Law and Life: Leviticus 18.5 in the Literary Framework of ... - Clover

Hinweise: Abkurzungen richten sich in der Regel nach IATGZ, sowie
nach The SBL Handbook of Style3 bzw. nach Neuer Wettstein4.
Ferner sind auf den Seiten 85, 360 und 413 Abkurzungen hinzugefugt
worden, die fur die genannten Beitrage besondere Relevanz besitzen.
Halle / Leuven irn Advent 2006
Michael Labahn
Manfred Lang
Inhaltsverzeichnis
DARIA PEZZOLI-OLGIATI
Jenseitsvorstellungen:
Schwer zugangliche Welten aus religionswissenschaftlicher Sicht .... 5
11. AT und JUDENTUM
JOSEPH BLENKINSOPP
Post-Mortem Existence in the Old Testament ..................... ...... 33
ANTE LABAHN
,,Deine Toten werden leben (Jes 26,19).
.....
Sinngebung mittels der Vorstellung individueller Revivifikation als
Grenzerweiterung im Jesajabuch . ................................. 53
ARE VAN DER KOOIJ
Ideas About Afterlife in the Septuagint ............................................ 87
JOHN J. COLLINS
Conceptions of Afterlife in the Dead Sea Scrolls .............................. 103
t S. M., SCHWERTNER, Theologische Realenzyklopadie. Abkiirz~n~sverzeichnis,
Berh, New York '1994.
3 The SBL Handbook of Style. For Ancient Near Eastern, Biblical, and Early Christian
Studies, ed. by P. H. Alexander,J. F. Kutsko, J. D. Ernest, S. A. Decker-Lucke,
and D. L. Petersen, Peabody (Mass.) 1999.
4 Neuer Wettstein, Texte zum Neuen Testament aus Griechentum und Hellenismus
1Ll1 .t: Texte zur Briefliteratur und zur Johamesapokalypse, hg. G. Strecker und
U. Schnelle unter Mitarbeit von G. Seelig, Berlin, New York 1996; Neuer Wertstein,
Texte zum Neuen Testament aus Griechentum und Hellenismus Llt: Texte
zum Johamesevangelium, hg. von U. Schnelle unter Mitarbeit von M. Labahn
und M. Lang, Berh, New York 2001.
STEFAN SCHREIBER
Apokalyptische Variationen uber ein Leben nach dem Tod.
Zu einem Aspekt der Basileia-Verkundigung Jesu .......................... 129
Omr LEI-ITIPUU
,,The Narrow Gate and the Hard Road

MARY L. COLOE
"The End is Where We Start From". Aft.yl;fe in the Fourth Gospel.. I 77
PRESTON SPRINKLE
The Afterlife in Romans:
Understanding Paul's Glory Motif
in Light of the Apocalypse of Moses and 2 Baruch 201
..........................
WALTER UBELACKER
Die Alternative Leben oder Tod
in der Konzeption des Hebraerbriefs ............................................... 235
MARTIN HASITSCHKA
Bilder des Lebens in der Offenbarung des Johannes ........................ 265
MIGUEL HERRERO DE JAUREGUI
Orphic Ideas of Immortality:
Traditional Greek Images and a New Eschatological Thought.. ...... 289
WILFRED EISELE
Jenseitsmythen bei Platon und Plutarch ........................................... 315
MANFRED LANG
>>Der Tod geht uns nichts an

The Afterlife in Romans.
Understanding Paul's Glory Motif in Light of the
Apocalypse of Moses and 2 Baruch1
Preston Sprinkle (A bevdeen)
I. Introduction
Paul's epistle to the Romans does not contain any prolonged treatment
of what the afterlife entails in a way that is characteristic of some of its
1 contemporaneous apocalyptic works (e.g. I En. 21-27; 4 Ezra
7:7~-101). This is partially due to differences in genre, but more so to
Paul's overall eschatological outlook. For Paul, the afterhfe is not
sharply distinguished from this present life where the wrath of God is
t already being revealed (Rom. I :I 8), believers have already been 'justified'
(Rom. 3 :24-26; J :I), and the participation in resurrection (eternal)
hfe is a present reality (6:4, I I, 13). Nevertheless, for Paul, there still exists
a day in the future when God will resurrect the body (8:11, rj),
1
judge mankind (2 :6--I I, 13 ; I ~:I 0-1 2), renew his creation (8:I 9-22)
and "glor~fy" his elect (Rom. 8 :17,30; 9:23). Any one of these eschatological
categories could be examined in order to illuminate our understanding
of Paul's view of the afterhfe according to Romans. One,
I
I express many thanks to Simon Gathercole, C. E. B. Cranfield, Alan Segal,
I. Howard Marshall, Friedrich Avemarie, Joey Dodson and Ben Reynolds for
reading over previous drafts of this paper and offering critical comments. I also
thank Crispin H.T. Fletcher-Louis for offering many helpful thoughts and ideas.

2 02 Preston Sprinkle
1 Be in Romans
203
however, has received minimal isolated attention: the concept of "glory"
in Romans. C. C. NEWMAN notes in the preface to his work on
Paul's "Glory-Christology", that "a study of 'Glory' within the structure
and theology of Romans" is a "study still awaiting attention"'.
This paper, then, is an attempt to fill this lacuna by examining Paul's
"glory" language in Romans3.
More specifically, I will focus on the concept of human "glory",
namely, that aspect of mankind whereby they are able to participate in
the divine realm in the afterlife4. In spite of the fact that the concept of
glory occurs throughout the epistle, Paul is somewhat reticent in explaining
what exactly this glory means. Therefore, in order to understand
Paul's use of glory language, I will first briefly examine two
roughly contemporaneous Jewish works where the concept of glory
occurs. This is not to posit a literary relationship between these documents,
nor to suggest a common tradition-history, but rather to give a
backdrop against which we can better understand Paul's afterlife concept
of glorylglorification in Romans. If we observe various parameters
and characteristics of the concept of glory in two works that stem from
a similar milieu to Paul, then this may aid our understanding of what
Paul meant to convey with his glory language in Romans. After looking
at these two documents, I will examine in more detail the significant
passages where Paul uses glory terminology in Romans. I will then
conclude by noting the similarities and differences among these works
in order to shed light on Paul's understanding of glory in Romans as it
pertains to the afterlife.
I
I
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The two works I have chosen are the Apocalypse of Moses5 and the
Syriac Apocalypse of Baruch (hereafter, 2 Baruch). I have selected
these for three reasons. First, the scholarly consensus is that both
works are roughly contemporaneous to Paul, stem from a general
Palestinian-Pharisaic thought, and exhibit many theological commonalities
with the writings of the New Testament, especially the letters of
Paul6. Second, these texts are two of the most frequently cited works in
giving parallels to Paul's use of glory in Romans (esp. 3 :23 and
8:18-~0)', and yet rarely has there been an attempt to understand what
glory means in these writings themselves before listing various passages
therein as parallels to Paul's meaning. Thirdly, both of these documents
speak of human glory within similar parameters as Romans, namely,
that mankind has the potential to share in the divine realm of glory.
2. Apocalypse of Moses
2.1 INTRODUCTION
The Apocalypse of Moses is perhaps the earliest copy of a work that
may be called The Life of Adam and ~ve'. The work is difficult to date
since there are no definite historical allusions. In light of its close affinity
to other datable works (e.g. Paul's letters), however, we can probably
2 Paul's Glory-Christology, Supplements to Novum Testarnentum 69, Leiden 1992,
ix. Newman's remark here is referring to a previous suggestion by C. E. B. Cranfield.
3 This study is not primarily concerned with defining the term "glory" from a linguistic
point of view, but with understanding the concept of glory from a sociohistorical
standpoint. Nevertheless, I will focus only on those r g e s where the
actual term "glory" (Greek, 665a) occurs. Furthermore, it shou d be noted that the
English term "glory" is different from the Greek G(a, which too is different in
some ways than the Hebrew 133 (see the articles in note 4). For simplicity, then, I
will use the term "glory", without quotation marks from here on, in a general
sense to refer to its linguistic usage in the passages under discussion.
4 For sigdcant studies on the various meanings of glory terminology, see G. Krr-
TEL and G, VON RAD, 6oxko, et al, in:TDNT, 232-5 5 ; C. C. NEWMAN (s. note 2)
17-24, 157-163, 217-229; J. E. Fossu~, Glory, in:DDD, pp. 660-668. 0. Kuss
has a helpful excurses on "Die Herrlichkeit" that is often neglected (Der Romerbrief,
3 vols., Regensburg 1963-78, 2:608-618).
5 Whlle the Greek Life of Adam and Eve may be a better term for thls work, I will
use the traditional term Apocalypse of Moses for clarity.
6 See e.g. M. D. JOHNSON, Life of Adam and Eve, in: OTP; 0. MERK und
M. MEISER, Das Leben Adams und Evas, JSHRZ II/s, Giitersloh 1998, 764-769;
A. F. J. KLIJN, 2 (Syriac Apocalypse of) Baruch, in: OTP, 619: "The parallels [in 2
Bar.] are especially st;ig with the Pauline Epistles, in particular Romans and I
and 2 Corinthians"; see too F. J. MURPHY, The Structure and Meaning of Second
Baruch, Society of Biblical Literature Dissertation Series 78, Atlanta 1985, 68-70.
M. DE JONGE dates the Apoc. Mos. to the end of the second-century C.E. and says
that it stems from Christian circles, thus explaiig the many parallels to Pauline
corpus (The Pseudepigrapha of the Old Testament as Part of Christian Literature,
SVTP 18, Leiden 2003,228-39).
7 Seee.g.J.D.G.Dm\~~,Romans,WBC38A.B,Waco1989,1:168.
8 For a survey of this material, see M. DE JONGE, J. TROMP, The Life of Adam and
Eve and Related Literature, Sheffield 1997, and 0. MERK and M. MEISER, Das
Leben (s. note 6) 75 5-64.

204 Preston Sprinkle
assume a date somewhere in the first or second century C.E.9. The
overarching purpose of the author is to present Adam as the archetypal
sinner'" who must suffer the pains of this world while hoping for mercy
in the afterlife. In light of this, the book as a whole is not focused on
Adam-speculation for its own sake, but is using Adam as a representative
figure who hopes to receive mercy and restoration at the resurrection'
I .
2.2 GLORY IN THE APOCALYPSE OF MOSES
There are four passages that speak of glory in a way that is relevant for
our study". The first passage is I 8:1-6 where three times the tree of life
is described as having magnificent quahties. In I 8 :I the serpent tells Eve
to 'observe the honour of the tree' (v6qoov TT)V T L ~ T ) TOG ~ 56hou)13.
Again in I 8:j, the serpent urges Eve to "come to the plant, and see its
great glory" (699 665av pey&hqv). Eve then turns to the plant and sees
"its great glory" (665av pey&hqv). The terms "honour" (~~pfiv) and
"glory" (665av) here are closely related and yet it is difficult to determine
whether "honour" connotes something like "external splendour",
which would be roughly the same as "glory", or whether "glory" is
used to connote "honour" in the sense of "great value", or "worth". It
seems that in light of the emphasis on "seeing" and "observing" the
tree, the sense of both 665a and ~ ~pfi is that the tree exhibits a magnificent
external appearance. Thus 6650: would be understood by the author
to describe the visible splendour of the tree.
A similar nuance appears in 33 :2 where Eve gazes into heaven and
sees "a chariot of light" being drawn by "four radiant eagles" of which
no one can "tell of their glory or to see their faces" (eineiv TT)V 665~~
9 JOHNSON gives a general date between IOO B.C.E. and 200 C.E., Life (s. note 6)
252. M. DE JONGE, J. TROMP, who say that Apoc. Mos. is a Christian work, give a
rough date between the second and fourth century C.E. (Related Literature
[s, note S] 77). 0. MERK and M. MEISER place it in the first century C.E. in light of
its close affinities to the New Testament, especially Paul's letters (Das Leben
[s. note 61 769).
10 Even though Eve is often blamed for the Fall in Apoc. Mos. 7:I, 9:2, 14:2 and
32:1-3, this does not nuUy the fact that Adam is a guilty sinner in need of forgiveness
(see 27:1-5 ; cf. 33:s).
I I MERK and MEISER, Das Leben (s. note 6) 770, following J. LEVISON, Portraits of
Adam in Early Judaism, JSPSup I, Sheffield 1988,164,171,174.
12 Both 4:2 and 43:4 speak of "glorifying God" but are irrelevant for our study.
13 Johnson translates rfiv r~pfiv so5 {hhou with "the glory of the tree" which is
somewhat misleading. MERK and MEISER'S translation is better: "den Wert des
Baumes" (Das Leben [s, note 61 828).
n e Afkrlife in Romans 205
aG~6v .;i i6Ev ~b ne6oonov aGz6v). Here again, 665a seems to connote
the visible splendour of the eagles (and possibly the chariot as
well).
In 37:2, the angels cry out, "Blessed be the glory of the LORD over
his works; he has had mercy on Adam, the work of his hands". Since
God's magnificent radiance was just described in 36: I -3 14, it seems
clear that the "glory of the LORD" likewise refers to the visible radiance
of God.
The last glory passage to be noted spans chapters 20-21 and is one
of the most often cited passages by commentators searching for a parallel
to Romans 3 :23 ("for all have sinned and fallen short/lack the glory
of God")15. Here, glory refers to something that Adam and Eve possessed
before the fall. In retelling her experience in the garden, Eve describes
the moment that she ate the fruit:
Apoc. Mos. 2o:1-2: And at that very moment my eyes were
opened and I knew that I was naked of the righteousness with which I
had been clothed. And I wept saying, "Why have you done this to me,
that I have been estranged fiom my glory (hnqhho~e~heqv T ~ G
665~
pou) with which I was clothed?"
Again in 21 :2, Eve says that she called Adam and "spoke to him unlawful
words of transgression such as brought us downfiom great glory"
(xa~fiyayov +as 6nb psyhhq~ 665q~). Finally, Adam cries out in
21 :6: "0 evil woman! Why have you wrought destruction among us?
You have estranged me from the glory of God?" (d xa~~~ey6row kv q-
pYv; 6nqhho~eiwoa~ p~ T ~ 665q~ S TOG 8~05).
The term glory here may connote a number of ideas including
"honour/status", "righteousness", "visible splendour", "immortality" or
"paradise"'6. While none of these are mutually exclusive, it seems that
in spite of how the author used the term 665a in the previous passages,
here it does not primarily refer to the visible splendour of Adam and
Eve before the Fall17. While the sense of "righteousness" can be gath-
14 God is describe here as being the "light of all" to the extent that even the sun and
the moon look dark in comparison (36:3).
15 E.g. E. LOHSE, Der Brief an die Romer, KEK, Gottingen 2003, 131; H. SCHLIER,
Der Romerbrief Kommentar, HTKNT 6, Freiburg 1977, 107; U. WILCKENS, Der
Brief an die Romer, EKKNT 6/1-3 ; Neukirchen-Vluyn I 978-8 I, vol. I I 88.
16 This last connotation is argued by J. DOCHHORN who says that in light of the verb
xarbyo in 2 I :2 and 39: I, the term glory indicates a place from which the protoplasts
fell (Die Apokalypse des Mose, Texte und Studien zum antiken Judentum
106, Tiibingen 2005,360-361.
17 Rightly J. DOCHHORN, Die Apokalypses (s. note 16) 360-361; contra S. BROCK,
Jewish Traditions in Syriac Sources,JS 29 (1978), 222. The sense of aura or splendour
can be ruled out since there is no speculation in Apoc. Mos. regarding

