Excursus: Pseudo-Sibylline Oracles

The Sibylline Oracles (called also the “pseudo-Sibylline Oracles”) are a collection of oracular utterances written in Greek hexameters  ascribed to the Sibyls, prophetesses who uttered divine revelations in a frenzied state. Twelve books of Sibylline Oracles survive. These are not considered to be the famous Sibylline Books of Roman history, which have been lost, but a collection of utterances that were composed in various places at various dates from the middle of the second century BC to the fifth century CE.

The pseudo-Sibylline texts are a valuable source for information about Classical mythology and early first millennium Gnostic, Jewish and Christian beliefs. Some apocalyptic passages scattered throughout seem to adumbrate themes of John’s Book of Revelation and other Apocalyptic literature. In places the oracles have also undergone extensive editing, re-writing, and redaction, as they came to be exploited in wider circles.

The oldest of the surviving Sibylline oracles seem to be books 3-5, which were composed partly by Jews in Alexandria. The third oracle seems to have been composed in the reign of Ptolemy VI Philometor. Books 1-2 may have been written by Christians, though again there may have been a Jewish original that was adapted to Christian purposes.

All the oracles seem to have undergone later revision, enrichment, and adaptation by editors and authors of different religions, who added similar texts, all in the interests of their respective religions. The Sibylline oracles are therefore a pastiche of Greek and Roman pagan mythology, employing motifs of Homer and Hesiod; Judeo-Christian legends such as the Garden of Eden, Noah and the Tower of Babel; Gnostic and early Christian homilies and eschatological writings; and thinly veiled references to historical figures such as Alexander the Great and Cleopatra, and there are many allusions to the events of the later Roman Empire, often portraying Rome in a negative light.

The original oracular books in Rome were destroyed by fire in 83 BC, which resulted in an attempt in 76 BC to recollect them when the Roman senate sent envoys throughout the world to discover copies. This official copy existed until at least AD 405, but little is known of their contents.

That use of the Sibylline Oracles was not always exclusive to Christians is shown by an extract from Book III concerning the Tower of Babel as quoted by the Jewish historian Flavius Josephus, in the late 1st century CE.

Books I – III are regarded as a Christian revision of a Jewish original. Book IV is generally considered to embody the oldest portions of the oracles, and while many of the older critics saw in it elements which were considered to be Christian, it is now looked on as completely Jewish. Book V has given rise to many divergent opinions, some claiming it as Jewish, others as the work of a Christian Jew, and others as being largely interpolated by a Christian.

Contents Of Book III. [1]

Introduction, 1-10. Unity and power of God extolled, 11-34. Oracle against idolatry and sin, 35-54. Coming and judgment of the great King, 55-74. Coming of Beliar, 75-88. Reign of the woman and end of the world, 89-108. All things subject to Christ, 109-113. The tower of Babel, 114-126. Kronos, Titan, and Japetus, 127-151. Kronos, Rhea, and the Titans, 152-183. End of the Titans, and rise of many kingdoms, 184-189. The Sybil’s message, 190-195. Rule of the house of Solomon, 196-200. Rule of the Hellenes, 201-209. The Western Kingdom, 210-225. The Sibyl’s burden, 226-231. Woes on the Titans and on many nations, 232-248. The righteous race, 249-269. The exodus and giving of the law, 270-307. Desolation and exile, 308-336. Restoration from exile, 337-345. The Sibyl ceases and begins again, 346-354. Woe on Babylon, 355-368. Woe on Egypt, 369-374. Woe on Gog and Magog, 375-379. Woe on Libya, 380-391. Great signs and woes on many cities, 392-409. Retributive judgment on Rome, 410-427. Doom of Samos, Delos, Rome, and Smyrna, 428-431. Peace of Asia and Europe, 432-446. The Macedonian woe, 447-455. The unnamed rulers, 456-470. The sign for Phrygia, 471-486. The fate of Ilion, 487-493. Songs of the blind old man, 494-510. Woes of Lycia, Chalcedon, Cyzicus, Byzantium, and Rhodes, 511-530. Woes of Lydia, Samos, Cyprus, and Trallis, 531-548. Italy’s tribal wars, 549-556. Woes of Laodicea, Campania, Corsica, and Sardinia, 557-572. Woes of Mysia, Carthage, Galatia, Tenedos, Sicyon, and Corinth, 573-579. The Sibyl ceases and begins again, 580-583. Woes of Phenicia, Crete, Thrace, Gog, Magog, Maurians, Ethiopians, and provinces of Asia Minor, 584-620. Oracles against Greece, 621-684. The holy race, 685-724. Egypt subdued, 725-733. Time of blessedness, 734-742. Exhortation to worship God, 743-753. Time of judgment, 754-775. The God-sent king, 776-784. Removal of envy and strife, 785-795. Fearful time of judgment, 796-828. The Sybil’s testimony, 829-833. A Jewish millenium, 834-869. Exhortation to the Greeks, 870-884. Day of prosperity and peace, 885-905. Exhortation to serve God, 906-911. The Messianic day, 912-944. Signs of the end, 945-959. The Sibyl’s account of herself, 960-986.

