ABSTRACT
The attempt has been made to combine from the Priestly Code and Ezekiel a view about two eras of world history, the first of which was concluded with the Flood, and the second of which ended with Israel's downfall. So the author of the Priestly Code has projected the end far back in time, into the distant past, and has given it a completely worldwide dimension, one already hinted at in Ezekiel's proclamation, even though that was in fact addressed only to the land of Israel. In this respect the Priestly Code stands side by side with Amos who, very different though he is, provided it, by way of Ezekiel. However, the announcement of the Flood is neither eschatological nor apocalyptic. In the total prophetic testimony the announcement of judgment made in the pre-exilic period certainly had the function of serving as a sombre background to the promise of salvation that followed it, and to testify.
