Sárospataki Füzetek 20. (2016)

2016 / 2. szám - ARTICLES / STUDIEN - Jaap Doedens: Lierary Wormholes: Wild Animals and Angels in Mark 1:13

Literary Wormholes: Wild Animals and Angels in Mark 1:13

mouth and be silent and stand off from the image of God until the day of Judgement.’ Then saith the beast to Seth: ‘Behold, I stand off from the image of God.’ And he went to his lair.31

In this passage, the lion explains his lack of respect for humans as caused by human trespassing of God’s command. However, this situation appears to be reversible, because when Seth is reproaching the lion, the animal abandons its plan to attack Eve’s son. Bauckham observes that within the Old Testament and intertestamental literature there are two ways by which the original relationship between man and animals can be restored: an individual way and an eschatological way.32

Individually, living righteously restores the fear of animals for man. This thought is implied in the above-mentioned passage from The Apocalypse of Moses, where Seth is the righteous one, who, apparently, by that very fact has the authority to send an attacking lion to its lair. Similar notions are present in the Testaments of the Twelve Patriarchs. Apart from the passages from T. Naph. 8:4.6 already mentioned at the beginning of this study, in the Testament oflssacharl-.G-T Issachar instructs his children with the following advice:

I acted in piety and truth all my days.

The Lord I loved with all my strength;

likewise, I loved every human being as I love my children.

You do these as well, my children,

and every spirit ofBeliar willflee from you,

and no act of human evil will have power over you.

Every wild creature you shall subdue,

so long as you have the God of heaven with you,

and walk with all mankind in sincerity of heart.33

Similarly, Benjamin gives his last guidance to his descendants in T. Benj. 3:4-5 and 5:2:

3:4-5 For the person who fears God and loves his neighbor cannot be plagued by the spirit of Beliar since he is sheltered by the fear of God. Neither mans schemes not34 those of animals can prevail over him, for he is aided in living by this: by the love which he has toward his neighbor.

(...)

31 The Apocalypse of Moses, 10:1-4; 11:1-3; 12:1-2. Translation: Charles, R. H.: The Apocrypha and Pseudepigrapha of the Old Testament: Volume 2,143.

32 Bauckham: Jesus and the Wild Animals, 11-14.

33 T. Iss. 7:6-7. (Translation: Kee: Testaments of the Twelve Patriarchs, OTP 1,804). (Emphasis added).

34 Sic. Meant is: "nor".

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