Vision of Ezra
Encyclopedia
The Vision of Ezra is an ancient apocrypha
l text, claiming to have been written by the biblical Ezra
. The earliest surviving manuscripts, composed in Latin
, date to the 11th Century AD, though textual peculiarities strongly suggest
that the text was originally written in Greek
. Like the Greek Apocalypse of Ezra, the work is clearly Christian, and features several apostles being seen in heaven
. However, the text is significantly shorter than the Apocalypse.
The text has a strong dependence on 2 Esdras
, an earlier Apocalypse, and portrays God as answering the prayer of Ezra to have courage
by sending him seven angel
s to show him heaven
. In the Latin Vision of Esdras, the holy beloved prophet walks down three floors or 72 steps and is shown hell. When arriving in hell, a soul approaches Esdras and says your coming here has granted us some respite. From there he is taken to the fourth underworld where the sinners are shown hanging by their eyelashes.The righteous he sees in heaven are portrayed as passing through a vast scene of flames, and fire-breathing lions, unharmed. The wicked are also seen to be in heaven, but are quickly ripped apart by vicious dogs, and burnt in the fire. Ezra is told by a nearby angel that the crimes of the wicked were that they had heterosexual sex
on the sabbath.
Apocrypha
The term apocrypha is used with various meanings, including "hidden", "esoteric", "spurious", "of questionable authenticity", ancient Chinese "revealed texts and objects" and "Christian texts that are not canonical"....
l text, claiming to have been written by the biblical Ezra
Ezra
Ezra , also called Ezra the Scribe and Ezra the Priest in the Book of Ezra. According to the Hebrew Bible he returned from the Babylonian exile and reintroduced the Torah in Jerusalem...
. The earliest surviving manuscripts, composed in Latin
Latin
Latin is an Italic language originally spoken in Latium and Ancient Rome. It, along with most European languages, is a descendant of the ancient Proto-Indo-European language. Although it is considered a dead language, a number of scholars and members of the Christian clergy speak it fluently, and...
, date to the 11th Century AD, though textual peculiarities strongly suggest
Textual criticism
Textual criticism is a branch of literary criticism that is concerned with the identification and removal of transcription errors in the texts of manuscripts...
that the text was originally written in Greek
Greek language
Greek is an independent branch of the Indo-European family of languages. Native to the southern Balkans, it has the longest documented history of any Indo-European language, spanning 34 centuries of written records. Its writing system has been the Greek alphabet for the majority of its history;...
. Like the Greek Apocalypse of Ezra, the work is clearly Christian, and features several apostles being seen in heaven
Heaven
Heaven, the Heavens or Seven Heavens, is a common religious cosmological or metaphysical term for the physical or transcendent place from which heavenly beings originate, are enthroned or inhabit...
. However, the text is significantly shorter than the Apocalypse.
The text has a strong dependence on 2 Esdras
2 Esdras
2 Esdras or Latin Esdras is the name of an apocalyptic book in many English versions of the Bible . Its authorship is ascribed to Ezra. It is reckoned among the Apocrypha by many Protestant churches. Although Second Esdras exists in its complete form only in Latin, it was originally written in...
, an earlier Apocalypse, and portrays God as answering the prayer of Ezra to have courage
Courage
Courage is the ability to confront fear, pain, danger, uncertainty, or intimidation...
by sending him seven angel
Angel
Angels are mythical beings often depicted as messengers of God in the Hebrew and Christian Bibles along with the Quran. The English word angel is derived from the Greek ἄγγελος, a translation of in the Hebrew Bible ; a similar term, ملائكة , is used in the Qur'an...
s to show him heaven
Heaven
Heaven, the Heavens or Seven Heavens, is a common religious cosmological or metaphysical term for the physical or transcendent place from which heavenly beings originate, are enthroned or inhabit...
. In the Latin Vision of Esdras, the holy beloved prophet walks down three floors or 72 steps and is shown hell. When arriving in hell, a soul approaches Esdras and says your coming here has granted us some respite. From there he is taken to the fourth underworld where the sinners are shown hanging by their eyelashes.The righteous he sees in heaven are portrayed as passing through a vast scene of flames, and fire-breathing lions, unharmed. The wicked are also seen to be in heaven, but are quickly ripped apart by vicious dogs, and burnt in the fire. Ezra is told by a nearby angel that the crimes of the wicked were that they had heterosexual sex
Sex
In biology, sex is a process of combining and mixing genetic traits, often resulting in the specialization of organisms into a male or female variety . Sexual reproduction involves combining specialized cells to form offspring that inherit traits from both parents...
on the sabbath.