Songs of Sabbath Sacrifice: Template for book of Revelation

Songs of Sabbath Sacrifice: Angelic Liturgy

1^st century Synagogue songbook

Template for the Book of Revelation


Song 6	Song 7

Introduction:

1. Songs of Sabbath Sacrifice was the pre-Christian, first century songbook used in every Jewish synagogue and was as well known as “Jesus loves me” in the church today.

a. Also known as “The Angelic Liturgy”, it is a collection of 13 songs, sung responsively, every Sabbath for 13 weeks.

b. “Although none of the Sabbath songs is preserved in its entirety, it is possible to say a number of things about the form and content of the individual songs and about the work as a whole.” (Songs of the Sabbath Sacrifice, critical edition, Carol Newsom, p6, 1985 AD)

c. "The songs contain angelic praises of God assigned to the first thirteen sabbaths, i.e. the first quarter, of the solar year. They imply the simultaneity of the heavenly and earthly worship. Although often obscure, the poems depict the celestial sanctuary, the throne-chariot, the various groups participating in the angelic liturgy; they also include the words of the benedictions sung by the seven archangels." (The Dead Sea scrolls in English, G.Vermes, 4Q400, p254, 1995 AD)

d. “The author starts by leading worshipers to consider the mysteries of an angelic priesthood. Then an almost mantric recital focusing on the holy number seven progresses to a climax on the seventh Sabbath, following which the community contemplates the elements of a living spiritual temple. Here the focus is particularly on the living holy chariots of God. In the original Hebrew, the syllables and long, drawn-out phrases tumble over one another in an almost hypnotic cadence. We encounter a constant rotation of synonyms that follow one another to numbing effect. Many long phrases consist almost entirely of nouns. Verbs are hard to find. The effect is highly abstract, and the images are blurred about the edges. Precisely what the author means to say is seldom clear.” (The Dead Sea Scrolls, A New Translation, M. O. Wise, M. G. Jr. Abegg, E. M. Cook, p463, 2005 AD)

e. “The Sabbath songs intend to unite the worshiper with the angels worshiping in heaven. What happens on earth is but a pale reflection of that greater, ultimate, reality. What, then, could be more desirable than to join that worship in mystic fashion? The variety of heavenly beings who play a role is dizzying. The apostle Paul wrote of “the tongues of men and of angels” (1 Cor. 13:1), and indeed, our author supplies the angels with different languages, each endowed with its own particular character, each singularly specialized to praise God.” (The Dead Sea Scrolls, A New Translation, M. O. Wise, M. G. Jr. Abegg, E. M. Cook, p463, 2005 AD)

f. The song cycle as a whole has a discernible structure, consisting of three parts, songs 1–5, songs 6–8 and songs 9–13. Each part differs in style as well as content. The first five songs describe the establishment of the angelic priesthood and its duties, as well as the praise that these heavenly priests utter. The second song makes what appears to be the only reference to the human priesthood and worshipers. These songs are written in a parallelistic style with ordinary syntax and containing a significant number of finite verbs. Songs 6–8 differ strikingly. Characterized by repetitious formulas in which the number seven figures prominently, the sixth and eighth songs enumerate the praises and blessings uttered by the seven chief and deputy princes respectively. The central, seventh song elaborates the initial call to praise into a series of seven increasingly elaborate calls to praise addressed to each of the seven angelic councils. After these calls to praise the song then describes the heavenly temple itself bursting into praise, concluding with a description of the chariot throne of God and the praise uttered by multiple attendant chariot thrones (merkabot), their cherubim and wheels (˓ophannı̂m). The seventh song serves as an anticipation of the final group of songs (9–13), which progressively describe the heavenly temple and its praises, culminating in an extended description of the divine chariot throne and the angelic high priests in their priestly robes. In this third section of the cycle, nominal and participial sentences are common, as are elaborate construct chains, apparently an attempt to create a numinous style. (Dictionary of New Testament Background, Songs of the Sabbath Sacrifice, p1139, 2000 AD)

g. "The Songs of the Sabbath Sacrifice is a liturgical cycle of songs for the first thirteen Sabbaths of the year. It follows the fixed 364-day solar calendar and, therefore, could have been repeated quarterly. Each song has a title (e.g., “For the Instructor. Song of the sacrifice of the seventh Sabbath on the sixteenth of the month”) and then opens with invitations to the holy angels to praise God. In a self-deprecating comparison with the angels (“[What] is the offering of our mortal tongue compared with the knowledge of the g[ods/angels]?” 4Q400 2 7–11) the human worshipers identify themselves as the speakers reciting this liturgy. The body of the Songs of the Sabbath Sacrifice consists of elaborate descriptions of the ranks of the highest angels and their praise in the heavenly Temple. The structures of the heavenly Temple are also said to praise God, and multiple sanctuaries and chariot thrones are mentioned. The liturgical cycle begins in Song 1 with the establishment of the angelic priesthood, reaches the psalms and blessings of the seven angelic chief princes in the sixth song, with a mid-cycle climax of hypnotic sevenfold praises in the seventh song followed by the praises of the seven angelic priesthoods and the seven deputy princes in the eighth song, and builds to a grand finale with the radiant cherubim (see Ezek 1; 3; 10) singing as they accompany the divine merkabah chariot throne (Song 12), with the angelic high priests bedecked in their splendid vestments offering sacrifices in the heavenly Temple (Song 13)." (The New Interpreter’s Dictionary of the Bible, Songs of the Sabbath Sacrifice, Vol 5, p355, 2009 AD)

2. Archeological provenance: One partial copy at Masada and 9 more copies at Qum'ran.

a. "Even though all of the ten copies of Sabbath Songs are fragmentary, enough remains to describe the basic structure of the individual compositions as well as the overall structure of the cycle." (Dictionary of New Testament Background, Songs of the Sabbath Sacrifice, p1137, 2000 AD)

b. "One of the most important of the scroll fragments found at Masada is a copy of the "Songs of the Sabbath Sacrifice," a composition also known from copies found in Qumran Caves 4 and 11. The Masada fragment 1039-200 was discovered in the southeastern corner of Room 1039 in the casemate wall,' a room which also yielded fragments from the books of Psalms and Leviticus and numerous silver and bronze coins struck during the revolt against Rome. Historically, the discovery of this fragment is significant because it suggests the participation of members of the Qumran community, almost certainly to be identified with the Essenes, in the revolt against Rome.The Masada fragment of the Sabbath Shirot contains portions of two columns of text. The left-hand edge of the fragment seems to have been deliberately cut or torn away. The height of the fragment as preserved is 21 cm, with a top margin of about 2 cm and a preserved bottom margin of 1.6 cm. Each column originally contained 26 lines of text. The space between the visible horizontal dry lines is 7 mm and the average height of the letters is 3 mm. Vertical dry lines are faintly visible and the space between the columns averages 18 mm. The original width of each of the two columns can be calculated at about 32 letter spaces counting waw, yod, zayin, final nun and the spaces between words as half-letters. Palaeographically, the hand of the Masada fragment is a developed Herodian formal hand, comparable to Fig. 2:6 (4QDanb) in Cross's typology or to Col. XIII (1QH, first hand) in Avigad's schema. The Sabbath Shirot originally contained individual compositions for each of the first thirteen Sabbaths of the year. MasShirShabb preserves material from the conclusion of the song for the fifth Sabbath (Col. I, 1. 1-6) and from the first half of the sixth Sabbath song. Substantial overlaps between the Masada fragment and fragments from Qumran Cave 4 allow for important mutual supplementation and the reconstruction of _a significant amount of continuous text. The two most extensive overlaps occur between MasShirShabb I, 1-6 and 4Q402 (ShirShabbc) 4 11-16, and between MasShirShabb H, 7-26 and 4Q403 (ShirShabb^d) 1 I, 1-11. Smaller overlaps occur with 4Q404 (ShirShabbe) 1 and 4Q405 (ShirShabb¹) 3 I." (Masada VI. The Yigael Yadin Excavations 1963-1965: Final Report by Shemaryahu Talmon, Yigael Yadin, Hebrew Fragments from Masada, The Masada Fragment of the Qumran Songs of the Sabbath Sacrifice, Carol Newsom, Yigael Yadin, Mas 1039-200; Mas 1K; Songs of the Sabbath Sacrifice, MasShirShabb, photos 5280, 5280A, p120, 1999 AD)

c. "The fact that one of the copies of the Sabbath Songs was found at Masada (Mas1k) might be explained either as a copy carried there by a refugee from the Qumran community after a.d. 68 or as evidence that the composition circulated among a wider range of Jewish groups than just the Qumran community." (Dictionary of New Testament Background, Songs of the Sabbath Sacrifice, p1139, 2000 AD)