2 06 Preston Sprinkle
The Afkrlife in Romans 207
ered from 2o:1-218, it seems that the predominant meaning conveyed
in this loss of 665a is that of immortality. This is most probable for two
reasons. First of all, when Adam cries out against his wife in 21 :6, he
declares that by eating the fruit she has "wrought destruction among
us" (xa-r~teyhoo). The term xa-r~teyhoo was used in Adam's account
of the Fall in 14:2 when he says to Eve, "Why have you wrought de-
struction (xa-r~teyhow) among us and brought upon us great wrath,
which is death gaining rule over all our race" (ij-rtq kozi Ohva-roq
xa-raxuets6ov xav-rbq 706 ykvouq qpi3v). Here, xa-r~teyhow is
viewed in terms of the entrance of death, i.e. the loss of immortality19.
Secondly, immortality is a dominant motif within the book as a
whole.'" For instance, when Adam is driven out of the garden, his one
request is that he would be able to eat from the tree of life (28:2). His
request is denied" and yet God promises: "at the time of the resurrection
I will raise you again, and then there shall be given to you from the
tree of Me, and you shall be immortal forever" (28:4)". Therefore, it
seems that Adam's cry concerning his loss of "the glory of God" is predominately
about his loss of divine-like immortal life.
We should also note that the term 665a is not used in any of the
restoration passages in the Apocalypse of Moses (I 3 :3-5 ; 28 :4; 39:~-3
;
41 :3; 43 :2-3). 39:2 is often cited to show that the glory that Adam lost
will be restored in the resurrection. Thus Andrew L~NCOLN says:
'In the Apocalypse of Moses when Eve deceives Adam, he is immediately aware that
he has lost the visible splendour that such glory involves (z I :6), but later God promised
that in the resurrection this glory will be restored ('I will transform thee to thy former
glory' - 39.2)'"'.
I
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As we have seen, however, 665a in chaps. 20-21 does not carry the
predominant sense of visible splendour, but of immortalityz4. Furthermore,
in 39:~ the term 665a is not used, as Lincoln's translation would
seem to indicate. 39:2 refers to Adam being restored "in your dominion
on the throne of your seducer" (~iq TT)V dle~fiv 00u n60too OE ~ i q
zbv Oebvov zoU 6.na.cijoav.cb~ oc)". The restoration in this passage,
then, has to do with Adam's (or, Satan's) lost dominion. If a sense of
"visible splendour" is included, it is not made explicit.
2.3 SUMMARY
The author of the Apocalypse of Moses uses the term glory in various
ways. In describing God, the eagles, and the tree, he applies 665a to
convey visible splendour. Nevertheless, a different sense is given when
describing Adam and Eve's loss of glory. Here, the concept is closely
related to "righteousness" and (perhaps better) to "immortality". The
latter concept of "immortality" is the teleological hope of the afterlife
theme that pervades the book. It should also be noted that while many
blessings are given to Adam in the resurrectionz6, the author does not
use the term 665a to refer to these. If the loss of 665a in chapters 20-21
conveys the loss of immortality, then 665a in this sense is given back to
Adam when he again eats from the "tree of life" (28:4). Nevertheless,
Adam is not promised a restoration back into a luminous state nor is
he explicitly "glorified" upon his resurrection.
Adam's remarkable physical appearance. Vita on the other hand does betray an interest
in the physical a pearance of Adam (Vita 13 :I ; cf. 21 :j) but even here the
physical appearance o f" Adam is described in terms of the imago Dei not as the
"glory of God". Glory is used in Vita primarily to convey the sense of "honour"
or "status" (Vita I I:); IZ:I; I~:I-3).
18 However, the second sentence (" ... I have been estranged from my glory with
which I was clothed") is missiig in many manuscripts and may have been added
later in order to correlate glory with the "righteousness" in the previous statement
(cf. Gen. Rab. I 9:6).
19 So LEVISON, Portraits of Adam (s. note I I) 169.
20 For the importance of this theme, see DE JONGE, TROMP, Related Literature
(s. note 8) 5 1-52.
21 God says that Adam is not permitted to eat lest he "taste of it [the tree] and be immortal
forever" (28:j).
rz
LEVISON says that both "righteousness" and "immortality" are in view but opts for
the former as the predominant meaning (Portraits of Adam [s. note I I] 169,
I 86-1 87.
23 A. LINCOLN, Paradise Now and Not Yet, Society for New Testament Studies
Monograph Series 43, Cambridge 1981, 49. Lincoln here seems to be following
I
the translation of L. WELLS ("I will transform thee to thy former $ry", in:
APOT, ed. R.H. Charles, 150); see too R. SCROGGS, The Last Adam, P adelphia
1966, 31; M. PATE, The Glory of Adam and the Afflictions of the Righteous,
Lewiston, NY I 993, I 25.
24 While immortality is given back to Adam in the afterlife (28:4), the term 66Sa is
I
not used to convey this.
25 Some manuscripts refer to Adam being placed on his throne 0 E E) while others
say that Adam will be given his original place of honour ("urspriingliche Ehrenstellung")
(P J J B); see MERK and MEISER, Das Leben (s. note 6) 856.
26 E.g. "the tree of Me" (28:4), "heahg oil" (1j:r-5; Vita 41-42), a "godly heart"
(13:5), the "throne" of Satan (39:~-3; Vita 47).
I

Preston Sprinkle l3e Afterlife in Romans 209
3.2 Baruch 49-5 I
3 . I INTRODUCTION
The date of the Syriac Apocalypse of Baruch (hereafter, 2 Baruch) has
been confidently placed between the two Jewish wars (c.a. 70 C.E. -
132 C.E)17. Like 4 Ezra, 2 Baruch was probably written by a ~ ew'~ living
in Palestine in response to the destruction of the temple in 70 C.E.
Since the work is too long to cover in its entirety, I will focus on a section
which is devoted to the resurrection and glorification of the righteous
saints (49-5 I).
2 Bar. 48:48-52 :7 is a literary unit that moves from discussing
Adam and the results of his transgression (48:42-47) to the righteous
and the glory that awaits themz9. In 2 Bar. 49:2, Baruch asks the question:
"In which shape will the living live in your day? Or how will remain
their splendour which will be after that?" He then asks: "Will
they, perhaps, take again this present form, and will they put on the
chained members which are in evil and by which evils are accomplishedJO?
Or will you perhaps change these things which have been in
the world, as also the world itself?" (49:3). The obvious implication is
that the latter will take place31. The righteous saints will be changed as
will the future "world which has no endJ' (48:job). Yahweh's answer
comes in 5 0-5 I and describes the final state of the righteous as consisting
of two stages: I) the righteous saints will be resurrected in their
27 So J. J. COLLINS, The Apocalyptic Imagination, Grand Rapids, '1998, 212-13;
A. F. J. KLIJN, z Baruch (s. note 6) 616-617; G.S. OEGEMA, Apokalypsen, JSHRZ
6/1, Giitersloh zoo1,60-61.
28 That the work is Jewish is affirmed by most, though a recent attempt to argue for a
Christian origin for the work has been made by R. NIR, The Destruction of
Jerusalem and the Idea of Redemption in the Syriac Apocalypse of Baruch,
SBLDS 20, Atlanta 2003.
29 "But now, let us cease talking about the wicked and inquire about the righteous.
And I will tell about their blessedness and I shall not be silent about theii glory
which is kept for them" (48:48-49).
30 This sentence is notoriously difficult to translate. Both L. BROCKINGTON (The
Syriac Apocalypse of Baruch, in: The Apocryphal Old Testament, H. F. D.
Sparks (ed.), Oxford 1984, 869) and P. BOGAERT (Apocalypse de Baruch, 2 vols.,
Sources chrktiennes 145, Paris 1969, 91) are similar to Klijn's translation above.
For a discussion, see G,.~TEMBERGER who notes: "zweifache Verweis auf das mit
dem Leib verbundene Ubel unterstreicht diese Abwertung des irdischen Leibes"
(Der Leib der Auferstehung, Analecta biblica, Rome 1972, 86).
3 I See STEMBERGER, Der Leib (s. note 30) 86.
I
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earthly form (jo:2-4) in order to "show those who live that the dead
are living againJ' (jo:3), and then 2) "it will happen after this day which
he appointed is over that both the shape of those who are found to be
guilty as also the glory of those who have proved to be righteous will
be changedJ' (5 I :I).
j .2 GLORIFICATION IN 2 BARUCH 5 I
2 Baruch 5 I as a whole is a detailed description of this second stage: the
transformation and glorification of the resurrected righteous saints. 5 I :j
says that
"the glory . . . their splendour will then be glorified by transformations, and the shape of
their face will be changed into the light of their beauty3' so that they may acquire and
receive the undying world which is promised to them".
They will be "glorifiedJJ and "changed . . . into the splendour of angelsJJ
(5 I :j) and "will live in the heights of that world and they will be ke
the angels and be equal to the starsJJ (5 I : IO~)~~. The text goes on to say:
2 Bar. 51.1ob-11b, 12: And they will be changed into any shape
which they wished, from beauty to loveliness, and from light to the
splendour of glory. For the extents of Paradise will be spread out for
them, and to them will be shown the beauty of the majesty of the living
beings under the throne, as well as all the hosts of the angels . . . and the
excellence of the righteous will then be greater than that of angels.
We may highlight a few relevant points for our study. First of all,
the glory that the saints receive is not simply honour or immortality,
but most explicitly external splendour since its visibility is emphasized
throughout. This external splendour is something that is wholly different
from the present bodily existenceJ4. The necessity to first be resurrected
in an earthly form (before they are transformed) in order to be
32 Cf. BROCKINGTON'S (alternative) literal translation: "their appearance (or splendour)
will be glorified in changes and the form of their face will be turned into the
light of their beauty" (Syriac Apocalypse [s. note 301 870).
33 Cf. Dan. 12:3; I En. 1042; 39:7; 51:4; 62:13-16; 4 Ezra 7:97, 125; 10:25; LAB
33:5 ; AS. MOS. IO:9; IQM I7:7.
34 It is diicult to determine whether this final existence is in an actual "body", albeit
radically transformed, or a bodiless state. Whatever the author envisioned, it is
unimaginable and virtually indescribable; for a discussion, see STEMBERGER, Der
Leib (s. note 30) 85-91. It seems that the main point that the author is makmg is
that the final state of existence is "heavenly", other worldly, giving the resurrected
saints the ability to exist in the heavenly realms ("the heights of that world" - 5 I :8)
with the angelic host.

210 Preston Sprinkle
recognized by the living (50:~) implies that the latter state of glory will
be utterly different and unrecognizable from their previous earthly existence)'
.
Second, while the glory is compared to an angelic-like state of being,
the author does not say that the glorification of the saints involves a
transformation into angels. The righteous are said to "be changed.. .into
the splendour of angels" (5 1:s) and to be made "like angels and be
equal to the stars" (5 I :I o), and yet they are distinguished from the angels
in that they will see "all the hosts of the angels" (5 I :I I) and their
"excellence will be greater than that of the angels" (j1:12). Thus, by
distinguishing the righteous from the angels, the author seems to come
short of saying that the righteous will actually become angelsj6. Also,
the splendour of the righteous is compared to the splendour of angelic
beings and yet the author does not explicitly connect the glory of the
righteous with the glory of God. The glory of the righteous involves
participation in the heavenly fellowship and communion with the divine
realm without explicitly speaking of possessing the "glory of God"
per se.
Lastly, the glorification is a necessary prerequisite for inheriting the
new world3'. 5 I :3 says, "their splendour will then be glorified by transformations
... so that they may acquire and receive the undying world
which is promised to them" (cf. I 5 :8; 2 I :13, 19; 44:8). STEMBERGER cor-
rectly says, that ". . . die Vorstellung des Auferstehungsleibes direkt von
der Auffassung abhangt, wo die Auferstandenen leben!"j8 Glorification,
then, is a necessary qualdication for membership in the future heavenly
world.
lie Afirlife in Romans
I
ment for existence in the heavenly rea11-n~~. Furthermore, in the Apoca-
, lypse of Moses, glory is something that was lost in the garden while in
, 2 Baruch glory is something that will be gained in the afterlde. It should
I also be noted that while 2 Baruch contains a lot of reflection on Adam
and the results of his sin, the glory of the afterlife is not stated in terms
of regaining what Adam once had. For the author of 2 Baruch, Adam
is ~ritnarily the reason for what went wrong, not a model of what will
be restored. So P. BOGAERT says:
I
I
I
"L'Apocalypse de Baruch ne connait pas comme tel le theme de la Gloire dJAdam; pour
son auteur, le premier homme est responsible de l'entrke du pkchk dans le monde; nulle
part, il n'est represent6 cornrne un modele h imitern4".
Thus, if there is any Urzeit als Endzeit scheme in the author's anthropological
eschatology, it receives a significant escalation. The righteous
will become something far greater than anything humanity has ever experienced.
LII
3.3 SUMMARY
The glorification of the righteous saints is stated in terms of visible
splendour without saying explicitly that this involves participation in
God's own glory. Unlike the Apocalypse of Moses, glory in 2 Baruch
5 I is not primarily immortality, though it certainly includes this, but
the beautiful splendour of angelic beings and is the necessary require-
35 So STEMBERGER, Der Leib (s. note 30) 87-8.
36 So BOGAERT, Apocalypse (s. note 30) 93-4; N. T. WRIGHT, The Resurrection of
the Son of God, Minneapolis 2003, 162; contra A. SEGAL, Paul the Convert, New
Haven, London I 990,s o.
37 See STEMBERGER, Der Leib (s. note 30) 86,9o, 96.
38 STEMBERGER, Der Leib, (s. note 30) 90; so too MURPHY, The Structure (s. note 6)
62.
I
I
39 Cf. STEMBERGER, "Das Sein der auferstandenen Gerechten wird in einer Terminologie
beschrieben, die gewijhnlich fiir Gott bzw. himrnlische Wesen vorbehalten
war" (Der Leib [s. note 301 89). This text seems to indicate, as FLETCHER-LOUIS
states, that "community with the angels necessarily entails transformation: access
to the heavenly world requires not just a visa, but also citizenship and, therefore, a
heavenly rather than a mortal identity" (All the Glory of Adam, Leiden 2001, go).
40 BOGAERT, Apocalypse (s. note 30) 93-4; see too LEVISON, Portraits (s. note 11)
I 29-44 Whde Levison's study largely affms Bogaert's statement, he does conclude
that in light of the phrase "the loftiness of men was humiliated" describing
the result of the Fall in 56:6 along with the 5 I :I-16 that "Adam existed with physical
splendour prior to his transgression" (Portraits [s, note I I] 141). Be that as it
may, Adam is still not presented as a model to imitate nor is the glory in chapter
5 I built on Adam's pre-lapsarian nature.

