Quotations of nonextant scriptures.

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Ben C. Smith
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Quotations of nonextant scriptures.

Post by Ben C. Smith »

I feel like I at one time possessed a list of such quotations, but it seems I cannot locate it (if it ever existed). I am looking for Christian quotations of Jewish scriptures, but ones for which it is difficult to locate the source. (If the source can be located in the apocrypha or in the pseudepigrapha, that is a different matter.) The following are the references I have so far:

Matthew 2.22-23: 22 But when he heard that Archelaus was reigning over Judea in place of his father Herod, he was afraid to go there. Then after being warned by God in a dream, he left for the regions of Galilee, 23 and came and lived in a city called Nazareth. This was to fulfill what was spoken through the prophets: “He shall be called a Nazarene.”

Mark 9.11-13: 11 They asked Him, saying, “Why is it that the scribes say that Elijah must come first?” 12 And He said to them, “Elijah does first come and restore all things. And yet how is it written of the Son of Man that He will suffer many things and be treated with contempt? 13 But I say to you that Elijah has also come, and they did to him whatever they wished, just as it is written of him.”

Luke 24.44-49: 44 Now He said to them, “These are My words which I spoke to you while I was still with you, that all things which are written about Me in the Law of Moses and the Prophets and the Psalms must be fulfilled.” 45 Then He opened their minds to understand the Scriptures, 46 and He said to them, “Thus it is written, that the Christ would suffer and rise again from the dead the third day, 47 and that repentance for forgiveness of sins would be proclaimed in His name to all the nations, beginning from Jerusalem. 48 You are witnesses of these things. 49 And behold, I am sending forth the promise of My Father upon you; but you are to stay in the city until you are clothed with power from on high.”

John 7.38: 8 He who believes in Me, as the Scripture said, ‘Out of his belly will flow rivers of living water.’”

1 Corinthians 2.6-9: 6 Yet we do speak wisdom among those who are mature; a wisdom, however, not of this age, nor of the rulers of this age, who are passing away; 7 but we speak God's wisdom in a mystery, the hidden wisdom, which God predestined before the ages to our glory; 8 the wisdom which none of the rulers of this age has understood; for if they had understood it, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory; 9 but just as it is written, “Things which eye has not seen and ear has not heard, and which have not entered the heart of man, all that God has prepared for those who love Him.”

1 Corinthians 15.42-45: 42 So also is the resurrection of the dead. It is sown a perishable body, it is raised an imperishable body; 43 it is sown in dishonor, it is raised in glory; it is sown in weakness, it is raised in power; 44 it is sown a natural body, it is raised a spiritual body. If there is a natural body, there is also a spiritual body. 45 So also it is written, “The first man, Adam, became a living soul (= Genesis 2.7). The last Adam became a lifegiving spirit.” [This one may be a matter of the actual quotation of Genesis 2.7 ending one sentence earlier.]

Ephesians 4.8: 8 Therefore it is said, “When he ascended on high he led a host of captives, and he gave gifts to men.”

Ephesians 5.14: 14 For this reason it says, “Awake, sleeper, and arise from the dead, and Christ will shine on you.

James 4.5: 5 Or do you think that the scripture speaks to no purpose? “He jealously desires the Spirit which He has made to dwell in us.”

1 Clement 8.1-4: 1 Those who administered the gracious gift of God spoke through the Holy Spirit about repentance. 2 And the Master of all things himself spoke about repentance with an oath: “For as I live, says the Lord, I do not want the sinner to die but to repent” (= Ezekiel 33.11?). And to this he added a good pronouncement: 3 "Repent from your lawlessness, house of Israel. Say to the children of my people, ‘If your sins extend from the earth to the sky and are redder than scarlet and blacker than sackcloth, but you return to me with your whole heart and say, “Father,” I will listen to you as to a holy people’” (= Ezekiel 18.30 + Isaiah 1.18?). 4 And in another place he speaks as follows: “Wash and become clean; remove from yourselves the evils that are before my eyes; put an end to your evil deeds; learn to do good; pursue justice, rescue those who are treated unjustly, render a decision for the orphan and do what is right for the widow. And come, let us reason together, says the Lord. Even if your sins are like crimson, I will make them white as snow; and if they are like scarlet, I will make them white as wool. If you are willing and obey me, you will eat the good things of the earth; but if you are not willing and do not obey me, a sword will devour you. For the mouth of the Lord has spoken these things” (= Isaiah 1.16-20).

1 Clement 17.5-6: 5 Moses was called faithful in his entire house, and through his service God judged Egypt through their plagues and torments; but even though he was greatly exalted, he did not boast aloud. Instead, when the revelation was given to him from the bush, he said, “Who am I that you send me? For I am feeble in speech and slow in tongue” (= Exodus 3.11; 4.10). 6 And again he said, “I am just steam from a pot.”

1 Clement 23.3-4: 3 May this Scripture be far removed from us that says: “How miserable are those who are of two minds, who doubt in their soul, who say, ‘We have heard these things from the time of our parents, and look! We have grown old, and none of these things has happened to us.’ 4 You fools! Compare yourselves to a tree. Take a vine: first it sheds its leaves, then a bud appears, then a leaf, then a flower, and after these an unripe grape, and then an entire bunch fully grown.” You see that the fruit of the tree becomes ripe in just a short time. [Refer also to 2 Clement 11.2-4, below.]

1 Clement 46.2: 2 For it is written,Cling to those who are holy; for those who cling to them will themselves be made holy.

