Apocalypse of Abraham Reader

On the day when I planed the gods of my father3 Terah and the gods of Nahor his brother,4 when I was searching as to who the Mighty God in truth is—I, Abraham, at the time when it fell to my lot, when I fulfilled the services (the sacrifices5) of my father Terah to his gods of wood and stone, gold and silver, brass and iron;6 having entered into their temple for service, I found the god whose name was Merumath 7 (which was) hewn out of stone, fallen forward at the feet of the iron god Nahon. 8 And it came to pass, when I saw it, my heart was perplexed, and9 I considered in my mind that I should not be able to bring him back to his place, I, Abraham, alone,10 because he was heavy, being of a large stone,11 and I went forth and made it known to my father. And he entered with me, and when both of us moved him (the god) forward, so that we might bring him back12 to his place, his head fell from

The whole of th e title occurs only in S. Some links in th e genealogical ch ain are om itted: Reu son of P eleg, son of Eber, son of Shelah, son of Arphaxad (Gen. xi. 10-16); Abraham was thus “the tenth from Noah” (Josephus, Ant., i. 6, 5). Abraham is represented as having followed t h e o ccupation of his father, that of an idol-maker; cf. Bereshith rabba on Gen. xi. 28 (see Appendix, p. 58). his (i. e. Abraham’s) brother; prob abl y a g loss (the structure of the narrative demands “my”); A omits. Probably a gloss (so Tikh onravov); or read of the altar for sacrifices (Bonwetsch). Cf. Dan. v. 4. The stone idol Merumath (= H eb. ’eben mrûm ~, “stone of deceit”) was the chief object of Abraham’s worship at this period. So A; S has Naritson; K, by name Nahin. and omitted by S. I Abraham alone: K omits; S. + and lo! being of a large stone: R omits. so that we might bring him back: R omits.

him1 while I was still holding him by the head. And it came to pass,2 when my father saw that the head of Merumath3 had fallen from him, he said to me: “Abraham!” And I said: “Here am I.” And he said to me: “Bring me an axe, of the small ones,4 from the house.” And I brought it to h im. 5 And he hewed aright another Merumath out of another stone, without head, and the head which had been thrown down from Merumath he placed upon it, and the rest of Merumath he shattered.5

And he made five other gods, and gave them to me [and]6 commanded me to sell them outside in the street of the town. And I saddled my father’s7 ass, and placed them upon it, and went towards the inn to sell them. And lo! merchants from Fandana8 in Syria were travelling with camels going to Egypt,9 to trade.10 And I spoke with them. And one of their camels uttered a groan, and the ass took fright and sprang away and upset the gods; and three of them were smashed, and two were preserved.

And it came to pass, when the Syrians saw that I had gods, they said to me: “Why didst thou not tell us [ that thou hadst gods? Th en we wo ul d have bough t them ]11 before the ass heard the sound of the camel, and they would not have been lost. Give us, at any rate, the gods that remain, and we will give thee the proper price12 for the broken gods, also for the gods that have been preserved.”1 2 For I was concerned in my heart as to how I could bring to my father the purchase-price;13 and the three broken ones I cast into the water of the river Gur, which was at that place, and they sank into the depth s,14 and there was nothing more of them.

When I was still going on the way, my heart was perplexed within me, and my mind was distracted. And I said in my heart: [“What evil deed is this that my father is doing? Is no t h e, rath er, the god o f h i s go ds, s in ce th ey come in to existence th rough his chisels and lathes, and his wisdom, and is it not rather fitting that they should worship my father, since they are his work? What is this delusion of my father i n h i s w o r k s? ] 1 5 Behold, Merumath fell and could not rise in his own temple, nor

could I, by myself, move him until my father came, and the two of us moved him; and as we were thus too weak, his head fell from him, and he (i.e. my father) set it upon another stone of

R omits.

R omits. + his god, K. of the small ones: K omits. K reads: And he cut off the head of another god of stone and fastened it upon the god Merumath which fell before, and the head which fell down from him and the rest of the other god he shattered. and: S K omit. father’s: A omits. Fandana probably = Paddan-A ram (Gen. xxv. 20). Cf. Gen. xxxvii. 25. K r eads: in order to buy from thence papyrus from the Nile. And I questioned them, and they inform ed me. S omits. A K omit; they read instead: And I deliberated in my heart, and they gave me the value. K reads: and he took the pieces of the broken gods and cas t t he m in the Dead Sea, from which it could never emerge. A K, + of the river Gur. This passage is given by A K, but is absent from S; apparently it is a later interpolation.

