Creation, Nature and Hope in 4 Ezra

Climate Change and the Apocalyptic Imagination: Science, Faith, and Ecological Responsibility

“…It tells against the stereotype of apocalypticism as necessarily world‐denying and oriented toward the heavenly at the expense of the earthly. In some apocalypses, the order and regularity of the natural world serves as both a foil and a witness against the disorder within the human world, nature providing reliable and consistent testimony to the power, beneficence, and justice of the creator (Moo , 71–96, 164–72). When the natural world is, on the contrary, seen as disordered or in upheaval, this is often—as in the prophetic tradition—considered a reflection of the disorder in the human realm and a sign of God's judgment on human evil and injustice.…”

“…When the natural world is, on the contrary, seen as disordered or in upheaval, this is often—as in the prophetic tradition—considered a reflection of the disorder in the human realm and a sign of God's judgment on human evil and injustice. Many apocalypses reveal a fascination with the natural world and a belief in its integrity that is compatible with later scientific ways of describing reality; and some apocalypses can be seen to provide even the basis for a sort of environmental ethos (Hawkin ; Moo ; Woodman ), albeit one that is perhaps at times not far from the “ecologism” so roundly criticized by Bruckner.…”

“…The transcendent source of this hope does not mean that it is an escapist fantasy that has nothing to do with the here and now or that excuses negligence of present responsibilities. In the majority if not all of extant Jewish and Christian apocalypses in which future eschatology is a prominent feature, hope is centered on a transformed life on earth, and the whole point is to give value and significance to how life is lived now (Russell ; Nickelsburg ; Hahne ; Moo , 2014). Such a transcendent yet grounded hope may yet sustain religious believers as they grapple with the inherent uncertainties of future climate change and the efficacy of human action by enabling perseverance and a commitment to love and virtue whatever comes.…”

‘My heart poured forth understanding’

“…Two recent studies engage with 4 Ezra ’s food imagery and its significance to the text’s structure (Moo, 2011: 146–148, 153 n. 165; Smit, 2014), but both studies, surprisingly, neglect to comment on the role of the fiery cup in 14:39–40. Jonathan Moo recognizes the importance of Ezra’s floral meals, especially after fasting, but suggests the possibility that the text reflects the practices of actual seers consuming opium-poppies, while admitting that the evidence for such practices in antiquity is scant.…”

“…Asen. 16:14–16)’ (Moo, 2011: 147). Moo’s analysis, and his connection of the flowers with the heavenly realm, is not incorrect, but he misses the fact that Ezra’s connection to that other realm is still incomplete.…”