10/10/2012 MP|Reader Checked
Within the disparate collection of ancient Sibylline Oracles book 1 and 2 form a historical apocalypse reaching from the creation to the eschatological Golden Age. It is unique in integrating biblical and classical mythology. Although Christian in its present form, its origins have been debated for a long time. This study examines its different parts and tries to reconstruct a pre-Christian document. It interprets the original work as a literary evidence of the Jewish-pagan symbiosis in Asia Minor in the imperial period. Its adaption is probably the earliest Sibylline writing produced by Christians. The study provides a line-by-line commentary. It contains a close examination of the tradition of Pseudo-Phocylides included in the Christian document as well as a comparison with the Apocalypse of Peter.