Eagle Vision of 4 Ezra

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Eagle Vision of 4 Ezra

The large chart below provides various interpretations regarding the historical personages represented
in the Eagle Vision as various wings and heads in 4 Ezra 11-12. Most of the data is taken from
the appendix to the DiTommaso article (see bottom of chart), which clearly demonstrates the
superiority of a Severan reading of the visions. For this reason, I've placed his reading first in the
columns. As I obtain more information from the sources mentioned by DiTommaso, and discover
any other suggestions of note, I will include them here.

My own opinion is that the Eagle Vision originally dated to the reign of Domitian and also contained
no mention of three heads and eight small wings. There are two large blocks of material (11.20-35
and 12.17-30) which cover these elements, with minor editing elsewhere (11.1, 3-4, 9-11, 45; 12.2, 3a).
Without these, the vision reads easily as one of a twelve-winged eagle, the twelve wings also
corresponding to the first twelve Roman Emperors, bringing us up to Domitian. You may read
more about this here. Links to other 2 Esdras/4 Ezra information are here.

For the time being, here is the scheme that I find fits the data best. See my Notes for explanations:

Wing 1:	Julius Caesar	59/48/46-44
Wing 2:	Augustus	44/23-14
Wing 3:	Tiberius	14-37
Wing 4:	Caligula	37-41
Wing 5:	Claudius	41-54
Wing 6:	Nero	54-68
Small Wing 1:	Vindex	68 (rebellion, no rule)	[these two small wings are placed
Small Wing 2:	Macer	68 (rebellion, no rule)	here according to 12.21]
Wing 7:	Galba	68-69
Wing 8:	Otho	69
Wing 9:	Vitellius	69
Wing 10:	Vespasian	69-79
Wing 11:	Titus	79-81
Wing 12:	Domitian and Commodus	81-96 180-192
Small Wing 3:	Pertinax	Jan 1-Mar 28, 193	87 days
Small Wing 4:	Didius Julianus	Mar 28-June 1, 193	66 days
Small Wing 5:	Pescennius	193-194	(rebellion, no rule)
Small Wing 6:	Albinus	193-197	(rebellion, no rule)
(Big) Head 1:	Septimius Severus	193-211 (Feb 1)
Heads 2 & 3:	Caracalla and Geta	198-211 209-211	killed in late December
Head 3:	Caracalla	211-217
Small Wings 7 & 8:	Macrinus and Diadumenianus	217-218 218

In the following chart, a "[none]" indicates that the author named in bold at the top of the column has not offered
an identification for that particular element.

FLAVIAN

POST-FLAVIAN

SEVERAN

Order of eagle vision elements/rulers:

DiTommaso

Torrey

Gfrörer

Keulers

Ewald

Gunkel

Oesterley

Myers

Knibb

Stone

Longenecker

Box (orig.; big wings paired)

Volkmar (wings paired)

Box (redactor)

von Gutschmid

Barry

Schwartz

Le Hir

1. Wing 1

Caesar

[none]

Caesar

2. Wing 2 rules more than twice as long as successors [obviously Augustus, dated from the death of Caesar]

Augustus

[none]

Augustus

3. Wing 3

...

Tiberius

[none]/Tiberius?

Tiberius

[none]

Augustus

Tiberius

4. Wing 4

...

Caligula

[none]/Caligula?

Caligula

[none]

Caligula

5. Wing 5

...

Claudius

[none]/Claudius?

Claudius

[none]

Tiberius

Claudius

6. Wing 6

...

Nero

[none]/Nero?

Nero

[none]

Nero

7. Wing 7

(number 12 is general, not specific)

Galba

Vindex

Galba

Vindex

[none]/Galba?

Vindex

[none]

Caligula

Galba

Vespasian

8. Wing 8

...

Otho

Nymphidius

Otho

Nymphidius

[none]/Otho?

Nymphidius

[none]

Otho

Domitian

Titus

Domitian

9. Wing 9

...

(orig. only 8 wings) n/a

Galba

Vitellius

Galba

[none]/Vitellius?

Galba

[none]

Claudius

Vitellius

Trajan

Domitian

Trajan

10. Wing 10

...

n/a

Piso

Civilis

Vespasian

Vindex

Piso

[none]/Vespasian?

Piso

[none]

Vespasian

Hadrian

Nerva

Hadrian

11. Wing 11

...

n/a

Otho

Nerva

Titus

Nymphidius

Otho

[none]/Titus?

Otho

[none]

Nero

Titus

Antoninus Pius

Trajan

Antoninus Pius

12. Wing 12

...

n/a

Vitellius

Trajan

Domitian

Piso

Vitellius

[none]/Domitian?

