the-bible-and-the-dead-sea-scrolls

388 “THE COMINGOFTHERIGHTEOUS ONE”
proclamation, usually some form or compound of khru&ssein, (3)
khru&ssein in a messianic sense, (4) a messianic title. 24
To find an explanation for this phenomenon of an obviously messianic
understanding of e0leu/sij in the second century C.E., Kilpatrick rules
out the possibilities of the testimonia, suggested by Otto Michel in his book
Paulus und seine Bibel (1929), 25 and instead looks for another kind of Jewish
or Christian source written in Greek and before Acts and 1 Clement. This
he finds in two recensions of the Lives of the Prophets, in Epiphanii Recensio
Prior (E1) and Dorothei Recensio (D). 26
It now is clear where we have to look for parallels of h( e1leusij in the
Pseudepigrapha from the period before the beginning of the second century
C.E. written or translated in Greek. Kilpatrick mentions the Hebrew
and Coptic Apocalypse of Elijah [1:5–6], both of which refer to the coming
of the Messiah, as well as the Mart. Ascen. Isa. 3:13 and 4 Bar. 3:8, which
speak about h( e0c—/sune/leusij tou= a)gaphtou= or tou/ h)gaphme/nou. 27
Furthermore, h( e1leusij also appears in the Testament of Abraham (A) 16:7,
the Testament of Job (recension M) 29, the Septuagint version (in some
MSS) of 2 Sam 15:20 (h( e!ce/leusi/j sou), and the Acts of Philip 137,
although in the latter examples without a messianic connotation. 28
As far as the possible equivalent of e1leusij is concerned, namely,
parousi/a, Kilpatrick mentions T. Jud. 22:3; T. Levi 8:14; T. Abr. (A)
13:4, 6; and T. Sol. (recension C) 13:8; and concludes that the expression
is mainly used in Jewish apocalyptic writings written or preserved in
Greek and often denotes the advent of the Messiah (see also 2 Bar. [=
Syriac Apoc.] 30:1 and 1 Thess 2:19). 29
Two additional remarks have to be made here. First, it should be
noted that h( e1leusij in general means “the (first) coming (of the
Messiah),” whereas h( parousi/a mostly refers to “the (second) coming
(of Christ).” Second, assuming that the Hebrew )b and ht) are the
Semitic equivalents of the expression h( e1leusij, we may furthermore
refer to a number of examples in the Qumran writings (see below).
24. Kilpatrick, “Acts,” 137.
25. Otto Michel, Paulus und seine Bibel (Gütersloh: Gütersloher Verlagshaus, 1929).
26. See also Anna-Maria Schwemer, Vitae Prophetarum (SJHRZ 1.7; Gütersloh:
Gütersloher Verlagshaus, 1997). However, the recensions are clearly tendentious and
may not reflect the original text of the Lives of the Prophets. Recension E1 contains
“durchgehend einen sprachlich verbesserten und christlich redigierten Text,” and
recension D is characterized by a “Voranstellung von messianischen Testimonien zu
den jeweiligen Schhriftpropheten”; see idem, 540–41.
27. Reference according to Kilpatrick, “Acts,” 140.
28. Ibid., 141.
29. See further below, 2.2.3.