Apocryphal Perfection
The beginning of this series can be found here.
The teleological effect of the people of Abraham encountering Greek philosophy continues from the translation of the Hebrew scriptures that gave us the Septuagint into the books of the Apocrypha. There is a general streamlining of the idea of perfect into this end or goal based thought.
Two Special Notes
If you are one who truly believes that there are exactly sixty-six books in the Bible, then please excuse this Lutheran for being Lutheran. Like many other denominations, Lutherans have not closed off the canon of scripture, and when the Lutheran Reformation happened, Luther and those who followed him did not reedit the cannon they inherited—even though Luther talked about it some. The Apocrypha is part of scripture for me, and here provides helpful insight into why Jesus talks about perfection in Matthew. I would encourage you to read the Apocrypha and make your own decision. If you don’t, you are missing some great stories and some important history.
If you have more knowledge on the original language of these texts, please help with the missing lemma forms!
Apocryphal Perfection
The perfect instances come up in the apocryphal writings sixteen times, but only twice about God or God's work, once about a thing leading to a place, and once about health. One example of translation issues is found here in Sirach 1:18, which names the power of wisdom to make one truly healthy, and because of a Greek style meeting an English idiom is translated as as "perfect health." But that's not the fault of the Greek. The other twelve perfect instances mention that people matter, including what they wore.
Yes, what people wore was called perfect three times in the intertestamental writings. In the Geek additions to the book of Esther, there is an account of Esther’s prayer before her meeting with Xerxes when she would plead her case for her people. After her time of prayer, she dresses herself in her best clothes and put on her best outward appearance. Her outward appearance is described as perfect beauty, but the writer also added that “her heart was frozen with fear” (Greek Esther, Addition D, 15:5).
The other two instances of perfect attire come from the “Hymn in Honor of Our Ancestors” in Sirach 44 thru 50. Arron, as the first high priest, gets the first mention in a description of the attire of the high priest as “perfect splendor" (Sirach 45:8). The high priestly attire of Simon, son of Onias, also known as Simon the Just, is also called perfect because this is the attire of the high priest (Sirach 50:11). One difference between these two high priests is that Aaron is clothed by God, but Simon dresses himself.
These little examples of perfect attire are more examples of things being perfect and do not necessarily speak to the individual wearing the outfit. The author of this section of the Greek Esther tells us that Esther inhabits a place of fear. Aaron, while held up as on honorable ancestor, made many mistakes in his life. Maybe this is why God had to clothe Aaron but Simon is worthy of clothing himself because of his work reestablishing and renovating the Temple? In any case, these three moments are the only perfect instances about people that aren’t about wisdom or what we do.
Instances and Transliterated Greek Lemma Form
Of Esther’s outward appearance - Greek Esther, Addition D, 15:5 (?)
The power of wisdom to make one truly healthy - Sirach 1:18 (ugiea)
Of Aaron’s attire - Sirach 45:8 (telos)
Of Simon’s attire - Sirach 50:11 (telos)
Reflecting on God’s deeds in saving the Jews from the machinations of Ptolemy - 3 Maccabees 7:22 (telos)
The goal of God's work among a faithful few - 2 Esdras 9:22 (?)
Of the quality of wisdom that will happen before the age to come - 2 Esdras 8:52, (?)
telos semantic domain: the end, complete
ugiea sematic domain: whole, healthy
Notes:
Addition D to Greek Esther is not in the copy of the Septuagint I have.
2 Esdras is not in the copy of Septuagint I have.telos semantic domain: complete
Wisdom to Perfection
The remaining perfect instances fall into two related categories, references to wisdom and references to a righteous life. The Hebrew scriptures connect these two thoughts directly, as do the Greek scriptures. (For example Psalm 37:30, Proverbs 1:2-6, Proverbs 2:6-11, Proverbs 10:31, Luke 1:17, and 1 Corinthians 1:30-31.) In this connection, there is consistent agreement even if the connection is not as explicit in the Apocrypha. The idea that perfection follows from the connection between wisdom and righteousness is different in the Apocrypha because perfection is now held up as a human possibility and goal, which it is not in the Hebrew scriptures.