Preston Sprinkle The Aftw1;fe in Romans 213
4. Romans
4.2 ROMANS 8:17-30: THE GLORIFICATION OF
BELIEVERS
4.1 INTRODUCTION
Paul's epistle to the Romans contains many passages that refer to glory4',
but we will confine our study to those passages in which Paul's
use of glory is relevant to our understanding of his conception of the
afterlife4'. Instead of surveying Romans in the order in which it was
written, I have opted to begin in 8:17-30 - a passage where glory is the
centre of attention43 - and then to move back through the epistle examining
the relevant passages (I:23; 3 :23; 5 :2; 9:4, 23). While SCHLER is
correct that in 8:17-30, "erlautert der Apostel hier wie iiberall nicht,
was mit der 6650: gemeint i ~t"~~, the passage does exhibit a few defining
features that are not available in the other 'glory' passages in Romans.
41 The noun 665a without any modifiers occurs in 2:7, 10; 4:20; 9:4, 23; 11:36;
1627; with modifiers in 1:23; 3:7, 23; 5:2; 6:4; 8:18, 21; 9:23; 15:7, and the verb
6056

214 Preston Sprinkle lie Afterlife in Romans 215
Parousia when believers are conformed to Christ as they participate in
his glory5". In light of this, I take the aorist tense of 666caasv in 8:30 to
refer to a future event that is already established in the preordained plan
of God5'. This makes best sense in light of w. 29-30 and the thrust of
the rest of the glorification statements in 8:17-30 which reserves this
event to the time of the parousia of Christ (see below 4.2.3). This act of
glorification (666caasv), then, assumes the Christological emphasis of
8:17 and 29b: the glorification of the saints and their conformity to the
image of the Son of God are two ways of expressing the same event.
4.2.2 Glory as Transformation
This participation in the glory of Christ involves the transformation of
the earthly existence of believers. Again, as highlighted above, in 8:29
oupp6etpouq ("conformed") connotes a physical change of being, a renewed
bodily existence in accordance with I Cor. I 5 :49 and with Phil.
3 :2 I where Paul uses the same term":
I
i Phil. 3:21: 85 p~zaaxqpazios~ zd oGpa z?jq zans~vhosoq GpGv
1 ocjppoeqov z@ ohpaz~ z?jq 666~5 arjzoU
i
Regarding this passage, Otto Kuss states: "Der Herrlichkeitsleib des
auferstandenen und verkkarten Christus strahlt eine verwandelnde En-
I ergie aus, und diese Energie wird bei der Parusie auch den an sich
sterblichen und vergan&chen Leib der Glaubenden und Getauften erfassen
und h zu einem seinem eigenen ahnlichen oder gleichen Herrlichkeitsleibe
umformen"' j.
This idea of physical transformation into the glorified state of Christ
r
is also reflected in I Cor. 15 :49 where Paul states that "we will bear the
image of the heavenly one" ((Po~&~o~Ev xai z;Iv six6va TOG An-
I oueaviou) in the res~rrection'~. One of the goals of resurrection and
t
1 glorification is that believers would be physically like Christ.
Other statements in Romans 8 highlight this concept of glorification
!
as physical transformation. In 8:21 Paul seems to indicate that glory
connotes an incorruptible existence; a renewed physical state.
I
f
ed the face of Moses at Horeb. The language he uses is proleptic of the final transformation
at the parousia: z Cor 3:18: "We are all with an unveiled face, having
gazed upon the glory of the Lord, are being transfomed into the same imagefiom
gloy to gloy (r4v a6rtv ~ix6va p~rapo~rpo6p~Oa axb 66cq~ .sic 66cav) just as
from the Lord, the Spirit". This refers to God's initial revelation of glory to believers
and initiates a process of becoming more and more like him until the final eschatological
consummation and transformation. This transformation takes place
by means of one's encounter with the glory of God itself (see S. HAFEMANN, Paul,
Moses, and the History of Israel, WUNT 81, Tiibingen 1995, 413-418) A few
verses later, Paul explains this initial conversion as "seeing the light of the gospel of
the glory of Christ" (4:4), and a time when God "shined in our hearts the light of
the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ" (4:6). Thus, Paul depicts
the conversion experience of believers as a time when the glory of God in Christ is
inwardly manifested having a transformative effect. This inward transformation is
proleptic of the final transformation at the parousia when Christ "transforms the
body of our humble to conform to the body of his glory" (p~raa~qparia~~ rb
o5pa rii~ ran~~vha~oq 4p5v abppo~rpov r@ oh par^ rij~ 66cq~ a6ro6) (PM.
321).
50 Following BYRNE, the "image" of Christ is his glory (Sons of God [s. note 481
117-118).
51 So M.-J. LAGRANGE, Saint Paul: Epitre Aux Romains, Paris 1950, 217; DUNN,
Romans (s. note 7) 1:485; Scott, Adoption (s. note 48) 245; contra SCHLIER,
Romerbrief (s. note 6) 273; KASEMANN, Romans (s. note 42) 245. LOHSE maintains
that the glory is future and yet present in hope (v. 24) (Romer [s, note 61
253), but v. 30 refers only to the event of glonfication, not the hope of it.
5 z S. B~N~TREAU says: "La comparaison avec texts de Ph 3 .ZI et I Co 15.49 permet
de conclure que Paul a en vue la conformite au corps glorieux du Seigneur, au resplendissement
ultime de sa gloire"' (L'Epitre de Paul Aux Romains z tomes,
Vaux-sur-Seine 1997, 1:245); see to LAGRANGE, Romains (s. note 5 I) 216. A. Se-
gal agrees that the term avpp6~rpov~ conveys the idea of a real transformation into
the image of Christ and says that this idea of a final transformation is central to
Paul's anticipation of the Apocalypse (A. SEGAL, Paul the Convert, Binghamton
1990, 10-1 I). Segal, however, goes beyond this and indicates that Paul's language
of transformation resembles Ezek. I :28 (LXX - "the appearance of the likeness of
the Glory of the Lord") and that the Apostle "anticipates the technical terminology
of the transformation of believers into angels in Jewish mysticism" (Convert
[s. note 521 11). Texts such as I En. 39:14; ~I:II, z En. 22:8-10, and Apoc. Isa.
7-9, speak of the saint (Enoch, Isaiah, etc) being physically transformed as they encounter
the divine glory, and this seems close to Paul's glory language in texts such
as z Cor. 3 :I 8; 4:4, 6 (cf. Phil 3 :r I). Furthermore, in light of z Cor. I Z:I-4, Paul
testifies that he himself had a visionary experience similar to the later Jewish mystics
and this adds support for Paul's uses of glory language with a nuance similar to
apocalyptic mysticism. In light of this, many recent scholars believe that Paul's language
of transformation which is initiated internally at conversion (2 Cor. 3.18)
and consummated externally at the parousia (Phil. 321) should be understood
against the grid of apocalyptic mystical categories. For recent studies that discuss
Paul's relationship with Jewish apocalyptic mysticism, see esp. S. KIM, Paul and the
New Perspective, Grand Rapids 2002, 165 -2 I 3 ; J. SCOTT, The Triumph of God
in r Cor. 2.14: Additional Evidence of Merkavah Mysticism in Paul, NTS 42
(1996), 260-81; C. R. A. MORRAY-JONES, Paradise Revisited (2 Cor IZ:I-12):
The Jewish Mystical Background of Paul's Apostolate. Part I, HTR 86 (1993),
177-217; idem, Part 2: Paul's Heavenly Ascent its sipficance, HTR 86 (1993),
265-292.
53 KUSS, Romerbrief (s. note 4) 2.617.
54 Cf. Rom. 6:4-5.

216 Preston Sprinkk
The Afterlife in Romans 2'7
The phrase ~ 45 665~5 TGV ~t5xvov TOG 8~05 is set in opposition to the
~ fcpeoeG5, i ~ the corruption from which the creation will be freedyJ. Believers,
then, will be physically renewed through glorification at the resurrection
in a way analogous to the renewal of creation. This is evident
in Paul's use of &nsx66~opa~ in 8 : 19 and 23. In 8: 19, Paul says that
creation "longs for" (&~TEx~~x&TCXL) "the revelation of the sons of God"
(T~V &xox&hu$~v TGV uiGv TOG ~EOU - 8:19). SO too, believers "long
for" (&~&x~Ex~~EvoL) the full manifestation of their "sonship" (uioesoiav
- 8:23a), which Paul defmes as "the redemption of our bodies"
(T$ drnoh6zeootv TOG ohpa~o5- 8:23). The basic thought is this:
God's created order - subhuman creation and mankind - longs for the
day when their physical existence will be renewed from its present state
of physical corruption. For believers, this will entail glory rather than
"corruption" and thus full participation in the divine quality of life for
which they were originally created as Brendan Byrne states: "'Glory'
(665a) here particularly connotes the sense of immortality: to bear the
glory of God, to be 'like God' in this sense, means sharing God's own
immortal being"yG. For this participation to take place, the sons of God
need to be transformed from their present state of physical corruption.
4.2.3 Glory at the Parousia
In the letters of Paul, and throughout the NT, this glorification of believers
into Christ-likeness will take place at the parousia of Christ." In
Romans 8, however, the parousia is not explicitly mentioned. Nevertheless,
there is reason to believe that the parousia is implied in Romans
8 :I 8-19 where Paul reiterates the idea expressed in 8 :17b ("if we suffer
with hi then we will be glorified with him").
Rom. 8318-19: ~oyicopa~ yhe ~ To~jx L &

2 I 8 Preston Sprinkle
This idea of glory as physical transformation at the parousia is presented
elsewhere in early Christian tradition. For instance, I Pet. 4:1j
says, "just as you have partaken of the sufferings of Christ, rejoice because
you will exceedingly rejoice in the revelation of his glory" (kv 74
dmoxah6Q~~ zfj~ 665q5 a6zoC). This idea is taken up again in 5:1
where the author reiterates this event with language remarkably similar
to Rom 8 :I 8 : "I exhort the elders among you as a ... fellow partaker of
the gloty to be revealed (zij~ p~hh060q5 dlnoxah6nz~oea~ 865q~)". This
"glory to be revealed" is the "apocalypse of glory" in 4: I 3 : the transformative
revelation of the glory of Christ at the parousia (cf. I Pet.
j:lo)Gl.
We have reason to believe, then, that the language used by Paul in
Romans 8: I 8 refers to the parousia of Christ as a time when his glory is
manifested. This manifestation will transform believers into that same
glorified state as in Phil. j :21. This not only evokes the previous statement
in 8:17b, where we will be "glorified with Christ" (ouv6ocao-
~G~Ev), but also the next verse where Paul speaks of the "revelation of
the sons of God" (8:19). This may be another way of looking at the
same event: the parousia of the glorious Christ will transform believers
and thus the full nature of their sonship will be publicly displayed. The
phrase, "the revelation of the sons of God", may refer exclusively to
believers in Christ, but in light of our reading of 8:18 it may also include
Christ himself. This captures the thought of both 8:17 where believers
are called "fellow heirs of Christ" and 8:29 where they are considered
"brothers and sisters" of the Son of God.
4.2.4 Glorification and Sonship
The "sonship" of believers is one of the most dominant motifs in the
broader context of 8:1q-30. This is highlighted by the terms "sons"
(8:14, 19), "adoption as sons" (8:15, 23), "children" (8:16, 17, 21), and
the cry "Abba, Father" (8:15). In 8.17, the "sonship" of believers guarantees
their "inheritance of ~od"~~. If believers are true sons of God,
then this implies that they will enjoy the inl~eritance~~ that a father bestows
on his children.
65 See too I John 32: "we are children of God, and thus it will be manifested what
we will be, because we know that when he is manifested, we will be hke him, became
(~TL) we will see hun as he isJ'. By standing in the physical presence of the
glorified Christ at the parousia and looking upon his glory, believers will be transformed
into that same glory (cf. John 17:q -'iva ~ EO~GOLV ~fiv &pip).
l3e Afterlife in Romans 219
Sonship and glorification are two inseparable motifs in Romans 868.
In fact, glorification is in some sense the future visible manifestation of
the believers' presently inward status as "sons of God". Their corrupted
state and the suffering that follows might call this status into question.
Therefore, their glorification will be the outward manifestation of
this statusG9. When their status is both internally and externally confirmed,
then God will have completed his goal of redemption: to spiritually
and physically renew his "sons" in order that He might enjoyed
unhindered fellowship with them. In other words, God does not transform
believers simply for the sake of transforming them. In Romans 8,
rather, the creator God is bringing final restoration to the relationship
between Him and his "sons" through their glorification.
This idea, that glorification is integrally connected to sonship, is stated
in 8.23 where "adoption as sons is defined7" as "the redemption of
our bodies". As mentioned above, this reference to resurrection is associated
with the other statements about "glorification". The implication,
then, is that the full sonship of believers will be manifested when they
"bear the image of the heavenly one" (I Cor. 15:49) and are transformed
- glorified - in conformity to Christ7'. The relationship between
glorification and sonship is summed up in 8:29 where the believers'
conformity to Christ upon glorification is done for the purpose of
creating brothers and sisters who are now fully identified with the
66 The motifs of "sonship" and "inheritance" have two distinct tradition-histories,
and yet they come together in various early Jewish texts; e.g. 4 Ezra 638-59;
7:1o-I 8; see the discussion in BYRNE, Sons of God (s. note 48) 68-70.
67 The implication from 8: I 3 is that the inheritance here in 8.17 is eternal life (cf. I
En. 37:4; 487; 582; LAB 23:13); following Byrne, Sons of God (s. note 48)
101-102.
68 Cf. BYRNE - "the revelation of our glory and the revelation of our sonship are opposite
sides of the one coin" ('Sons of God' [s. note 481 105, cf. 140).
69 Cf. esp. I John 3 :z. It can be argued that hope of glory of which this passage is focused
on, is given to answer the theological problem of suffering. The hope of glory
then is the comfort given to suffering people. Nevertheless, the suffering motif
itself is born out of the main issue relating to sonship: if believers are in fact "sons
of God" then why do they suffer? The answer is: their sonship is hidden and
awaits a public manifestation at the parousia. Therefore, the gloriication of the
saints, wMe being a solution to the dilemma of suffering, is primarily a public
manifestation of the status of believers; they are sons of creator God.
70 See BYRNE, Sons of God (s. note 48) I 10.
71 A similar motif, whereby a necessary attribute of a "son of God" is luminous beauty
or angel-like qualities, can be found throughout Joseph and Aseneth (e.g.
6:3 [6]-4[7]; 16:14; 18:9; 19:8); see Byrne, Sons of God (s. note 48) 49-54.

