Aramaic of Daniel 7:22-27 Distinguishing
“Ancient of Days” from “Most High”
22 עַ֣ד דִּֽי־אֲתָ֗ה עַתִּיק֙ יֹֽומַיָּ֔א
וְדִינָ֣אa יְהִ֔בb לְקַדִּישֵׁ֖י עֶלְיֹונִ֑יןc וְזִמְנָ֣א מְטָ֔ה וּמַלְכוּתָ֖א הֶחֱסִ֥נוּ קַדִּישִֽׁין׃
23 כֵּן֮a אֲמַר֒ חֵֽיוְתָא֙ רְבִיעָ֣יְתָ֔א מַלְכ֤וּ רְבִיעָיאָ֙b תֶּהֱוֵ֣א בְאַרְעָ֔א דִּ֥י תִשְׁנֵ֖א מִן־כָּל־מַלְכְוָתָ֑א וְתֵאכֻל֙ כָּל־אַרְעָ֔א
וּתְדוּשִׁנַּ֖הּ וְתַדְּקִנַּֽהּ׃
24 וְקַרְנַיָּ֣א עֲשַׂ֔ר מִנַּהּ֙ מַלְכוּתָ֔ה עַשְׂרָ֥ה
מַלְכִ֖ין יְקֻמ֑וּן וְאָחֳרָ֞ן יְק֣וּם אַחֲרֵיהֹ֗ון וְה֤וּא יִשְׁנֵא֙ מִן־קַדְמָיֵ֔א
וּתְלָתָ֥ה מַלְכִ֖ין יְהַשְׁפִּֽל׃
25 וּמִלִּ֗ין לְצַ֤ד עִלָּיאָ֙
יְמַלִּ֔ל וּלְקַדִּישֵׁ֥י עֶלְיֹונִ֖יןa יְבַלֵּ֑א וְיִסְבַּ֗ר לְהַשְׁנָיָה֙ זִמְנִ֣ין וְדָ֔ת
וְיִתְיַהֲב֣וּן בִּידֵ֔הּ עַד־עִדָּ֥ן וְעִדָּנִ֖יןb וּפְלַ֥ג עִדָּֽן׃
26 וְדִינָ֖א יִתִּ֑ב וְשָׁלְטָנֵ֣הּa יְהַעְדֹּ֔ון לְהַשְׁמָדָ֥ה וּלְהֹובָדָ֖ה עַד־סֹופָֽא׃
27 וּמַלְכוּתָ֨ה וְשָׁלְטָנָ֜א וּרְבוּתָ֗א דִּ֚י מַלְכְוָת֙
תְּחֹ֣ות כָּל־שְׁמַיָּ֔א יְהִיבַ֕ת לְעַ֖ם קַדִּישֵׁ֣י עֶלְיֹונִ֑יןa מַלְכוּתֵהּ֙b
Nevertheless, in
Dan 7:26—the verse which describes the destruction of the last king who
suppressed the saints of the Most High (possibly the one like the son of man,
as Dan 7:22 seems to distinguish the Ancient of Days from the Most High)—is not
clear enough which of the two divine characters is the author of this
destruction: “But the court will sit, and his power will be taken away and
completely destroyed forever.” According to the internal logic of the combat
myth, however, it is expected that the Divine Warrior figure (therefore the one
like the son of man) would fight, destroy the evil enemy, and save his divine
people or human subjects.
Dragoş Andrei
Giulea, Pre-Nicene Christology in Paschal Contexts: The Case of the Divine
Noetic Anthropos (Supplements to Vigiliae Christianae Texts and Studies of
Early Christian Life and Language 123; Leiden: Brill, 2014), 46 n. 17
In Daniel 7, the
Ancient of Days has always been an intriguing yet obscure figure, though there
is little doubt that in Daniel he can represent none other than Yahweh. He is
seated on the throne of dominion (v. 9), grants authority (vv. 13-14), and
passes judgment (v. 22). The only mitigation of this identification is that
there is grammatical cause to draw a distinction in v. 22 between the
"Ancient of Days" and the "Most High" (an epithet generally
used for Yahweh). Since the Most High, (עֶלְיוֹנִ֑ין) does not occur until
after the introduction of the "Son of Man," it is alternatively
possible that as a result of the Son of Man being granted authority (v. 14), he
thereby qualifies for the epithet "Most High." This creates the
expected correspondence between the kingdom being given to the son of man in v.
14 and to the Most High and his holy ones in v. 27.
John H. Walton,
"The Anzu Myth As Relevant Background for Daniel 7?" in The Book
of Daniel: Composition and Reception, ed. John J. Collins and Peter W.
Flint, 2 vols. (Supplements to Vetus Testamentum LXXXIII,I; Formation and
Interpretation of Old Testament Literature II, 1; Leiden: Brill, 2001), 1:79-80
Testament of Abraham (A) (ca. AD 80-100):
Seth = “Son of Man”; Adam = “Ancient of Days”
[Chapter 11]:
8 Then Abraham
asked the Commander-in-chief, “My lord Commander-in-chief, who is this most
wondrous man, who is adorned in such glory, and sometimes he cries and wails
while other times he rejoices and exults?”
9 The incorporeal
one said, “This is the first-formed Adam who is in such glory, and he looks at
the world, since everyone has come from him.
10 And when he
sees many souls entering through the strait gate, then he arises and sits on
his throne rejoicing and exulting cheerfully, because this strait gate is (the
gate) of the righteous, which leads to life, and those who enter through it
come into Paradise. And on account of this the first-formed Adam rejoices,
since he sees the souls being saved.
