A PROBLEM IN PSEUDO-PHILO

AND ITS POSSIBLE SOLUTION

Jens Christensen,
Røsnæsvej 161, DK-4400 Kalundborg

In Chapter 19 in Pseudo-Philo’s work: Liber Antiquitatum Biblicarum we

find a scene, where the Lord is talking with Moses just before the death
of this leader of the people. The Chapter reflects in many ways the story-
telling in Deut 34. Pseudo-Philo brings a question from Moses and an
answer from God in chap. 19,14-15: “Moses said: ‘If I can make another
request of you, Lord, in accord with the abundance of your mercy, be not
angry with me, but show me how much time has passed and how much
remains.’ And he said to him: ‘Istic mel, apex magnus, momenti
plenitudo, et ciati guttum. But time will fulfill all things. Four and a half
have passed, two and a half remain.’” The fourfold enigma not translated
here has always been a puzzle for the translators and commentators.
The first translator M.R. James writes: “The corrupt words: istic mel
1

apex magnus I emend to: stigma et apex manus, cf 4. Esdr. 4,48-50;

6,9.10. The fullness of a moment: momenti plenitudo. Perhaps this
renders ¼ ï ð y ò ð ë Þ ñ ù ì á , that which fills the scale of the balance and
causes it to sink.” James then translates: “And the Lord said to him: An
instant, the topmost part of a hand, the fullness of a moment, and the drop
of a cup. And time hath fulfilled all. For 4 ½ have passed by, and 2 ½
remain.”
D. Harrington, J. Cazeaux, Ch. Perrot and P.-M. Bogaert have edited,
translated and presented a commentary on the work of Pseudo-Philo.
2

1 The Biblical Antiquities of Philo (London 1917; repr New ork 1971)), 131.
2 Sources Chrétiennes No 229 and 230 (Paris 1976).
316 Jens Christensen

They maintain in their commentary that the direct translation of the

3

enigma is: “Là miel, sommet grand, plénitude de l’instant et goutte d’une
coupe.” It is strange, then, that Cazeaux in his translation of the text gives
the following rendering of the enigma: “C’est là (comme) du miel
(fermenté), à la dernière extrémité, à l’achèvement de l’instant, (comme
la dernière) goutte d’une coupe.” The meaning of this translation is, that
every part of the fourfold enigma concentrates on the shortness of time to
come. That “mel” should have the meaning “miel fermenté” is based on
the passage in Lev 2,11.
Howard Jacobson rightly points out, that honey is regularly used in the
Bible and post-biblical texts with positive connotations. But Jacobson
4

offers the following rendering of the enigma: “And he said to him. ‘On
one side there is a large black cloud, the fullness of a cloud, on the other
side a drop from a ladle. But the time will fulfill all things. Four and a
half have passed, two and a half remain.’” He bases his emendation of
5

the text to “a large black cloud” and “the fullness of a cloud” on 4 Esdr
4,49-50.
The emendations presented by James and Jacobson of course make
sense, but every emendation of an old text can rightly be critizised—also
when it is obvious that there are many examples of a corrupted text in the
Latin of Pseudo-Philo. But in my opinion we should approach the enigma
as it stands and seek its meaning.
We should recall the situation when this fourfold enigma is told.
Chapter 19 in Pseudo-Philo reflects the text in Deut 34, the meeting
between the Lord and Moses. Here the Lord is showing the Holy Land to
Moses just before he dies. In Pseudo-Philo chap. 19,10 we read: “Then
the Lord showed him the land.” And further: “He showed him the
measurements of the sanctuary.” All through the book of Deuteronomy it
is pointed out that this land is “flowing with milk and honey” (Deut 6,3;
11,9; 26,9.15; 31,20). Also the sanctuary on Zion is pointed out in this
often repeated way: “The place which the Lord your God will choose”
(Deut 12,11.14.18.21.26; 15,20; 17,10; 26,2). On this background we find
that the fourfold enigma may be understood in the following way: “There

3 Tome II, p 134.

4 A commentary on Pseudo-Philo’s Liber Antiquitatum Biblicarum, Vol. 1-2
(Leiden, New York, Köln 1996), vol. 2, 647.
5 Vol 1, 123.
 A Problem in Pseudo-Philo 317

is honey” – : the land, which the Lord is showing to Moses, the land
“flowing with milk and honey.” “Big mountaintop” – : the mountain of
Zion, which the Lord has chosen as his abode. “The fullness of a
moment” – : why great achievements are now to come: the death of
Moses and the immigration of the people to the holy land. “A drop of a
cup” – : which means that time is soon coming to an end as the following
words are saying: “But time will fulfill all things. Four and a half have
passed, two and a half remain.” Only the last part of the enigma, “A drop
of a cup”, is then pointing to this ending of time. It is based on Isa 40,15
and is reflecting the same thought as in 4 Esdr 4,45.50.
6

The enigma has caused many speculations for the translators and
commentators. Our opinion is that it can only be understood on the
background of Pseudo-Philo’s deep understanding of the biblical text.
7

Abstract
The enigman in Psedo-Philo Chapter 19: Istic mel, apex magnus, momenti
plenitudo, et ciati guttum, is often emended by the commentators. We take it
as it stands. As the surrounding texts reflects, Deut 34 and Pseudo-Philo
always shows a deep understanding of the biblical text, we find that the often
quoted utterings in Deut: “a land flowing with milk and honey” and: “the
place which the Lord your God will choose” make sense for the first two
parts of the enigma. The third part points to the coming great achievements:
The death of Moses and the immigration to the Holy Land. Only the fourth
part is pointing to the end of time.

6 Cf Sources Chrétienne Tome II, 134.

7 In 2000, Aarhus University Press is going to publish a Danish tranlation of
Pseudo-Philo’s Liber Antiquitatum Biblicarum by this author including an
introduction and a short commentary on each chapter.
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