2 Clement 11.2-4: 2 For the prophetic word also says, “How miserable are those of two minds, who doubt in their hearts, who say, ‘We heard these things long ago, in the time of our parents, but though we have waited day after day, we have seen none of them.’ 3 Fools! Compare yourselves to a tree. Take a vine: first it sheds its leaves, then a bud appears, and after these things an unripe grape, and then an entire bunch fully grown. 4 So too my people is now disorderly and afflicted; but then it will receive what is good.” [Refer also to 1 Clement 23.3-4, above.]

2 Clement 13.2: 2 For the Lord says, “My name is constantly blasphemed among all the gentiles” (= Isaiah 52.5). And again he says, “Woe to the one who causes my name to be blasphemed.

Barnabas 6.13: 13 Again I will show you how he speaks to us. He made yet a second human form in the final days. And the Lord says, “See! I am making the final things like the first.” This is why the prophet proclaimed, “Enter into a land flowing with milk and honey, and rule over it” (= Exodus 33.3).

Barnabas 7.4: 4 What then does he say in the prophet? “Let them eat some of the goat offered for all sins on the day of fasting.” Now pay careful attention: “And let all the priests alone eat the intestines, unwashed, with vinegar.

Barnabas 10.5-7: 5 “And do not,” he says, “eat the lamprey eel, the octopus, or the cuttlefish.” “You must not," he says, “be like such people, who are completely impious and condemned already to death.” For these fish alone are cursed and hover in the depths, not swimming like the others but dwelling in the mud beneath the depths. 6. But also “do not eat the hare” (= Leviticus 11.6). For what reason? “You must not,” he says, “be one who corrupts children or be like such people.” For the rabbit adds an orifice every year; it has as many holes as years it has lived. 7 “Nor shall you eat the hyena.” “You must not,” he says, “be an adulterer or a pervert nor be like such people.” For what reason? Because this animal changes its nature every year, at one time it is male, the next time female.

I have underlined the mysterious quotations themselves and boldfaced the contextual indications that scripture is being quoted.

These citations are all culled from the New Testament and from the Apostolic Fathers, but I would be interested in similar ones up through the end of century II or thereabouts, if anyone knows of some.

Thanks.

Ben.

ETA: A closer look at one of the above passages:

1 Clement 8.1-4: 1 Those who administered the gracious gift of God spoke through the Holy Spirit about repentance. 2 And the Master of all things himself spoke about repentance with an oath: “For as I live, says the Lord, I do not want the sinner to die but to repent” (= Ezekiel 33.11). And to this he added a good pronouncement: 3 "Repent from your lawlessness, house of Israel. Say to the children of my people, ‘If your sins extend from the earth to the sky and are redder than scarlet and blacker than sackcloth, but you return to me with your whole heart and say, “Father,” I will listen to you as to a holy people’” (= Ezekiel 18.30 + Isaiah 1.18 + ??). 4 And in another place he speaks as follows: “Wash and become clean; remove from yourselves the evils that are before my eyes; put an end to your evil deeds; learn to do good; pursue justice, rescue those who are treated unjustly, render a decision for the orphan and do what is right for the widow. And come, let us reason together, says the Lord. Even if your sins are like crimson, I will make them white as snow; and if they are like scarlet, I will make them white as wool. If you are willing and obey me, you will eat the good things of the earth; but if you are not willing and do not obey me, a sword will devour you. For the mouth of the Lord has spoken these things” (= Isaiah 1.16-20). / 1 Οἱ λειτουργοὶ τῆς χάριτος τοῦ θεοῦ διὰ πνεύματος ἁγίου περὶ μετανοίας ἐλάλησαν. 2 καὶ αὐτὸς δὲ ὁ δεσπότης τῶν ἁπάντων περὶ μετανοίας ἐλάλησεν μετὰ ὅρκου· «Ζῶ γὰρ ἐγώ, λέγει κύριος, οὐ βούλομαι τὸν θάνατον τοῦ ἁμαρτωλοῦ ὡς τὴν μετάνοιαν», προστιθεὶς καὶ γνώμην ἀγαθήν· 3 «Μετανοήσατε, οἶκος Ἰσραήλ, ἀπὸ τῆς ἀνομίας ὑμῶν· εἶπον τοῖς υἱοῖς τοῦ λαοῦ μου· Ἐὰν ὦσιν αἱ ἁμαρτίαι ὑμῶν ἀπὸ τῆς γῆς ἕως τοῦ οὐρανοῦ καὶ ἐὰν ὦσιν πυρρότεραι κόκκου καὶ μελανώτεραι σάκκου, καὶ ἐπιστραφῆτε πρὸς μὲ ἐξ ὅλης τῆς καρδίας καὶ εἴπητε· Πάτερ, ἐπακούσομαι ὑμῶν ὡς λαοῦ ἁγίου.» 4 Καὶ ἐν ἑτέρῳ τόπῳ λέγει οὕτως· «Λούσασθε καὶ καθαροὶ γένεσθε, ἀφέλεσθε τὰς πονηρίας ἀπὸ τῶν ψυχῶν ὑμῶν ἀπέναντι τῶν ὀφθαλμῶν μου· παύσασθε ἀπὸ τῶν πονηριῶν ὑμῶν, μάθετε καλὸν ποιεῖν, ἐκζητήσατε κρίσιν, ῥύσασθε ἀδικούμενον, κρίνατε ὀρφανῷ καὶ δικαιώσατε χήρᾳ, καὶ δεῦτε καὶ διελεγχθῶμεν, λέγει κύριος· καὶ ἐὰν ὦσιν αἱ ἁμαρτίαι ὑμῶν ὡς φοινικοῦν, ὡς χιόνα λευκανῶ, ἐὰν δὲ ὦσιν ὡς κόκκινον, ὡς ἔριον λευκανῶ, καὶ ἐὰν θέλητε καὶ εἰσακούσητέ μου, τὰ ἀγαθὰ τῆς γῆς φάγεσθε· ἐὰν δὲ μὴ θέλητε μηδὲ εἰσακούσητέ μου, μάχαιρα ὑμᾶς κατέδεται· τὸ γὰρ στόμα κυρίου ἐλάλησεν ταῦτα.»