3. Holocaust:

a. The Hebrew word for sacrifice used throughout is "holocaust", which was common in ancient Jewish literature for the sacrifice on the altar of burnt offerings.

b. The modern use of the word “Holocaust” to refer to the millions of Jews killed under Nazi Germany is a metaphor for the Jewish people as human sacrifices on the altar of YHWH.

c. It puzzles visitors to Israel why a Nazi Swastika was on the lower, earlier floor of a Jewish synagogue at Ein Gedi, until they realize this was a common symbol in the first century and is reversed from the one Hitler used.

4. Songs of Sabbath Sacrifice, combined with the book of Ezekiel was the template and prototype for the book of Revelation.

a. Song seven was the climax song which featured Throne, Temple, Worship, Singing/praising Angels, Cherubim wheel-beings, Judgement, 7 spirits.

b. Revelation sequentially follows the basic outline of thought in Ezekiel chapter by chapter.

c. Revelation echoes many of the concepts in the Songs of Sabbath Sacrifice.

d. Whereas Song of Sabbath Sacrifice builds to climax in the throne scene of song seven, Revelation begins with this climactic throne scene and increases in intensity making Revelation more profoundly interesting and intense.

5. The use of the number 7 and seven-word descriptors are common to both Angelic Liturgy and Revelation:

a. “In the Sabbath Shirot this fact is exploited as a way of unifying form and content. The seventh and central Sabbath song contains a formally distinctive feature. Whereas all of the Sabbath songs begin with a brief call to praise (...1n150 155n), in the seventh Sabbath song this element has been developed into a sequence of seven elaborate calls to praise, frequently marked with a degree of paronomasia. The calls to praise are presumably addressed to each of the seven priesthoods or angelic councils which are mentioned in the latter part of the song (4Q405 7) and again in the beginning of the eighth Sabbath song (4Q405 8-9). It is not just the coincidence of the seventh Sabbath with the seven calls to praise which underscores the centrality of this song. Its special position is further emphasized by the symmetry of the two highly formulaic Sabbath songs which bracket it, the sixth and the eighth. In these songs the number seven figures prominently, with references to seven priesthoods, seven councils, seven precincts, seven debirim, seven chief princes, seven deputy princes, seven psalms, seven words, etc. Even more than the repetition of the word ny,n, however, the emphasis on the sacred number is embodied in the structure of the songs, in which closely similar formulae are repeated for each of the seven angelic princes…. Thus in the first Sabbath song the references to the number seven and an apparently abbreviated section of formulaic praise and blessing anticipate the theme and formal structure which are fulfilled in the central sixth through eighth songs. By "anticipate" and "fulfill" I do not mean merely formal literary features but also aspects of the psychology of the work. The audience for this liturgical cycle of Sabbath songs was undoubtedly already largely familiar with its content and structure and knew what to expect during its recitation.” (Songs of the Sabbath Sacrifice, critical edition, Carol Newsom, p13, 1985 AD)

b. Use of the number 7:

i. 123 “number 7’s” in the Song of Sabbath Sacrifice, most of which are used in song 6 as an anticipatory preparation for the 7^th climax song the following week.

ii. 55 “number 7’s” in revelation

iii. 17 “number 7’s” in Ezekiel

iv. 3 “number 7’s” in Jeremiah

v. 3 “number 7’s” in Isaiah

c. Seven-word descriptors:

i. "saying with a loud voice, “Worthy is the Lamb that was slain to receive power and riches and wisdom and might and honor and glory and blessing.”" (Revelation 5:12)

ii. "He will give thanks to the honoured God se[ven times, with se]v[en wor]ds of wonderful thanksgivings. [Psalm] of exultation) (4Q403 Frag. 1 i:4)

6. Songs of Sabbath Sacrifice was used in Synagogues not the Jerusalem temple.

a. "For the Sadducees say that there is no resurrection, nor an angel, nor a spirit, but the Pharisees acknowledge them all." (Acts 23:8)

b. Sadducees would never permit the “Angelic Liturgy” because they do not believe in Angles.

c. It is important to remember that the Sadducees controlled the temple, but the Pharisees the hundreds of synagogues.

d. That is why this comment is wrong: "Irrespective of their origin, at Qumran the Songs of the Sabbath Sacrifice could have served simultaneously as a substitute for the Sabbath sacrifice in the Jerusalem Temple and as a means of linking the community’s praise with that of the angels and attaining some sense of the angelic worship in the heavenly Temple." (The New Interpreter’s Dictionary of the Bible, Songs of the Sabbath Sacrifice, Vol 5, p355, 2009 AD)

7. Paul was NOT referring to Songs of Sabbath Sacrifice in Col 2:16-19:

a. "Therefore no one is to act as your judge in regard to food or drink or in respect to a festival or a new moon or a Sabbath day— things which are a mere shadow of what is to come; but the substance belongs to Christ. Let no one keep defrauding you of your prize by delighting in self-abasement and the worship of the angels, taking his stand on visions he has seen, inflated without cause by his fleshly mind, and not holding fast to the head, from whom the entire body, being supplied and held together by the joints and ligaments, grows with a growth which is from God." (Colossians 2:16–19)

b. Paul condemns men worshipping angels but the Angelic Liturgy features men JOINING angels in worshipping God, just like Revelation 4-5

c. Paul condemns men who have false visions in the church but the Angelic Liturgy was viewed as a composes song not a vision.

I. Songs of the Sabbath Sacrifice as a template/prototype for Revelation

1. Why is Revelation written to the 7 churches in Asia and not to Jerusalem?

a. The book of Revelation is John's Olivet discourse warning of the destruction of Jerusalem: Mt 24, Mk 14, Lk 21. The gospel of John was written after 70 AD and this is why it makes no mention of the destruction of the city.

b. 7 men would arrive at Jerusalem with 7 identical copies and the Saints there would follow them back to their 7 Asian churches for security far away from Jerusalem. A kind of crossing the Red Sea, out of harm's way of the Roman Army that is attacking Jerusalem.

c. John wrote the book to seven churches outside of Judah in modern Turkey who would carry each carry a copy of the book to Jerusalem. When the seven copies arrived from these seven different churches with a message to flee Jerusalem, they would flee to these 7 churches of Asia that sent the letter.

d. It gave the Christians living in Jerusalem a safe place of refuge to flee to. The faithful Christian remnant who obeyed, probably returned to one of the seven cities with the very messenger who brought the book back to his home church/city.

e. This way the message was authenticated and Jerusalem Christians were absorbed and integrated into seven mature churches in Asia where they were safe.

2. Key similarities:

a. Both take place entirely in the spirit world, complete with the scene of the heavenly temple and God's throne, with attending spirit beings constantly praising God. (4,5)

b. Both paint heaven as a beautiful multi-colour place.

c. Both feature a war between God and Angels (Elohim)

d. Both, of course have angels singing.

