Aspects of Ezekiel 1:14 in Angelological Texts Found at Qumran

Verse 14 of Ezekiel 1 is absent in the Old Greek reconstruction of the Septuagint, but it is attested at Qumran, and conveys angelological content which is vital for the understanding of the origins of Jewish angelology. This verse and other angelological verses in Ezekiel 1 and 10 are traced in the following texts found at Qumran: 1 Enoch Book of Watchers, Tobit, Daniel 7, Songs of the Sabbath Sacrifice, and 4QPseudo-Ezekiel. In this paper it is noted that certain key motifs present in these verses are also present in the Chaldean Oracles and are discernable in ancient Israelite and Judahite relics of the practice of divination and fire/sun worship. In conclusion, the possibility is considered that these associations may be part of the reason why the translators of the OG eliminated Ezekiel 1:14