Ezekiel 33.11: 11 "Say to them, 'As I live!' declares the Lord God, 'I take no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but rather that the wicked turn from his way and live. Turn back, turn back from your evil ways! Why then will you die, O house of Israel?'" / 11 εἰπὸν αὐτοῖς, Ζῶ ἐγώ τάδε, λέγει κύριος, οὐ βούλομαι τὸν θάνατον τοῦ ἀσεβοῦς ὡς τὸ ἀποστρέψαι τὸν ἀσεβῆ ἀπὸ τῆς ὁδοῦ αὐτοῦ καὶ ζῆν αὐτόν. ἀποστροφῇ ἀποστρέψατε ἀπὸ τῆς ὁδοῦ ὑμῶν, καὶ ἵνα τί ἀποθνῄσκετε οἶκος Ισραηλ.

Ezekiel 18.30: 30 "Therefore I will judge you, O house of Israel, each according to his conduct," declares the Lord God. "Repent and turn away from all your transgressions, so that iniquity may not become a stumbling block to you." / 30 ἕκαστον κατὰ τὴν ὁδὸν αὐτοῦ κρινῶ ὑμᾶς οἶκος Ισραηλ, λέγει κύριος. ἐπιστράφητε καὶ ἀποστρέψατε ἐκ πασῶν τῶν ἀσεβειῶν ὑμῶν καὶ οὐκ ἔσονται ὑμῖν εἰς κόλασιν ἀδικίας.

Isaiah 1.16-20: 16 "Wash yourselves; make yourselves clean; remove the evil of your deeds from My sight. Cease to do evil, 17 learn to do good; seek justice, reprove the ruthless, defend the orphan, plead for the widow. 18 Come now, and let us reason together," says the Lord. "Though your sins are as scarlet, they will be as white as snow; tough they are red like crimson, they will be like wool. 19 If you consent and obey, you will eat the best of the land; 20 but if you refuse and rebel, you will be devoured by the sword." Truly, the mouth of the Lord has spoken. / 16 λούσασθε, καθαροὶ γένεσθε, ἀφέλετε τὰς πονηρίας ἀπὸ τῶν ψυχῶν ὑμῶν ἀπέναντι τῶν ὀφθαλ- μῶν μου, παύσασθε ἀπὸ τῶν πονηριῶν ὑμῶν, 17 μάθετε καλὸν ποιεῖν, ἐκζητήσατε κρίσιν, ῥύσασθε ἀδικούμενον, κρίνατε ὀρφανῷ καὶ δικαιώσατε χήραν· 18 καὶ δεῦτε καὶ διελεγχθῶμεν, λέγει κύριος, καὶ ἐὰν ὦσιν αἱ ἁμαρτίαι ὑμῶν ὡς φοινικοῦν, ὡς χιόνα λευκανῶ, ἐὰν δὲ ὦσιν ὡς κόκκινον, ὡς ἔριον λευκανῶ. 19 καὶ ἐὰν θέλητε καὶ εἰσακούσητέ μου, τὰ ἀγαθὰ τῆς γῆς φάγεσθε· 20 ἐὰν δὲ μὴ θέλητε μηδὲ εἰσακούσητέ μου, μάχαιρα ὑμᾶς κατέδεται· τὸ γὰρ στόμα κυρίου ἐλάλησεν ταῦτα.

Clement of Alexandria, The Instructor 1.10.2b: 2b For He says by Ezekiel, "If you return with your whole heart and say, 'Father,' I will hear you, as a holy people." / 2b φησὶ γὰρ δι' Ἰεζεκιήλ· «ἐὰν ἐπιστραφῆτε ἐξ ὅλης τῆς καρδίας καὶ εἴπητε πάτερ, ἀκούσομαι ὑμῶν ὥσπερ λαοῦ ἁγίου.»

Clement of Alexandria, The Rich Man 39.4: 4 Wherefore also He cries, "I will have mercy and not sacrifice" (= Hosea 6.6). "I desire not the death but the repentance of the sinner" (= Ezekiel 18.23). "Though your sins be as scarlet wool, I will make them white as snow; though they be blacker than darkness, I will wash and make them like white wool" (= Isaiah 1.18). / 4 διὸ καὶ κέκραγεν· «ἔλεον θέλω καὶ οὐ θυσίαν· οὐ βούλομαι τὸν θάνατον τοῦ ἁμαρτωλοῦ, ἀλλὰ τὴν μετάνοιαν· κἂν ὦσιν αἱ ἁμαρτίαι ὑμῶν ὡς φοινικοῦν ἔριον, ὡς χιόνα λευκανῶ, κἂν μελάντερον τοῦ σκότους, ὡς ἔριον λευκὸν ἐκνίψας ποιήσω.»

Possibly related:

Psalm 103.10-11: 10 He has not dealt with us according to our sins, nor rewarded us according to our iniquities. 11 For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is His lovingkindness toward those who fear Him. / 10 οὐ κατὰ τὰς ἁμαρτίας ἡμῶν ἐποίησεν ἡμῖν, οὐδὲ κατὰ τὰς ἀνομίας ἡμῶν ἀνταπέδωκεν ἡμῖν. 11 ὅτι κατὰ τὸ ὕψος τοῦ οὐρανοῦ ἀπὸ τῆς γῆς ἐκραταίωσεν κύριος τὸ ἔλεος αὐτοῦ ἐπὶ τοὺς φοβουμένους αὐτόν.