11 And when he
sees many souls entering through the broad gate, then he pulls the hair of his
head and casts himself on the ground crying and wailing bitterly; for the broad
gate is (the gate) of the sinners, which leads to destruction and to eternal
punishment. And on account of this the first-formed Adam falls from his throne,
crying and wailing over the destruction of the sinners; for many are the ones
who are destroyed, while few are the ones who are saved.
12 For among
seven thousand there is scarcely to be found one saved soul, righteous and
undefiled.”
. . .
[Chapter 12]:
4 And between the
two gates there stood a terrifying throne with the appearance of terrifying
crystal, flashing like fire.
5 And upon it sat
a wondrous man, bright as the sun, like unto a son of God
. . .
11 And the
wondrous man who sat on the throne was the one who judged and sentenced the
souls.
. . .
[Chapter 13]
1 And Abraham
said, “My lord Commander-in-chief, who is this all-wondrous judge? And who are
the angels who are recording? And who is the sunlike angel who holds the
balance? And who is the fiery angel who holds the fire?”
2 The
Commander-in-chief said, “Do you see, all-pious Abraham, the frightful man who
is seated on the throne? This is the son of Adam, the first-formed, who is
called Abel, whom Cain the wicked killed.
3 And he sits
here to judge the entire creation, examining both righteous and sinners. For
God said, ‘I do not judge you, but every man is judged by man.’
Testament of
Abraham (Recension A) 11:8-12, 12:4-5, 11 and 13:1-3 in E.P. Sanders,
"Testament of Abraham (First to Second Century A.D.): A New Translation
and Introduction," in The Old Testament Pseudepigrapha, ed. James
H. Charlesworth, 2 vols. (New Haven: Yale University Press, 1983), 1:888-890
Testament of
Abraham
The whole of
chapters 11-13 of the Testament of Abraham constitute an important text for the
present discussion. The following passages are especially notable:
11.8-9: Then
Abraham asked the Prince, 'My Lord Prince, who is the most wondrous man, who is
adorned with such great glory . . .?' The incorporeal one said, 'This is the
first-formed Adam, who is in such great glory . . . '.
12.4-5, 11:
Between the two gates there stood an awesome throne, flashing like fire. And on
it sat a wondrous man, bright as the sun, like a son of God . . . And the
wondrous man who sat on the throne was the one who was giving judgment and
sentencing the souls . . .
13.1-3: And
Abraham said, 'My Lord Prince, who is this all-wondrous judge, and who are
these recording angels? And who is the angel like the sun, who holds the
scales, and who is the fiery angel who holds the fire' And the Prince said,
'All-pious Abraham, do you see the terrifying man who is seated on the throne?
This is the son of the first-formed Adam, who is called Abel, and he was killed
by the wicked Cain. He sits here to judge every creature . . . '.
This quite
extraordinary succession of texts does not describe a process of
transformation, such as we have seen thus far, but it does clearly portray both
Adam and Abel as having transformed appearance. Thus Abel is surrounded by the
most exalted angels, who appear in altogether brilliant mode, yet his own
appearance clearly exceeds theirs in its awesome and majestic nature; the same
is clearly implied for Adam as well.
It may indeed be
possible to find still further significance in Testament of Abraham 11-13. This
is according to the view that the Testament of Abraham in these chapters has
used Dan. 7.9-27 at its primary point of reference, and interprets the four
designations or 'figures' there is a radically distinctive way as four separate
and independent beings. So the Ancient of Days is interpreted as Adam, the One
like a Son of Man as Abel (the 'wondrous man'), the Holy Ones as the Twelve
Tribes of Israel, and the Most High as the Master God. The way that Abel appears
to be identified as the angelic Son of Man (a designation itself easily
obtained for him as 'Son of Adam'!) is quite remarkable, as is the way that he
is set specifically on a throne, as judge of all humankind (and all this has
clear similarities with the way that the Son of Man is identified in 1 Enoch
69, 71, and with Jesus in the New Testament).
The most
extraordinary aspect of the interpretation here is the Testament of Abraham,
however, is the identification of the Ancient of Days with Adam; but in fact
Dan. 7.21-22 and 7.25 allow this figure to be distinguished from the Most High,
and there are indeed other traditions (Rev. 1.13-14 and Apocalypse of Abraham
10.4) where it is used of a figure other than God. In any case, Adam is given
an extraordinary high status here: he is specifically enthroned in the presence
of the angels, described as a 'terrifying being' who looks like the 'Master'
(clearly referring to God), and adorned in glory. Thus his appearance is like
God's, he is enthroned, implicitly has all-encompassing knowledge, and takes
part in the process of judgment.
Andrew Chester, Messiah
and Exaltation: Jewish Messianic and Visionary Traditions and New Testament
Christology (Tübingen: Mohr Siebeck, 2007), 71-72; for a book-length
treatment of the Testament of Abraham identifying Adam with the Ancient of Days,
see Phillip B Munoa, III, Four Powers in Heaven: The Interpretation of
Daniel 7 in the Testament of Abraham (Journal for the Study of the
Pseudepigrapha, Supplement Series, 28; Sheffield: Sheffield Academic Press,
1998) which is available at https://www.academia.edu/26788165/Four_Powers_in_Heaven_The_Interpretation_of_Daniel_7_in_the_Testament_of_Abraham_Phillip_B_Munoa_III_Journal_for_the_Study_of_the_Pseudepigrapha_Supplement_Series_28_Sheffield_Academic_Press_1998
In T.Ab.