220 Preston Sprinkle fie Afterlife in Romans
"firstborn" Son of God7'. The believers' brotherhood with Christ, and
thus sonship of God, will be visibly revealed in their glorification with
him.
This concept was first stated with regard to Christ himself in r:4
where the sonship of Christ is in some way related to his resurrection.
Since Christ has already been "designated the Son of God" (TOG
6e~o8kvro5 uioi, 8~0~)" through his resurrection (1:4), believers also
need to follow the destiny and pattern of the "firstborn" in order to
manifest their full identity as sons74.
4.2.5 Summary
Paul's talk of glory or glorification in Romans 8 may be understood as
transformation into the luminous resurrected state of Christ at his
parousia. Believers are only glorified is so far as they participate in the
glory of Christ. The goal of this transformation is to physically manifest
the full nature of the sonship of believers "so that Christ would be the
firstborn among many brothers and sisters" (8:29b). This goal is informed
particularly by the sonship motif that is bound up with the glory
motif in Rom. 8:14-30, and thus Paul's glory terminology may be
understood from a relational standpoint. Paul uses filial language with
glory terminology to express the restoration and glorification of believers,
which connotes the re-establishment of a relationship between creator
God and his created order. Moreover, by participating in the image
of Christ, who is the image and glory of God, believers participate
in the glory of God himself and thus their identity as image bearers and
the relationship with their Creator is fully restored. This harks back to
Romans I where this relationship was severed (I :rg-25); a passage to
which we now turn.
4.3 ROMANS I :18-32: THE FALL OF HUMANITY
4.3.1 The Relation Between Romans 8 and Romans I
Before examining the concept of glory in I :23, we must first note that
Paul seems deliberately to use terms in 8 :I 9-23 that evoke the narrative
of I :I 9-25 . The commonalities are listed below:
Romans I :I 9-25 Romans 8:19-23,29
xriosos x6opou (I:20,25)
fi xrio~c/rfls xrio~os (8:I 9,20,2 I ,22)
6665aoav / rfiv 665av (I:2r,23)
665av, et al. (8:17,18,2r,jo)
kpara~heqoav (I :2 I) para~6sqr~ (8:2o)
~ix6vos (I,23) rijs ~ix6vos (8:29)
cp8aeroO / &cp8drerou(I:23)
~fls cp8oeBs (8 :2 I)
rh ohpa~a6rtiv (I:24) roc ohparos fiptiv (8:23)
By using similar terms, Paul envisions the renewal of the created order
m 8: I 9-23 to be a reversal and restoration of the fall depicted in Romans
r :I 9-23. We have observed that 8: 19-23 highlights restoration of
a relationship between creator God and his created order (creation and
humanity) by way of glory and sonship language. If this is so, then it
seems best to understand the "glory of the incorruptible God" that humanity
"exchanged" in Rom. I .23 to be understood in light of Romans
8: it is that participation in the divine quality of life - which only Christ
now genuinely shares - into which the "sons of God" will be transformed
at their resurrection. This will be argued further below.
4.3.2 Rom. I :23: the Exchange of the Glory
In order to set up his polemic against the Jews in chapter 2, Paul includes
various allusions to Israel's dark history in this list of predominately
pagan vices7'. The clearest allusion is made in reference to the
72 See TANNEHILL, Dying and Risiig (s. note 47) I 11; see too BYRNE, Sons of God
(s. note 48) I I 8-1 I 9.
73 This phrase has troubled interpreters for centuries and has profound implications
for Paul's Christolo~y. For out purpose, I only wish to highlight that there is a
clear connection between the sonship of Christ and his resurrection.
74 On the relationship between Rorn. 1:)-4 and Rorn. 8, see SCOT, Adoption
(s. note 48) 221-244. Despite the ap arent theological dficulties that this passage
creates, it is clear that there is sometLg integral to the sonship of Christ and his
resurrection. -.-~~ -~ and thus we should expect a similar idea present with the believers'
resurrectioGglorification in Romans '8.
75 It has been debated whether Paul is thinking in terms of actual historical events or
is thinking merely in abstract terms of sin and its effects upon mankmd. I take it
not as a pure recollection of events in history, but that Paul uses historical events,
including events in Israel's history, to paint a dark portrait of the effects of sin upon
humanity.

Preston Sprinkle Be Afkrlife in Romans
225
4.4 ROMANS 2:7-10
In Romans 2:7 and 10, Paul describes various eschatological blessings
that will be rewarded on judgment day to 'the one who does good'.
Rom. 2:7:
TOTS p8v xa8' Ijxopovilv Beyou drya0oG 665av xai npjv
xai dqflaeoiav

226 Preston Sprinkle i%e Afr~f;f. in Romans 227
EXO~EV
Rom. j :I-2: 6~xa~00.4~~~5 06v 6% nioz~oq ~ie7jvqv neb5 zbv
OE~V 6~& TOG x~eiou fipGjv 'Iqoob Xe~ozoG 6~' 08 xai
r7jv 7teo~aymy7jv ioxfixap~v &iq zfiv ~ dle~v zabzqv AV 5
kozfixap~v, xai xau~hp~0a kn' ihni6~ zii5 665~5706
8~0U.
"The hope of the glory of God" here is "die der Siinder verlor (j,zj),
die aber als die letzte Bestimmung des Menschen durch Christus
wiedergewonnen i~t"~" in Rom. 8:17-30. The zqq 666q5 zob ~EoB,
then, refers to the transformative glorification that awaits the righteous
in the afterlife.
The relational aspect of this glory is highlighted with the terms ~ i-
efivqv ("peace") and ztv neooayoyfiv ("the access"). The former denotes
"the outward situation of being in a relationship of peace with
God"; a meaning strengthened with the emphasis on "reconciliation" at
the end of the paragraph (j:IO-I I)~'. neooayoyfiv also is a relational
term and is only used in two other places in the NT9'; in Eph. j :12 in a
context of prayer, and in Eph. 2:18 where it is again associated with
"peace" (Eph. 2:17) and where God is referred to as Father" (Eph.
2:18).
For Paul, then, the hope of participating in the glory of God connotes
the final restoration of a relationship between God and man. This
anticipates 8 :I 7-3 o where glory and sonship are interwoven to express
this relational aspect. For the creator to enjoy perfect fellowship with
humanity he must envelope them into his own glorious being so that
they might partake in the divine quality of life for which they were created.
4.7 ROMANS 9:4
In Romans 9:4, Paul makes reference to "the glory" (fi 66512) in a list of
salvation-historical privileges that belong to the nation.
Rom 9:4: &V fi uioesoia xai fi 6650: xai ai G~aOfixa~ xai fi vo~o-
8~oia xai fi hazecia xai ai inayyshia~,
90 WJLCKENS, Romer (s. note 15) 1.290.
91 CRANRELD, Romans (s. note 42) 258; see too FITZMYER, Romans (s. note 77) 395.
92 The term does not occur in the LXX. LSJ - "approach, access to a person, esp. to
a king's presence".
The absolute form with no other modifiers (such as zob esob, or zob
xueiou) seems to indicate that Paul has in mind a reference to the physical
manifestation of God and his personal presence with Israel9'. Since
Romans contains, however, a motif of glory in its own right the absolute
form of fi 665a should be understood by what Paul has said about
glory in the previous 8 chapters, especially its climactic role in
8 :I 7-3 094. Therefore, this glory is specifically that eschatological blessing
whereby Israel was to share in the manifestation of God's presence;
an idea that was already anticipated in LXX deutero-Isaiah9'. The fact
that fi 66501 is set between "adoption" and "covenant" indicates that this
glory is something in which man shares9! It is not simply God's presence
with his people in the Exodus but the impartation of God's eschatological
glory to his sons.
4.8 ROMANS 9:23
Despite the flurry of exegetical and theological issues surrounding this
passage, the twice-mentioned glory can be understood in light of the
rest of Paul's glory language examined thus far.
Rom. 9:zj: xai 'iva yvoeioy zbv nhoUzov zii5 665~5 arjzob ini
oxsbq ih.40~5,
665av,
ti neoqzoipaosv &is
93 CRANFIELD, Romans (s. note 42) 2.462; WJLCKENS, Romer (s. note 15) 2.188;
SCHLIER, Rijmerbrief (s. note 15) 287; KASEMANN, Romans (s. note 42) 258-5 9.
94 See especially DUNN, Romans (s. note 7) 2.526-527, 533-34; so too MOO, Romans
(s. note 42) 563; similarly WRIGHT, Romans (s. note 42) 629.
95 The LXX of deutero-Isaiah often interprets la> (of Yahweh) to sign* the glorification
of Israel. For instance, Isa. 45 :25 (MT says, "In the LORD all the offspring
of Israel will be justified and will praise" ( 4 KYW uir-53 155;m-i lpl~ ;n;rqa),
whereas the LXX reads (&nA xueiou G~xa~oOrjoovra~ xai 6v r@ O E kvtiocaoO4-
~
oovraL nBv rA on&.~a rGv uiGv Ioeaqk), "From the Lord every seed of the sons
of Israel will be justified and in God they will be glorified" (6. Isa 55 :5 - God glorifies
his people, and Isa 60: - Israel is Isa. 43:7 (MT) reads
(1-nqwu-7x 1-n,r3 rnni2 -ir,f mp,n h), "everyone who is called by
my name and whom I have created for my. glory, whom I have formed, even
whom I have made", whereas the LXX reads (nhvraq 6001 6n~xixkqvra~ r@
6v6pari .LOU. kv yhe rfi 8659 pou xar~oxcbaoa abrbv xai hckaoa xai knoiqoa
abrbv), "all who are called by my name: for in my glory I have fashioned him,
and I have formed him, and made hlrn". This passage seems to allude to the formation
of Adam in Gen. 2:7.
96 So DUNN, Romans (s, note 7) 2.534.

228 Preston Sprinkle 7%e Afkrlife in Romans 225
As with the fi 665a of 9:4, "the riches of his glory" and the predestination
"unto" this glory refers to the eschatological blessing conferred upon
God's people. Paul is picking up on the previous references to this
blessing as SCHLIER rightly notes:
"Damit wird der Leser, der von Rom 8,jo herkommt, daran erinnert, dafl von dem
Gott die Rede ist, der die 'Gerufenen' t86