Jeremiah 3.19, 22: 19 "Then I said, 'How I would set you among My sons and give you a pleasant land, the most beautiful inheritance of the nations!' And I said, 'You shall call Me, "My Father," and not turn away from following Me.'" .... 22 "Return, O faithless sons; I will heal your faithlessness." "Behold, we come to You; for You are the Lord our God. / 19 καὶ ἐγὼ εἶπα γένοιτο κύριε ὅτι τάξω σε εἰς τέκνα καὶ δώσω σοι γῆν ἐκλεκτὴν κληρονομίαν θεοῦ παντοκράτορος ἐθνῶν, καὶ εἶπα πατέρα καλέσετέ με καὶ ἀπ᾽ ἐμοῦ οὐκ ἀποστραφήσεσθε. .... 22 ἐπιστράφητε υἱοὶ ἐπιστρέφοντες καὶ ἰάσομαι τὰ συντρίμματα ὑμῶν. ἰδοὺ, δοῦλοι ἡμεῖς ἐσόμεθά σοι, ὅτι σὺ κύριος ὁ θεὸς ἡμῶν εἶ.

Was there an apocryphal Ezekiel with parts drawn from Isaiah? Tertullian writes in On the Flesh of Christ 23.6, "We read in Ezekiel of a heifer which brought forth, and still did not bring forth" [legimus quidem apud Ezechielem de vacca illa quae peperit et non peperit]. Clement of Alexandria writes in Miscellanies 7.16, "'She brought forth and did not bring forth,' says the scripture" («τέτοκεν καὶ οὐ τέτοκεν», φησὶν ἡ γραφή). And Epiphanius writes in Panarion 30.1.3, "And again it says in another place, 'And the heifer shall bear, and they shall say, "It has not borne."'" And then there is this claim:

Josephus, Antiquities 10.5.1 §79: 79 Moreover, this prophet denounced beforehand the sad calamities that were coming upon the city. He also left behind him in writing a description of that destruction of our nation which has lately happened in our days, and the taking of Babylon; nor was he the only prophet who delivered such predictions beforehand to the multitude, but so did Ezekiel also, who was the first person that wrote, and left behind him in writing two books concerning these events. / 79 οὗτος ὁ προφήτης καὶ τὰ μέλλοντα τῇ πόλει δεινὰ προεκήρυξεν ἐν γράμμασι καταλιπὼν καὶ τὴν νῦν ἐφ᾽ ἡμῶν γενομένην ἅλωσιν τήν τε Βαβυλῶνος αἵρεσιν. οὐ μόνον δὲ οὗτος προεθέσπισε ταῦτα τοῖς ὄχλοις, ἀλλὰ καὶ ὁ προφήτης Ἰεζεκίηλος, ὃς πρῶτος περὶ τούτων δύο βίβλους γράψας κατέλιπεν.

Last edited by Ben C. Smith on Wed Sep 30, 2020 5:23 pm, edited 6 times in total.
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Re: Quotations of nonextant scriptures.

Post by robert j »

Ben C. Smith wrote: Sun Aug 18, 2019 9:23 am
I feel like I at one time possessed a list of such quotations, but it seems I cannot locate it (if it ever existed). I am looking for Christian quotations of Jewish scriptures, but ones for which it is difficult to locate the source. (If the source can be located in the apocrypha or in the pseudepigrapha, that is a different matter.) The following are the references I have so far.
I think at least one of these does have a likely source in the LXX (Greek additions and highlight mine) ---
Ben C. Smith wrote: Sun Aug 18, 2019 9:23 am
1 Corinthians 2.6-9: 6 Yet we do speak wisdom among those who are mature; a wisdom, however, not of this age (αἰῶνος), nor of the rulers of this age (αἰῶνος), who are passing away; 7 but we speak God's wisdom in a mystery, the hidden wisdom, which God predestined before the ages (αἰώνων) to our glory; 8 the wisdom which none of the rulers of this age (αἰῶνος) has understood; for if they had understood it, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory; 9 but just as it is written, “Things which eye has not seen and ear has not heard, and which have not entered the heart of man, all that God has prepared for those who love Him.”

From the aeon (αιώνος) we heard not, nor have our eyes seen a God besides you, and your works which you shall do to the ones waiting for mercy. (Isaiah 64:4, LXX)

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Re: Quotations of nonextant scriptures.

Post by Ben C. Smith »

robert j wrote: Sun Aug 18, 2019 11:00 am
Ben C. Smith wrote: Sun Aug 18, 2019 9:23 am
I feel like I at one time possessed a list of such quotations, but it seems I cannot locate it (if it ever existed). I am looking for Christian quotations of Jewish scriptures, but ones for which it is difficult to locate the source. (If the source can be located in the apocrypha or in the pseudepigrapha, that is a different matter.) The following are the references I have so far.
I think at least one of these does have a likely source in the LXX (Greek additions and highlight mine) ---
Ben C. Smith wrote: Sun Aug 18, 2019 9:23 am
1 Corinthians 2.6-9: 6 Yet we do speak wisdom among those who are mature; a wisdom, however, not of this age (αἰῶνος), nor of the rulers of this age (αἰῶνος), who are passing away; 7 but we speak God's wisdom in a mystery, the hidden wisdom, which God predestined before the ages (αἰώνων) to our glory; 8 the wisdom which none of the rulers of this age (αἰῶνος) has understood; for if they had understood it, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory; 9 but just as it is written, “Things which eye has not seen and ear has not heard, and which have not entered the heart of man, all that God has prepared for those who love Him.”