11-12, as in Daniel 7, two thrones are set up, one for the
major figure (God = the Ancient of Days in Daniel, Adam in Testament of
Abraham), who is described as brilliantly radiant and awe-inspiring, and
the other for the secondary figure ("one like a son of man" in
Daniel, Abel "the son of Adam" in Testament of Abraham),
who is given or associated with the task of judging.
Joel Marcus, "Son
of Man as Son of Adam," Revue Biblique 110, no. 1 (January
2003): 59 n. 81
Apocryphon of John (ca. AD 180):
“Seth” = Son of Man; “Adam” = Ancient of Days
24 preparing herself for her husband. He was
lord over her though he did not know the mystery which had come to pass through
the holy decree. And they were afraid to blame him. And he showed his angels
his ignorance which is in him. And he cast down out of paradise and he clothed
them in gloomy darkness. And the chief archon saw the virgin who stood by Adam,
and that the luminous Epinoia of life had appeared in her. And Yaldabaoth was
full of ignorance. And when the foreknowledge of the All noticed (it), she sent
some and they snatched life out of Eve.
"And the
chief archon seduced her and he begot in her two sons; the first and second
(are) Eloim and Yave. Elim has a bear-face and Yave has a cat-face. The one is
righteous but the other is unrighteous. (IV 38, 4-6: Yave is righteous but
Eloim is unrighteous.)
Yave he set over
the fire and wind, and Eloim he set over the water and the earth. And these he
called with the names Cain and Abel with a view to deceive.
"Now up to
the present day sexual intercourse continued due to the chief archon. And he
planted sexual desire in her who belongs to Adam. And he produced through
intercourse the copies of the bodies, and he inspire them with his counterfeit
spirit.
"And the two
archons he set over principalities so that they might rule over the tomb. And
when Adam recognized the likeness of his own foreknowledge, he begot the
likeness 25 of the son of man. He called him Seth according to the way
of the race in the aeons. Likewise the mother also sent down her spirit which
is in her likeness and a copy of those who are in the pleroma, for she will
prepare a dwelling place for the aeons which will come down. And he made them
drink water of forgetfulness, from the chief archon, in order that they might
not know from where they came. Thus the seed remains for a while assisting
(him) in order that, when the Spirit comes forth from the holy aeons, he may
raise up and heal him from the deficiency, that the whole pleroma may (again)
become holy and faultless."
And I said to the
savior, "Lord, will all the souls then be brought safely into the pure
light?" He answered and said to me, "Great things have arisen in your
mind, for it is difficult to explain them to others except to those who are
from the immovable race. Those on whom the Spirit of life will descend and
(with whom) he will be with the power, that they will be saved and become
perfect and be worthy of the greatness and be purified in that place from all
wickedness and the involvements in evil. Then they have no other care than the
in corruption alone, to which they direct their attention from here on, without
anger or envy or jealousy or desire and greed of anything. They are not
affected by anything except the state of being in the flesh alone, which they
bear while looking expectantly for the time when they will be met 26 by
the receivers (of the body). . . .
Apocryphon of
John 1:24-26 in Frederik Wisse, "The Apocryphon of John," The Nag
Hammadi Library: The Definitive Translation of the Gnostic Scriptures, ed.
James M. Robinson (San Francisco: Harper Collins, 1990), 118-19
Re’uyot Yehezqel (ca. AD 300-500):
“Ancient of Days” = Michael
[D1] It is a
journey of five hundred years from Shema Shamayim to Zebul.
What is in Zebul?
R. Levi quoted R. Hama b. 'Uqba, quoting R. Johanan: The prince dwells only in
Zebul, and it is he who constitutes the fullness of Zebul. Thousands of
thousands and myriads of myriads are in his presence, serving him. Daniel says
of them: While I was watching, thrones and so forth [were set up, and the
ancient of days took his seat. His clothing was white as snow, the hair of his
head like pure wool. His throne was flames of fire, its wheels blazing fire.] A
river of fire flowed [forth from before him. Thousands of thousands served him,
and myriads of myriads stood before him; Daniel 7:9-10].
[D2] What is his
name? Qimos is his name. R. Isaac says: Me'attah is his name. R. 'Anayni b.
Sasson says: Bizebyl is his name. R. Tanhum the elder says: 'ṭṭyh is his his
name. Eleazar of Nadwad says: Metatron, like the name of the Power. Those who
make use of the name say: slns is his name, qs bs bs qbs is his name, by [?]
the name of the creator of the world.
"Re’uyot
Yehezqel" (late Rabbinic Midrash, c. 300-500 AD), in Daniel J. Halperin, The
Faces of the Chariot: Early Jewish Responses to Ezekiel's Vision (Tübingen:
Mohr Siebeck, 1988), 267
THE CELESTIAL
HIGH PRIEST
A remarkable
tradition concerning a certain “Prince” in heaven is preserved in the enigmatic
tractate Re’uyot Yehezqel, which many scholars seek to locate on the periphery
of Merkavah mysticism:
And what is there
in [the third heaven] zevul?
R. Levi said in
the name of R. Hama bar Uqba, who said [it] in the name of R. Yohanan: The
Prince (ha-śar) is not dwelling anywhere but in zevul, and he is the very
fullness (melo’o) of zevul.
And before him
are thousands of thousands and myriads of myriads who minister to him. Of them
it is said by Daniel: As I watched, thrones were set in place, etc. [and the
Ancient of Days took his seat. His garment was white as snow, and the hair of
his head like pure wool. His throne was fiery flames; its wheels were blazing
fire.] A river of fire streamed forth, etc. [from before him. Thousands upon
thousands served him; myriads upon myriads stood attending him] (Dan. 7:9f.).