3. The number 7 and seven-word formulas (cf. Rev 5:12 and 4Q403 frag. 1 i 1–29)

a. “Worthy is the Lamb that was slain to receive power and riches and wisdom and might and honor and glory and blessing.”" (Revelation 5:12)

b. "He will give thanks to the honoured God se[ven times, with se]v[en wor]ds of wonderful thanksgivings. [Psalm] of exultation) (4Q403 Frag. 1 i:4)

c. The unmistakable connection between both is the use of the number 7. Every Jew in the first century was familiar with the obsession to the point of monotony that the Songs of Sabbath Sacrifice has with the number 7. The book of Revelation was written in 66 AD to warn the first century Jewish Christians living in Jerusalem to flees the city and would immediately make a connection between Revelation and the Songs of Sabbath Sacrifice. Revelation uses the number 7 it in a far more creative and clever fashion interwoven into a terrifying adventure story where the reader is told, "Behold I come quickly" which was their cue to flee the city in 70 AD or die.

4. The number 7 is widely used and the 7^th song climaxes with a view of God himself inside his throne room.

a. 123 “number 7’s” in the Song of Sabbath Sacrifice, most of which are used in song 6 as an anticipatory preparation for the 7^th climax song the following week.

b. 55 “number 7’s” in revelation

c. 17 “number 7’s” in Ezekiel

d. 3 “number 7’s” in Jeremiah

e. 3 “number 7’s” Isaiah

d. Only Jews would recognize the connection to the number 7 proving it was a warning to Jews alone living in Jerusalem.

5. The Seventh Song:

a. Both have the throne scene (Rev 4-5, SSS song 7) with chapters before and after with the intensive use of 7’s. Revelation 1-3 and 6-10 use 7 as the core structure around which to build the content. SSS songs 6 & 8 likely have more intense use of 7 than in other chapters.

b. “The emphatic position of the middle songs (the sixth through the eighth) has been discussed above. The change in style and content in these songs, with their repetitious, almost hypnotic quality, produces a change in mood. The aesthetic/emotional effect of the sevenfold sequences is especially significant. A list of numbered elements involves an almost involuntary participation by the audience, as the audience's anticipation is matched by the execution of the sequence. Moreover, for an audience which considered the number seven to have an objective, transcendent, and holy quality, the intersection of the "internal" repetition of the number seven in the text with the "external" occurrence of the seventh Sabbath would have produced an intense effect on the religious emotions. The ecstatic quality of the seventh Sabbath song underscores its significance.” (Songs of the Sabbath Sacrifice, critical edition, Carol Newsom, p15, 1985 AD)

6. Both give highly detailed, but different descriptions of heaven, the spiritual temple and the throne of God:

a. "With them praise all the fou[ndations of the hol]y of holies, the supporting columns of the most exalted dwelling, and all the corners of his building. Si[ng] to Go[d, aw]esome in power, [all you spirits of knowledge and of light], to [exal]t together the most pure vault of [his] holy sanctuary. [Praise hi]m, divine spirits, prai[sing for ever and e]ver the main vault of the heig[ht]s, all [its] b[eams] and its walls, a[l]l its [struct]ure, the work of [its] construc[tion. The spi]rits of the hol[y] of holies, the living gods, [the spi]rits of [ever]lasting holine[ss] above all the ho[ly ones in the wonderful vaults, marvel of splendour and majesty, and wonderful is the gl]ory in the most perfect light, and the kno[wledge] [… in all the wonderful sanctuaries. The spirits of the gods (are) around the residence of the king of truth and justice. Al]l [its walls]" (4Q403 Frag. 1 i:41-46)

b. "Then the sixth angel sounded, and I heard a voice from the four horns of the golden altar which is before God, one saying to the sixth angel who had the trumpet, “Release the four angels who are bound at the great river Euphrates.”" (Revelation 9:13–14)

7. Silence in heaven for 30 minutes followed by judgments of wicked men:

a. "When the Lamb broke the seventh seal, there was silence in heaven for about half an hour. And I saw the seven angels who stand before God, and seven trumpets were given to them. Another angel came and stood at the altar, holding a golden censer; and much incense was given to him, so that he might add it to the prayers of all the saints on the golden altar which was before the throne." (Revelation 8:1–3)

b. "[your] exalted kingdom […] the heights and … […] the beauty of your kingdom […] in the gates of the exalted heights […] … spirit of all […] the holy ones of the holy of hol[ies …] king of the gods for the seven […] the glory of the king. Blank … […] his glory in the council of the divinit[ies …] to the seven pathways […] for judgments of silence in […] eternal. Blank […] And they extol his glory […] king of the princes […] holy ones […] holy […] divinities and […] justice. Blank […] priesthoo[d …] the favours of Go[d …] to sanctify oneself … […]" (4Q400 Frag. 1 ii:1-21)

c. "But the LORD is in his holy temple; let all the earth keep silence before him!" (Habakkuk 2:20)

d. "Be silent, all people, before the LORD; for he has roused himself from his holy dwelling." (Zechariah 2:13)

e. "The songs of the temple shall become wailings in that day,” says the Lord GOD; “the dead bodies shall be many, cast out in every place. Be silent!”" (Amos 8:3)

f. "Be silent before the Lord God! For the day of the Lord is near, For the Lord has prepared a sacrifice, He has consecrated His guests. “Then it will come about on the day of the Lord’s sacrifice That I will punish the princes, the king’s sons And all who clothe themselves with foreign garments." (Zephaniah 1:7–8)

8. Key Differences:

a. Revelation begins with John in the spirit on the Lord's Day, Sunday the day of Christian worship, as opposed to the Jewish Saturday. (2:10)

b. Revelation reveals for Christians, the truth missed in the songs of Sabbath Sacrifice that there are 4 living creatures and 24 elders surrounding the throne of God.

c. The song of the Sabbath Sacrifice never directly quotes other Old Testament passages as Revelation does.

d. The song of the Sabbath Sacrifice borrows imagery from the wheel within a wheel imagery of Ezek 1 but Revelation does not.

e. Revelation borrows extensively from Old Testament imagery, whereas the song of the Sabbath Sacrifice does not.

f. The song of the Sabbath Sacrifice borrows extensively from a flawed pseudepigrapha document written about 250 BC called "Enoch", which itself if filled with rampant, wild and impossible speculations of what is like. The book of Revelation never quotes from any apocryphal books and especially not "Enoch" for its imagery.

g. The song of the Sabbath Sacrifice was a flawed production of human effort and imagination that speculated on a spirit world it had never seen while ignoring patterns of historical events recorded in the Old Testament.

h. The Book of Revelation is a divinely inspired message that satisfies this ancient longing of man to know what heaven is like by giving an accurate first hand eye witness account through John while borrowing familiar imagery from the Old Testament as a spring board for new and deeper truths. In this way Paul's words, "The mystery is revealed in Christ" are fulfilled in the book of Revelation. (Rom 16:25-26)

9. Angels of Knowledge:

a. “Of all the qualities which are associated with the angels in the Sabbath songs, however, knowledge is the most prominent. The angels are repeatedly designated as "angels of knowledge", as "those who know", "those who establish knowledge", etc. In fact, the superiority of the angelic praise arises precisely from their more exalted understanding of divine mysteries. They "declare the splendor of His kingdom according to their knowledge (4Q400 2 3) … While "the chiefs of praise offering" have "tongues of knowledge" (4Q405 23 ii 12), the human worshippers reflect on the poverty of their own praise. "What is the offering of our mortal tongue (compared) with the knowledge of the angels?". (Songs of the Sabbath Sacrifice, critical edition, Carol Newsom, p30, 1985 AD)

b. In Revelation several angels are the source of knowledge.