From the aeon (αιώνος) we heard not, nor have our eyes seen a God besides you, and your works which you shall do to the ones waiting for mercy. (Isaiah 64:4, LXX)

This is at least a composite quotation:

1 Corinthians 2.9: 9 "Things which eye has not seen and ear has not heard, and which have not come into the heart of man, which things God has prepared for those who love him." / 9 ἃ ὀφθαλμὸς οὐκ εἶδεν καὶ οὗς οὐκ ἤκουσεν, καὶ ἐπὶ καρδίαν ἀνθρώπου οὐκ ἀνέβη, ἃ ἡτοίμασεν ὁ θεὸς τοῖς ἀγαπῶσιν αὐτόν.

Isaiah 64.3 OG: 3 From of old we have not heard, nor have our eyes seen a God besides you, and your works which you will do for those who wait on you. / 3 ἀπὸ τοῦ αἰῶνος οὐκ ἠκούσαμεν οὐδὲ οἱ ὀφθαλμοὶ ἡμῶν εἶδον θεὸν πλὴν σοῦ καὶ τὰ ἔργα σου ἃ ποιήσεις τοῖς ὑπομένουσιν ἔλεον.

Isaiah 65.17 OG: 17 For there shall be a new heaven and a new earth, and they shall not at all remember the former things, neither shall they at all come up into their heart. / 17 ἔσται γὰρ ὁ οὐρανὸς καινὸς καὶ ἡ γῆ καινή, καὶ οὐ μὴ μνησθῶσιν τῶν προτέρων, οὐδ᾽ οὐ μὴ ἐπέλθῃ αὐτῶν ἐπὶ τὴν καρδίαν.

It belongs on the list (which is deliberately raw), however, because of the complexity of the attribution. First, Origen attributes it to an apocryphal text and Jerome, while disagreeing with Origen's overall assessment, confirms it as part of that text. Second, Alan Garrow argues that it forms part of the lost ending of the Didache, and that this part of the Didache predates Paul. Third, a form of the quotation, one which has already composited these two verses in Isaiah, appears in pseudo-Philo:

Pseudo-Philo, Biblical Antiquities 26.13: 13 And it shall be when the sins of my people are filled up, and their enemies have the mastery over their house, that I will take these stones and the former together with the tables, and lay them up in the place whence they were brought forth in the beginning, and they shall be there until I remember the world, and visit the dwellers upon earth. And then will I take them and many other better than they from that place which eye has not seen nor ear heard, and has not come up into the heart of man, until the like come to pass in the age [quod oculus non vidit nec auris audivit, et in cor hominis non ascendit, quousque tale aliquid fieret in seculum], and the just shall have no need for the light of the sun nor of the shining of the moon, for the light of the precious stones shall be their light.

Pseudo-Philo may predate this passage in Paul, and, even if it does not, its reliance upon Paul would have to be demonstrated rather than assumed.

There is an interesting Greek philosophical parallel in fragment 2 of Empedocles, but the Greek is not as similar as the English translation perhaps comes across.

Other parallels of interest:

Thomas 17: 17 Jesus said, "I shall give you what no eye has seen and what no ear has heard and what no hand has touched and what has never occurred to the human mind." [Link.]

Ascension of Isaiah 11.34 (Latin & Slavonic): 34 He said to me, "It is enough for you, Isaiah. For you have seen that which no other son of flesh has seen, which neither eye has seen nor ear has heard, nor has ascended into the heart of man, as many things as God has prepared for all those who love him. / 34 qui dixit mihi, «Sufficit tibi, Ysaia. vidisti enim quod nemo alius vidit carnis filius, quod nec oculus vidit nec auris audivit, nec in cor hominis ascendit, quanta preparavit Deus omnibus diligentibus se.»

1 Clement 34.8: 8 For the Scripture says, "Eye has not seen and ear has not heard, neither have entered into the heart of man the things which He has prepared for them that wait for Him." / 8 λέγει γάρ, Ὀφθαλμὸς οὐκ εἶδεν καὶ οὖς οὐκ ἤκουσεν καὶ ἐπὶ καρδίαν ἀνθρώπου οὐκ ἀνέβη ὅσα ἠτοίμασεν κύριος τοῖς ὑπομένουσιν αὐτόν.

2 Clement 11.7: 7 If, therefore, we shall do righteousness in the sight of God, we shall enter into His kingdom, and shall receive the promises, "which ear has not heard, nor eye seen, neither have entered into the heart of man." / 7 ἐὰν οὗν ποιήσωμεν τὴν δικαιοσύνην ἐναντίον τοῦ θεοῦ εἰσήξομεν εἰς τὴν βασιλείαν αὐτοῦ καὶ ληψόμεθα τὰς ἐπαγγελίας ἃς οὖς οὐκ ἤκουσεν, οὐδὲ ὀφθαλμὸς εἶδεν, οὐδὲ ἐπὶ καρδίαν ἀνθρώπου ἀνέβη.