another god,1 which he had made without head. And the other five gods were broken in pieces down from the ass, which were able-neither to help themselves,2 nor to hurt the ass, because3 it had broken them to pieces; nor did their broken fragments come up out of the river.”4 And I said in my heart: “If this be so, how can Merumath, my father’s god, having the head of another stone, 5 and himself being made of another stone,5 rescue a man, or hear a man’s prayer and reward him?”6

And while I cogitated thus, I reached my father’s house; and having watered the ass, and set out hay for it, I brought the silver and gave it into the han d of my father Terah. When he saw it he was glad, [and]7 he said: “Blessed art thou, Abraham, of my gods,8 because thou hast brought the price of the gods, so that my work was not in vain.” And I answered and said to him: “Hear, O my father, Terah!

Blessed are the gods9 of thee, for thou art their god, since9 thou hast made them; for their blessing is ruination, and their power10 is vain;11 they who did not help themselves,12 how shall they, then, help thee or bless me13? I have been kind to thee in this affair,14 because by (using) my intelligence, I have brought thee the money for the broken gods.” And when he heard my15 word, he became furiously angry with me, because I had spoken hard words against his gods.

I, however, having thought over my father’s anger, went out; [and after I had gone out ]16 my father17 cried, saying: “Abraham!” An d I said: “Here am I.” And he said: “Take and collect the splinters of the wood out of which I made gods of pine-wood before thou camest; and make ready for me the food of the mid-day meal.”18 And it came to pass, when I collected the splinters of wood, I found under them a little god which had been lying among the brush-wood on my left, and on his forehead was written: GOD BARISAT.19 And20 I did not

Cf. Wisdom xiii. 10 (“a useless stone, the work o f an an ci en t hand”); K reads: and set upon him the stone head of another god. Cf. Wisdom xiii. 16 (“knowing th at it is unable to help itself”). =? although (Heb. ’aph kî; Rabbinic ’aph ‘al pi). According to the Mish n a ‘Abôd ~ z~n ~ iii. 3 it was the duty of Jews to destroy an idol by sinking it in the waters of the Dead Sea, from which it could n ever emerge. Omitted by K. Cf. Wisdom xiii. 17 f. (th e whole chapter should be compared in th is context). S omits. Lit. to my gods: read? of (by) my god (Bonwetsch). Text of S here corrupt. A, help. K, powerless. Cf. note2 in previous chapter. For the thought cf. Heb. vii. 7. Lit. transaction. K, this. S omits. S, he. Cf. Is. xliv. 15, Wisdom xiii. 12 f. Barisat = probably bar ’isht~, “son of the fire.” A K, + it came to pass, when I found him, I kept him and.

inform my father that I had found the wooden god Barisat under the chips. And it came to pass, when I had laid the splinters in the fire, in order that I might make ready food for my father—on going out to ask a question regarding the food, I placed Barisat before the kindled fire,1 saying threateningly to him: “Pay careful attention, Barisat, [that]2 the fire do not die down until I come; if, however, it dieth down, blow on it that it may burn up again.” And I went out and accomplished my purpose.3 And on returning I found Barisat fallen backwards, and4 his feet surrounded by fire and horribly burnt.5 I burst into a fit of laughter, and I said to myself: “Truly, O Barisat, thou canst kindle the fire and cook food!” And it came to p ass, while I spake (thus) in my laughter6 he (i.e. Barisat) was gradually burnt up by the fire and reduced7 to ashes. And I brought the food to my father, and he did eat. And I gave him wine and milk,8 and he was gladdened and blessed his god Merumath. And I said to him: “O father Terah, bless not thy god Merumath, and praise him not, but rather praise thy god Barisat because, loving thee more, he hath cast himself into the fire to cook thy food!” An d he said to me: “And where is he now?” [ And I said: ]9 “He is burnt to ashes in the violence of the fire and is reduced to dust.” And he said: “Great is the power of Barisat! I (will) make another to-day, and to-morrow he will prepare10 my food.”