And what is his
name?
Kimos (QYMWS) is
his name.
R. Yitzhaq said:
Me’atah is his name.
R. Inyanei bar
Sasson (Sisson?) said: Bi-zevul (“in zevul ”) is his name.
R. Tanhum the
Elder said: Atatyah is his name.
Eleazar Nadwadya
(Nadwad, Narwad, Nedudeya?) said:
Metatron
(myttrwn), like the name of the Power (gevurah).
And those who
make theurgical use of the name say:
Salnas (SLNS) is
his name, QS BS BS QBS is his name, similar to the name of the creator of the
world.
This passage is
part of a description of the seven heavens and their inventories. It locates a
“Prince,” whose name is at first not specified, in the third heaven (zevul). Of
this Prince we learn only that he is the “fullness of zevul ”—whatever this means:
that he represents the “essence” of zevul or that he fills it out
completely?—and that many angels serve him (with Daniel 7:9f. as proof text).
Since his name is not explicitly mentioned, the second section of our passage
asks after his name and provides a list of names, most of which are
unintelligible nomina barbara. Only the name Metatron immediately stands out as
an unambiguous identification—all the more so as the author hastens to add that
well-known specification that his name is like the name of the Power (which is,
of course, God).
The date and
provenance of Re’uyot Yehezqel, wherefrom our passage derives, is much debated
among scholars. . . . Halperin has conclusively argued that “not only is the
Visions of Ezekiel not a Hekhalot text; it is, by and large, very unlike the
Hekhalot.” This line of reasoning is followed by Goldberg, who—on the basis of
a detailed form-analytical analysis—concludes that it is a late rabbinic
midrash and definitely not a “mystical text.” . . . the quotation of Daniel
7:9f. in our Re’uyot Yehezqel passage complicates matters. The verse speaks of
the “Ancient of Days,” no doubt God, who takes his seat on his heavenly throne
and has thousands and myriads of angels serving him. Hence, if we apply this to
the Prince in zevul, we can only conclude that the Prince Michael/Metatron is
identified with the Ancient of Days, that is, with God; in other words, that
Michael/Metatron is not only a second divine power next to God but even serves
as God’s surrogate.
Peter Schäfer, The
Jewish Jesus: How Judaism and Christianity Shaped Each Other (Princeton:
Princeton University Press, 2012), 116-18, 121
Yefet ben Ali (10th century):
“Ancient of Days” is not God but an exalted
angel
9, 10. These
thrones [which were cast down] are the kings mentioned above. The Ancient of
days is an angel whose task it shall be to judge the nations on the day of
Judgment (cp. Ps. l. 3). A throne of fire, he tells us, was set up for him, and
the wheels of his throne were flaming fire ; the bodies of the supernal angels
are of fire, and their thrones are of fire likewise. Then he shewed him a river
of fire issuing out from before the angel, wherewith he punished transgressors.
Thousand
thousands ministered unto him: because he was the greatest of the angels, like
the great Sultan, before whom stand a multitude of ministers. Then he tells us
why he sat upon the throne with these ministers standing before him: the
judgment was set and the books were opened: i. e. the judgment of the world for
their denial of Him (Deut. xxxii. 37). The books were opened: for some of their
sins were of long standing, and their works were noted (ibid. 32). The
expression refers to the ordinary custom of noting down a fact which may be of
use after some time, that one may not forget it. He is using the language of
the world. Compare for the same, in reference to the deeds of the wicked, Is.
Ixv. 6 ; and in reference to the conduct of the godly, Mai. iii. 1 6 and Ps.
Ixix. 29. Reference is elsewhere made to God's judgment of the Gentiles for the
wrong they have done Israel (Joel iii. 2). He thought it appropriate to mention
the day of Judgment after the termination of the four kingdoms, to shew that at
the close of their sovereignty they must expect judgment, punishment, and
condemnation, and that their works are taken count of against them. . . . 13.
The Messiah is likened to a man in contrast to the four kingdoms, which were
likened to beasts. For two reasons. One is, because he is wise and knows his
Lord. A second, because he is lord of all.
With the clouds
of heaven: because God Almighty [shall] send him, and men shall witness him as
they witness the clouds. Then we are told how he came to the angel who sat
judging the people, and how the angel let him come before him and close to him,
and then how God gave the kingdom to him.
Anecdota
Oxoniensia: A Commentary on the Book of Daniel by Jephet Ibn Ali the Karaite, trans. D.S. Margoliouth (Oxford: Oxford
Clarendon Press, 1889), 35-36
Ibn Ezra (c. 1155):
“Ancient of Days” = Michael
מיכאל שר הגדול
כאשר יפרש והוא עתיק
יומין
(English:
Michael, the great prince . . . Ancient of Days.)
Abraham ibn Ezra,
Commentary on Daniel (ca. 1155)
URL: https://www.sefaria.org/Ibn_Ezra_on_Daniel.7.14.4?lang=bi&with=all&lang2=en
Chapter 22
of John A. Tvedtnes, Joseph Smith and the Ancient World (unpublished)
Chapter 22
THE ANCIENT OF DAYS
_______________________
And also with Michael, or
Adam, the father of all, the prince of all, the ancient of days. (D&C
27:11)
In various
revelations, Joseph Smith learned that Adam was the same as the archangel
Michael and that he is “the Ancient of Days [who] shall sit, as spoken of by
Daniel the prophet” (D&C 116:1). In the prophet Daniel’s vision of the last
days, he saw the Ancient of Days sitting on a throne while the books were
opened for judgment and the “Son of man” came to him from heaven (Daniel
7:9-14). This identification is surprising, since Bible scholars and readers
have long considered the Ancient of Days to be God (though the Bible never says
so) and the concept of Adam was an angel, much less the archangel Michael, was
unknown in Joseph Smith’s day.