10. Melchizedek:

a. “The last question to be raised in connection with the angelology of the Sabbath Shirot is whether there is a single superior angel who presides over the angelic priestly hierarchy. As in so many other matters, a definitive answer is prevented by the broken condition of the text. It appears highly likely, however, that a reference to Melchizedek was originally contained in 4Q401 11 3. A second possible reference to Melchizedek occurs in 4Q401 22 3 in a line immediately following a reference to the ordination of the angelic priests (urol, I5n). Other fragments from the same manuscript make reference to a single angelic figure Wel], 4Q401 23 1, 4Q401 20 2; 4Q403 1 ii 23, 4Q403 1 ii 24). Speculation about Melchizedek is attested at Qumran in 11QMelchizedek and, almost certainly, in 4QAmram, although in neither case is the heavenly priesthood of Melchizedek explicitly referred to. What is particularly noteworthy about the reference in 4Q401 11 3 is that its allusion to Ps 82:1 presumes the exegesis of that verse in 11QMelch but goes beyond what is said there to identify Melchizedek's role as specifically priestly. One has to be circumspect in drawing conclusions from such a small and broken fragment as 4Q401 11, but it does not seem likely that the author would have connected Melchizedek's priestly role with Ps 82:1 unless he already knew of the exegesis of that verse in connection with Melchizedek's role as eschatological judge. If so, then one has some clue as to the relationship and relative dates of 11QMelch and the Sabbath Shirot. Melchizedek was probably identified at Qumran with the archangel Michael (1QM xiii 10; xvi 6-8; xvii 7), the angelic leader of the forces of light, who is also called "the prince of light" (1QM xiii 10-11; cf. 1QS ii 20-22 and CD v 17-19) and "the angel of His truth" (1QS iii 24).10 If these equations are sound, then it would seem most plausible that Melchizedek is to be identified with the seventh and highest of the chief princes, as Michael is customarily identified with the highest of the archangels.” (Songs of the Sabbath Sacrifice, critical edition, Carol Newsom, p37, 1985 AD)

11. The Temple:

a. “The survey of the preceding paragraph is sufficient to indicate that the form of the last five chapters does borrow from the logic of the "temple tour," such as one finds in Ezekiel 40-48. To a certain extent, of course, the physical logic of a description of a temple "from the outside in" would produce an arrangement similar to parts of Ezekiel 40-48. It remains necessary to indicate the particular points of contact with Ezekiel 40-48 which provide the basis for the structure and content of these songs. Although one cannot know what the beginning of the ninth Sabbath song contained, 4Q405 14-15 i, which probably comes from the middle of that song, makes reference to vestibules or porches. Ezekiel 40 and 41 abound with references to vestibules, a term used in connection with the description of the outer gates of the compound and of the first of the three main parts of the temple building proper. It is possible that the author of the Shirot is referring to the description of the outer east gate (Ezek 40:5-16). Note that where Ezekiel refers to (Ezek 40:8, 9) the Sabbath songs speak of "the vestibule(s) where the King enters," a phrase which alludes to Ezek 43:1-5, the description of the entry of the enthroned Glory through the eastern gate and into the temple.” (Songs of the Sabbath Sacrifice, critical edition, Carol Newsom, p53, 1985 AD)

12. Chariot throne:

a. The description of the chariot throne in 4Q405 22 is drawn primarily from the language of Ezekiel 1 and 10

Full text of Songs of the Sabbath Sacrifice from 10 scrolls: 4Q400–407, 11Q17, Mas1k

(Source: The Dead Sea Scrolls, A New Translation, M. O. Wise, M. G. Jr. Abegg, E. M. Cook, p464, 2005 AD)

SONG #1: SONGS OF THE SABBATH SACRIFICE

1. The song for the first Sabbath, focusing on the heavenly priesthood and the praise of its angelic princes. Apparently the songs were actually chanted in worship.

a. 4Q400 Frag. 1 Col. 1 ¹[A text belonging to the Instructor. The song accompanying the sacrifice on the] first [Sabbath,] sung on the fourth of the first month. Praise ²[the God of …,] you godlike beings of utter holiness; [rejoice] in his divine ³[kingdom. For He has established] utter holiness among the eternally holy, that they might become for Him priests ⁴[of the inner sanctum in His royal temple,] ministers of the Presence in His glorious innermost chamber. In the congregation of all the [wise] godlike beings, ⁵[and in the councils of all the] divine [spirits,] He has engraved His precepts to govern all spiritual works, and His [glorious] laws ⁶[for all the] wise [divine beings,] that sage congregation honored by God, those who draw near to knowledge. ⁷[…] eternal, and from the font of holiness to the temple of utter ⁸[holiness …] priests who draw near, ministers of the Presence of the utterly [holy] King ⁹[…] His glory. Precept by precept they shall grow strong, to be seven ¹⁰[eternal councils; for He] established them for Himself to be the most hol[y of those who minister in the H]oly of Holies. ¹¹[…] They shall become mighty thereby in accordance with the council […] ¹²[…] the Holy of Holies, pr[iests of … the]se are the princes of ¹³[… who take thei]r stand in the temples of the King […] in their realm or within their inheritance ¹⁴[…] They tolerate none who trans[gress] the true Way, nor is t[her]e any unclean in their holy ranks. ¹⁵[The precepts governing the hol]y ones has He inscribed for them, that all the eternally holy might thereby be sanctified. He has purified the pure ¹⁶[who belong to the light, that they may recom]pense all those who transgress the true Way, and make atonement for those who repent of sin, obtaining for them His good pleasure. ¹⁷[He has given tongues of] knowledge to the priests who draw near, so that from their mouths issue the teachings governing all the holy ones, together with the precepts ¹⁸[concerning His glory …] His [lov]ing-kindness for eternal forgiveness is rooted in compassion, but in the vengeance of His zeal ¹⁹[…] He established for Himself priests who draw near, the utterly holy ones ²⁰[… di]vi[ne] godlike beings, priests of the highest heaven who [dra]w near […] Col. 2 ¹[Your] lofty kingdom […] ²exalted […] ³the glory of Your kingdom […] ⁴in the gates of the highest heaven […] ⁵[…] the spirit of all […] ⁶the holy ones of utter holiness[…] ⁷the King of the divine beings who inhabit the seven [holy] t[emples …] ⁸the glory of the King. […] ⁹His glory in the council of the god[like beings …] ¹⁰for the seven paths […] ¹¹for the precepts governing stillness in the […] ¹²for eternity. […] ¹³they shall exalt His glory […] ¹⁴the King of the princes of […] ¹⁵holy ones […] ¹⁶holy ones of […] ¹⁷godlike beings and […] ¹⁸righteousness. […] ¹⁹the priestho[od of …] ²⁰the loving-kindness of G[od …] ²¹to sanctify themselves in […]

SONG #2: SONGS OF THE SABBATH SACRIFICE

2. A portion of the song for the second Sabbath, containing a description of the elite priestly angels and deprecating human worship in comparison with that of the angels.

a. Frag. 2 ¹Wonderfully to praise Your glory among the wise divine beings, extolling Your kingdom among the utterly h[oly.] ²They are honored in all the camps of the godlike beings and feared by those who direct human affairs, won[drous] ³beyond other divine beings and humans alike. They tell of His royal splendor as they truly know it, and exalt [His glory in all] ⁴the heavens of His rule. [They sing] wonderful psalms according to [their insight] throughout the highest heaven, and declare [the surpassing] ⁵glory of the King of the godlike beings in the stations of their habitation. […] ⁶How shall we be reckoned among them? As what our priesthood in their habitations? [How shall our holi]ness [compare with their utter] ⁷holiness? [What] is the praise of our mortal tongue alongside their div[ine] knowledge? […]

SONG #3: SONGS OF THE SABBATH SACRIFICE

3. Song for the third Sabbath: nothing known because no fragments are extant

SONG #4: SONGS OF THE SABBATH SACRIFICE

4. Fragments of the song for the fourth Sabbath. The themes of this song can no longer be discerned. The first portion preserves the beginning of the song, the second stood near the end.