230 Preston Sprinkle Be Afterlife in Romans 21
Secondly, Paul connects the ideas of "sonship" and glory in ways
that differ from the Apocalypse of Moses and 2 Baruch. We observed
that the glorification of the saints in Romans 8 is a means to an end:
God desires that his children would "be conformed to the image of his
son" and the purpose is that Christ "would be the firstborn among
many brothers and sisters" (8:29). The glorification of his children is a
necessary step to complete their sonship. Thus, we have argued that
Paul highlights the relational aspect of glory with his use of filial language.
For 2 Baruch, the concept of glory seems to lack this relational
aspect. The glory of the righteous is not explicitly stated in terms of
participating in God's own glory. In 2 Baruch eschatological glory is a
reward for righteous behaviour (5 I :7; 5 2:7; 5 4:15 b-16) and gives the
I
saints the ability to live in the transformed world (51:j; cf. 48:50).
Thus, the idea that the righteous must be transformed in order to participate
in heavenly fellowship seems apparent. Nevertheless, the author
comes short of expressing this in terms of becoming "sons of
1
God" as in Paul nor in terms of sharing the "glory of God". In the
Apocalypse of Moses, however, there is sense in which the glory of the
protoplasts was a sharing in God's own glory (esp. Apoc. Mos. 21:6),
and yet this is not explicitly returned to them in the afterlife (though
immortality is). Furthermore, in the Apocalypse of Moses, physical
transformation is not mentioned as a prerequisite for participation in
the heavenly "paradise" or the afterlde. Here, it is the restoration of
Adam's immortality and his ability to eat once again from the tree of
life (28:4) that is given upon his resurrectionror. This is similar to Paul's
association of glory with immortality (I:23; 2 :7; 8 :21) and yet different
from Paul since the Apocalypse of Moses does not explicitly apply the
term glory to the restoration of Adam (=righteous Jews). For Paul, the
bridge between believers and the divine quality of life is sharing in
God's glory; for the Apocalypse of Moses, this bridge is the immortali-
ty gained through the tree of life.
IOI
"son of man" (cf. 60:1o). In I En. go:j7-38 where the Messiah is represented as a
"snow-white cow" and has lundred who also are "transformed, and became snowwhite
cows". See too 3 En. 4:r where Metetron identifies hunself as Enoch.
Apoc. Mos. 13:r-5 seems to imply this as well. Here, Adam wishes to partake of
the heahg oil that flows from the tree of life in order to cure his sickness (death?).
He is denied this oil but promised that he will receive it in the resurrection. The
implication seems that though the Adam is stripped from his immortality in this
Lfe and is subject to sickness and death, he will be restored to this life of immortality
in the resurrection.
I
I
I
Thirdly, and again hke 2 Baruch, Paul connects the idea of the tran:
formation of believers with the idea of a transformed world. 2 Barucl
however, envisions a new world that will replace the oldr0', while Pa1
hopes for the renewal of the earth, not its replacement. This is becaw
for Paul there is a connection between corruption of creation and h~
mankind, and both long for their redemption. This is clear with Paul
use of ttrcoxaea6oxia ("eager longing") with regard to creation in 8:1
and to believers in 8:23. Both the believer and creation join in longin
for the day of redemption when both will be transformed from the
present state of corruption. For 2 Baruch, however, creation will be rc
placed, not redeemed.
Fourthly, Paul in Romans speaks of glory both as something th;
was lost or exchanged and as an eschatological blessing that awaits fin;
redemption. The Apocalypse of Moses also speaks of glory as some
thing that was lost (~o:I-2; 21:6), but does not explicitly apply 665a t
the restoration of Adam/believers. Here, Adam is promised resurrec
tion, immortality and the placement on the "throne of his seducer" bu
there is no explicit glorification in the manner of 2 Baruch 5 I or Ro
mans 8 :17-3 o. Again, glory for the Apocalypse of Moses indicates pri
marily immortality, not an afterlife glorifcation. Paul uses similar lan
page as the Apocalypse of Moses to refer to the lack of glory amon
mankind (esp. Rom. 3 :23), but his interest is primarily in its eschato
logical restorationro3. Paul looks forward to the glorification of believer
while the author of the Apocalypse of Moses reserves 665a to the pri
mordial condition of man. Furthermore, Paul's use of 6650: includes th
idea of a visible luminous splendour, as does 2 Baruch, while the Apoc
alypse of Moses does not give the impression that 665a is a visible stat
of being much different from this present earthly life.
Lastly, we should note that none of our authors speaks explicitl;
about the physical splendour of a pre-lapsarian Adam being restored tc
the righteous. Paul at best may allude to the loss of Adam's glory i
3 :23 and yet this is speculative. Furthermore, the restoration of this 10s
glory is not expressed in terms of regaining what was once lost, but ex
periencing something far greater than this world has ever seen. Indeed
Paul, like 2 Baruch, does not exhibit any speculations concerning th
pre-lapsarian nature of Adam in a manner similar to the rabbis or othe
Jewish worksro4. Paul's Adam is the father of sin, death and corruptioi
102 SO Stemberger, Der Leib (s. note 30) 86-91.
103 Paul does refer to a present glory that believers possess in Christ in 1 Cor. 3 :I 8.
104 See e.g. Gen. Rab. 8:1; 12:6; r En. [J] jo:10-14.

232 Preston Sprinkle The Aferlife in Romans
(the old evil age), not a model figure of restoration'"'. This is confumed
by I Cor. 15 :j9-49 where Paul correlates his Adam theology with the
believers' glorification but sets these two ideas in opposition. Throughout
this entire passage - a passage focused explicitly on glory and
Adam - Adam continues to stand as a model of old age existence, not
as a model of restoration. I Cor. 1j:49 sums it up well: "just as we
have born the image of the earthly (body of Adam), so we will bear the
image of the heavenly (the body of Christ)". 2 Baruch is largely the
same. Any pre-lapsarian Adam speculations that the author may exhibit'"'
are never exploited. The Apocalypse of Moses is quite different in
this regard. Here, Adam is used as an archetypical figure who cannot
find mercy in this life but will (perhaps)'07 find it in the resurrection.
He is both a fallen sinner and an example that sinners may receive mercy
in the afterhfe. This observation might help us to understand more
,clearly the protology-eschatology scheme (the so-called "Urzeit als
Endzeit" motif) portrayed in these works. Both Paul and 2 Baruch
seem to have a more significant escalation in their protology-eschatology.
Final redemption involves a state of existence far greater than has
ever existed. Indeed, this present evil world of sin and corruption exists
so that God might destroy it (or renew it, according to Paul) and usher
in the new'08. On the other hand, the Apocalypse of Moses does not
exhibit much escalation in its view of redemption. Adam and Eve are
promised to receive back what they once had (immortality and righteousness)
but without any explicit degree of e~calation'"~.
6. Conclusion
This study has attempted to read Paul's glory language in Romans as i~
pertains to the afterlife in light of the Apocalypse of Moses and 2
Baruch. We have noted various differences and similarities in order tc
illuminate our understanding of Paul's usage. Romans 8:17-30 ha:
proved to be central in understanding Paul's concept of glory or glorification
as the partaking of Christ's glory in order to manifest the sonship
of believers. This indicates that glory is used in Romans to indicatt
the visible splendour and beauty into which believers will be transformed
and the restitution of a relationship between creator God and
his people. In order for believers to enjoy the full benefits of their sonship,
they must "be conformed to the image of his son", and thus participate
in the divine quality of life for which they were created. This
does not mean that Paul thinks in terms of re-gaining through Christ
the primordial condition of Adam. Paul, rather, considers that believers
will enjoy a condition in the afterlife far greater than anything this creation
has ever seen.
101 This is different, then, to the often-noted expression "all the glory of Adam" at
Qumran (IQS 4:z3; IQH 4:15; CD 3:zo; 6. 44171.3.1-2). This phrase, to my
mind, would have been foreign to Paul's theological vocabulary.
106 z Bar. 4:1-7 and possibly 16:6
107 "For we know not how we shall meet our maker, whether he shall be angry with
us or turn to have mercy on us" (Apoc. Mos. 3 I .4).
108 See esp. 2 Bar. 4:r -7. This idea seems to be exhibited throughout Romans as well.
109 The only hint is that Adam will be placed on the throne of his seducer (39:~-3).
However, the original relationship between Satan and Adam is unclear in Apoc.
Mos. If the author assumes a view similar to Vita 12-16, where Adam is actually
created greater than Satan, then his eschatological placement on Satan's throne is
not meant to convey any escalation.

Journal for the Study of the Old Testament
V0l3 1.3 (2007): 275-293
O 2007 Sage Publications (London, Thousand Oaks, CA, and New Delhi)
DOI: 10.11 77/0309089207076358
http://JSOT.sagepub.com
Law and Life: Leviticus 18.5 in the
Literary Framework of Ezekiel
PRESTON SPRINKLE
Department of Divinity, University of Aberdeen, Kings College, Aberdeen AB24 3UB
Abstract
While it is often recognized that Ezekiel alludes to Lev. 18.5 throughout Ezekiel
20, this essay seeks to show that the Leviticus text is referred to in various other
portions of the book. These allusions connect two major motifs in the book of
Ezekiel: Israel's disobedience to the 'statutes and judgments' ofYahweh and the
lack of life therein. These motifs are climactically fulfilled in chs. 36-37 where
Yahweh causes Israel to obey his 'statutes and judgments' and breathes life into
the nation. This suggests that the text of Lev. 18.5 was selected to highlight the
conditional nature of these covenant stipulations, which amplifies divine agency
in the program of restoration.
Keywords: Law, life, Leviticus, statutes, judgments, divine agency, human agency,
conditional blessing
Introduction
Scholars frequently notice that Ezekiel alludes to, or uses the same
language as, Lev. 18.5 ('the man who does these things will live by

276 Journal for the Study of the Old Testament 3 1.3 (2007)
them") three times in Ezekiel 20 (vv. 11, 13, 21).2 While commentators
note its importance, no thorough examination has been made regarding
the function of Lev. 18.5 in Ezekiel 20. The need for such an examination
is heightened in light of the possibility that Lev. 18.5 is alluded to elsewhere
in the book. Thus, the general purpose of this essay is to show that
Lev. 18.5 is alluded to in various other places in Ezekiel and that its
function is intertwined with various other motifs, indicating that the text
played an important role in the theology of the book as a whole. Specifically,
I will show that Lev. 18.5 is alluded to in Ezekiel 18 and 33, albeit
more subtly than its appearance in ch. 20, and that the language inherent
in the Leviticus allusion comes to hlfilment in the restoration oracle of
Ezekiel 36-37.
Before we proceed, a brief word concerning the relationship between
Ezekiel and Leviticus is in order. Methodologically, this essay is a synchronic
study similar in many ways to Moshe Greenburg's 'holistic
interpretation7.3 Thus, my language of 'use' may be understood from a
canonical standpoint, examining the relationship of these two documents
in their final form. Nevertheless, though many scholars since Wellhausen
(e.g. Smend, Herrmann4) have argued that Ezekiel is either earlier than or
contemporary to the Holiness Code (Lev. 17-26, hereafter H),5 many
recent scholars view Ezekiel as being later than and dependent upon it
1. The full text reads: 073 'm o7n7 Pnn ~UY' YIUH 'asm nm 'npn nn onlnm ('and
keep my statutes and my judgments which if a man does them he will live by them').
2. See, e.g., G.A. Cooke, A Critical and Exegetical Commentary on the Book of
Ezekiel (ICC; Edinburgh: T. & T. Clark, 1936), p. 216; Walther Zimmerli, Ezekiel I
(Philadelphia: Fortress Press, 1979), p. 410; Moshe Greenburg, Ezekiel 1-20 (AB, 22a; 2
vols.; New York: Doubleday, 1983), p. 366; Leslie Allen, Ezekiel 20-48 (WBC, 28b;
Dallas, TX: Word Books, 1994), p. 10; D. Block, The Book of Ezekiel 1-24 (NICNT;
Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1997), p. 632.
3. Greenberg, Ezekiel 1-20, pp. 18-27; see also his, 'What are Valid Criteria for
Determining Inauthentic Matter in Ezekiel?', in J. Lust (ed.), Ezekiel and His Book
(Leuven: Leuven University Press, 1986), pp. 123-35.
4. Rudolf Smend, Der Prophet Ezekiel (Leipzig: S. Hirzel, 1880); J. Herrmann,
Ezechielstudien (BWANT, 2; Leipzig: J.C. Hinrichs, 1908). This has recently been
defended by Klaus Griidwaldt, Das Heiligkeitsgesetz Leviticus 17-26 (BZAW, 271;
Berlin: W. de Gruyter, 1999).
5. I will be using the traditional understanding of the Holiness Code as consisting of
chs. 17-26 for the sake of convenience. However, it should be noted that there is strong
evidence for seeing the literary unit as consisting of chs. 18-26. See most recently the
discussion and bibliography by Francis Watson in his Paul andthe Hermeneutics ofFaith
(London: T&T Clark International, 2004), pp. 316- 18.
SPRINKLE Law and Life 277
(e.g. Reventlow, Greenburg, Joyce, Allen).6 So, even from a diachronic
per~pective,~ it seems profitable to examine Ezekiel's 'use' of Lev. 18.5
and thus to assume with most scholars that the prophet was dependant
upon H as a whole.8
Leviticus 18.5 in Ezekiel's Literary Framework
We may begin by making a few initial observations regarding the
language contained in the Lev. 18.5 allusion and its relationship to the
structure of the book of Ezekiel as a whole. As is commonly recognized,
the final form of Ezekiel displays a fairly unambiguous arrangement of
material. Chapters 1-24 contain oracles of judgment against Israel.
Chapters 25-32 contain oracles ofjudgment against the nations. The first
half of ch. 33 is transitional in that 33.1-9 echoes the watchman motif of
3.17-21, and 33.10-20 picks up and reiterates the potential of life for the
penitent wicked man expounded in 18.21-32. A new phase opens in
33.2 Iff. with the lifting of the 'dumbness' of Ezekiel, originally pronounced
on the prophet in 3.22-27, initiating the oracle of restoration in
33.21-48.35.
Scholars often notice how this oracle of restoration picks up on many
themes and motifs from the previous judgment oracle of chs. 1-24 and
reverses them while amplifying divine initiative in the proce~s.~ For
example, the glory of the Lord is manifested in ch. 1, leaves the temple in
6. H. Graf Reventlow, Wachter iiberlsrael (BZAW, 82; Berlin: W. de Gruyter, 1962);
Greenburg, Ezekiel; Paul Joyce, Divine Initiative and Human Response in Ezekiel
(JSOTSup, 51; Sheffield: JSOT Press, 1989); Leslie Allen, Ezekiel 1-19 (WBC, 28a;
Dallas, TX: Word Books, 1994). See also Avi Hurvitz, A Linguistic Study of the Relationship
between the Priestly Source and the Book of Ezekiel (CRB, 20; Paris: J. Gabalda,
1982); Thomas Renz, The Rhetorical Function of the Book ofEzekiel (VTSup, 76; Leiden:
E.J. Brill, 1999); Ka Leung Wong, The Idea ofRetribution in the BookofEzekiel (VTSup,
87; Leiden: E.J. Brill, 2001), p. 80. Walther Zimmerli, in his highly influential work on
Ezekiel, argued that both the book of Ezekiel (through an 'Ezekiel school') and H developed
together and had a mutual influence upon each other (Ezekiel I, pp. 46-52,68-71).
7. For a survey of synchronic and diachronic studies on the book of Ezekiel, see Paul
Joyce, 'Synchronic and Diachronic Perspectives on Ezekiel', in Johannes C. de Moor
(ed.), Synchronic or Diachronic? (Leiden: E.J. Brill, 1995), pp. 11 5-28.
8. From a diachronic perspective, my thesis only depends upon the existence of H
material, not the final form of Leviticus as a whole.
9. For example, Rolf Rendtorff writes: 'Der Abschnitt 36,16ff kann m.E. nur als
bewuBte Fortsetzung und Weiterfihrung von Kap. 20 verstanden werden' ('Ez 20 und
36,16ff im Rahmen der Komposition des Buches Ezechiel', in Lust [ed.] Ezekiel andHis
Book, pp. 260-65; cf. Greenbure. Ezekien~