[1] This third book of the Oracles is the most interesting and important of the entire collection. It is by far the longest, containing in the Greek text 829 verses. It is believed to be mainly of Jewish origin. In its present form, however, it is obviously a compilation of several distinct groups of oracles, one of which, lines 117-361 (Greek text, 97-294), contains the oldest portion of the Sibylline Oracles as they now exist. Two quite extensive fragments which have been preserved by Theophilus are by him said to have stood at the beginning of the Sibyl’s prophecy and probably formed an introduction to this section of our third book (see Appendix, p. 267). In place of this more ancient introduction the compiler of our collection has inserted the first 116 lines of this book, which may be again subdivided into three parts, which appear to be so many separate fragments; lines 1-75, 76-111, 112-116. In some editions the first 75 lines (Greek text, 1-62) are appended to the preceding book, and some MSS. preface this book with the words, “Again in her third tome she says these things from the second discourse concerning God.” Other clearly distinguishable sections of this book are the following: lines 362-616, 616-1003, 1004-1031 (Greek text, 295-488, 489-808, 809-827). The last section purports to he a personal vindication of the Sibyl.]

Contents Of Book IV . [2]

Introduction, 1-28. Blessedness of the righteous, 29-60. The Assyrian kingdom, 61-65. The Medes and Persians, 66-82. Woes on Phrygia, Asia, and Egypt, 83-100. Sicily burned by fire of Ætna, 101-104. Strife in Greece, 105-108. Triumphs of Macedon, 109-129. Triumphs of Italy, 130-168. Italy’s punishment, 169-180. Woes of Antioch, Cyprus, and Caria, 181-197. Wrath in reserve for the impious, 198-209. Exhortations and threatening, 210-230. Resurrection, judgment, and reward, 231-248.

[2] This fourth book was probably written by a Jew who lived during the latter part of the first century A. D. In lines 162-165 we find allusion to the destruction of Jerusalem by the Romans, and lines 169-174 are most naturally explained as referring to the eruption of Vesuvius in 79 AD, which overwhelmed the cities of Pompeii and Herculaneum. The Nero legends also appear in this book (lines 154-159, 178-180), and serve to prove the date not earlier than about 80 AD.

Contents Of Book V. [3]

Introduction, 1, 2. Rome’s first emperors, 2-733. Grief of the Sibyl, 74-76. Inundation of Egypt, 77-84. Oracle against Memphis, 85-100. Idolatry and woes of Egypt, 101-147. Woes on various cities of the East and of Asia Minor, 148-169. Woe on Lycia, Phrygia, and Thessaly, 110-185. The vile and fearful king, 186-209. Oracle against Rome, 210-241. Lamentation over Egypt, 242-272. Britons and Gauls, 273-280. Ethiopians and Indians perish by conflict of the stars, 281-291. Doom of Corinth, 292-308. Oracle against Rome, 309-334. The blessed Jews, 335-345. The heavenly Joshua, 346-350. Lovely Judea, 351-382. Woe on western Asia and Ephesus, 383-398. God’s wrath on the wicked, 399-410. Woes on Smyrna, Cyme, Lesbos, Corcyra, Hierapolis, and Tripolis, 411-434. Doom of Miletus, 433-439. Prayer for the land of Judah, 440-446. Wretched Thrace, Hellespont, and Italy, 447-463. Divine judgment and majesty, 464-484. Wars and woes of the last time, 485 517. Appeal to the wicked city, 518-555. Messianic day, 556-580. Fall of Babylon, 581-600. Woes of Asia, Crete, Cyprus, and Phœnicia, 601-615. Vast armies in Egypt, Macedon, and Asia, 616-624. Destruction of the Thracians, 625-629. Mankind made few by woes, 630-639. Final darkness, 640-648. Ruin of Isis and Serapis, 649-660. The temple in Egypt, 661-676. Sin and doom of the Ethiopians, 677-687. Battle of the constellations, 688-711.

[3] Next to the third, this fifth book is the longest in our present collection of oracles. It is clearly a composite of Jewish and Christian material, and as the three Antonines are referred to in line 72, we cannot suppose that the book in its present form existed prior to the middle of the second century of the Christian era.

The Comentaries and the text of the Oracles are part of my book available in English, from October 2009.