Texts in Conversation
Revelation has God call himself the beginning and the end. Josephus, explaining the first commandment, describes God as the beginning, the middle, and the end of all things, the same Greek way of naming God as source and goal.
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2500 BCE
1000+ CE
Revelation 21:6
New Testament
5 And the one seated on the throne said: “Look! I am making all things new!” Then he said to me, “Write it down, because these words are reliable and true.” 6 He also said to me, “It is done! I am the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end. To the one who is thirsty I will give water free of charge from the spring of the water of life. 7 The one who conquers will inherit these things, and I will be his God and he will be my son.
Josephus Against Apion 2.190
Classical
What are the things then that we are commanded, or forbidden? They are simple, and easily known. The first command is concerning God: and affirms that God contains all things; and is a being every way perfect, and happy; self-sufficient, and supplying all other beings: the beginning, the middle, and the end of all things. He is manifest in his works, and benefits; and more conspicuous than any other being whatsoever: but as to his form and magnitude he is most obscure.
Date: c. 97 C.E. (based on scholarly estimates)
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Notes and References
... ‘Beginning and End’ is a divine title also found in the magical papyri (Greek Magical Papyri IV.1125, 2836-37) and in other magical texts; these twelve magical formulas are all of Christian origin, and the titles alpha and omega, beginning and end, are juxtaposed in each text, making dependence on Revelation 21:6 probable. God is referred to as ‘the Beginning and End of all things’ by Josephus (Antiquities 8.280) and Philo (On Planting 93). Josephus also uses a threefold formula: ‘He is the beginning, the middle, and the end of all things’ (Against Apion 2.190) ...
* 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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