In recent years, the
judgment scene in Daniel 7 drew the attention of non-LDS Bible scholar Phillip
B. Munoa III, who compared Daniel’s vision with Abraham’s vision of Adam on the
throne of judgment as recorded in the first- or second-century A.D. Testament of Abraham.[i]
In Testament of Abraham 11, Adam sits
between the two gates, one for the righteous and one for the wicked, judging
who will enter each gate.[ii]
Chapter 3 of Munoa’s book is entitled “The Exegesis of
Daniel 7.” It includes a section on “Adam and the Ancient of Days,”[iii]
in which he notes, among other things, that “in the Testament of Abraham, the
presence of Adam is, as Delcor puts it, ‘astonishing.’ Like the Ancient of
Days, Adam is enthroned in the presence of angels and is described as a
‘terrifying’ being who looks like the ‘Master’.”[iv]
At the end of the same section, Munoa writes, “Perhaps even the title given to
Adam, ‘first‑formed,’ which obviously can be understood as implying his great
age or patriarchal stature, can be connected to the title ‘Ancient of Days’ in
Daniel. This conjecture will be examined later in Chapter 3.”[v]
That promised
discussion comes in sections entitled “The Ancient of Days”[vi]
and “The Ancient of Days and the Most High.”[vii]
In the first of these sections, Munoa discusses the various possible
identifications for the “Ancient of Days.” He notes that “Even a figure like
Adam, known as the fallen head of the human race in Genesis, could be
interpreted as the ‘Ancient of Days’ when the characteristics of this rather
ambiguous Danielic figure were interpreted in a broader light.”[viii]
A.
Lacocque, in his commentary on Daniel, observes how the “Ancient of Days” was
interpreted by the Jewish medieval scholar Jephet as an angel and by his Jewish
contemporary Ibn Ezra as the archangel Michael . . . Lacocque writes: “The
powerful Sethian sect identified the ‘son of man’ with Seth ‘the son of Adam’”
. . . If Seth could be seen as the “son of man,” the identification of Adam
with the “Ancient of Days” who empowers the “one like a son of man” is not
unthinkable. Both Seth and Abel are sons of Adam. Since Adam’s son was seen as
the “son of man,” the next step of interpreting the Ancient of Days, appearing
with the son of man in Daniel 7, as Adam, is not a big one.[ix]
Munoa further notes,
“That Adam looks like the ‘Ancient of Days’ seems reasonable in view of the
Parables of Enoch and the Apocryphon of
John.”[x]
“There is even evidence that the highest angel could share a divine name which
was associated with the title the ‘Ancient of Days.’ A figure called the
‘Prince of the world,’ who appears to be related to the traditions of Metatron
and Michael, is called ‘old man.’ . . . This is important for arguing that the
Testament of Abraham interprets Adam as the ancient of Days. It illustrates how
in a second‑century CE [AD] religious system, based on the same scriptures, the
Ancient of Days is not the highest God but a patriarch. To the Valentinians, he
is Abraham. To others, he is obviously Adam.”[xi]
“The Testament of Abraham understood the ‘Ancient of Days’ to be Adam.”[xii]
Because others have
understood the Ancient of Days to be God, based on Daniel 7:21-22, Munoa
explains that “An interpreter could realistically treat ‘Ancient of Days’ and
‘Most High’ as two different persons. This is a possibility since ‘Most High’
has been established earlier in Daniel as a divine title[xiii]
and the unique ‘Ancient of Days’ only appears in Daniel 7. By interpreting the
‘Ancient of Days’ as Adam, the author of the Testament of Abraham may be
revealing his own familiarity with the ‘two or more powers’ in heaven
controversy.[xiv]
These textual elements give support for an ‘Adam’ interpretation. Adam has been
show to have been a genuine interpretive possibility given first‑century Jewish
traditions when the Testament of Abraham was written.”[xv]
Munoa continues this
theme in chapter 4, “Adam and Abel as Exalted Figures in the Testament of
Abraham and Middle Judaism.” He notes that “Adam as the ‘Ancient of Days’ is
the most unusual parallel proposed between the Testament of Abraham and Daniel.
Initially, it seems strange to argue that a Jewish author would interpret the
‘Ancient of Days’ as Adam, who is known in Genesis as the fallen head of the
human race. Yet there are persistent Jewish speculations which view Adam as a
glorified divine agent.”[xvi]
He then goes on to
describe some of these speculations and, in the middle of his discussion,
writes, “The description of a human being as godlike was not unheard in Jewish
communities. With this in mind, the ‘Ancient of Days’ could be taken for Adam,
since Adam has God’s likeness.”[xvii]
“That Adam looks like God is matched by the descriptions of [the angel] Iaoel[xviii]
and Jesus. The identification of Adam with the ‘Ancient of Days’ is in keeping
with Jewish exegetical practices of the first century CE.”[xix]
The rest of the chapter gives supporting ideas.
