Divine images and presences in the intertestamental apocrypha
Divine images and presences in the intertestamental apocrypha

Summary/Abstract: Apocrypha are written works with a biblical theme, that are either related to the Old Testament (Pseudepigrapha), or the New Testament (Christian Apocrypha), and are not part of the canonical holy books. The Holy Fathers and the ecclesiastical writers consider these works, to be of a religious nature, as well as being of doubtful origin and containing both true and false teachings. The Apocrypha are especially important in the study of Judaism from the period of the Second Temple, and also for understanding Christianity from its beginning. These books have enjoyed great popularity among both Jews and Christians. In ancient Judaism there is a certain tension regarding the conception of Divinity. On one hand God lives in Heaven, far away from humans, but on the other hand He intervenes in the world directly or through intermediaries (in his different forms or through angels). The opinions of theologians on the canonical text of the Genesis 18 (The Mamvri Epiphany) are divided: some see it as a theophany and others as an angelophany. Apart from the pre-exile biblical literature, where we can find a series of theophanies (particularly the one from Sinai), we also have the ”intertestamentary” literature where there are mentions of other theophanies or apocalyptical visions in which divine images appear.

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