Interesting. So let's go back to the passage:And the "head" of these kings doesn't necessarily have to be Nero, but any and all Roman emperors, from Augustus on.The serpents are the kings of the peoples and their wine is their ways. And the head of asps is the chief of the kings of Greece who came to wreak vengeance upon them.
I'm curious, what is the first-century CE interpretation of it? What type of vengeance was wreaked and upon whom?
I see it as the head of the kings of Greece (let's say a Roman emperor) wreaking vengeance upon the kings of Greece (i.e., Hellenised Jewish kings, like the Herodians). And some have this as "who will come" rather than "who came," the way that you suggest the Wicked Priest only plotted to kill the Teacher rather than actually having done it.
I'm inclined to see it like Knibb, who writes, "But in the context of the passage as a whole these words make more sense as a threat than as an account of a past event" (https://www.google.com/books/edition/Th ... frontcover).
And if this is only a threat then it isn't necessary to tie it to any particular historical event. But I see "vengeance" (via the Romans) as always being a looming possibility in light of how the Kittim are described in 1QpHab (https://ccat.sas.upenn.edu/gopher/other ... 20Habakkuk).
4/ Interpreted, this concerns the Kittim who inspire all the nations with fear [and dread]. 5/ All their evil plotting is done with intention and 6/ they deal with all the nations in cunning and guile.
[Interpreted, this] concerns the Kittim who 10/ trample the earth with their horses and beasts. 11/ They come from afar, from the islands of the sea, to devour all the peoples like an eagle which 12/ cannot be satisfied, and they address [all the peoples] with 13/ anger and [wrath and fury] and indignation.
Interpreted, this means 2/ that they mock the great and despise the venerable; they ridicule kings and 3/ princes and scoff at the mighty host.
Interpreted, [this concerns] the commanders of the Kittim who, 11/ on the counsel of [the] House of Guilt, pass one in 12/ front of the other; one after another [their] commanders come to 13/ lay waste the earth.
6/ Interpreted, this means that they divide their yoke and their tribute
-- their sustenance -- 7/ over all the peoples year by year, 8/ ravaging many lands.
Interpreted this concerns the last priests of Jerusalem, 5/ who shall amass money and wealth by plundering the peoples. But in the 6/ last days, their riches and booty shall be delivered into the hands of the 7/ army of the Kittim,
The commanders (or "leaders") of the Kittim "pass one in front of the other, one after another" and "year by year" ravage "many lands," which suggests to me that the threat of "vengeance" by their hand was an ongoing and long term issue and that consequently the sect believed that someday the head of the kings of Greece (with the "head" being the Roman emperor) would "wreak vengeance upon" the kings of Greece (Hellenised Jewish kings, in this scenario the Herodians), the same way the sect believed that the Kittim would someday take the "riches and booty" of the last priests of Jerusalem.
Statistics: Posted by John2 — Wed Nov 06, 2024 5:00 pm