278 Journal for the Study of the Old Testament 3 1.3 (2007)
chs. 8-1 1, but then returns in ch. 43. The 'dumbness' motif is pronounced
in 3.22-27, reiterated in 24.26-27 and lifted in 33.22. The 'mountains of
Israel', which receive a prophecy ofjudgment in Ezek. 6.1-14, become a
recurrent theme in Ezekiel's program of restoration in chs. 3348 (especially
36.1-15).1° The watchman motif first announced in 3.17-21 is
summarized once again in 33.1-9, as is the repentance of the wicked man
in 18.21-32 and in 33.10-20, thus creating an envelope to the first half of
the book." All this shows that there is a careful structure in Ezekiel
marked by repetition of themes to the extent that no part can be fully
understood in isolation from the rest of the narrative.12 Therefore, as
T. Boadt says, this 'forces the commentator to come to grips with the
planned unity of the present book as it stands. No part can be simply set
aside as extraneous and foreign to the concerns of the exilic prophet and
his pe~ple."~
What scholars have not noticed, however, is that the language contained
in the Lev. 18.5 allusions ('the person who does these things [the
statutes and ordinances] will live by them') exhibits a similar phenomenon
within the structure of the book. The priestly phrase often connected
to the Leviticus allusion-that is, 'walking in my statutes and observing
my judgmentsy--occurs frequently in the earlier oracle of judgment
(5.6-7; 11.12,20) and displays a particular density in chs. 18 (vv. 9, 17,
19; cf. 21) and 20 (vv. 11, 13, 18, 19,21; cf. 25). This formula does not
occur again until 36.27, where God causes Israel to 'walk in my statutes
and observe my judgments', and finally in 37.24, where the Davidic king
enables Israel to 'walk in my statutes.. .' and so on. A similar trend is
exhibited with Ezekiel's use of 'life' language. Again, the verb 7'n, which
is frequent in the first part of the book (3.18,21; 13.19,22; 16.6), is most
numerous in chs. 18 (vv. 9, 13, 17, 19,21,22,23,24,27,28,32) and 20
(1 1, 13,21,25). The verb does not occur again until the transitional section
33.10-20 (vv. 10, 11, 12, 13, 15, 16, 19) and in the vision of the dry
bones in 37.1-14. The significance of this framework is this: there is a
composition connection between the unfulfilled 'statutes and ordinances'
10. On this point, see T. Boadt, 'Rhetorical Strategies in Ezekiel's Oracles of
Judgment', in Lust (ed.), Ezekiel andHis Book, pp. 182-200 (esp. 190-93).
1 1. See M. Fishbane, 'Sin and Judgment in the Prophecies of Ezekiel', Inr 38 (1984),
pp. 13 1-50 (1 32-33).
12. As Rendtorff states: '[Nlicht nur Texte nach bestimmten Gesichtspunkten gesammelt
worden sind, sondern daR manche Texte schon im Blick auf den kompositorischen
Zusammenhang formuliert worden sind.. .' ('Ez 20 und 36,16ff, p. 263).
13. Boadt, 'Rhetorical Strategies', p. 199.
SPRINKLE Law and Life 279
in chs. 18 and 20 with their fulfilment in 36.25 and 37.24; likewise, there
is a connection with the 'life' unattained by Israel in chs. 18'20 and 33
and their new 'life' in 37.1-14. Here in the vision of the dry bones, the
'life' language is vividly used once again (vv. 3,5,6,9,10,14) and thus
the 'life' that was anticipated in the earlier portions of Ezekiel comes to
dramatic fulfilment in Ezekiel 37 as God's breathes 'life' into the nation.
Thus, as the motif of the 'glory of the LORD' receives a dramatic reversal
in ch. 43, so I will argue that the covenant obligation marked by the
'statutes and judgments' formula, and the life therein, is clearly unfulfilled
in Ezekiel 1-24 but receives a dramatic (or divine) reversal in
Ezekiel 36-37, and that the text of Lev. 18.5, and the language therein,
was used by the prophet to summarize these covenant obligations. The
general connection can been seen as follows:
unfulfilled in Ezek. 5; 1 1 ;
and especially 18; 20; cf.
unfulfilled in Ezek. 18;
20; 33
fulfilled through divine
36.27 and 37.24
through divine causation
in Ezek. 37.1-14
The relationship between the 'statutes and judgments' formula and the
potential life therein is conveniently summarized in Lev. 18.5, a text
referred to explicitly in Ezekiel 20 and implicitly in ch. 18 (cf. 33.10-20).
Thus, even where Lev. 18.5 is not directly referred to, it is probable that
this text had some import on the both the 'life' language and 'statutes and
judgments' formula that occurs throughout the book.
Statutes and Ordinances in H and Ezekiel
H contains many summary-like statements (e.g. 'walk in my statutes and
keep my judgments') that summarize the obligation for Israel to obey
their covenant stipulations. For example:
Lev. 18.3-5:
...y ou shall not walk in their statutes (D;r'ni)i731). You are to perform my
judgments ('E39tUn) and keep my statutes ('npn), to walk in them; I am
Yahweh your God. So you shall keep my statutes ('npn) and my judgments
('t39[tP3), by which a man may live if he does them; I am Yahweh.

280 Journal for the Study of the Old Testament 3 1.3 (2007)
Lev. 18.26 (cf. 18.30):
But as for you, you are to keep my statutes ('npn) and my judgments ('D91Un),
and shall not do any of these abominations.. .
Similar statements occur in 19.37; 20.22; 25.18; 26.43 and 46 (cf.
22.31-33; 26.3-4; 26.14- 15). These formulae summarize the entire narrative
complex in H. In fact, the statements in 18.3-5 and 26.46 form the
'bookends' of H, strengthening the impression that these formulae are to
be read as summary statements to the entire document.I4 That the 'statutes
and judgments' of Leviticus should be seen as a summary statement of
the covenant is explicit in Lev. 26.15 where 'the violation of the statutes,
ordinances and commandments is equivalent to the breaking of the
covenanty.15 Thus for H, Israel has upheld their commitment to keep the
covenant when they have 'done my statutes, and kept my judgments, so
as to do them' (25.18).
As seen above, Ezekiel frequently uses a similar 'statutes and judgments'
formula and is most likely drawing it from H.I6 For the most part,
it seems that these 'bound formulas'17 are used throughout Ezekiel to
evoke the entire narrative complex of the phrases in H and exploit the
covenant ramifications of these requirements.18 Thus, 'with the pair of
words nip" nD'a3wn the entire content of the demands of Yahweh, for
Ezekiel and also certainly for his contemporaries, is adequately and
clearly outlinedY.'9 This is perhaps most explicit in 20.1 1 where the
14. Watson (Hermeneutics, pp. 317-18) following J. Milgrom (Leviticus [AB 3; 3
vols.; New York: Doubleday, 1991-20001, pp. 1581, 1709-10).
15. Wong, Idea ofRetribution, p. 79.
16. 'The combination ofD'D9W ("ordinances") and nlpn ("statutes"). ..is found in the
Priestly source whereas O'D9tUn with Pqi)n appears more often in Deuteronomy' (Wong,
Idea of Retribution, p. 91; so also G. Matties, Ezekiel 18 and the Rhetoric of Moral
Discourse [SBLDS, 126; Atlanta: Scholars Press, 19901, p. 178; Cooke, Ezekiel, p. 59, cf.
126). Zimmerli also notes a 'particularly strong connection [between H and Ezekiel] in the
formulas of the parenetic framework, which speak of "walking" (757) in the commands
(nlpn) or laws (o'D~W) of God and keeping (mu) and doing (7rrtuU) them with achanging
order of elements' (Ezekiel 1, p. 48).
17. Matties, Rhetorical Discourse, p. 179.
18. Sometimes the formula can be an allusion to a specific text in H rather than the
whole narrative. For instance, Ezek. 5.6-7 ('for they have despised [lDHn] my statutes and
have not walked in my judgments'; cf. 20.16,24) seems to be alluding specifically to the
formulas in Lev. 26.15 and 43 (see the discussion in Reventlow, Wachter, p. 8). Likewise,
the formulas of 20.1 1, 13 and 21 are specifically alluding to Lev. 18.5.
19. '...mit dem Wortpaar nlpn / P'C39W ist der gesamte Inhalt der Forderungen
Jahwes fur Ez. und sicher auch fur seine Zeitgenossen zureichend und klar umrissen'
SPRINKLE Law and Life 28 1
'statues and judgments' formula is bound to Lev. 18.5 to refer not to
specific legislations but the entire revelation at Sinai.20 Thus it seems that
Ezekiel utilized this formula to refer to the totality of the covenant
stipulations, and even to the covenant itself (esp. Lev. 26.15). Nevertheless,
among all the 'statutes and judgments' formulas in H, only Lev. 18.5
contains the promise of 'life'. Given the fact that 'life' language is by far
more pervasive in Ezekiel than any other prophet:' it is evident that
Ezekiel found Lev. 18.5 to be a convenient shorthand for the demands of
the covenant and the potential 'life' therein. Thus, for the prophet, Lev.
18.5 has important theological implications contained in one expedient
phrase-'the man who does these things will live by them'. If Israel
obeys the covenant stipulations, they will live (Lev. 18.5). If Israel disobeys,
they will be punished (exiled-Lev. 26).22
I will now survey the relevant portions of Ezekiel 18; 20; 33 and
36-37. In doing so, I wish to demonstrate that the twofold 'statutes and
judgments' formula in 36.27 and 37.24 is picking up on the previous
formulae in the first part of the book, and that the 'new life' given to
Israel in the dry bones vision in 37.1-14 is directly related to the conditional
promise of 'life' held out in chs. 18 and 20 (reiterated again in
ch. 33). All of this is drawn from the Lev. 18.5 allusions in chs. 18; 20
and 33.
Ezekiel 18
Ezekiel 18 has traditionally been understood as a defence of individualistic
theology against the Deuteronomic conception of corporate respon-
~ibility.~~ There has been much support, however, set forth recently to
show that the chapter has more of a national focus. Thus, it is not primarily
defence of individualism, per se, but is using individualistic motifs to
declare the guilt of Israel. The burden of the prophet in ch. 18 is to highlight
the nation's responsibility for the current disaster and thus to
(R. Hentschke, Safzung undsetzender: Ein Beifrag zur israelitischen Rechtsterminologie
[BWANT, 83; Stuttgart: Kohlhammer, 19631, p. 85, cf. pp. 85-89).
20. Zimmerli writes: 'we must find in this a recollection of the comprehensive
lawgiving at Sinai, admittedly in a quite loose formulation' (Ezekiel I, p. 410).
21. See especially W. Zimmerli, "'Leben" und "Tod" im Buche des Propheten
Ezechiel', ThZ 13 (1 957), pp. 494-508 (501 -502, 504).
22. On the relationship between Ezekiel and Lev. 26, see especially Wong, Retribution,
pp. 78-87.
23. See, e.g., W. Eichrodt, Ezekiel (OTL; Philadelphia: Westminster Press, 1970),
pp. 23 1-49; Fishbane, 'Sin and Judgment', pp. 140-42.

282 Journal for the Study of the Old Testament 3 1.3 (2007)
vindicate the just act of God (vv. 25,29). Paul Joyce says: 'By emphasising
the demand of Yahweh, the call to repentance underlines the fact that
Israel has had every warning and is wholly to blame for the crisis which is
even now engulfing her'.24 This national focus is explicitly seen in vv. 25
and 29 where Yahweh addresses the 'house of Israel', indicating to whom
the speech was intended. This 'house of Israel' was claiming to be the
righteous sons of wicked fathers (18.2, 14-17) and yet it is clear that
Ezekiel views the 'house of Israel' as the wicked man (vv. 10- 13,2 1-23).
This is emphatic in the climactic section where Yahweh exhorts Israel to
'Repent and turn away from all your transgressions, so that iniquity may
not become a stumbling block to you' (v. 30a). The force of the message
addressed to the 'house of Israel' is to reveal that just as the wicked man
will be restored if he repents (vv. 21-23,27-28, 30b-32), so too if Israel
repents, her wicked deeds will not be remembered (v. 22).25
Within this framework, Lev. 18.5 seems to be alluded to a few times in
the chapter. Francis Watson picks up on this and even says that, 'Ezekiel
18 as a whole should indeed be seen as a commentary on Lev. 18.5, and
the understanding of 'life' here should be extended to the explicit Leviticus
allusions in Ezekiel 20'.26 While understanding the chapter as a
24. Joyce, Divine Initiative, p. 57. This 'national' interpretation is generally followed
by B. Linders, 'Ezekiel and Individual Responsibility', VT 15 (1965), pp. 452-67;
K.D. Sakenfeld, 'Ezekiel 18.25-32', Int 32 (1978), pp. 295-300; Matties, Moral Discourse;
Block, Ezekiel 1-24, pp. 556-57; Renz, Rhetorical Function, p. 80.
25. Whether or not Ezekiel envisioned Israel as being capable of repentance, and thus
able to escape disaster, is a matter of debate. Paul Joyce argues that the repentance motif
does not lend out the real possibility that Israel can escape judgment since judgment has
already come: they are now in exile. Rather, the repentance motif highlights two things:
(1) the guilt of the nation for the disaster, and (2) the vindication of the name of Yahweh
(see Joyce, Divine Initiative, pp. 33-60). Similarly, Fishbane, who argues that the chapter
does offer support for an 'individualistic theology', says that here, Ezekiel's 'primary
concern was not to call the people of Jerusalem to repentance but to expound in various
ways upon the justice of YHWH to the exiles' ('Sin and Judgment', pp. 147-48 [emphasis
his]). Renz, however, though he agrees with Joyce that the chapter has a national focus,
believes that the prophet highlights a real possibility of a new beginning for the late-exilic
nation (to whom the oracle is addressed) (Renz, Rhetorical Function, p. 143). It seems
difficult to answer the question by reading ch. 18 alone. What is clear from the message of
the book as a whole is that God must cause Israel to obey (36.27; 37.24) andmust breathe
new life into them (37.1-14) for restoration to happen. There is not a hint in the later
portion of the book that God restores Israel as a result of her repentance as Zimmerli
writes, 'In Ez. 37 ist von Umkehr nichts gesagt' ('"Leben" und "Tod" ', p. 507).
26. Watson, Paul and the Hermeneutics oflaith, p. 322.
SPRINKLE Law and Life 283
'commentary on Leviticus 18.5' may be overly optimistic, the force ofthe
phrase is rightly seen in the following passages where the most relevant
points of contact are ~nderlined:~~
Lev. 18.5:
D;IX .n~ ~ 7 nnM ~ nuu' 7 im 'mtt93 nMi -npn nn nnioul
and keep my statutes and my judgments which if a man does them he will live
by them.
Ezek. 18.9:
7-n* 7-n ni;r i)-7s
nltt)u'7 inu -c19wi 757 'rnpnx
Iifl he walks in mv statutes, keeps my iudnments to do them, he is righteous,
he will surely live.
Ezek. 18.17:
7-nq 7-n 1-xn 11ux nml ~5 MI^ 157 'nlpnx ;IUD *c19m
... he does mv iudnments. walks in mv statutes, he will not die in the iniquity
of his father, he will surelv live.
Ezek. 18.19:
7-n- 7-n nnn 7tuu-I inuqnl?n 53 nM ;rruu np-rn clam 1x;ri
When the son does justice and righteousness, when he kee~s all mv statutes
and does them, he will surelv live.29
27. The presence of Lev. 18.5 may also be seen in 18.22
28. I have amended the MT'S readingilnM ('faithltruth'jto conform with that ofthe
LXX-ab~a ('them')-following most commentators; see Greenburg, Ezekiel, p. 330;
Zimmerli, Ezekiel I, p. 371; Cooke, Ezekiel, p. 199, though the Targum retains the MT
reading.
29. Allen sees an echo of Lev. 18.5 in this verse (Allen, Ezekiel 1-19, pp. 275,277).
The association of 'justice' and 'righteousness' here with the 'statutes and judgments' is
interesting, though subsidiary to our purpose. For the use of these terms in the Hebrew
Bible, see Moshe Weinfeld, '"Justice and Righteousness"-7p'rrl Dm: The Expression
and its Meaning', in H. Graf Reventlow and Y. Hoffman (eds.), Justice and Righteousness:
Biblical Themes and their Influence (JSOTSup, 137; Sheffield: JSOT Press, 1992),
pp. 228-46. For a brief discussion of the terms here -in Ezek. 18, see Matties, Moral
Discourse, pp. 174-75. What is important for the purpose of this essay is that these terms
('justice and righteousness / statutes and judgments') are described here as being closely
related, perhaps even synonymous. This will add weight for seeing the presence of Lev.
18.5 in ch. 33 (esp. vv. 15, 16, 19) where the language of 'justice' and 'righteousness' is
used instead of 'statutes' and 'ordinances' (though see v. 15-'statutes of life'). Thus,
when it is stated that the penitent wicked man 'does justice and righteousness, he will live
by them', it is probable that Lev. 18.5 is beine nll~lrl~d tn thorp 1-1-11