a. 4Q401 Frags. 1–2 ¹A text belonging to the Instructor. The so[ng accompanying the sacrifice on the fourth Sabbath, sung on] the twenty-[fifth] of [the first mo]nth. ²Praise the Go[d of …] ³[…] who stand before […] ⁴the king[dom of …] with all the ch[iefs of …] ⁵the King of the god[like beings …] 4Q402 Frag. 1 ²[…] when they come with the godlike beings of ³[…] together for all of their assemblies ⁴[…] their mi[ght] for all the powerful warriors ⁵[…] for all the rebellious councils […]

SONG #5: SONGS OF THE SABBATH SACRIFICE

5. The end of the fifth Sabbath’s song. Themes include angelic warfare, presumably in the Last Days, and God’s predestination of all events in creation (cf. Cols. 3–4 of text 7).

a. *Frags. 3–4 ⁵They shall be judged […] and they shall not come to the Yahad […] ⁶without [… those who pro]vide the plan[s] and the knowledge of the utt[erly holy …] ⁷light and insigh[t …] the war of the godlike beings in the […] ⁸removing […] Surely the [weap]ons of war[f]ar[e] belong to the God of divine beings [… the armies] ⁹of heaven and the won[ders of all the] divine [spirits] shall run at [His] command, while the voice of tumult [… with] ¹⁰His might, ar[mies of] divine [spirits] at war in the clouds. But [the victory] shall belong [to the God of divine beings.] ¹¹God [by His knowledge has created] wonderful new works. All these has He wondrously created; none can comprehend His glorious plan. ¹²To the King of the [wise] godlike beings belong all matters of knowledge; indeed, the God of knowledge causes all that happens forever. Through His knowledge ¹³and by means of His glorious plan all the eternal seasons have come to be. He has created the former things at their times, and the latter things ¹⁴at the time appointed for them. None among those who are knowledgeable—those to whom revelation has come—can grasp these things before He does them; even when He brings them into existence, none can truly comprehend them. None of the divine beings ¹⁵understands what He has designed, for these things are part of His glorious creation, and were [part] of His [plan] before ever they came to be.

SONG #6: SONGS OF THE SABBATH SACRIFICE

Song 6

6. The song for the sixth Sabbath. Each of the seven chief princes recites a psalm; then in order each of the same seven beings offers a blessing.

a. Mas1k Frag. 1 ⁸[A text belonging to the Instructor. The son]g accompanying the sacrifice on the sixth Sabbath, sung on the ninth of the [second] month. ⁹[Bless the Go]d of the godlike beings, you who inhabit the highest heaven ¹⁰[…] Holy of Holies, and exalt His glory ¹¹[…] knowledge of the eternal godlike beings. ¹²[…] those called to the highest of heights […] Frag. 2 [A psalm of blessing will be spoken in the language of the first chief prince] ¹to the [eternal] God, [incorporating his language’s seven wondrous blessings. Then he will bless] ²the Kin[g of all the eternally holy seven times with seven] ³[wondrous words of blessing. A psalm of exaltation will be spoken in the language of the second chief prince to the King] ⁴of truth and [righteousness, incorporating his language’s seven wondrous exaltations. Then he will magnify the God] ⁵of all the div[ine beings who are appointed for righteousness seven times with seven words of] ⁶[wondrous] exaltation. [A psalm of glorification will be spoken in the language of the] 4Q403 Frag. 1 Col. 1 (with Mas1k Frag. 2, 4Q404 Frags. 1–2, and 4Q405 Frag. 3 Col. 2) ¹third chief prince, a glorification of His faithfulness directed to the King of the angels, incorporating his language’s seven wondrous glorifications. Then he will glorify the God of the exalted angels seven times with seven words of wondrous glorification. ²A psalm of praise will be spoken in the language of the four[th] to the Warrior who is over all the godlike beings, incorporating his language’s seven wondrous warrior utterances. Then he will praise the God of ³warrior power seven times with seve[n] words of [wondrous] prai[se. A ps]alm of thanksgiving will be spoken in the language of the fifth to the glorious [K]in[g,] ⁴incorporating his language’s seven wondrous tha[nk]sgivings. Then he will thank the glorified God seven times [with sev]en [wo]rds of wondrous thanksgiving. [A psa]lm of rejoicing ⁵will be spoken in the language of the sixth to the God of goodness, incorporating his language’s seven cries of [wondrous] rejoicing. Then he will cry out with rejoicing to the King of goodness seven times with s[even words of] wondrous rejoicing. ⁶A psalm of musical praise will be spoken in the language of the seventh [chief] pri[nce,] a powerful musical praise to the God of holiness incorporating his language’s seven wond[erful praise elements.] ⁷Then he will sing praise to the King of holiness seven times with [seven] wondrous words of musical [praise,] together with seven psalms of blessing to Him, seven ⁸psalms of exaltation of His righteousness, seven psalms of glorification of His kingdom, seven psalms of pra[ise of His glory,] seven psalms of thanksgiving for His wondrous doings, ⁹seven psa[lms of re]joicing for His might and seven psalms of musical praise of His holiness. The generations of […] seven times with seven ¹⁰wondrous words, words of […] [Then] in the name of the glory of God [the first of] the ch[ief] princes [will bl]ess [all the … and all] the wise [with seven] wondrous [w]ords, ¹¹blessing all th[ei]r councils in [His holy] temple [with se]ven wondr[ous] wo[r]ds, [and ble]ssing those who know eternal things. [In the name of] His truth [the second] ¹²[chief prince will bless] all [their] stati[ons with] sev[en] wondrous words. Indeed, he shall bless with seven [marvelous] words. ¹³[He will also bless all who exalt the] King with seven words of His marvelous glory, and he will bless all who are eternally pure. ¹⁴[In the name of] His exalted kingdom the th[ird of the chief princes will bless] all who are exalted in knowledge with seven words of exaltation, blessing all [the divine beings] ¹⁶wise [in His truth.] Indeed, he shall bless with seven marvelous words. He will also bless all those [appointed for] righteousness with sev[en] marvelous [w]ords. In the name of the majes[tic ki]ng [the fourth] ¹⁷of the chief princes will bless all who wal[k upri]ght with [sev]en maj[estic] words. He will also bless those who establish majesty with seven ¹⁸[wondrous w]ords, blessing all the divine beings [who draw] near to [His] verit[able] truth with seven righteous words, so that they can gain [His glor]ious compassion. In the name of His [majestic] wonders the fifth ¹⁹[chief prin]ce will bless all who comprehend the mysteries of pure [insight] with seven w[ords] of [His] exalted ²⁰truth. [He will also bless] all who are quick to do His will with seven [wondrous words,] blessing those who confess Him with seven majestic [wo]rds comprising ²¹a wondrous thanksgiving. In the name of the warrior deeds of the divine beings the sixth chief prince will bless all who are insightful warriors with seven ²²wondrous words of His warrior power. He will also bless all who are perfect in the Way with seven wondrous words, that they might continue forever in the company of all the [eter]nal ²³beings. Yet again will he bless all who wait for Him with seven wondrous words, that His compassionate loving-kindness might return to them. In the name of His holiness the [sev]enth chief priest ²⁴will bless all the holy who establish knowledge with seven words of [His] wondrous holiness. He will also bless all who exalt ²⁵His laws with se[ven] wondrous [wo]rds that act as mighty shields. Yet again will he bless all who are prede[stined] for righteous[ness,] they who praise His glorious kingdom [forever and] ever, ²⁶with seven wondrous words that lead to eternal peace. Then in [the name of His holiness] all the [chief] princes [will bless in unis]on the God of divine beings with all ²⁷[their] sevenfold appointed words of blessing. They will also bless those predestined for righteousness and all those blessed of […] the eternally [bless]ed […] ²⁸to them, saying “Blessed be [the] Lord, the Kin[g of] all, exalted above every blessing and pr[aise, He who blesses all the ho]ly who bless [Him] and those [who declare His righteous]ness ²⁹in the name of His glory, [He who] blesses all who receive blessing, forever.”