When I, Abraham, however, heard such words from my father, I laughed in my mind and sighed in the grief and in the anger of my soul, and said:11 “How then can that which is made by him—manufactured statues—be a helper of my father? Or shall the body then be subject to its soul, and the soul to the spirit, and the spirit to folly and ignorance!”12 And I said:11 “It is fitting once to endure evil. So I will direct my mind to what is pure and lay my thoughts open before him.” [And]13 I answered and said: “O father Terah, whichever of these thou praisest as a god, thou art foolish in thy mind. Behold the gods of thy brother Ora,14 which stand in the holy temple, are more worthy of honour than [these of]15 thine. For behold Zucheus, the god of thy brother Oron,16 is more worthy of honour than thy god

Lit. kindling of the fire. S omits. Lit. did my counsel: a Hebrew phrase, ‘~s ~ ‘‘s ~, “execute a plan” (Is. xxx. 1). S, + before. A; + And it came to pass when I saw it. A, mind; K, in my mind and laughed. Lit. became. Wine was sometimes mixed not only with water, b ut with milk, in Palestine; cf. Cant. V. 1 (I have drunk my wine with my milk): cf. also Is. lv. 1. S A omit. Lit. make. i.e. thought (“said in my heart”). The sentence that follows (“It is fitting once to endure evil”) means: “It is well to suffer in this way for a good cause.” In th is sentence the text o f S i s n ot in order, and has been corrected by Tikhonravov in accordance with A and K. Omitted by S. i.e. Haran (so S); A has thy father Nahor, K my brother Nahor. Omitted by S. Another form of Haran (so S); A and K read as indicated in the previous note.

Merumath, because he is made of gold which is highly valued by people, and when he groweth old in years he will be re-modelled; but if your god Merumath is changed or broken, he will not be renewed, because he is a stone; the which is also the case with the god Joavon 1 2 [ who standeth with Zucheus over the other gods—how 3 much more worthy of honour is he than t he god Barisat, who is made of wood, while he is forged of silver! How3 is he made, by adaptatio n o f man, v a lu ab l e t o o utward appearance! But thy god Barisat, while he was sti ll, before h e had been prepared, rooted up (?) 4 upon the earth and was great and wonderful with the glory of branches and blossom,5 thou didst hew out with the axe, and by m ean s of th y art he hath been made into a god. And lo! his fatness is already withered and perished, he is fallen from th e h ei ght to the ground, he hath come from great estate to littleness, and the appearance of his countenance hath vanished, and h e ] Barisat himself is

burnt up by fire and reduced to ashes and is n o more; and thou sayest: “To-day I will make another which6 to-morrow shall make ready my food!”7 “He hath perished to utter destruction!”7

8“Behold, the fire is more worthy of honour than 9all things formed because even that which is not subjected is subjected unto it, and things easily perishable are mocked by its flames. 9 10But even more worthy of hon our is the water, 10 because it conquereth the fire and satisfieth the earth.11 But even it I do not call God, because 12it is subjected to the earth under which the water inclineth.12 But I call the earth much more worthy of honour, because it overpowereth the nature (and the fulness)13 of the water. Even it (viz. the earth), how ever, I do not call god, [because]14 it, too, is dried up by the sun, [and] 14 is apportioned to man to be tilled.15[I call the sun more worthy of honour than the earth,]16 because it with its rays illumineth the whole world 17and the different atmospheres.17 [But]14 even it I do not call god, because at night 18and by clouds its course is obscured.18 Nor, again, do I call the moon or the stars

So S; A, Joauv; K, Joav; R, Jav. The lon g passage in bracke t s w h i c h h e r e f o llows is extant in A and K, but is wanting in S. It consists of a long comparison between the gods Joauv (Joavon) and Barisat, and is very obscure. It is probably a later interpolation. 4 Lit. that. ? read rooted. i.e. while it was growing as a tree. Lit. and he. Hath he not abandoned this (once for all) by perishing to utter destruction? A (K). A K i n sert at the beginning of this chapter: Having thought thus, Abraham came to his father, sa yi n g: “Father Terah,” forgetting that A braham was already speaking to him. The sen tence is wan ting in S. So S; for this A K have thy honoured gods of gold, silver, stone, and wood, because it bur n eth up thy gods; yea, thy gods are burnt up in subjection to the fire, while the fire mocked them, devouring thy gods. A K r e a d: B u t that (viz. the fire) I do not call god, because it hath been subjected to the water, while the water is more worthy of honour than it (i. e. the fire). A K, maketh the fruits of the earth sweet. A K, the water inclineth under the earth. 14 So S; but A K omit—it is probably a gloss. S omits. Lit. for work (= Heb. la‘ |bÇd). Omitted by S; but it must have belonged to the original text. It is attested by A K. So S; A K omit: atmospheres (? lower and upper) = ’XDgH; cf. 4 Ezra vi. 4, altitudines aerum. A K, it is obscured by the darkness.

god, because they also in their season obscure [their] 1 light at night. 2 [But]1 hear [this],1 Terah my father; for 3I will make known to thee3 the God who hath made everything, not these we consider as gods. Who then is He? or what is He? Who hath crimsoned the heavens, and made the sun golden, And the moon lustrous, and with it the stars; And hath made the earth dry in the midst of many waters, And set thee in4.... 5[and tested me in the confusion of my thoughts ]5 “Yet may God reveal Himself to us through Himself!”

