The Second Book Of Ezekiel

Synopsis
The Dead Sea Scrolls contain several apocryphal books written by, or claimed to have been written by prophets. These books would technically be called the second book of the prophet (Second Jeremiah, Second Daniel), and the same can be said for the large collection of fragments belonging to the work known as The Second Book Of Ezekiel.

Aside from being found in Qumran, The Book Of Pseudo-Ezekiel, as it is usually titled, has been present at least before the times of Christ and afterwards in complete form by several hundred years. Church Fathers quote it several times, it was found written on other ancient documents, and even Jesus Christ himself was recorded as having quoted from it twice.

The story has some sections fairly identical to that of first book, possibly because this book had additions from the other text added later on, a phenomena seen in the Dead Sea Scrolls. The rest however is unique, and gives accurate Messianic prophecy, giving credence to its likely validity.

Canonicity
While not being selected for canonization, the book seems to have had a very large influence on Judaism, and on early Christians.

Dating
500 BC

Frag. 1
1 [... the wor]ds of Ezekiel. (Cf. Ezek 30) And the word of YHW[H] came to [me ...] 2 [... prophe]sy and say: «See, the day of the destruction of the na- tions is coming [...] 3 [...] nations, and there will be anguish in Put, and there will be a sword in E[gypt ...] 4 [...] shall shake, and Kush will [fal]l, and the mighty ones of Arabia. And also from [...] 5 [... by the sw]ord he will fall, in the gate[s of] Egypt he will perish [...] 6 [...] from the sword Egy[pt ...] ... [...] 7 [...] Eg[ypt ...]

Frag. 2 (= 4Q386 1 i; 4Q388 8)
1 [that I am yhwh,] who rescued my people, giving them the covenant. Blank 2 [And I said: «YHWH,] I have seen many in Israel who love your name and walk 3 on the paths of [justice.] When will [the]se things happen? And how will they be rewarded for their loyalty?». And yhwh said 4 to me: « I will make the children of Israel see and they will know that I am yhwh ». Blank 5 [Cf. Ezek 37 And he said:] « Son of man, proph- esy over the bones and say: May a bone [connect] with its bone and a joint 6 [with its joint ». And] s[o it happe]ned. And he said a second time: « Prophesy, and sinews will grow on them and they will be covered with skin 7 [all over». And so it happened.] And again he s[a]id: «Prophesy over the four winds of the sky and the wind[s] 8 [of the sky] will blow [upon them and they will live and] a large crowd of men will r[i]se and bless YHWH Sebaoth wh[o] 9 [caused them to live. » Blank? And] I said: « O, YHWH, when will these things happen?» And yhwh said to [me ...] 10 [...] ... [and] a tree will bend over and straighten up [...]

Frag. 3
1 [...] under my grief. Blank [... and my heart] 2 [dis]turbs my soul. And the days will pass rapidly until [all the sons of] 3 man say: «Are not the days hastening on so that the children of Israel can inherit [their land?»] 4 And yhwh said to me: « I will not sh[u]n your face, Ezekiel; s[ee,] I measure [time and shorten] 5 the days and the years [...] 6 a little, as you said to [...] 7 [For the mou]th of yhwh has said these things» [...]

Frag. 4
1 and the people of the [...] will be [...] 2 with a whole heart and a [satisfied] so[ul ...] 3 will be hidden a short t[ime ...] 4 and cleaving [...] 5 The vision which Ezeki[el] saw [...] 6 the gleam of the chariot and four living creatures; a living creature [... and when they walk they do not turn] 7 backwards; each living creature walked on two, and [their] two fe[et...] 8 [...] was a spirit and their faces were each joined to the ot[her. And the shape of] 9 the fac[es was: one a lion, on]e an eagle, one a calf and one human. And each one h[ad a] 10 man’s [hand] attached at the back of the living creatures and fastened [...] and the wh[eels ...] 11 one wheel attached to another wheel while walking, and from the two sides of the wh[eels streams of fire (came out)] 12 and there [we]re living beings in the middle of the coals, like coals of fire, [like torches between] 13 the wheels and the living beings and the wheels. And [above their heads] there wa[s a vault like] 14 frighte[ning ice. And there w]as a sound [from above the vault ...] 15 [...] ... [...]