284 Journal for the Study of the Old Testament 3 1.3 (2007)
Ezek. 18.21:
7-n ;rp-tu E~T)VK~ ;liuul -nvn 52 nn iniu5 7iuu iiun innan 52n 2~ -2 uiuim
.-
But if the wicked man turns from all his sin which he does. to keep all mv
statutes and does justice and righteousness he will surely live.
The common elements between Lev. 18.5 and the references above are
'life', 'statutes', 'judgments' and the verbs 'to keep', 'do' and 'walk'.30 In
light of the explicit references to Lev. 18.5 in Ezekiel 20, and the
commonalities between Ezekiel 18 and 20:' it is likely that the prophet
had this text in mind here as well. Furthermore, as mentioned above, the
concept of 'living' as a result of 'keepingldoing' the 'statutes' and 'judgments'
occurs only once in H (Lev. 18.5)' suggesting that Ezekiel 18 is
alluding to Lev. 18.5 when employing a similar Law-life matrix.32
The prophet uses Lev. 18.5 together with the terminology familiar to
criminal law (cf. e.g. Exod. 21.14; Num. 15.32-36),33
and applies them to
the nation of Israel in ironic ways. While the righteous (or penitent
wicked) person will enjoy the covenant blessing of 'life'34 by following
SPRINKLE Law and Life 28
the statutes and judgments, what Ezekiel 18 declares is that the nation ha
not done so. The prophet uses the language of Lev. 18.5 to show that th~
nation has not lived up to her covenant responsibility and is thus full;
responsible for her present distress. Death is indeed imminent for thc
wicked nation as seen in the final exhortation: 'make yourselves a nev
heart and a new spirit! For why will you die, 0 house of Israel? There
fore, repent and live!' (1 8.3 1-32).
Ezekiel 20
Ezekiel 20 is the second of three historical retellings of the history o:
Israel (cf. chs. 16 and 23). Here, as in chs. 16 and 23, 'the author.. .take:
up some of Israel's most cherished historical traditions and, in his retelling
of them, transforms those justifications of Israel's existence, values.
practices and hopes, into justifications of Yahweh's imminent judgmeni
against his people'.35 Rhetoric abounds as Ezekiel takes prophetic liberty
in incorporating many events, hitherto unmentioned in the biblical
account, to paint a dark portrait of Israel's hist01-y.~~
30. 757 is mentioned twice in Lev. 18.3-4.
3 1. The burden of Ezek. 20, like Ezek. 18, is to link the generations of Israelite history
together to show that the present generation is no different. This emerges clearly in 20.30
where for the first time God directly addresses the present nation: 'Will you defile yourselves
after the manner of your fathers and play the harlot after their detestable things?'
(see Joyce, Divine Initiative, pp. 46-47; cf. Block, Ezekiel 1-24, p. 616). Therefore, I
disagree with Fishbane, who states thatch. 20 is 'diametrically opposed to the teaching of
chapter 18' in exhibiting a 'flagrant violation of the principle of individual responsibility'
('Sin and Judgment', p. 143).
32. Granted, a similar connection occurs throughout Deuteronomy as well. However,
Ezekiel draws upon H much more than on Deuteronomy and explicitly alludes to Lev.
18.5 three times in ch. 20. Therefore, Ezekiel's conception of 'living' as a result of
'keepingldoing' the 'statutes' and 'judgments' should be connected to H and specifically
to Lev. 18.5 (see further n. 16).
33. In criminal law, death is the punishment for the criminal and the innocent is
allowed to live. Divine retribution is notthe dominating factor. However, though Ezekiel
uses the terminology of criminal law (esp. vv. 1-20), it is clear that divine retribution is
inherent in the lifeldeath language. Thus, the individualistic criminal law terminology is
taken over and applied to the nation of Israel; see Joyce, Divine Initiative, pp. 37-41, and
especially p. 54; so too Renz, RhetoricalFunction, pp. 142-43; cf. Walther Zimmerli, 'Die
Eigenart der prophetischen Rede des Ezechiel', ZAW66 (1954), pp. 1-26.
34. Walther Zimmerli argues that the declaration of life here in ch. 18 (specifically
18.9) 'is especially the gift given in the sphere of the sanctuary as the place of God's
presence' (Ezekiel I, p. 376). He goes on to say, 'From the keeping of the commandments
and the confession of obedience, the priestly declaration which follows it, and the promise
of life given in the sanctuary, there arises here a general description of the righteous and
promise of life given to him' (Ezekiel I, p. 377). This is largely based upon the ways in
which the declaration, 'he is righteous, he will surely live' (1 8.9), reflects the priestly
pronouncement to the unclean person (cf. Lev. 13.6, 17, 22; see Zimmerli's fuller discussion
in his "'Leben" und "Tod"', pp. 499-500). Be that as it may, there is simply no
textual support to indicate that the priests pronounced such declaration of 'life' upon those
wishing to enter the temple. Furthermore, all the 'life' statements in the book are thematically
related and cannot be interpreted in isolation, as I will attempt to demonstrate. Thus,
the blessing of 'life' is essentially connected to the covenantal blessing held out in Lev.
18.5 (cf. Deut. 30). The 'life' promised to the one who obeys God's statutes and judgments
will come to fulfilment, albeit through a different agency.
35. Katheryn P. Darr, 'Ezekiel's Justifications of God: Teaching Troubling Texts',
JSOT 55 (1992), pp. 97-1 17 (98).
36. For example, the 'revelation of Yahweh' to the Israelites in Egypt (v. 5), Israel
going after idols in Egypt (vv. 5-8), Yahweh 'swearing' to Israel in Egypt (vv. 6-7), Yahweh's
speech to the children of Israel in the wilderness (vv. 18-20), the excessive sinfulness
of Joshua's generation which in the biblical account is generally positive (vv. 21-26)
and most emphatically the giving of the 'no good laws' to the wilderness generation
(20.25). Lyle Eslinger's comments are pertinent: 'Given that this is a divine retrospect,
conveyed through his loyal prophetic minion, the simplest solution is to accept this
retrograde shift as a bit of divine hyperbole, accurately conveying the godly perception
that the whole business was a disaster from the start' ('Ezekiel 20 and the Metaphor of
Historical Teleology: Concepts of Biblical History', JSOT 8 1 [1998], pp. 93- 125 [I 031).

286 Journal for the Study of the Old Testament 3 1.3 (2007)
The structure of Ezekiel 20 has been a matter of much debate.37 Nevertheless,
the basic movement from generation to generation in various
stages is fairly explicit, as Rolf Rendtorff states:
In 20.5-26 the beginning of the History of God with Israel is depicted in three
stages: the slave generation in Egypt (vv. 5-10); the same generation in the
wilderness (vv. 1 1-1 7); the second generation in the wilderness (vv. 18-26).
Three times it is said, 'Then I resolved to pour out my anger upon them' (vv.
8, 13, 21). But God does not do it. Israel lives under the announcement of
judgment, but this was not cons~mmated.~~
Beyond the two generations of vv. 5-26, a third generation of Israelites
emerges as those who entered the land of Canaan (vv. 27-29). These are
the fathers of the fourth and final generation-the present Israelite nation
(vv. 30-32). It is this present group of rebels that are linked to the previous
three generations. The purpose ofEzekiel in the historical overview
is to exploit the wickedness of the ancestors of Israel and to show that
their children (the present generation) are just like their parents. The
rhetorical question of v. 30 ('Will you defile yourselves after the manner
of your fathers.. .?') is answered with a resounding 'Yes' in the ensuing
verses.
The threefold references to Lev. 18.5 reinforce what was implicitly
stated in ch. 18: Israel has not lived up to her covenant obligations and
therefore does not have the 'life' therein. Here in ch. 20, Lev. 18.5 is used
to describe the giving of the Law at Sinai (v. 1 the subsequent wilderness
rebellion (v. 13),40 and the rebellion of the second wilderness
37. See, most recently, Leslie Allen, 'The Structuring of Ezekiel's Revisionist History
Lesson (Ezekiel 20.3-3 I)', CBQ 54 (1992), pp. 448-62.
38. Rendtorff, 'Ez 20 und 36,16ff, p. 261 : 'In 20,5-26 wird der Anfang der Geschichte
Gottes mit Israel in drei Etappen geschildert: die Sklavengeneration in Agypten (V. 5-1 0);
dieselbe Generation in der Wuste (V. 18-26). Dreimal heiljt es: "Da gedachte ich meinen
Grimm uber sie auszuschutten" (V. 8.13.21). Aber Gott tut es nicht. Israel lebt unter der
Ankundigung des Gerichts, aber dieses wird noch nicht vollzogen.'
39. o71) 'ni nim onin ~UIY- YLRR nnln -nu117 *axn nKi mpn n~ o75 lnni ('And I
gave them my statutes and made known to them my judgments which if a man does them
he will live by them'). Most notable here is that Lev. 18.5 is connected to the 'giving' of
the statutes and the revelation of the judgments. This language of 'giving' and 'making
known' is characteristically focused on the Sinaitic event as a confirmation of the covenant
first made with Israel in Egypt where God 'chose' them and 'made himself known' to
the first generation. Lev. 18.5 was utilized in similar ways in LAB 23.10; and CD 3.16-17.
40. D7I) *ni D im DnN 7wu3 -ILN iDnn'Q9w nNi lrJ?;r ~','nlpnrJ ('they did not walk
in my statutes and they despised my judgments which if a man does them he will live by
them').
SPRINKLE Law and Life
generation (v. 21).4' Israel through various stages and generations has
failed to carry out the conditions of the covenant and thus has not
received the blessing of 'life'. Therefore, God radically reverses the
situation in 20.23-25, and even gives them 'no good laws by which they
cannot live' (20.25).42 This curious statement has confised interpreters
and has evoked many interesting interpretation^.^^ While it is indeed
apparent that these 'laws' are connected to the child sacrifice to Molech in
v. 26,44 what commentators often fail to acknowledge is that these 'no
good laws' are directly connected with the threefold Leviticus allusions
previously mentioned." Therefore, whatever the phrase may mean, it is
clear that the rhetorical fination of the statement is to exploit the divine
response to the rebellion of Israel against the covenant stipulations by
drawing upon and reversing the previous refrain of Lev. 18.5 (vv. 11,13,
21). Since they have chosen not to 'walk in the statutes and keep the
judgments by which they could live', God has sealed the fate of the
previous generations by giving them 'no good laws by which they cannot
live' in 20.25.46
41. o72 *ni D~H: onN nvu- YLRR onin nivuuuL i-~nw ~ u u L -~u.m nNi 1x57 n5 -nipnx
('they did not walk in my statutes nor did they keep my judgments to do them which if a
man does them he will live by them').
42. ~ 7iqnq
2 n5 oqa5roni a-na n5 o-pn on? -nn>->n
on.
43. For some recent treatments, see Corrine Patton, '"I Myself Gave them Laws that
Were Not Good": Ezekiel 20 and the Exodus Traditions', JSOT 69 (1996), pp. 73-90;
P.W. van der Horst, 'I Gave them Laws that Were Not Good: Ezekiel 20.25 in Ancient
Judaism and Early Christianity', in A.S. van der Woude et at. (eds.), SacredHistovy and
Sacred Texts in Early Judaism (Kampen: Kok Pharos, 1992), pp. 94-118; George C.
Heider, 'A Further Turn on Ezekiel's Baroque Twist in Ezek 20.25-26', JBL 107 (1988),
pp. 721-24.
44. In light ofthis, some interpreters say that Ezekiel is referring specifically to firstborn
sacrificial laws of Exod. 22.28-29, whether it was abused or simply misinterpreted
(see, e.g., Zimmerli, Ezekiel 1, pp. 411-12; Michael Fishbane, Biblical lnterpretation in
Ancient Israel [Oxford: Clarendon Press, 19851, pp. 182-87; Heider, 'A Further Turn', pp.
721 -24; Allen, Ezekiel 2048, pp. 11-12). While this argument carries some weight, I find
Daniel Block's emphasis on the prophetic rhetoric most satisfying (see his Ezekiel 1-24,
pp. 636-41). Since this historical retelling is laced with seemingly 'unhistorical' events
(at least not mentioned in Scripture) one need not necessarily race to a passage in the
Pentateuch for the antecedent to these 'no good laws'. 'Ezekiel is a preacher, not a
chronicler or a systematic theologian; he offers an interpretation of Israel's history, not an
objective record of the past' (Block, Ezekiel 1-24, p. 640).
45. Zimmerli ("'Leben" und "Tod"', p. 498) comes close but does not exploit the
relationship.
46. This is probably similar to the hardening of Pharaoh's heart in the plague
narrative. Ezekiel is especially fond of exploiting God's sovereignty through radical acts