Martyrdom of Polycarp 2.3: 3 And, looking to the grace of Christ, they despised all the torments of this world, redeeming themselves from eternal punishment by the suffering of a single hour. For this reason the fire of their savage executioners appeared cool to them. For they kept before their view escape from that fire which is eternal and never shall be quenched, and looked forward with the eyes of their heart to those good things which are laid up for such as endure; things "which ear has not heard, nor eye seen, neither have entered into the heart of man," but were revealed by the Lord to them, inasmuch as they were no longer men, but had already become angels. / 3 καὶ προσέχοντες τῇ τοῦ Χριστοῦ χάριτι τῶν κοσμικῶν κατεφρόνουν βασάνων διὰ μιᾶς ὥρας τὴν αἰώνιον ζωὴν ἐξαγοραζόμενοι καὶ τὸ πῦρ ἦν αὐτοῖς ψυχρὸν τὸ τῶν ἀπανθρώπων βασανιστῶν πρὸ ὀφθαλμῶν γὰρ εἶχον φυγεῖν τὸ αἰώνιον καὶ μηδέποτε σβεννύμενον καὶ τοῖς τῆς καρδίας ὀφθαλμοῖς ἀνέβλεπον τὰ τηρούμενα οὔτε ὀφθαλμὸς εἶδεν οὔτε ἐπὶ καρδίαν ἀνθρώπου ἀνέβη ἐκείνοις δὲ ὑπεδείκνυτο ὑπὸ τοῦ κυρίου οἵπερ μηκέτι ἄνθρωποι ἀλλ᾽ ἤδη ἄγγελοι ἦσαν.

Pseudo-Boniface, Renunciation 5: 5 Believe in the advent of Christ, the resurrection of the body, and the judgment of all men. For then the impious shall be separated from the just, the one for the everlasting fire, the others for the eternal life. Then begins a life with God without death, a light without shadows, a health without sickness, a plenty without hunger, a happiness without fear, a joy with no misgivings. Then comes the eternal glory, in which the just shall shine like suns, for no eye has ever seen, no ear has ever heard, no heart has ever dreamed, of all that which God has prepared for those whom he loves. / 5 Venturum Christum credite, et carnis resurrectionem, et iudicium omnium hominum. Ibi discernuntur impii in ignem aeternum, iusti autem in vitam aeternam. Ibi est vita cum Deo sine morte, lux sine tenebris, salus sine aegritudine, satietas sine fame, felicitas sine timore, gaudium sine tristitia. Ibi aeterna gloria, ibi fulgebunt iusti sicut sol, quoniam oculus non vidit, nec auris audivit, nec in cor hominis ascendit quantum praeparavit Deus diligentibus se.

Codex Palatinus Latinus 485: Venturum Christum credite, et carnis resurrectionem, et iudicium omnium hominum. Ibi discernuntur impii a sorte iustorum et mittuntur in ignem aeternum, iusti autem in vitam aeternam. Ibi est vita cum Deo sine morte, ibi aeterna gloria sine fine, ibi fulgebunt iusti sicut sol, ibi omnia bona quae oculus non vidit, nec auris audivit, nec in cor hominis ascendit quantum praeparavit Deus diligentibus se, quod ipse praestare dignetur qui in trinitate perfecta vivit et regnat Deus in saecula saeculorum. Amen.

Apostolic Constitutions 7.32: 32 ...κληρονομοῦντες ἐκεῖνα, ἃ ὀφθαλμὸς οὐκ εἶδεν καὶ οὖς οὐκ ἤκουσεν καὶ ἐπὶ καρδίαν ἀνθρώπου οὐκ ἀνέβη, ἃ ἡτοίμασεν ὁ Θεὸς τοῖς ἀγαπῶσιν αὐτόν....

Epiphanius, Panarion 64.69.10: How can a thing be anything but "honored," when it is raised, abides forever, and obtains a kingdom in heaven by its hope in God’s lovingkindness — where "the righteous" shall shine "as the sun," where they shall be "equal to the angels," where they shall dance with the bridegroom, where Peter and the apostles "shall sit on twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel," where the righteous shall receive "what eye has not seen and ear has not heard, neither has entered into the heart of man, the things which God has prepared for them that love him" [ὅπου λήψονται οἱ δίκαιοι «ἃ ὀφθαλμὸς οὐκ εἶδε καὶ οὖς οὐκ ἤκουσε καὶ ἐπὶ καρδίαν ἀνθρώπου οὐκ ἀνέβη, ἃ ἡτοίμασεν ὁ θεὸς τοῖς ἀγαπῶσιν αὐτόν»]?

Epiphanius, Panarion 66.38.1-4: 1 For if there were no resurrection of bodies, how could there be "gnashing of teeth?" And don’t anyone make that halfwitted remark again, "Teeth are made for us to chew with; what food will we eat after the resurrection of the dead?" 2 If Jesus ate again after his resurrection, and [took] "a piece of a broiled fish and an honeycomb," and lived with his disciples for forty days, will there be no food? 3 And as to food, it is plain that "Blessed is he who shall eat bread in the kingdom of heaven." And it is the Lord’s own promise that "You shall be seated at my Father’s table eating and drinking." 4 And what this eating and drinking is, is known to him alone, for "eye has not seen nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God has prepared for them that love him" [ἃ ὀφθαλμὸς οὐκ εἶδε καὶ οὖς οὐκ ἤκουσεν, οὔτε ἐπὶ καρδίαν ἀνθρώπου ἀνέβη, ὅσα ἡτοίμασεν ὁ θεὸς τοῖς ἀγαπῶσιν αὐτόν].

Epiphanius, Panarion 66.61.8-9: 8 But when these prophets prophesy, they prophesy in part and know in part but with hope await what is perfect in the ages to come, "when the corruptible is changed to incorruption and the mortal to immortality." For "<when this mortal shall have put on immortality,> then shall we see face to face." 9 For now these things are shown to us "darkly," but there "what eye has not seen here" is prepared [ἑτοιμάζεται ἃ ὀφθαλμὸς ὧδε οὐκ εἶδεν]. There perfection is revealed, those things that "ear has not heard" here [ἃ οὖς ἐνταῦθα οὐκ ἤκουσεν]. There is the greatest gift to the saints, that which "hath not entered into the heart of man" here [ὃ ἐπὶ καρδίαν ἀνθρώπου οὐκ ἀνέβη ἐνταῦθα].

