cloak, whose expensive dye connects his appearance with the luxury and pleasure he encourages.

Passages

4Q544 1:13

Dead Sea Scrolls, Biblical Retellings · Visions of Amram
10 in my vision, the vision of the dream. And behold, two were arguing over me and saying [… of his] 11 and they were holding a great dispute over me. And I asked them, “Who are you, that you thus [have power over me?” … And they said to me, “We] 12 [thus] are rulers, and rule over all the sons of Adam.” And they said to me, “Which of us do you [seek to be ruled by?” And behold, I lifted my eyes and saw,] 13 [and one] of them, his appearance was dreadful like a serpent, [and all] his clothing was many-colored, and he was dark with darkness. [His face …] 14 [And the other, I looked,] and behold … […] in his appearance, and his face was smiling, and [he was covered with clothing …]
160–60 BCE (scholarly estimate) Read in 4Q544

Shepherd of Hermas 61:5

Early Christian
5 After telling me these things, he said to me, “Let us go into the country, and I will show you the shepherds of the sheep.” “Let us go, Sir,” I said. We came to a plain, and he showed me a young man, a shepherd, clothed in a light cloak of saffron color; 6 he was feeding a great number of sheep, and these sheep were well fed and very lively, and were joyful as they jumped around here and there; and the shepherd himself was also joyful over his flock; and the shepherd’s face was very glad; and he ran about among the sheep.
90–140 CE (scholarly estimate) Read in the Shepherd of Hermas

Shepherd of Hermas 62:1

Early Christian
1 And he said to me, “Do you see this shepherd?” “I see him, Sir,” I said. “This,” he said, “is the angel of indulgence and deceit. He crushes the souls of God’s servants, and turns them away from the truth, leading them astray with evil desires, in which they perish. 2 For they forget the commandments of the living God, and walk in vain deceptions and acts of indulgence, and are destroyed by this angel—some to death, and others to corruption.”
90–140 CE (scholarly estimate) Read in the Shepherd of Hermas

References

“... Indirect evidence for a negative judgment of coloured clothes is present in the so-called Visions of Amram, found in multiple copies in Qumran cave 4. Amram sees two angels in a vision, apparently the angel of light and the angel of darkness, fighting over his own soul. The text proceeds with a very damaged description of the appear- ance and names of these two angels. The description of the colour and dress of the angel of light has not been preserved in the Visions of Amram, but one may assume that these were white or luminous. The point of interest here is that the description of the angel of darkness says that “all his clothing was coloured” [...] In this respect, there may be a con- nection between these Visions of Amram and the sixth Similitude of the Shepherd of Hermas, where the angel of luxury and deceit appears as a shepherd dressed in saffron-coloured clothes [...] In the Greek world dyes made from saffron stigmas were particu- larly associated with hetaerae. And, of course, as the most expen- sive spice in the world it is associated with luxury. ...”
Eibert J. C. Tigchelaar, “The White Dress of the Essenes and the Pythagoreans,” in Jerusalem, Alexandria, Rome: Studies in Ancient Cultural Interaction in Honour of A. Hilhorst, ed. Florentino García Martínez and Gerard P. Luttikhuizen, JSJSup 82 (Leiden: Brill, 2003), 320–321.

References are not endorsements of their contents. Read each reference in full to understand its author's intentions in using these texts.

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4Q544 1:13 and Shepherd of Hermas 61:5 and Shepherd of Hermas 62:1

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