SONG #7: SONGS OF THE SABBATH SACRIFICE

Song 7

7. The seventh and central Sabbath song. The angels addressed are probably the members of the seven angelic councils. Toward the end of the song, the animate architectural elements of the heavenly temple are called upon to praise.

a. ³⁰A text belonging to the Instructor. The song accompanying the sacrifice on the seventh Sabbath, sung on the sixteenth of the (second) month. Praise the most high God, you who are exalted among all ³¹the wise divine beings. Let those who are holy among the godlike sanctify the glorious King, He who sanctifies by His holiness each of His holy ones. You princes of praise ³²among all the godlike, praise the God of majestic [pr]aise. Surely the glory of His kingdom resides in praiseworthy splendor; therein are held the praises of all ³³the godlike, together with the splendor of [His] entire rea[lm.] Lift His exaltation on high, you godlike among the exalted divine beings—His glorious divinity above ³⁴all the highest heavens. Surely He [is the utterly divine] over all the exalted princes, King of king[s] over all the eternal councils. By the wise will—³⁵through the words of His mouth—shall come into being all [the exalted godlike]; at the utterance of His lips all the eternal spirits shall exist. All the actions of His creatures are but what His wise ³⁶will allows. Rejoice, you who exult in [knowing Him, with] a song of rejoicing among the wondrous godlike. Hymn His glory with the tongue of all who hymn to His wondrous, joy-filled knowledge, ³⁷with the mouth of all who chant [to Him. Surely He] is God of all who rejoice in eternal wisdom, and mighty Judge over all perceptive spirits. ³⁸Laud, all you confessing divine beings, the King of praise; surely all the wise divine shall laud His glory, and all the righteous spirits His truth. ³⁹Through the precepts of His mouth is their knowledge found acceptable, at the return of His warrior hand to dispense judgment is their praise perfected. Sing praises to the mighty God, ⁴⁰make the choicest spiritual offering; make me[lod]y in the joy of God, and rejoice among the holy ones through wondrous melodies, in everl[asting] joy. ⁴¹With such songs shall all the [foundations of the hol]y of holies offer praise, and the pillars bearing the most exalted abode, even all the corners of the temple’s structure. Hy[mn] ⁴²the G[od a]wesome in power, [all you] wise [spirits] of light; together laud the utterly brilliant firmament that girds [His] holy temple. ⁴³[Praise] Him, godli[ke] spirits, laud[ing] eternally the firmament of the uttermost heaven, all [its bea]ms and walls, all ⁴⁴its [stru]cture and crafted desi[gn.] The utterly holy spirits, living divinities, eternally holy spirits above ⁴⁵all the hol[y ones …] wondrous and wonderful, majesty and splendor and marvel. Glory abides in the perfected light of knowledge ⁴⁶[… in a]ll the wondrous temples, divine spirits surrounding the abode of the righteous and true King. All its walls […] Col. 2 (with 4Q404 Frag. 6 and 4Q405 Frags. 8–9) ¹perfect light, a weaving of an utterly holy spiritual substance […] ²raised places of knowledge. At the footstool of his feet, […] ³appearance of the glorious bodies belonging to the princes of the spiritual kingdom […] ⁴His glory; and with all their turning back, the gates of […] ⁵the flashing of the [lig]htning […] to the chief of the godlike beings of […] ⁶running between them are god[li]ke beings having the appearance of [glowing] coals […] ⁷walking to and fro. The utterly holy spirits […] ⁸the utterly holy, divine spirits, an ete[rnal] vision […] ⁹and divine spirits, fiery shapes round about the […] ¹⁰wondrous spirits. And the most exalted tabernacle, the glory of His kingdom, innermost sanctuary of […] ¹¹and He consecrates the seven lofty holy places. A voice of blessing issues forth from the princes of His innermost sanctuary […] ¹²and the voice of blessing is glorious in the hearing of the divine beings and those who establish […] ¹³the blessing. All the crafted furnishings of the innermost sanctum shall hasten to take part in the wondrous psalms in the innermost sanctum. […] ¹⁴of wonder, sanctum to sanctum with the sound of thronging holy ones. All the crafted furnishings […] ¹⁵The chariots of His innermost sanctum shall offer praise as one, and their Cherubim and wheel-beings shall marvelously bless […] ¹⁶the chiefs of the divine building. They shall praise Him in His holy innermost sanctum.

SONG #8: SONGS OF THE SABBATH SACRIFICE

8. The eighth Sabbath song, containing an account of the blessings offered by the seven deputy princes.

a. ¹⁸A text belonging to the Instructor. The song accompanying the sacrifice on the eighth Sabbath, sung on the t[wenty-]third [of the second month.] Praise the God of all the highe[st heavens, al]l you who are [eter]nally holy, ¹⁹deputies among the priests who draw near, the second council in the wondrous habitation among the seven [priesthoods, …] among those knowledgeable of ²⁰eternal things. Exalt Him, princes who rule, with His portion, His wonders. Praise [the God of the godlike,] you seven priest[hoods] who draw near to Him … highest] ²¹heaven, seven wondrous realms set out by the precepts governing His temples. […] the temples of the realm of the ²²sevenfold priest[hood,] in the wondrous temple belonging to the seven holy councils […] ²³the prince, the angels of the King in the wondrous habitations. The perceptive knowledge of the seven […] ²⁴princes, the High Priest of the inner sanctum, and the leaders of the King’s council in a gathering […] ²⁵and exalted praises to the glorious King, magnifying the Go[d of …] ²⁶to the God of the godlike, the King of purity. The exaltation coming from their tongues […] ²⁷seven mysteries of knowledge in the wondrous mystery attached to the seven utterly holy realms [… The tongue of the first deputy prince shall sound seven times louder when joined by that of the second; the tongue] of the second shall sound ²⁸seven times louder when joined by that of the third; the tongue of the third shall sound seven times louder when joined by that of the [fourth; the tongue of] the fourth shall sound seven times louder when joined by that of the fifth; the tongue of the fifth shall sound sev[en times louder when joined by the tongue of] ²⁹the sixth; the tongue of the sixth shall sound seven times louder when joined by that of the se[ve]nth; and the tongue of the seventh shall so[und …]

SONG #9: SONGS OF THE SABBATH SACRIFICE

9. A portion of the song for the ninth Sabbath, which would fall on the thirtieth of the second month. What remains describes the vestibules of the multiple heavenly sanctuaries, particularly the vestibule through which God enters.

a. 4Q405 Frags. 14–15 Col. 1 ²[… From] the wondrous spiritual likeness, utterly holy and engrav[ed …, issues a to]ngue of blessing, and from the [divine] image ³issues [a vo]ice of blessing to the King of the exalted angels. Their wondrous praise extols the God of the godlike […] their embroidered […], and they sing joyously ⁴[…] the vestibules of their entryways, utterly holy spirits who draw near in […] eternally. ⁵[The like]ness of living divine beings is carved on the walls of the vestibules by which the King enters, luminous spiritual figures [in the innermost sanctums of the K]ing, figures of glorious li[ght,] wondrous spirits. ⁶[In] the midst of the glorious spirits stand wondrous embroidered works, figures of living divine beings [… in the] glorious [in]nermost sanctums that belong to the structure of ⁷the utterly ho[ly temple,] in the innermost sanctums of the King are div[ine] figure[s; and from] the likeness of […]

SONG #10: SONGS OF THE SABBATH SACRIFICE

10. A fragment of the song for the tenth Sabbath. Like the song for the ninth Sabbath, the central theme here is apparently description of the heavenly temples.