Epiphanius, Panarion 77.37.57; 77.38.1: 37.5 What becomes of the words of the apostle, "If ye be circumcised, Christ shall profit you nothing," and, "All ye that are justified by the Law are fallen from grace?" What about the Lord’s words, "For in the resurrection they neither marry nor are given in marriage, but are equal unto the angels?" 6 On the other hand, "You shall sit at the table <of the kingdom> of my Father eating and drinking," and, "when I drink it new with you in the kingdom of heaven," with the additional word, "new," and the phrase, "at the table of the kingdom," mean something different. 7 I myself agree with this, since I have learned from the sacred scriptures that there is a partaking of immortal food and drink. Of these it is said, "Eye has not seen and ear has not heard, neither have entered into the heart of man what things God has prepared for them that love him." 38.1 Apollinarius, though, says that we partake of the material pleasures first, in the millennium, without labor and grief, but that after the millennium we partake of the things of which "eye hath not seen and ear hath not heard" was said.

Pseudo-Athanasius, On Virginity 18: 18 .... καὶ ὥσπερ τις ἀπὸ φυλακῆς ἐξέλθοι, οὕτως καὶ οἱ ἅγιοι ἐξέρχονται ἀπὸ τοῦ μοχθηροῦ βίου τούτου εἰς τὰ ἀγαθὰ τὰ ἡτοιμασμένα αὐτοῖς· «ἃ ὀφθαλμὸς οὐκ εἶδε καὶ οὖς οὐκ ἤκουσε, καὶ ἐπὶ καρδίαν ἀνθρώπου οὐκ ἀνέβη, ἃ ἡτοίμασεν ὁ Θεὸς τοῖς ἀγαπῶσιν αὐτόν.» οἱ δὲ ἁμαρτωλοὶ καὶ ὧδε κακῶς μοχθοῦσι καὶ ἐκεῖ πάλιν τὸ πῦρ αὐτοὺς μένει· καὶ τοὺς τοιούτους διπλῶς δεῖ κλαῦσαι, ὅτι καὶ ὧδε ἐν στενο χωρίᾳ εἰσὶ καὶ ἐκεῖ τὴν εὐρυχωρίαν οὐκ ἀπολαμβάνουσι. .... [Link.]

Photius, Bibliotheca 232: 232 .... Ὅτι τὰ ἡτοιμασμένα τοῖς δικαίοις ἀγαθὰ οὔτε ὀφθαλμὸς εἶδεν οὔτε οὖς ἤκου- σεν οὔτε ἐπὶ καρδίαν ἀνθρώπου ἀνέβη. Ἡγήσιππος μέντοι, ἀρχαῖός τε ἀνὴρ καὶ ἀποστολικός, ἐν τῷ πέμπτῳ τῶν ὑπομνημάτων, οὐκ οἶδ' ὅ τι καὶ παθών, μάτην μὲν εἰρῆσθαι ταῦτα λέγει, καὶ καταψεύδεσθαι τοὺς ταῦτα φαμένους τῶν τε θειῶν γραφῶν καὶ τοῦ Κυρίου λέγοντος· «Μακάριοι οἱ ὀφθαλμοὶ ὑμῶν οἱ βλέποντες καὶ τὰ ὦτα ὑμῶν τὰ ἀκούοντα» καὶ ἑξῆς. .... / 232 .... The good things prepared for the just, the eye has not seen, the ears have not heard, and they are not found in the heart of man. However, Hegesippus, one of the ancients, a contemporary of the apostles, in the fifth book of his Commentaries, in I do not know what context, says that these are empty words and that those who say them are liars since the Holy Scriptures say, "Blessed are your eyes because they see and happy your ears because they hear," and the rest. ....

Obviously not all of these are going to be of equal value for determining the origins of the phrase, but the ones from the gospel of Thomas and the Ascension of Isaiah are at least interesting in that regard.

At any rate, the quotation definitely deserves its place on the list, because there can be no absolute certainty as to its ultimate or proximate source.
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Re: Quotations of nonextant scriptures.

Post by robert j »

Ben C. Smith wrote: Sun Aug 18, 2019 9:23 am
I am looking for Christian quotations of Jewish scriptures, but ones for which it is difficult to locate the source.
Ben C. Smith wrote: Sun Aug 18, 2019 1:02 pm

This is at least a composite quotation:

1 Corinthians 2.9: 9 "Things which eye has not seen and ear has not heard, and which have not come into the heart of man, which things God has prepared for those who love him." / 9 ἃ ὀφθαλμὸς οὐκ εἶδεν καὶ οὗς οὐκ ἤκουσεν, καὶ ἐπὶ καρδίαν ἀνθρώπου οὐκ ἀνέβη, ἃ ἡτοίμασεν ὁ θεὸς τοῖς ἀγαπῶσιν αὐτόν.

Isaiah 64.3 OG: 3 From of old we have not heard, nor have our eyes seen a God besides you, and your works which you will do for those who wait on you. / 3 ἀπὸ τοῦ αἰῶνος οὐκ ἠκούσαμεν οὐδὲ οἱ ὀφθαλμοὶ ἡμῶν εἶδον θεὸν πλὴν σοῦ καὶ τὰ ἔργα σου ἃ ποιήσεις τοῖς ὑπομένουσιν ἔλεον.

