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3 The Angel Who Spoke With Me The Interpreting Angel in Zechariah 1–6 Chapter two examined the appearance of a “man” (‫)איש‬ in Ezekiel 40–48. This “man” leads Ezekiel through a visionary tour of an eschatological temple in Jerusalem. His primary task is to take measurements of various architectural features, although he does occasionally offer explanations or answer questions, particularly in Ezek. 47:1-12. In this final vision, Ezekiel comes closest to the classical form of the interpreting angel motif, with angelic interpretation of an eschatological-cosmological revelatory vision (compare Rev. 21:9—22:6). The guide/interpreter figure in Ezekiel 40–48 marks the emergence of an early form of the motif of angelic interpretation of visions in the Neo-Babylonian period. The next example of an interpreting angel appears in the night visions of Zechariah 1–6. In Zech. 1:9, Zechariah asks “the angel who spoke with me” (‫בי‬ ‫הדבר‬ ‫)המלאך‬ about the identity of the four horses in his vision. The angel replies that he will show him what they are, and after this the “man standing among the myrtles” (‫בין־ההדסים‬ ‫העמד‬ ‫—)האיש‬who is identified as the “angel of Yahweh” (‫יהוה‬ ‫)מלאך‬ in verse 11—answers the question: “These are the ones whom Yahweh has sent to go back and forth throughout the earth.” The interpreting angel thus not only mediates between Yahweh and the prophet, he also at times stands in a mediating position between the prophet and the elements of his vision. Chapters 4–6 include a series of symbolic visions of such items as a lampstand and bowl (4:2), two olive trees (4:3), a flying scroll (5:1), a basket with a woman inside (5:6-8), two women with wings (5:9), and four chariots with horses (6:1-3). Each vision follows the familiar pattern of the prophet being asked, “What do you see?” or the prophet asking the angel, “What is this?” and the angel explaining the meaning of the vision (compare Amos 7:7-9; 8:1-3; Jer. 1:11-19; 24).1 81 This chapter examines the interpreting angel motif in Persian period biblical literature, namely Zechariah 1–6. As with the previous chapter, I begin with a review of the historical background of Zechariah 1–8 (“ProtoZechariah ”), in particular the sociopolitical situation and imperial administrative system of the Persian Empire in the late sixth century. Following an overview of scholarship on Zechariah 1–8 and a discussion of issues surrounding the composition and dating of Zechariah 1–6, I then turn to the primary texts under consideration: Zech. 1:7-17; 2:1-9; 4:1-6a, 10b-14; 5:1-11; 6:1-8. Here I analyze the form and function of the interpreting angel motif in the biblical texts, in dialogue with earlier and later biblical and extracanonical texts and relevant archaeological and epigraphic material. I follow this examination of Zechariah 1–6 with a survey of comparative religious material from the Persian period, including textual and archaeological/epigraphic material. I conclude with a brief summary of the findings of this chapter. Historical Background: Persian Imperial Administration The rapid rise of the Persian Empire as the successor of the Neo-Babylonian Empire had a decisive impact on the history of the Jewish people and the development of Judaism.2 Yet the history of the Persian Empire and the nature of Persian imperial administration must be gathered largely from Greek writers, who often bore strong anti-Persian biases.3 The one great piece of Persian historical writing from the Achaemenid period is the Behistun inscription 1. Niditch sees in Zechariah 1–6 a middle stage in the development of the symbolic vision motif in biblical literature, in which the seer requests interpretation of his visions from an angelic mediator (rather than Yahweh) and in which the visions have become more “mythologized” than in preexilic texts (Susan Niditch, The Symbolic Vision in Biblical Tradition [HSM 30; Chico, CA: Scholars, 1980], 10–11). Likewise, Zechariah 1–6 marks a midpoint in the development of the interpreting angel motif, which began in Ezekiel 40–48 and reaches its fully developed form in apocalyptic literature (e.g., 1 Enoch; Daniel 7–8). Although closely related, the interpreting angel motif and the symbolic vision motif have different tradition histories. This is evident from the fact that, as Niditch points out, Ezekiel’s visions are not symbolic (The Symbolic Vision, 8). The two motifs become intertwined in Zechariah 1–6 and largely remain so...

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