a. Frag. 15 Col. 2 + Frag. 16 ¹The fringed edge […] ²and rivers of fire […] ³appearing as fiery flames [… be]autiful upon the veil of the King’s innermost sanctum […] ⁴in the innermost sanctum of His Presence, an embroidered work […] everything that is engraved upon the […], divine figures […] ⁵glory issuing from both sides of them […] the veils of the wondrous innermost sanctums. They bless the […] ⁶sides of them, declaring […] wondrous, inside the innermost sanctum […] ⁷[… They ex]tol the glorious king with a joyous cry […]

SONG #11: SONGS OF THE SABBATH SACRIFICE

11. Portions from the middle and end of the eleventh Sabbath song. Description of the heavenly temples and architecture continues, focusing here on the innermost sanctuaries, the chariot-thrones, and attendant priestly angels.

a. Frags. 19a–d (with 11Q17 Frags. 12–15) 2Then the divine figures, the ut[terly holy] spirits, shall praise Him […] the glorious figures, the floor 3of the wondrous innermost sanctuaries, the spirits of the perpetual divine beings—all […] the fig[ures of the inner]most sanctuary of the King, spir[it]ual handiwork of the wondrous firmament 4made utterly pure, [spi]rits of knowledge, truth and righteousness in the Holy of [H]olies, [f]orms of the living godlike beings, luminous spiritual forms—5all these h[ol]y handiworks are wondrously connected to each other. Embroidered [spirits,] figures of the godlike beings, are engraved 6all around the [gl]orious bricks; these are glorious figures, handiwork belonging to the splendid and majest[ic bri]cks. All these handiworks are living godlike beings 7and their figures are holy angels. From beneath the marvelous inn[ermost sanctums] is heard the quiet voice of god[like] beings praising […] Frag. 20 Col. 2 + Frags. 21–22 (with 11Q17 Frags. 3–6) 1They do not hesitate when they arise … the innermost sanc]tums of all the priests who draw near […] 2In obedience to the ordinance they are steadfast, serving […] a seat similar to His royal throne in His glorious innermost sanctums. They do not sit […] 3His glorious chariots […] holy Cherubim, luminous wheel-beings in the inner[most sanctum …] godlike spirits of […] purity […] 4of holiness; the handiwork of its corners […] royal; the glorious chario[t] seats […] knowledgeable wings […] wondrous works of warrior power […] 5perpetual truth and righteousness […] when His glorious chariots move to the […] they do not turn to this side or that [… rather,] they go straight ahead […]

SONG #12: SONGS OF THE SABBATH SACRIFICE

12. The twelfth Sabbath song. Remaining portions contain a description of God’s chariot-throne and its praise. The text then moves to an account of praise given by the angels, who are assembled military-style in camps and units. The latter part of the song focuses on the ceremonial angelic worship taking place in the heavenly temple.

a. ⁶A text belonging to the Instructor. The song accompanying [the sacrifice] on the twelfth Sabbath, sung on the [twenty-first of the third month.] [Praise the God of …] ⁷[…] Exalt Him, […] the glory in the tabernacl[e of the God of] knowledge. The [Cheru]bim fall before Him and bless Him; as they arise, the quiet voice of God ⁸[is heard], followed by a tumult of joyous praise. As they unfold their wings, God’s q[uiet] voice is heard again. The Cherubim bless the image of the chariot-throne that appears above the firmament, ⁹[then] they joyously acclaim the [splend]or of the luminous firmament that spreads beneath His glorious seat. As the wheel-beings advance, holy angels come and go. Between ¹⁰His chariot-throne’s glorious [w]heels appears something like an utterly holy spiritual fire. All around are what appear to be streams of fire, resembling electrum, and [sh]ining handiwork ¹¹comprising wondrous colors embroidered together, pure and glorious. The spirits of the living [go]dlike beings move to and fro perpetually, following the glory of the [wo]ndrous chariots. ¹²A quiet voice of blessing accompanies the tumult of their movement, and they bless the Holy One each time they retrace their steps. When they rise up, they do so wondrously, and when they settle down, ¹³they [sta]nd still. The sound of joyous rejoicing falls silent, and the qui[et] blessing of God spreads through all the camps of the divine beings. The sound of prais[es] […] ¹⁴[…] coming out of each of their divisions on [both] sides, and each of the mustered troops rejoices, one by one in order of rank […] 11Q17 Frags. 5–6 ¹[…] wondrous, knowledge and insigh[t …] wondr[ous] firmaments […] ²[…] in the essence of light, a splendor of […] every form of wond[rous] spirits […] ³[…] godlike beings, fearfully powerful, all […] their [utt]erly wondrous acts by the power of the God of […] ⁴[per]petual, exalting the warrior acts of the Go[d of …] from the four foundations of the wondrous firmament ⁵they ann[oun]ce when they hear the sound of praise lifted up to God, […] blessing and praising the God of ⁶the godlike. A tumu[lt …] the highest [heaven …] the glorious King […] of the wondrous foundations, ⁷lifting up praise […] of the God of […] and all their foundations […] utterly ⁸hol[y …] praise lifted up […] their [w]ings, ex[alting … over] their heads, ⁹and they cal[l] out […] 4Q405 Frag. 23 Col. 1 ¹[…] when they lift up praise […] ²[…] When they stand still, […] ³[…] His glorious royal thrones, and the entire congregation of the ministers of ⁴[…] wondrous; the [wondrous] godlike beings shall not be shaken, forever; ⁵[… to rem]ain steadfast in every task, for the godlike beings in charge of His whole offering ⁶[…] His whole offering. The godlike beings praise Him [when fir]st they take their positions, while all the sp[irits of] the splendid firma[m]ents ⁷continuously rejoice in His glory. A voice of blessing comes from all of His divisions, telling of His glorious firmaments, and His gates praise ⁸with a joyful noise. When the wise divine beings enter through glorious portals, and when the holy angels go forth to their realms, ⁹the portals through which they enter and the gates through which they exit declare the glory of the King, blessing and praising all the godlike ¹⁰spirits each time they exit or enter through the holy ga[t]es. None of them omits a precept or fails to acknowledge anything ¹¹the King says. They neither run from the Way nor reverence anything not a part of it; they consider themselves neither too exalted for His realm nor ¹²too humble for His commissions. He shall have no compassion when His furious annihilat[ing] anger reigns, yet He will not punish those from whom His glorious anger was removed. ¹³Awesome fear of the King of the godlike beings grips a[ll] of the godlike [when He sends them forth] on all of His commissions according to His veri[ta]ble order, and they go […]

