G.K. Beale, «The Old Testament Background of the «Last Hour» in 1 John 2,18», Vol. 92 (2011) 231-254
This article argues that the «last hour» in 1 John 2,18 is best understood against the Old Testament background of Daniel 8,12. In particular, the only eschatological uses of «hour» (w#ra) in all of the Greek Old Testament occur in the «Old Greek» of Dan 8,17.19; 11,35.40; 12,1. There the «hour» (w#ra) refers to the specific eschatological time when the opponent of God’s people will attempt to deceive them. John sees Daniel’s prophecy as beginning to be fulfilled in the deceptive work of the Antichrist(s) who has come among the churches to which he is writing.
236 G.K. BEALE
Daniel 8,17.19; 10,14; 11,35.40; 12,1
Daniel 8,17.19; 10,14; 11,35.40; 12,1
(OG [not Theod.])
(MT)
11,35 : “Some of those who have
11,35 : “Some of those who have
insight will understand in order to
insight will fall, in order to refine,
cleanse themselves and in order
purge and make them pure until the
that they be selected out and in
end time [≈q t[Ad[]; because it is
order that they be cleansed until the
still to come at the appointed time
time of the end [ewv kairoy syn-
™ ˜
[d[wml] â€.
teleıav] ; for the time is unto an
Â¥
hour [kairov eıv wrav] â€.
ù ß™
11,40 : “And at the hour of the end
11,40 : “And at the end time [≈q t[bw]
[kaù kauà wran synteleıav] . . .
ı ™ ¥
. . . he will enter countries ...â€
he will enter into the country of
Egypt ...â€
12,1: “and at that hour [kaı kata
ù ù
12,1: “Now at that time [ayhh t[bw]
thn wran eke¥nhn] ... there will
ù™ ßı
. . . there will be a time of distress ...â€
be that day of tribulation ...â€
These uses reveal that “hour†in the Old Greek of Daniel are
part of phrases that are the equivalent to the Hebrew phrase “time
of the end†or “end time†(Dan 8,17.19; 11,40), or are in parallelism
with such a phrase (Dan 10,14; 11,35). John’s twice repeated refer-
ences to the “last hour†(esxath wra) are a close equivalent to
ߥ ™
these LXX uses. It may be that even John’s predilection for
repeating the phrase twice so closely together reflects the double
repetition of parallel eschatological phrases in especially the OG of
Daniel : see Dan 8,17.19 (where the actual word wra occurs twice
â„¢
in close context), 11,35.40; 12,1.13; and wra occurs again as a
â„¢
textual variant with an eschatological notion in 10,14 (see the
chart) 13. Though in Dan 8,19; 11,35; and 11,40 synteleia is used
Â¥
for the actual reference to “end†instead of esxath, wra is
ߥ ™
directly related to esxath in Dan 8,19 (see above chart) and in the
ߥ
OG manuscript tradition of Dan 10,14 (and wra in Dan 12,1 is more
â„¢
days †or, more likely, the “hourâ€, which will not happen until after an indefi-
nite period of “daysâ€, alone is equivalent to the “latter daysâ€.
Could the use of wra in the OG of Dan 11,6 also have eschatological
â„¢
13
overtones in the light of the other uses in Daniel 8–12 and in light of Dan
2,28-29 in connection to all four of the prophesied kingdoms that would rise
and fall?
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