Isaiah 65.17 OG: 17 For there shall be a new heaven and a new earth, and they shall not at all remember the former things, neither shall they at all come up into their heart. / 17 ἔσται γὰρ ὁ οὐρανὸς καινὸς καὶ ἡ γῆ καινή, καὶ οὐ μὴ μνησθῶσιν τῶν προτέρων, οὐδ᾽ οὐ μὴ ἐπέλθῃ αὐτῶν ἐπὶ τὴν καρδίαν.

Agreed.
Ben C. Smith wrote: Sun Aug 18, 2019 1:02 pm

At any rate, the quotation definitely deserves its place on the list, because there can be no absolute certainty as to its ultimate or proximate source.
"... difficult to locate the source" is a far cry from "... absolute certainty as to its ultimate or proximate source."

I think the use of the two passages from Isaiah are clearly and squarely within the realm of Pauline hermeneutics, and provide the most likely source for 1 Corinthians 2:9. Once again, I suppose we may just have to disagree here.

I figured you would have doubts to sow here, as this passage from Isaiah is commonly associated with 1 Corinthians 2:9 --- not what I would call "difficult to locate".

I'm not in a position at this time to participate beyond the comments I've already made here. But as time allows, I am curious to follow how you might further develop your argument, should you choose to do so.
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Re: Quotations of nonextant scriptures.

Post by Ben C. Smith »

robert j wrote: Sun Aug 18, 2019 1:45 pmI'm not in a position at this time to participate beyond the comments I've already made here. But as time allows, I am curious to follow how you might further develop your argument, should you choose to do so.
No, actually, I am not sure how the identification of an apocryphal text behind 1 Corinthians 2.9 contributes to an argument for interpolation. William O. Walker makes a similar argument with regard to this verse as part of his case for 1 Corinthians 2.6-16 being an interpolation. I did not understand the argument then, nor do I understand it now that you have said something similar. Why would some anonymous editor or scribe be more likely to appeal to an apocryphon than Paul?

In the OP, 1 Corinthians 2.9 stands as one potential example among many. I am trying to discern any patterns which may lie behind these mysterious references. One of them finds a parallel in a Targum, for example, and is not alone so far as other possible Targumic parallels are concerned; so can others be explained in a similar way? Some may be referring to texts which we no longer possess; how many others may fall into that category? Are catenae involved at all? Or perhaps many/some of the passages are just a matter of fraudulent invention. I am just trying to get the contenders on the table for a more thoroughgoing analysis, nothing more.

ETA:
robert j wrote: Sun Aug 18, 2019 1:45 pm"... difficult to locate the source" is a far cry from "... absolute certainty as to its ultimate or proximate source."
Yes, this one is a bit different in that it is difficult only to locate the proximate source; the ultimate source seems pretty clear (and may even be the proximate source, but it is difficult to tell). But I did not have each and every individual passage in mind when I composed the OP; this one was just an item on the list.

The one in 1 Clement 8.1-4 is similar insofar as we actually do have a text (Isaiah 1.16-20) which appears to be the source for the bit about sins being like scarlet, but it is quoted twice as if from two different prophets, and with an introductory formula which suggests that it belongs to the previously quoted prophet, who is Ezekiel. Moreover, Clement of Alexandria places that same quotation from Ezekiel right before that same quotation from Isaiah in Rich Man 39. So did Clement of Rome pen a conflation of Ezekiel and Isaiah, attributing it to Ezekiel alone, which Clement of Alexandria turned around and used for his own purposes? That seems possible. Or were these two passages butted up against each other in a confusingly compiled catena of scriptural witnesses? That also seems possible. Or did Clement of Rome find the conflation in an apocryphon, one to which Clement of Alexandria also had access? And was that apocryphon a sort of second Ezekiel, given that Josephus, in Antiquities 10.5.1 §79, says that Ezekiel wrote two books (δύο βίβλους)? That seems possible, as well; it is at least an option worth exploring, and there may be others, as well.
Last edited by Ben C. Smith on Sun Aug 18, 2019 4:59 pm, edited 5 times in total.
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Re: Quotations of nonextant scriptures.

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I note that the two 1 Corinthian quotes are in passages considered interpolations.
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Re: Quotations of nonextant scriptures.

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Jax wrote: Sun Aug 18, 2019 2:27 pm I note that the two 1 Corinthian quotes are in passages considered interpolations.
Well, at least by William O. Walker and Martin Widmann (and both passages are discussed in the same article, which is really about the first passage, while the second is kind of like collateral damage).
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Re: Quotations of nonextant scriptures.

Post by DCHindley »

Ben,

What do you think of the hypothesis (which I believe first arose in the late 19th century) that the early (proto-orthodox) Christians made use of florilegiums (noun, a collection of literary extracts; an anthology) of passages from prophetic works? If the extracts were only loosely ordered, the original context might get all confused.

IMHO, not having much of a clue about their early history is a characteristic of the proto-orthodox.

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Re: Quotations of nonextant scriptures.

Post by Ben C. Smith »

DCHindley wrote: Mon Aug 19, 2019 1:48 pmWhat do you think of the hypothesis (which I believe first arose in the late 19th century) that the early (proto-orthodox) Christians made use of florilegiums (noun, a collection of literary extracts; an anthology) of passages from prophetic works? If the extracts were only loosely ordered, the original context might get all confused.
That is definitely a live option, and is what I was driving at when I responded to Robert:
Are catenae involved at all?

....

Or were these two passages butted up against each other in a confusingly compiled catena of scriptural witnesses?
But I was using the term "catena" inexactly, and your terminology is more precise.

J. Rendel Harris famously argued that many of the church fathers and even the NT authors were drawing from a "book of testimonies" for their scriptural proofs. I am not sure by how far the general idea preceded him. I need to reread that book of his, especially since I was focusing on other matters at the time when I went through it the first time.
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