Vitellius

[none]

Domitian

Marcus Aurelius

Hadrian

Marcus Aurelius and Commodus

13. Small Wing 1 (around the middle of the kingdom's time, in a time of trouble)

(a person of the circa 68 troubles)

[none]

(Keulers alters the wing numbers)

[none]

Herod the Great

[none]

Vindex

Galba

[none]

Titus

[none]

Galba

Titus

14. Small Wing 2 (around the middle of the kingdom's time, in a time of trouble)

(a person of the circa 68 troubles)

[none]

Agrippa I

[none]

Nymphidius

[none]

Nerva

[none]

Otho

Nerva

Two Small Wings go under the Right Head (see 22 below)Four remaining Small Wings (15-18):

15. First disappears quickly

P. Helvius Pertinax

[none]

Eleazar

[none]

Galba

Otho

First senator killed by Hadrian

Commodus

Pertinax

16. Second disappears even more quickly

M. Didius Severus Julianus

[none]

John of Gischala

[none]

Otho

Second senator killed by Hadrian

Pertinax

Didius Julianus

17. Third and...

C. Pescennius Niger

[none]

Simon Bar-Giora

[none]

Civilis

Vitellius

Third senator killed by Hadrian

Didius Julianus

Pescennius

18. ...Fourth plan to rule, but are suddenly eaten by the Big Middle Head

Decimus Clodius Septimius Albinus

[none]

John the Idumean

[none]

Vitellius

Fourth senator killed by Hadrian

Pescennius

Albinus

19. Big Middle Head

Septimius Severus

Nero

Vespasian

Trajan

Septimius Severus

20. Right and Left Heads together

Geta and Caracalla

Galba and Otho

Titus and Domitian

Hadrian and Lusius Quietus

Geta and Caracalla

21. Right Head, after eating Left Head

Caracalla

Otho

Domitian

Hadrian

Caracalla

22. Two Small Wings from under the Right Head

M. Opellius Macrinus and his son Diadumenianus

Agrippa I and Agrippa II

Nerva and Trajan

Mucianus and Tiberius Alexander?

Agrippa II and Berenice

[none]

Generals/ governors or Agrippa II and Berenice

Nerva

Generals/ governors or Agrippa II and Berenice

Macrinus and Diadumenianus

[none]

Macrinus and Diadumenianus

DiTommaso

Lorenzo DiTommaso, "Dating the Eagle Vision of 4 Ezra: A New Look at an Old Theory," JSP 20 (1999) 3-38

Torrey

C.C. Torrey, The Apocryphal Literature: A Brief Introduction. New Haven: Yale University Press, 1945

Gfrörer

A. Gfrörer. "Das Jahrhundert des Heils. Geschichte des Urchristentums, vol. 1. Stuttgart: Schweitzerbart, 1838: [volume?] 69-93

J. Keulers

J. Keulers, "Die eschatologische Lehre des vierten Esrabuchs", Biblische Studien 20.2-3, Freiburg im Brieisgau: Herder, 1922: 118-122

Ewald

H. G. A. Ewald. Das vierte Esrabuch: Nach seinem Zeitalter, seinen aräbischen Übersetzung und einer neuen Weiderherstellung. AKGWG 11. Göttingen, 1863

Gunkel

H. Gunkel. Das vierte Buch Esra. Freiburg, etc: J.C.B. Mohr (P. Siebeck), 1899

Oesterley

W.O.E. Oesterley. 2 Esdras: The Ezra Apocalypse. Westminster Commentaries. London: Methuen, 1933

Myers

Jacob Myers. 1 and 2 Esdras. Anchor Bible 42. New York: Doubleday, 1974

Knibb

R. J. Coggins and M. A. Knibb. The First and Second Books of Esdras. Cambridge Bible Commentary. New York: Campbridge University Press, 1979

Stone

Michael Stone. Fourth Ezra, Minneapolis: Fortresss Press, 1990

Longenecker

Bruce Lonenecker. 2 Esdras, Sheffield: Sheffield Academic Press, 1995

Volkmar

G. Volkmar. Handbuch der Einleitung in die Apokryphen, II. Das vierte Buch Esra: Esdra Propheta. Tubingen, 1863

Box

G. H. Box. "4 Ezra" in R. H. Charles, APOT: 2.542-624

von Gutschmid

A. von Gutschmid, "Die Apokalypse des Esra und ihre spätern Bearbeitungen", ZWT 3 (1860): 1-81

Barry

P. Barry, "The Apocalypse of Ezra", JBL 32 (1913): 261-272

J. Schwartz

"Sur la date de IV Esdras," Melanges Andre Neher. Paris: Maisonneuve, 1975. 191-196

Le Hir

A. M. Le Hir, "Du IVe livre d'Esdras", Etudes bibliques 1. Paris: Joseph Albanel, 1869. 173-208