The Wisdom of Solomon makes this connection in an area where one of the perfect instances comes up, 6:12-20. Here wisdom is personified as in Proverbs, with teleological understanding being the point of focusing on wisdom. The point of this focusing syllogistically becomes immortality and godliness. This focusing only works, however, if God's wisdom is the focus. (Cf. Wisdom of Solomon 9:6.)
2 Esdras doubles down on this focusing, while also showing the influence of Plato's philosophy in Ezra's conversation with the angel. (Cf. 2 Esdras 7:75-99. The influence of Plato's philosophy is in the idea that the spirit or soul of the person leaves the body when they die.) The angel describes the life of the righteous as those who have tried to keep God's Law perfectly. What we do and how we live, the angel indicates, can be without blemish. Their wisdom in striving to live righteously can be done perfectly, even if only in striving.
Noah, as an example of this, is lifted up in the “Hymn in Honor of Our Ancestors” as one who is perfect and righteous because God declares Noah righteous twice in the flood narrative (Sirach 44:17-18, cf. Genesis 6:9 and 7:1). The righteous claim comes directly from Genesis. The label perfect probably lives in the moral sense of perfection here because Noah listened to God and was less wicked than those around him. In Sirach, Noah is declared perfect because he was wise enough to listen to God, even though after the flood Noah made at least one morally questionable choice. (Cf. Genesis 9:20-28 for the story of Noah getting fall down drunk and then cursing his son, Ham. And there are more!)
Enoch and any like him who even though they live a short life walk with God in righteousness have been perfected in their short life. (Wisdom of Solomon 4:13 and 4:16. I know Genesis 5:23 tells us that Enoch lived to be 365, but since his dad, Jared, live to be 962 and Enoch's son was the 996 year old Methuselah, 365 seems short.) Any rich person wise and righteous enough to not worship wealth and make it an idol is perfect (Sirach 31:10). Eleazar is made perfect in death because of his wisdom and righteousness in following God's Law (4 Maccabees 7:15). These are all examples of wisdom and righteousness—what they did and how they lived coming together through a person's life to make them perfect.
The final perfect instance is worth its own thought. The faith of the mother of the seven brothers martyred by Antiochus is translated as perfect in some translations, although it would probably be better translated as complete or full (4 Maccabees 15:17). Her incredible faith shows influence from stoic philosophy, which finds wisdom in distancing yourself from your emotions—the very reason this mother is extolled. While not a teleological philosophy, the stoics still held perfection was possible in this life through what you did and how you lived.
Instances and Transliterated Greek Lemma Form
Of Eleazar in death - 4 Maccabees 7:15 (telos)
Of the faith of the mother - 4 Maccabees 15:17 (olos)
Of Enoch’s “short” life - Wisdom of Solomon 4:13 (telos)
Of others who live a faithful, but short life - Wisdom of Solomon 4:16 (telos)
Of understanding that focuses on wisdom - Wisdom of Solomon 6:15 (telos)
Pointing to the flaw of human perfection without God - Wisdom of Solomon 9:6 (telos)
Of the rich person who does not worship wealth - Sirach 31:10 (?)
Of Noah - Sirach 44:17 (telos)
Of those who tried to follow God’s Law tried to follow it - 2 Esdras 7:89 (?)
telos semantic domain: complete
olos semantic domain: whole
The multivalent understanding of perfection has not been lost in these intertestamental times, but there has been a significant shift from the Hebrew scriptures understanding of God's perfection and how human righteousness is something else. Greek philosophy changed the Jewish view of perfection, making perfection achievable through the intersection of wisdom and righteousness. From a teleological perspective, perfection is the goal, the end of the story, why you do what you do, especially when you view what you are doing as part of God's story. But is there still a limit to all perfection?