Frag. 10 col. i
1 [...] ... 2 [...] ... which they do not heed 3 [...] hanging from a tree, and the birds 4 [of heaven ...] truth. You should not let remain 5 [...] And I said ... 6 [...] tongue their soul

Frag. 12
1 [...] ... [...] 2 [...] yhwh. And all the people rose and ... [...] against [...] 3 [...] yhwh of Hosts. And I also [...] with them [...] 4 [...] Blank And yhwh said to me: «Son of [man ...] ... [...] 5 [...] their [...] will lie down unti[l ...] 6 [...] ... and from the land [...] 7 [...] to [a]ll /which/ ... [...]

(Olim 4Q385 Frags. 6 + 9 + 24 + 34)
1 [...] his [l]ove [...] 2 [...] ... [...] days of their life 3 ... in the garden of life. Blank [Blank] Blank 4 (Nah 3:8-10) Your share has been established, Ammon, who [...] ... by the streams of the Nile, 5 surrounded by water, [your] ram[part] is the sea, and waters [your] w[all.] 6 Kush, Egyp[t were strong, and your] bar[s] are endless. 7 Libya was at her support, but she went into exile, in cap[tivity,] 8 [and] her infants [are dashed] at the [street-]corn[ers], and over 9 [all her nobles they threw] the lot, and all her [great me]n into chain[s]

Frag. 1 col. i (= 4Q385 2; 4Q388 8)
1 [« YHWH, I have seen many in Israel who lov]e your name 2 [and walk on the paths of justice. When will these things happen? And] how will they be rewarded for their loyalty? ». 3 [And yhwh said to me: « I will make] the children of Israel [see] and they will know 4 [that I am YHWH ». Blank And he said: « Son of man, proph]esy over the bones 5 [and say: «May a bone connect with its bone and] a joint with its joint». And it happened] 6 [thus. And he said a second time: « Prophesy, and sinew]s [will grow on them] and they will be covered with skin 7 [all over». And so it happened.  And again he said: « Prophesy] over the four winds 9 [of the sky and the winds of the sky will blow upon them and they will live, and] a large [cro]wd of men [will rise] 10 [and bless YHWH Sebaoth who caused them to live. » Blank] Blank

Frag. 1 col. ii
1 [...] And they will know that I am yhwh. Blank And he said to me: «Consider, 2 son of man, the land of Israel.» And I said: «I have seen, YHWH; behold it is desolate. 3 And when will you assemble them?» And YHWH said: «A son of Belial will plot to oppress my people, 4 but I will prevent him, and his dominion will not exist; but a multitude will be defiled, offspring will not remain. 5 And from the grapevine there will be no new wine, nor will the bee (?) make honey. [Blank] Blank And the 6 wicked man I will kill in Memphis and I will make my sons go out of Memphis: I will turn myself toward their re[mn]ant. 7 Thus, as they say: «There was peace and order», they will say «... the land, 8 as there was in the days Blank of old». Therefore I will stir [against] them wrath 9 [from the fo]ur winds of the heaven[s ...] 10 [like] consuming [fi]re [...] 11 [...] ... [...]

Frag. 1 col. iii
1 and he will not have pity on the poor, and will lead (them) to Babylon. Babylon is like a pot in yhwh’s hand, like dun[g] 2 he will throw her [...] 3 in Babylon and there will be [...] 4 a dwelling-place of demons [...] 5 its [la]nd is desolate [...] 6-8 ... [...]

Frag. 8 (= 4Q385 2; 4Q386 1 i)
1 [...] ... [...] 2 [...] and not ... [...] 3 [... who rescued my people, giving them the] covenant. Blank 4 [And I said: « YHWH, I have seen many in I]srael who love [your] na[me] 5 [and walk on the paths of justice. When will these things happ]en? And how will they be rewarded for [their] loyalty?». 6 [And YHWH said to me: «I will make the children of Israe]l [see] and they will know that I am YHWH ». [Blank] 7 [Blank And he said: « Son of man, prophesy over the bones] and say: May [a bone] conn[ect with]

Frag. 1
1 [...] their joy [...] 2 [... ki]ng of Egypt, ... [...] 3 [...] ... we and your power ... [...] 4 [...] ... [...]