Adam as Michael
A number of Joseph
Smith’s revelations identified Adam with the archangel Michael (D&C 27:11;
78:15-16; 107:54; 128:21).[xx]
Most early Christian texts separate Adam and Michael, but a few provide
circumstantial evidence that they are the same person. The Christian Ethiopic Conflict of Adam and Eve I, 10:5 lends
partial support to this idea by having God tell Adam, “While thou wast under My
command and was a bright angel,”[xxi]
suggesting that when Adam lived in God’s presence he was an angel. Version J of
2 Enoch 30:10-14 has God saying of
Adam, “From invisible and visible substances I created man[xxii]
. . . And on the earth I assigned him to be a second angel, honored and great
and glorious. And I assigned him to be a king, to reign |on| the earth [and] to
have my wisdom. And there was nothing comparable to him on the earth, even
among my creatures that exist . . . And I assigned to him four special stars,
and called his name Adam.”[xxiii]
One of the Christian
Gnostic texts discovered at Nag Hammadi has Adam telling his son Seth, “When
god had created me out of the earth along with Eve your mother, I went about
with her in a glory which she had seen in the aeon [world] from which we had come
forth . . . And we resembled the great eternal angels, for we were higher than
the god who had created us and the powers with him, whom we did not know” (Apocalypse of Adam V,5 64.6-19).[xxiv]
A Coptic text known as
the Discourse on Abbaton notes that,
after the fall, “the Devil went to meet Adam outside Paradise, and he said to
him: ‘Behold, O Adam, I was cast out of Paradise through thee, and I caused
thee to be cast out because thou hast made me to become a stranger to my home
in heaven. I will never cease to fight against thee and all thy seed, until I
have dragged them all down to Amente with me.”[xxv]
Since the archangel Michael was the cause of the devil being cast out of heaven
(Revelation 12:7-9), this passage may suggest that Adam was Michael.[xxvi]
In Apocalypse of Moses 16:3-5, the devil says to the serpent, “Rise
and come and let us make him [Adam] to be cast out of Paradise through his
wife, just as we were cast out through him.”[xxvii]
Since there had not yet been an expulsion from the garden, this again suggests
that Satan was cast out of heaven because of Adam. In most ancient traditions,
Satan was cast out because he would not worship Adam, the image of God. From
the LDS viewpoint, it was Adam, as Michael, who expelled Satan from heaven (cf.
Revelation 12:7-9).
A Gaelic (Irish)
pseudepigraphic text mentions Lucifer among “the hosts of archangels” that God
wanted to make subject to Adam. Lucifer objected that he was senior to Adam and
said, “I will not bow down before my junior” (Creation and Fall 1)[xxviii]
“Lucifer was jealous of Adam, being certain that it was Adam who would be
brought to heaven in place of himself” (Creation
and Fall 5).[xxix]
This suggests that the devil believed that Adam would become an archangel.
Commenting on the
apostle Paul’s comparison of Christ with Adam (1 Corinthians 15:45-49), the
third-century AD Christian writer Methodius wrote that “it was fitting that the
first-born of God, the first shoot, the only-begotten, even the wisdom of God,
should be joined to the first-formed man, and first and first-born of mankind,
and should become incarnate. And this was Christ, a man filled with the pure
and perfect Godhead, and God received into man. For it was most suitable that
the oldest of the Aeons and the first of the Archangels, when about to hold
communion with men, should dwell in the oldest and the first of men, even
Adam.”[xxx]
Though he here calls Christ “the first of the Archangels,” the comparison is
particularly apt when we consider Joseph Smith’s identification of Adam as the
archangel Michael.[xxxi]
Adam the Prince
At the beginning of
this chapter, we noted that D&C 27:11 identifies Adam with Michael and
calls him “the prince of all, the ancient of days” (D&C 27:11). A similar
statement is found in D&C 107:55, where we read that “the Lord administered
comfort unto Adam, and said unto him: I have set thee to be at the head; a
multitude of nations shall come of thee, and thou art a prince over them
forever.” In Daniel 12:1, it is the archangel Michael who is termed “the great
prince” (see also Daniel 10:13, 21).[xxxii]
Michael is called “the prince of the world” in Pirqe de Rabbi Eliezer 27, reputedly written by a first-century AD
rabbi.[xxxiii]
While Jewish tradition does not identify Michael with Adam, it is interesting
that it makes Adam a king. Zohar
Leviticus 76b says, “We have learnt that when man came down to earth in the
supernal likeness of all who saw him, both higher and lower beings, came to him
and made him king of this world.”[xxxiv]
Early Christian
traditions indicate that God made Adam priest, prophet, and king. Among these
are Conflict of Adam and Eve III,
5:10 and 18:12,[xxxv]
Book of the Rolls f.93a, f.94b,[xxxvi]
Cave of Treasures [xxxvii]
and several sources cited by the twelfth-century Syrian Christian Michael,
Jacobite patriarch of Antioch.[xxxviii]
The Book of the Bee 13 describes how
Adam donned royal apparel and a crown and “was made king and priest and
prophet” by God, who “set him upon the throne of His glory, and there He made
him master over all creatures.” The angels then bowed down before Adam.[xxxix]
This latter story
closely resembles an Arab tradition in which Adam, dressed in a silk robe and
sporting a crown of gold, stands atop a platform to address the angels
assembled by God.[xl]
The scene is very reminiscent of the ancient assembly for the biblical feast of
tabernacles, at which the king addressed the congregation from atop a platform,
and suggests that Adam was considered to be a king.[xli]
Adam Holds the Keys
While most Bible readers view Adam solely
in light of the fall, Joseph Smith held our first parents in high regard. He
declared that
The
Priesthood was first given to Adam; he obtained the First Presidency, and held
the keys of it from generation to generation. He obtained it in the Creation,
before the world was formed, as in Gen. i: 26, 27, 28. He had dominion given
him over every living creature. He is Michael the Archangel, spoken of in the
Scriptures . . . The keys have to be brought from heaven whenever the Gospel is
sent. When they are revealed from heaven, it is by Adam’s authority. Daniel in
his seventh chapter speaks of the Ancient of Days; he means the oldest man, our
Father Adam Michael he will call his children together and hold a council with
them to prepare them for the coming of the Son of Man. He (Adam) is the father
of the human family, and presides over the spirits of all men, and all that
have had the keys must stand before him in this grand council. This may take place before some of us leave
this stage of action. The Son of Man
stands before him, and there is given him glory and dominion. Adam delivers up
his stewardship to Christ, that which was delivered to him as holding the keys
of the universe, but retains his standing as head of the human family. (History of the Church 3:385-86).