SONG #13: SONGS OF THE SABBATH SACRIFICE

13. The thirteenth Sabbath song. Portions of this selection concern the clothing worn by the ministering spirits.

a. 11Q17 Frags. 7–8 ¹[…] good favor […] all th[eir] works ²[…] for the sacrifices of the holy ones […] the smell of their offerings […] ³[…] and the sm[el]l of their drink offerings, according to the num[ber of …] of purity in a spirit of holine[ss] ⁴[…] perpetual in [splendor and] majesty for […] the wondrous […] and the form of the breastplates of ⁵[… be]auty [… spirits] clothed with embroidery, a sort of wo[ven handiwork …] splendidly purified dyed garments […] 4Q405 Frag. 23 Col. 2 ⁷their holy places. At their wondrous stations are spirits, clothed with embroidery, a sort of woven handiwork, engraved with splendid figures. ⁸In the midst of what looks like glorious scarlet and colors of utterly holy spiritual light, the spirits take up their holy stand in the presence of ⁹the [K]ing—[splendidly] colored spirits surrounded by the appearance of whiteness. This latter glorious spiritual substance is like golden handiwork, shimmering in ¹⁰[the lig]ht. All their crafted garments are splendidly purified, crafted by the weaver’s art. These spirits are the leaders of those who are wondrously clothed for service, ¹¹the leaders of each and every holy kingdom belonging to the holy King, who serve in all the exalted temples of His glorious realm. ¹²The leaders of the exaltation possess tongues of knowledge [so as] to bless the God of knowledge for all His glorious works. [In] His insightful knowledge and [glo]rious acumen [He has inscribed the ord]inances governing their military units in all the hol[y inn]er [sanctums.] 11Q17 Frags. 2 + 1 + 9 ¹[… His] glorious heights […] His [gl]ory with […] ²His [rec]ompense by judgments of […] His compassion with the gl[orious] honor of […] His [s]easons ³[and] all the blessings of [His] peace [… the gl]ory of His works, and in the ligh[t of …] and with the splendor of ⁴the praise given Him in all the firmam[ents of …] light and darkness and the figures of […] the glorious [ho]liness of the King ⁵for all [His] veritable works […] for the angels of knowledge in all [their] king[doms …] His [cam]p, holy exaltations ⁶for His glorious thrones and the footstool of [His] f[eet and all] His majestic [ch]ariots and [His] ho[ly] inner sanctums […] and for the portals of [the Kin]g’s entrance, ⁷together with all the exits of [… the cor]ners of its str[uc]ture and all the […] for His glorious temples and the firmaments of […]

Conclusion:

1. Without the Songs of the Sabbath Sacrifice, it is impossible to correctly interpret the book of Revelation as a warning to the Jerusalem Christians in 66 AD to flee the city.

a. The imagery of Revelation is drawn from Ezekiel but the style is drawn from the Songs of Sabbath Sacrifice.

b. It is clear, that what we suspected all along, namely that the symbolism in the book of Revelation was immediately recognizable to the first century Christians and not us living today.

c. The symbolism and content of the book of Revelation created an instant connection with the ubiquitous Angelic Liturgy, Ezekiel and Jeremiah.

d. All this made it clear that the great harlot also known as Babylon, was none other than Jerusalem itself.

e. The Christians would immediately flee the city.

f. What this also shows us, is that an interpretation of Revelation that does not affect the first century Christians at the time the book was written, must be rejected.

g. The nebulous, imprecise and essentially meaningless interpretation that Revelation written supposedly to Christians after 96 AD must be outright rejected.

2. Homer Hailey and Robert Harkrider are the authors of the two most read commentaries on Revelation (ie,) by the Churches of Christ today, but were both totally unaware that Songs of Sabbath Sacrifice even existed and never reference it. Not surprising, both mistakenly rejected the correct interpretation that Revelation was written in 66 AD as a warning to the Christians living in Jerusalem its destruction by the Romans was imminent. Both say Revelation was written in 96 AD.

a. These authors were also oblivious to the fact that the messianic symbolism in the book of Revelation was witnessed in many dead sea scrolls, Jewish coins and ancient Jewish literary sources. The volume of information they either we unaware or ignored on first century Jewish culture from archeology dwarfs the Bible content in Isaiah, Ezekiel and Jeremiah.

b. What is worse, is that Rev 11:8 specifically identifies Jerusalem as the Great City in three ways: spiritual Egypt, spiritual Sodom and the city Jesus’ was crucified. Hailey calls this the fuzzy “world city” but not Babylon and connects Egypt with Isa 24-27 and simplistically connects Sodom with Gen 19. Harkrider goes “all in” with Rome and connects Egypt with the Exodus and Sodom with Gen 19. Both totally miss the obvious synchronism between the destructions of 587 BC and 70 AD. Both fail to connect Egypt and Sodom as spiritual names for the soon to be destroyed Jerusalem in 587 BC: Jerusalem = Sodom: Jeremiah 23:14–15, 587 BC. Jerusalem = Egypt: Ezekiel 23:2–27, 591 BC. This is a shocking oversight these two authors have made.

3. When brethren ignore or are indifferent to cartology, chronology and archeology it is impossible to correctly interpret the book of Revelation.

a. Countless numbers of Christians have been misled into confusion as a result in place of a clear and simple message to flee the city of Jerusalem.

b. The gospel of John written after 70 AD makes no mention of the destruction of Jerusalem because it was written after the event.

c. Revelation written in 66 AD, at the start of the first Jewish war with Rome, was John’s “Olivet discourse”. Revelation was Mathew’s chapter 24 and Luke’s chapter 21.

4. As an example most commentators on the book of Revelation are unaware that Rev 20:2,7-8 is borrowing directly from widely held Jewish beliefs about what they thought the Messiah would be like:

John borrowed from first century Jewish eschatology in Revelation
	Seder Olam 160 AD	Talmud, b. Sanh. 11:1, I.91	Revelation 20:2, 7-8
War
Gog and Magog
Resurrection
Judgement
Hell
Dragon
1000 years “Days of Messiah”

5. In the book of Revelation, the great harlot, the great city and Babylon all refer to soon to be destroyed city of Jerusalem in 70 AD.

a. Song of the Sabbath Sacrifice is one of the foundational keys to unlocking the meaning of the book of Revelation in addition to these primary resources.

b. The most important synchronism required to decode the book of Revelation is between the 587 BC and 70 AD destructions of the temple.

c. In 587 BC the blessings of Jerusalem were transferred to Babylon and the curses of Babylon were transferred to Jerusalem and it was destroyed. In 587 BC, Jerusalem was called both Egypt and Sodom.

d. In 70 AD, the curses of Babylon (now long extinct) were transferred to Jerusalem, which is why Jerusalem was called Babylon by Peter in 1 Pe 5:13. In 66 AD, Jerusalem was called Egypt, Sodom and Babylon.

e. The two temples were even destroyed on the same day of the month: 10 Av.

f. Christians living in Jerusalem in 66 AD were ordered to “come out from among them”, just as Jeremiah had ordered in 605 BC and Daniel obeyed by surrendering to Nebuchadnezzar.

6. The following sources are essentially required to correctly interpret the book of Revelation:

a. Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, Daniel and a handful of specific messianic texts

b. Dead Sea scrolls: Melchizedek, Testimonia, Florilegium, Song of Sabbath Sacrifice

c. Judean coins

d. Jewish Literary sources: Book of Jubilees, Philo, Josephus, Seder Olam Rabbah, Targums, Mishnah, Tosefta, Talmud etc.

7. God fully furnished us with everything for life, godliness and every good works.

a. Using the Bible alone, God has given Christians all the required information.

b. Since the book of Revelation was written to warn Christians in Jerusalem to flee the city, it is NOT required information for us today.

c. The symbolism and synchronisms connecting 587 BC and 70 AD were immediately understood, but Christians today are unable to see it unless they go outside the Bible and study ancient Jewish culture.

d. Therefore, Christians today cannot use the Bible alone to understand the finer details of how Revelation functioned to motivate the Jerusalem Christians to “come out from among them”, just as Jeremiah had ordered in 605 BC and Daniel obeyed by surrendering to Nebuchadnezzar.

8. We have a church where most of the preachers would fail the simplest mapping or chronology test:

a. Locate these 10 cities on your own hand-drawn blank map of Israel (8x5x11 paper): Jerusalem, Hebron, Nazareth, Ashkelon, Shiloh, Shechem, Dan, Madaba, Succoth, Gibeon.

b. Most basic chronological question like: Date of the Exodus, how long was the conquest, when was the tabernacle set up at Shiloh and for how long, when David began to rule in Jerusalem, when Solomon completed the Temple, The year and date of the crucifixion, the year Paul was converted, when did the first Jewish war begin and for how long?

9. It is time Christians learn, “What we read in the Book, we find in the ground” and while archeology, chronology and cartology may not be essential to salvation or scriptural church worship, much of the content of the Bible is veiled without it.

Steve Rudd: Contact the author for comments, input or corrections.

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