Introduction to the Sibylline Oracle 5
As the title indicates, this apocalyptic work derives from the "oracle" genre.1 Some may consider this confusing thinking that "apocalyptic" itself is a genre. But apocalyptic is more than a genre; it also entails sociological factors that seek to address the seemingly threatened values and ethics of the community's culture. As a result, certain individuals were motivated to adopt various literary venues in order to stir the common people of the community toward a proper understanding of their ethical role. They often utilized various art forms to accomplish this impassioned objective. The Sibylline Oracles were simply one type of literary art form adopted by such concerned citizens. It does fall within the genre of "oracle" but it is a unique type of oracular genre.2 Originating from the Greeks, it packages its message in poetic hexameters. Vanderkamm explains:
Modeling their works on the famous oracles uttered by an aged prophetess (whether in classical Greece or elsewhere), the authors of these compositions placed predictions pertinent to Jewish concerns in the mouth of the Sibyl, who speaks in hexameters. 3
The fact that it is a Sibylline oracle is what lends itself to the categorization of apocalyptic since a sibyl was a prophetess who foretold of coming events as a result of a state of ecstasy.4 Typically, the oracle was "doom and gloom," such as plague, famine, or war.5
Of the twelve Sibylline Oracles, there are three that are acknowledged to be of Jewish origin. These three are Sibylline Oracles 3-5. Consequently, these oracles attract the most attention from New Testament exegetes. The focus here, however, is only on Oracle 5.
The macro structure6 of Sibylline Oracle 5 is made up of a total of six oracles consisting of 531 lines. The outline below adopts the divisions according to J. J. Collins.7
- 1-51: Oracle 1 (Introduction: A Review of History)
- 52-110: Oracle 2 (mainly against Egypt)
- 111-178: Oracle 3 (mainly against Asiatic countries)
- 179-285: Oracle 4 (mainly against Egypt)
- 286-434: Oracle 5 (mainly against Asiatic countries)
- 434-530: Oracle 6 (mainly about Egypt; battle of the stars as conclusion)
These six oracles are held together by thematic elements found in each oracle. The first oracle is an introduction which reviews the history from Alexander to Hadrian. Oracles 2-5 have distinctive elements in each, but are also characterized by a certain repetitive pattern. The final oracle serves as a conclusion to the collection of oracles.
Notes
1For a fuller discussion of genre and apocalyptic, click here: Apocalyptic As Genre
2Recall the prophetic oracle of the Old Testament issued by the prophets very frequently.
3James C. VanderKam, An Introduction to Early Judaism (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 2001): 107.
4Everett Ferguson, Beginnings of Early Christianity, 2d ed. (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1993): 434.
5J. J. Collins, "Sibylline Oracles," in Dictionary of New Testament Backgrounds, eds. Craig A. Evans and Stanley Porter (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 2000): 1108.
6See under "Purpose and Motifs" for a chart outline that visually demonstrates the macro structure.
7Collins, "The Sibylline Oracles," Jewish Writings, 371.
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This page is provided by Roger DePriest, M.A., Ph.D. student, as part of the "Apocalyptic and the New Testament" site project.