On a subsequent
occasion, the prophet spoke of “Adam, who was the first man, who is spoken of
in Daniel as being the ‘Ancient of Days,’ or in other words, the first and
oldest of all, the great, grand progenitor of whom it is said in another place
he is Michael, because he was the first and father of all, not only by progeny,
but the first to hold the spiritual blessings . . . Adam holds the keys of the
dispensation of the fullness of times” (History
of the Church 4:207; see also 4:210). D&C 78:16 speaks of “Michael your
prince” who holds “the keys of salvation under the direction of the Holy One.” [xlii]
While the Bible does
not ascribe keys to either Adam or Michael, this idea is found in several
ancient pseudepigraphic texts. For example, in 3 Baruch 11:1-14:2, we read that the prophet Baruch was shown the
large gates of the fifth heaven on which the names of men were written and saw
the gates opened by Michael, holder of the keys, who then received the prayers
of mankind. When the gates closed, Michael brought the prayers to God (3 Baruch 14:1-2).
In 4 Baruch 9:4-5, the archangel Michael offers incense and opens the
gates of heaven for the righteous. The scene is reminiscent of President Heber
C. Kimball’s discussion of “the vision that Joseph Smith had, when he saw Adam
open the gate of the Celestial City and admit the people one by one. He then
saw Father Adam conduct them to the throne one by one, when they were crowned
Kings and Priests of God” (Journal of
Discourses 9.41). We are again reminded of the depiction of Adam seated on
a throne between the two gates leading to heaven and hell in Testament of Abraham 11, discussed
earlier.
Adam’s possession of
keys is confirmed in a medieval Jewish text, Zohar Genesis 55b, which says that “when Adam was in the Garden of
Eden, God sent down to him a book by the hand of Raziel, the angel in charge of
the holy mysteries . . . In the middle of the book was a secret writing
explaining the thousand and five hundred keys which were not revealed even to
the holy angels, and all of which were locked up[xliii]
in this book until it came into the hands of Adam.”[xliv]
We noted earlier Joseph
Smith’s declaration that whenever the keys are sent to earth, it is by Adam’s
authority. A Coptic Christian text, the Mysteries
of St. John the Divine, says something similar about the archangel Michael.
Speaking of the angels who serve under Michael in heaven, it says, “And the
name of Michael was on all their garments, and every angel pronounced his name
and no angel was allowed to descend to earth unless the name of Michael was
written upon his raiment to protect him from the Devil.”[xlv]
Summary
If any of Joseph
Smith’s teachings would have seemed radical to his contemporaries, it was
surely his declaration that Adam was the Ancient of Days mentioned in Daniel 7,
that he was also the archangel Michael,[xlvi]
and that he held priesthood “keys.” None of this makes much sense in the
Christian world of today, yet we see that each of these points is supported by
ancient texts (to which Joseph had no access) and by modern scholarship.
Based on research by John
A. Tvedtnes
Notes:
[i] Phillip B.
Munoa III, Four Powers in Heaven: The
Interpretation of Daniel 7 in the Testament of Abraham (Journal for the
Study of the Psuedepigrapha, Supplement Series 28, 1998).
[ii] James H.
Charlesworth, The Old Testament
Pseudepigrapha (Garden City: Doubleday, 1983), 1:888. For the Falasha
version, see Wolf Leslau, Falasha
Anthology (New Haven: Yale, 1951), 98-100.
[iii] Phillip
B. Munoa III, Four Powers in Heaven,
46‑51.
[iv] Ibid.,
48.
[v] Ibid., 51.
[vi] Ibid., 62‑79.
[vii] Ibid.,
79‑80.
[viii] Ibid.,
64.
[ix] Ibid.,
67-68.
[x] Ibid., 70.
[xi] Ibid.,
71.
[xii] Ibid.,
77.
[xiii] Daniel
3:26; 4:17, 24-25, 32, 34; 5:18, 21. In Daniel 7, the title appears in verses
18, 22, 25, and 27.
[xiv] Because
of texts that suggested the presence of another ruler in heaven (usually
Metatron, Wisdom, or Melchizedek in Jewish tradition), some early rabbis
debated whether there was a single God or “two powers in heaven.” Early
Christians, on the other hand, accepted the divinity of Jesus Christ and of the
Holy Ghost and hence had no problem with the same passages. The topic is much
too involved to discuss here. For a study of the subject, see Alan F. Segal, Two
Powers in Heaven: Early RabbinicRreports about Christianity and Gnosticism
(Leiden : Brill, 1977).
[xv] Phillip
B. Munoa III, Four Powers in Heaven,
80.
[xvi] Ibid.,
82.