Frag. 2
1 and he shook by day [...] 2 and your land to [...]

Frag. 9
1 [...] two [...] 2 [... wh]o defiled [their] souls [...] 3 [...] way. And I saw old men [...] 4 [...] your ... [...]

Frag. 10
1 [...] ... truth [...] 2 [... k]ings during their lives [...] 3 [...] men, and their feet [...] 4 [...] they went during their lives [...]

Frag. 25
1 [...] in your midst will fall all the [...] 2 [...] on the earth, and they will lift up dust [...] 3 [...] and over you laments and weeping [...] 4 [...] to the abyss [...] 5 [...] say to ... [...]

Frag. 36
1 [... be]side the feet of YHWH, and he s[aid ...] 2 [...] see, and I said to him [...] 3 [...] ... is the bow of Y[HWH ...] 4 [... and] YHWH spoke to me s[aying: ...] 5 [...] the children of Israel [...]

Frag. 55
1 [...] ... [...] 2 [...] YHWH ... [...] 3 [... on] that [day] when falls [...] ... eyes [...] 4 [...] the souls of your sons and [...] perishing [...] 5 [...] and they shall ask me matters, whether he shall speak [...] 6 [...] ... [...] them [...]

Frag. 62 col. ii
1 and Jerusa[le]m [...] 2 glorious retributions and ... [...] 3 call upon your name ... [...] 4 ... as ... [...] 5 ... as ... [...]

Frag. 65
1 [...] ... [...] 2 [...] ... for on the day [...] 3 [...] ... [...] 4 [... the rive]r Chebar, and I saw [...] 5 [... and] I knew that YHWH [...] 6 [... th]irteen [...] 7 [...] cubits, and the height five [...] 8 [...] ... and the postern is the fifth [...] 9 [...] ... one [...] 10 [...] ... the one [...] 11 [...] ... [...]

Fragment 1
Epiphanes

A certain king of this world had a beautiful fig garden. In this garden he had growing some beautiful and ripe figs. In his kingdom were living two men which he had neglected. They were a blind man and a lame man. One night, the lame man conspired with the blind man to steal into the garden and help themselves to some of these figs. Leading the blind man to him with a rope, the lame man climbed upon his back, and acted as the eyes for the blind man. In this way, the two men managed to get into the garden, and eat the figs growing therein. When the king discovered that his figs were missing, he went to the blind man and asked him how such a thing could happen. The blind man responded by saying; "How could I have done this, I who cannot see?" Then the king went to the lame man and asked of him the same question. The lame man responded by saying; "How could I have done this, I who cannot walk?" The king then put the lame man on the blind mans back, and demonstrated how the two had worked together to accomplish there goal, and they were unable to deny it. It is in this way that the body is connected to the soul, and the two will be judged by what both have done, and endure no separate judgment.

Fragment 2
1 Clement

Repent, house of Israel, from your lawless ways. I say to you, my people, "Even if the list of your sins stretches from heaven to earth, and if they are as black as they can be, and you turn to me, and with all of your heart say, 'Father', I will forgive you, and look on you as holy.

Fragment 3
Tertullian

Look at the cow, She has calved, and yet she is pregnant.

Fragment 4
Justin Martyr

In this manner, our Lord Jesus Christ also said, "It is what I have seen you doing that I will judge you for."

Fragment 5
Clement Of Alexandria

Therefore, he told Ezekiel ... "I will cure the lame, and heal the ill, those who have wandered away, I will return to the fold, and I will feed them upon my holy mountain ... and I will be their shepherd and I will be as close to the as a second skin."

Fragment 6
The Epistle Of Barnabas

Barnabas

Likewise again He narrates concerning the cross in another prophet, who says: “And when will these things be consummated? The Lord says: When the tree shall lean over and stand up, and when blood shall flow from the tree.” You have again a note concerning the cross and the who was to be crucified.