288 Journal for the Study of the Old Testament 3 1.3 (2007)
Irony flourishes as the family resemblance between the past and present
generation is made explicit in the subsequent verses as these same
'no good laws' (child sacrifice to Molech) are kept by the present generation
of Israelites.
Ezek. 20.3 1 :
And when you offer your gifts, when you cause your sons to pass though the
fire, you are defiling yourselves with all your idols to this day. And shall I be
inquired of by you, 0 house of Israel? As 1 live, declares the Lord Yahweh, I
will not be inquired of by you.
The reference to 'gifts' and to Molech sacrifice in this passage are the
same two descriptions that characterize the 'no good laws' of 20.25.
These 'offerings' are made by the present generation and their fathers
alike. Since the present generation of Israelites are obeying the same 'no
good laws' of their fathers, the laws 'by which they cannot live', they too
are incapable of achieving the 'life' promised in Lev. 18.5. As long as
they participate in the ways of their fathers, they too will not be able to
'live'. The imminent threat of death that hung over the nation in ch. 18 is
brought one step closer to consummation as Yahweh's laws of 'life' are
transformed into laws of death.
Ezekiel 33
In Ezekiel 33, the guilt of the nation is amplified as the divine address to
the wicked man takes centre stage.47 More specifically, Ezek. 33.10-20
picks up on themes and motifs particular to 18.21-32. In that previous
chapter, we were lefi with the prophet exhorting Israel to 'repent and live'
(1 8.32b). The words of 18.3 1-'Why will you die, 0 house of Israel?'-
'poignantly acknowledge the fact that Israel is dying, suffering the fully
deserved punishment of defeat and exile; and yet this question also
anticipates the fbture which Yahweh wishes for his people'.48 In ch. 20,
this threat of death is brought one step closer with their persistent obedience
to the laws of death. Here in 33.10-16, this final section of the
judgment oracle opens with similar sentiments, only this time it is the
house of Israel herself that sees 'life' as a dying hope: 'Surely our
transgressions and our sins are upon us, and we are rotting away in them;
of vengeance. For instance, in 9.7, God gives a command to 'defile the temple'. In 14.9,
God is said to be the cause of the deceptive prophet. Here in 20.39, Yahweh commands
the present generation to 'Go, serve everyone his idols'. It seems that a similar type of
rhetoric is being used here.
47. See Allen, Ezekiel 2&48, p. 144.
48. Joyce, Divine Initiative, p. 144 n. 85; see too Allen, Ezekiel 20-48, p. 145.
SPRINKLE Law and Life 289
how then can we live? (7'nI 7'Hi)' (33.10b). This establishes the main
burden of the following verses: how can Israel live? 'Life' language is
pervasive once again (vv. 10, 11, 12, 13, 15, 16, 19) and the terse phrase
D"n7 nlpn ('the statutes of life', v. 15) is perhaps genetically related to
the Lev. 18.5 allusions in ch. 20.49 The presence of Lev. 18.5 may also be
felt in 33.i9-7'n9 Hl7 D;~"XPO
('But when the wicked turns from his wickedness and does justice and
righteousness, he will live by them'). These possible allusions, together
with the deliberate connection with ch. 18 where the impact of Lev. 18.5
was seen, indicate that this transitional pericope can be read along the
lines of the Lev. 18.5.
While 33.10-20 picks up on much of 18.21-32, this section expresses
an even bleaker view of Israel's ability to turn and live. In 33.10-20, it is
the penitent wicked man who takes centre stage. Even the righteous
person will die if he simply trusts in his own righteousness: 'When I say
to the righteous he will surely live, and he trusts in his righteousness and
so commits iniquity, none of his righteous deeds will be remembered'
(33.13)." The human capacity for righteousness as a means to 'life' is
significantly downplayed. This adds to the focus of the passage: Ezekiel
33 amplifies the portrait of a dying nation began in ch. 18 and carried on
in ch. 20, and thus prepares the reader for the divine reversal of the events
that will occur from 33.21 onwards. Although in principle the wicked
house of Israel can 'live' if they turn from their sin, even they acknowledge
that Such an event is not likely to happen (33.10b).
73731 asrun 7ruul inuruin urul nru~
Ezekiel 36.16-28; 37.24
This oracle of restoration opens in 36.16 picking up where ch. 20 left
off. For example, in ch. 20 (esp. vv. 8, 13, 21), 'Israel lives under the
announcement of j~dgment','~ but here in ch. 36 judgment has been
poured out (36.18). In 20.23, Yahweh promises to scatter Israel among
the nations. This 'scattering' is now a past event in 36.19. Chapter 20
commonly notes that Israel was 'unclean' (HUB) in her ways (vv. 7, 18,
30,31,43). The same predicament is reiterated in 36.17- 18 and reversed
49. So Zimmerli: 'Eine schone Umschreibung und Auslegung des kurzgerafften nlpn
oT'n;r von 33,15 ist in 20, 11.13.21 zu horen' ("'Leben" und "Tod"', p. 498).
50. The Leviticus text has 072 whereas Ezekiel has 07'5~ here, but perhaps it is no
more than a stylistic variation.
51. On this interpretation of 33.13, see Walther Zimmerli, Ezekiel 2 (Philadelphia:
Fortress Press, 1983), p. 188.
52. Rendtorff, 'Ez 20 und 36,16ff, p. 261.

290 Journal for the Study of the Old Testament 3 1.3 (2007)
by divine cleansing in 36.25 (53m D3'nlHDD 53D D3nM 17DM ~3'5151,
'from allyour uncleanness and from all your idols I will cleanse youY). In
20.9 (cf. vv. 14'22)' Yahweh's concern for his 'holy name' forces him to
relent from destroying the nation. This is the same motivation that brings
Israel back to the land (MY'; cf. 20.34) in a 'new exodus' from among the
nations in 36.20-21.53 In light of these and other connections, this great
restoration oracle is a direct response to the desperate situation portrayed
in ch. 20.54
This observation is necessary to understand the connection between the
'statutes and judgments' formula of the previous sections (last mentioned
in 20.25) and the program of restoration in 36.16-37.28. This formula is
mentioned again in 36.27-37.28, only here it is Yahweh who causes
Israel to obey:
Ezek. 36.27:
And I will put my Spirit in you and cause you to walk in my statutes and you
will keep my judgments and do them.
In the light of the tight association between 36.16ff. to ch. 20, it seems
prudent to see 36.27 as a divine response, or reversal, of the disobedience
of Israel to the 'statutes and judgments' of Yahweh of the previous dispensation.
Therefore, the 'statutes and judgments' formula is not a random
choice of language by the prophet, but is intended to evoke the
previous narrative thread of 'statutes and judgments' formulas in the
oracle ofjudgment. What was previously held out as a conditional possibility
is here fulfilled by Yahweh himself in his program of restoration. A
similar formulation is made in the last occurrence of the 'statutes and
ordinances' formula in Ezekiel 37:
Ezek. 37.24:
ii~v lnpni 3x9 ?notunn oh', 7.7- -rnH;rulil o;rl',u
75n 7-r *i>ui
oniH lwui
And my servant David will be king over them and they will have one shepherd
for all of them, and they will walk in my statutes and keep my judgments to do
them.
53. Renz notes that the term HX' (instead of HWI) is widely used in exodus traditions;
Rhetorical Function, p. 203.
54. Along with Rendtorff s article, see also Greenburg, Ezekiel, I, pp. 382-83; Renz,
Rhetorical Function, pp. 110-1 1.
55. On this construction, see Cooke, Ezekiel, p. 395; cf. GKC, $1 57.
SPRINKLE Law and Li$e 291
Once again, it is Yahweh who radically reverses the situation by causing
Israel to obey through the Davidic king.56 Since Israel was unable to 'do'
the 'statutes and judgments', Yahweh must incite obedience in the program
ofrestoration. The same formula is maintained while the agency has
changed. All conditionality inherent in the Lev. 18.5 allusions is lost.
'Life' language is not associated with either of these formulations.
There is a connection, however, between 36.27a ('And I will put my spirit
within youY) and the revivification of Israel in 37.1-14, where the 'life'
language is filled in. In 36.27a Yahweh puts his m l 'within them', and in
37.1-14 it is this same rill that causes Israel to 'live' once again. Leslie
Allen succinctly highlights this link:
The editorial function of 37.1 - 13 in its present position is to throw light on the
gift of the spirit in 36.27a. That of 37.15-23 is to clarify a means by which
Yahweh would bring about the obedience of 36.27b, namely via a Davidic
king who would impose order among God's people, uniting southern and
northern elements with his royal staff or sceptre. In turn 37.14a represents an
editorial rounding off of the unit of vv. 1- 13, which uses the vision with its
ninefold occurrence of m i ('breathlspirit') as an illustration of the restoring
power of God in 36.27a.57
With this correlation in view, there exists an intricate union between the
'statutes and judgments' as a way to 'life' in chs. 18 and 20, which was
left unfulfilled, and the divine enablement to keep them in the new age
(36.27)through the revivification ofthe spirit (37.1-14). It is the collapse
of the previous program in the oracle of judgment that generates the
radical activity of Yahweh in the program of restoration.
Ezekiel 37.1-14
'Life' language abounds once again in 37.1-14,58 and together with the
link to 36.27 mentioned above, this vision of the dry bones brings to
fulfilment the much-anticipated motif of 'life' throughout the book. In
16.6, Yahweh walks by the abandoned child (Israel) and declares to her
'live'. Chapter 18 says that only the righteous can 'live', but since Israel
is wicked, she needs to 'repent' in order to 'live' (1 8.32). Yahweh has
56. For the Davidic king enabling obedience, see Renz, Rhetorical Function, pp. 1 15-
16; Wong, Divine Retribution, p. 1 13; Allen, Ezekiel, 11, p. 194; Eichrodt, Ezekiel, p. 5 14.
57. Leslie Allen, 'Structure, Tradition and Redaction in Ezekiel's Death Valley
Vision', in Philip R. Davies and David J.A. Clines (eds.), Among the Prophets: Language,
Image and Structure in the Prophetic Writings (JSOTSup, 144; Sheffield: JSOT Press,
1993), pp. 127-42 (1 40-41); followed by Renz, Rhetorical Function, pp. 200-201.
58. 7.n and its cognates are used in vv. 3, 5, 6, 9, I0 and 14.

292 Journal for the Study of the Old Testament 3 1.3 (2007)
revealed his Law for the purpose of giving Israel such 'life7 (20.1 I), but
they have disobeyed and thus they are dead. 'How then can we live?',
cries the generation of exiles (33.10; cf. 37.1 lb). 'Turn back from your
evil ways.. .and live', replies Yahweh (33.1 I), and yet no hint of repentance
is found. The grand vision of revivification in Ezekiel 37, then, has
been long anticipated throughout the narrative. Here, Yahweh must
breathe life into the nation for her to be spiritually renewed.
The dry bones vision is a direct response to the situation presented in
33.1 0-20.59 There, the people cry out 'we are dying7 (33.10) and here in
37.1 1b this process of dying is consummated as they exclaim 'we are
dead'. As pointed out earlier, 33.10-20 is picking up on ch. 18, especially
with regard to the 'life' language, and also exhibits some points of contact
with ch. 20 via the Lev. 18.5 citations. This anticipation of life in the face
of a dying nation is fulfilled as Yahweh breathes 'life7 into his people.
With ch. 37, then, the relationship of Lev. 18.5 to the framework of
Ezekiel is complete and may be laid out by the following diagram,
modified slightly from the one at the beginning of this study:
Conclusion
SPRINKLE Law and Life
This essay has examined the function of Lev. 18.5 in the book of Ezekiel.
I have argued that not only is this text utilized in various passages outside
ch. 20, but it also generates the pervasive themes of Israel's disobedience
to the 'statutes and judgments7 and the promise of 'life' held out therein.
These themes, most dominant in chs. 18, 20 and 33, are integrally connected
to the restoration oracle in chs. 36-37 where God causes Israel to
walk in his 'statutes and judgments7 and breathes life into his people. The
conditional potential of life held out in the judgment oracle is unconditionally
fulfilled in the oracle of restoration. The conditional nature of
Lev. 18.5 ('which a man must do.. . ') is thus replaced by divine intervention.
37.1-14: the Spirit
ives life
36.27: 'I will put
my Spirit within
Davidic king
enables Israel to
'walk in my statutes
and observe my
What was previously held out as a conditional promise-'the person who
does these things will live by themy-is now in the age of restoration
replaced by divine causation. Israel will indeed walk in the 'statutes and
ordinances' of Yahweh, albeit through a different agency. The 'life'
therein will be gained by spiritual revivifi~ation.~~
59. Renz, Rhetorical Function, p. 209.
60. Though not crucial for my argument, it should be recognized that the 'rivers of
life' in Ezek. 47.12 reiterated again the unconditional nature of Israel's 'life7 in the new
age. Like the revivification of the dry bones, and unlike the conditional promise held out
in the Leviticus citations, this 'Edenic life' is an unconditional benefit that flows from the
presence of God.