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. 5 On behalf of such an individual I will boast, but on my own behalf I will not boast, except about my weaknesses.
Date: 55-57 C.E. (based on scholarly estimates)
Source
3 Baruch 7:2
Greek Apocalypse of Baruch
Pseudepigrapha
1 And I said, And where does the sun begin its labors, after the cock crows? 2 And the angel said to me, Listen, Baruch: All things whatsoever I showed thee are in the first and second heaven, and in the third heaven the sun passes through and gives light to the world. But wait, and thou 3 shalt see the glory of God. And while I was conversing with him, I saw the bird, and he appeared 4 in front, and grew less and less, and at length returned to his full size. And behind him I saw the shining sun, and the angels which draw it, and a crown upon its bead, the sight of which we were 5 not able to gaze Upon, and behold. And as soon as the sun shone, the Phoenix also stretched out his wings. But I, when I beheld such great glory, was brought low with great fear, and I fled and 6 hid in the wings of the angel. And the angel said to me, Fear not, Baruch, but wait and thou shalt also see their setting.
Date: 100 C.E. (based on scholarly estimates)
Source
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Notes and References
"... In 3 Baruch 7:2 and 10:1, the sun and moon are located in the third heaven. LAB’s specific mention of the sun and moon in Moses’ descent is reminiscent of 1 Enoch 41:5-8, which describes the astronomical secrets revealed in heaven to Enoch, including the special place of the sun and moon, their paths, and the impact of their light (compare 1 Enoch 78-80). Later in LAB, Moses will be told that the sun, moon, and stars are servants to him (32:9; compare Exagoge, lines 76-81). Moses not only ascends to heaven: he is exalted above heavenly bodies ... Unlike the Book of the Watchers, the Testament of Levi, and the Exagoge, Moses’ mountain journeys do not take place in a dream vision; they are described as actual ascents to heaven (12:1; 19:8, 10) and to the ends of the cosmos (19:10). Moses’ first ascent of Sinai is the occasion of a cosmic journey to paradise. (In Ezekiel 28:13-16, Eden is depicted as a garden paradise on God’s holy, cosmic mountain. Paradise is located in the third heaven in 2 Corinthians 12:3-4) ..."
Ruffatto, Kristine Johnson
Visionary Ascents of Moses in Pseudo-Philo's Liber Antiquitatum Visionary Ascents of Moses in Pseudo-Philo's Liber Antiquitatum Biblicarum: Apocalyptic Motifs and the Growth of Visionary Biblicarum: Apocalyptic Motifs and the Growth of Visionary Moses Tradition Moses Tradition
(pp. 121-122) Marquette University, 2010
* 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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