3. Second Revelation (v, 16-vi, 34, A.V. ; iii, 24-iv, 37, Eth.). — Having fasted seven days according to the command of the angel, and against the advice of the prince of the Jews (ver. 16-21), Ezra again appeals to God, asking why he does not punish his sinful people himself rather than give them over to the heathen (ver. 22-30) ? Uriel, who appears a second time, after referring again to the inscrutable judgments of "God (ver. 31-56), reveals to Ezra, according to promise, more distinctly what shall be the signs of the latter days, saying that witii Esau [the Idumseans] the pres- ent world will terminate, and the world to come will begin with Jacob (vi, 1-10), whereupon the day of judgment will follow, and be announced by the blast of a trumpet (ver. 11-25) ; Enoch and Elias, the fore- runners of the Messiah, shall appear (ver. 26), and sin and corruption will be destroyed (ver. 27, 28) ; tells him to be comforted, patient, and resigned, and that he shall hear something more if he will fast again seven days (ver. 29-34).
4. Third Revelation (vi, 35-ix, 25, A.V. ; iv, 38-ix, 27, Eth.). — The fasting being over, Ezra again ap-
I peals to God, to know how it is that his chosen people, for whom this wonderful world was created, are de- prived of their inheritance (ver. 35-59) ? Whereupon Uriel appears a third time, tells him that it is because of their sin (vii, 1-25), describes the death of the Mes- siah, the resurrection, the judgment, and the things which wilhcome to pass, concluding with an admoni- tion to Ezra to fast and pray again (ver. 26-ix, 25).
5. First Vision (ix, 26-x, 59, A. V. ; ix, 28-x, 74, Eth.). — After appealing again to God in behalf of his brethren (ver. 26-37), Ezra suddenlj- saw a woman in the deepest mourning for her only son, who had been born to her after being married thirty years, and who died on the day of his nuptials (ver. 38-x, 1), and she would not be comforted (ver. 2-4). He rebuked her for being so disconsolate about the loss of one son, when Sion was bereaved of all her children (ver. 2-14), and recommended her to submit to the dealings of God (ver. 15-24); her face speedily shone very brightly, and she disappeared (ver. 25-27) ; whereupon Uriel appeared to Ezra, and told him that the woman is Sion, the thirty years of her barrenness are " the thir- ty j'ears wherein no sacrifice was offered in her," her first-born is the Temple built by Solomon, his death on the day of his marriage is the destruction of Jeru- salem, and the extraordinary brightness of the moth- er's face is the future glory of Sion (ver. 28-59).
6. Second ]'ision (xi, 1-xii, 51, A.V. ; xi, 1-xii, 58, Eth.). — Ezra in a dream had a revelation of the latter days under the figure of an eagle coming up from the
ESDRAS
294
ESDRAS
sea with three heads and twelve wings, which after- wards produced eij^lit smaller wings spread over all things, and reigning over all the world (ver. 1-7). These wings, beginning from the right side, according to a voice which proceeded from the body of the eagle, reigned successively over all the earth, and perished, so that there remained six small wings (ver. 8-23), which, however, in attempting to rule, also perished, and the three heads only were left on the eagle's body (ver. 24-31). These now reigned, one after the other, and perished, so that a single head remained (ver. 32- 35). A lion (the Messiah) declared to the eagle that all his wings and heads were destroyed because he ruled the earth wickedly (ver. 3G-46) ; then the body and whatever was left of the eagle were buint in fire (xii,
1, 2). Ezra awoke, and having prayed for the inter- pretation of this vision (ver. 3-9), -^vas told by the angel that the eagle was the fourth monarchy which Daniel saw, and was admonished again to fast and pray (ver. 10-51).
7. Third Vision (xiii, 1-58, A. V. ; xiii, 1-C4, Eth.). — Ezra then had another dream, in which he saw a mighty spirit (tti'ivi-ici) arise from the sea resembling a man, who destroyed all his enemies with the blast of his mouth, and gathered around him large multi- tudes (ver. 1-13). On awaking, Ezra was told by the angel that it was the Messiah, who shall gather to- gether the ten tribes, lead them to their holy land, and give them Sion "prepared and builded for them" (ver. 14-58).
8. Conclusion (xiv, 1^8, A. V. ; xiv, 1-52, Eth.). — Three days later, the voice which spoke to Moses in the bush tells Ezra that the latter daj-s are at hand (ver. 1-12), bids him set his house in order, reprove those that are living (ver. 13-18), and write down, for the benefit of those who are not yet born, ninetj^-four books, i. e. the twenty-four inspired books of the O. T. which have been burnt, and seventy books of divine mysteries, Avliich he duly did with the help of scriljes (ver. lO-dJ), the recovered Scriptures to be communi- cated to all, and the Cabbalistic books only to the sages (ver. 45-48).
The chief characteristics of the "three-headed ea- gle," which refer apparently to historic details, are ''twelve feathered wings" (duodecim ala; pennarum), "eight counter-feathers" (contraria; penn»),and "three heads;" but, though the writer expressly interprets these of kings (xii, 14, 20) and "kingdoms" (xii, 23), he is, perhaps intentionallj^, so obscure in his allusions that the interpretation only increases the difficulties of the vision itself. One point only may be consider- ed certain^ — the eagle can typify no other empire than Eome. Notwithstanding the identification of the ea- gle with the fourtli empire of Daniel (comji. Barnabas, Epist. p. 4), it is impossible to suppose that it repre- sents the Greek kingdom (Ililgenfeld ; compare Yolk- mar, Dias vierte Buch Esra, p. 36 sq.). The power of the Ptolemies could scarcelv have been described in language which maj' be rightly applied to Rome (xi,