[xvii] Ibid.,
104.
[xviii] Jaoel
is the name of the angel sent to Abraham in the Apocalypse of Abraham, while in the Testament of Abraham, the angel is Michael.
[xix] Ibid.,
106.
[xx] Some of
these passages are discussed in chapter 19, The Prophecy of Adam. For a
discussion of other ancient patriarchs and prophets as angels, see chapter 44,
Ministering Angels Belong to This Earth.
[xxi] S. C.
Malan, The Book of Adam and Eve, also
called The Conflict of Adam and Eve with Satan (London: Williams and Norgate, 1882), 12.
[xxii] This
evidently refers to man’s spirit and body.
[xxiii] James
H. Charlesworth, The Old Testament
Pseudepigrapha, 1:152-3.
[xxiv] James
M. Robinson, The Nag Hammadi Library
(2nd ed., San Francisco: Harper, 1990), 279. The Gnostics wrongly
attributed the creation of the earth to a lesser god, called the demiurge,
hence the notion that Adam and Eve were superior to the god who created them.
[xxv] Sir
Ernest A. Wallis Budge, Egyptian Tales
and Romances (London: Thornton Butterworth, 1935), 201. Note that Amente is
an Egyptian word referring to the abode of the dead, which the Christians
identified with Hades.
[xxvi] See
chapter 4, The Council in Heaven. For Adam’s role in the creation, see appendix
A, Temple Teachings.
[xxvii] James
H. Charlesworth, The Old Testament
Pseudepigrapha, 2:277.
[xxviii] Máire
Herbert and Martin McNamara, eds., Irish
Biblical Apocrypha: Selected Texts in Translation (Edinburgh: T & T
Clark, 1989), 2. Many ancient Christian and Jewish texts suggest that Satan’s
fall came because he and his followers refused to pay homage to Adam, who was
the image of God.
[xxix] Ibid.,
3.
[xxx]
Alexander Roberts and James Donaldson, eds., Ante-Nicene Fathers (reprint, Peabody, MA: Hendrickson, 1994),
6:318.
[xxxi] For a
discussion of the role played by Michael/Adam in the creation, see the section
“Adam and Creation” in Appendix A, Temple Teachings.
[xxxii] In
both Daniel 10:21 and Daniel 12:1, Michael is associated with a book, which is
also true of Adam in various passages of scripture. For a discussion, see
chapter 19, The Prophecy of Adam, and chapter 21, Writing in Adam’s Day.
[xxxiii]
Gerald Friedlander, Pirqe de Rabbi
Eliezer (New York: Hermon Press, 1965), 193.
[xxxiv] Harry
Sperling et al., The Zohar (New York:
Rebecca Bennet Publications, 1958), 5:81.
[xxxv] S. C.
Malan, The Book of Adam and Eve, also
called The Conflict of Adam and Eve with Satan (London: Williams and
Norgate, 1882), 148, 167. Zohar
Genesis 191a says that Adam is “ruler and king over all.” Harry Sperling et
al., The Zohar, 2:227.
[xxxvi]
Margaret Dunlop Wilson, Apocrypha Arabica
(London: C. J. Clay, 1901), 6, 8.
[xxxvii]
Ernest A. Wallis Budge, The Book of the
Cave of Treasures (London: Religious Tract Society, 1927), 53 (folio 5a,
column 2, to folio 5b, column 1), 62 (folio 6a, column 2). In a Coptic document
generally called the Discourse on Abbaton,
we also read how God crowned Adam king and set him on a throne with a royal
scepter in his hand. Ernest A. Wallis Budge, Egyptian Tales and Romances, 198-199.
[xxxviii] Chronicle 2.2 (footer right column,
citing John of Dara), 1:17-19; Chronicle
1.7 (footer right column, citing Dionysus the Aeropagite. In Chronicle 1.4, Michael indicates that
Adam was the first king. See Jean-Baptiste Chabot, Chronique de Michel le Syrien, Patriarche Jacobite d’Antioche
(1166-1199) (Paris, 1899; reprint, Brussels: Culture et Civlisation, 1963).
[xxxix] Ernest
A. Wallis Budge, The Book of the Bee
(Oxford: Clarendon, 1886), 17. The text further states (p. 18) that “after God
had formed Adam outside Paradise, he brought him in as a king, and made him
king over all the creatures.”
[xl] W. M.
Thackston, Jr., transl., The Tales of the
Prophets of al-Kisa'i (Boston: Twayne, 1978), 29.
[xli] For the
royal festival of tabernacles, see John A. Tvedtnes, “King Benjamin and the
Feast of Tabernacles,” in John M. Lundquist & Stephen D. Ricks (eds.), By Study and Also by Faith, Essays in Honor
of Hugh Nibley, Vol. 2 (Salt Lake City: Deseret Book & FARMS, 1990).
[xlii] See the
discussion in chapter 42, Keys of the Priesthood.
[xliii]
Compare this statement with the idea of a sealed portion of the Book of Mormon.
[xliv] Harry
Sperling et al., The Zohar, 1:176.
[xlv] Sir
Ernest A. Wallis Budge, Egyptian Tales
and Romances, 201; also in Budge, Coptic
Apocrypha (London: Longmans, 1910), 246. Cf. Revelation 19:16, “And he hath
on his vesture and on his thigh a name written, KING OF KINGS, AND LORD OF
LORDS” (see also Revelation 14:1).
[xlvi] The
angel Michael is mentioned in the following Bible passages: Daniel 10:13, 21;
12:1; Jude 1:9; Revelation 12:7.