And it came to pass while I spake6 thus to my father Terah in the court of my7 house, there cometh down8 the voice of a Mighty One9 from heaven in a fiery cloud-burst,10 saying and crying: “Abraham, Abraham!” And I said: “Here am I.” And He said: 11“Thou art seeking in the understanding of thine heart the G od o f Gods and the Creator;11 12I am He:12 Go out from thy father Terah, and get thee out from the13 house, that thou also be not slain in the sins of thy father’s house.” And I went out. And it came to pass when I went out, that before I succeeded in getting out in front of the door of the court, there came a sound of a [great] 1 4 thunder15 and burnt 1 6 him and16 his house,16 and everything whatsoever in his house, down to the ground, forty cubits. 17

S omits. Or by (through) night. Lit. I will investiga t e ( o r examine) before thee concerning. Th e question that follows, Who then is He? etc., gives the subject of the investigation. Something has to be supplied h ere. So A K; S omits. S K, reflected. A K, his (i. e. Terah’s), rightly. At this point th ere follows in A K (R) an insertion which contains, among other thin gs, a version of the well-known legen d about A braham’s burnin g of th e idol-temple, and with it his brother Haran; cf. A ppendix I. Lit. falleth (S); K, fell (A omits). = LXX. Ò ÆFPLD`H (frequent as a rendering of Heb. h ~’‘l, “God”); cf. 4 Ezra ix. 45, etc.

K, flame.

The text of S is n ot i n or der; Sreznevsky reads: Cogu Coisya, God thou dost fear, and the Creator thou art seeking. A omits. K, his. S omits. K, + and there fell fire from heaven. A (K R) omit. 17

K, + and the dwellers therein, both men and beasts.

Here R ends. The Midrashic story about the burning of Te r ah ’ s h o u s e i s really based upon an interpretation of the Biblical “Ur of the Chaldees” (Gen. xi. 31, xv. 7). Here “Ur” is inter pr et ed as = “fire”; Abraham was brought out of “Ur” (“fire”) by the Lord.

PART II THE APOCALYPSE (Chapters IX.-XXXII.). Abraham receives a Divine Command to offer Sacrifice after Forty Days as a Preparation for a Divine Revelation (Chapter IX.; cf. Gen. xv.).

Then a voice came to me speaking twice: “Abraham, Abraham!” And I said: “Here am I!” And He said: “Behold, 1it is I1; fear not,2 for I am before the worlds, 3 and a mighty God who hath created 4the light of the world.4 I am a shield over thee,2 and I am thy helper. Go, take me a young heifer of three years old, and a she-goat of three years old, and a ram of three years old, and a turtledove and a pigeon,5 and bring me a pure sacrifice. And in this sacrifice I will lay before thee the ages (to come), and make known to thee what is reserved, and thou shalt see great things which thou hast not seen (hitherto);6 because thou hast loved to search me out, and I have named thee my Friend.7 But abstain 8 from every form of food that proceedeth out of the fire, and from the drinking of wine, and from anointing (thyself) with oil, forty days,”9 and then set forth for me the sacrifice which I have commanded thee, in the place which I will shew thee, on a high mountain,10 and there I will shew thee the ages which have been created and established, 11made and renewed,11 by my Word,12 and13 I will make known to thee what

K, I am with thee. Cf. Gen. xv. 1. Or ages (“æons”). A, the first light: K, in the beginning heaven and earth and the n t he f ir s t l uminary of light and of the world (cf. Gen. i. 1 f.). The reference is apparently to the created (not the uncreated) light. For the latter cf. note on chap. xvii. Cf. Gen. xv. 9. The r ev el at i on m ade to Abraham which is described in Gen. xv. 9 f. early became a favourite theme for apocalyptic speculation, and an intimation was discovered in the p as s age of Israel’s later captivity and subjection to the four oppressive w o rld-powers of the Book of Daniel (see the Targums ad loc.). This apocalypti c e x p e r i e n c e o f Abraham is referred to in 4 Ezra iii. 14 (and unto him [Abraham] only didst thou reveal the end of the times s e cr et ly b y n ight). Accordin g to the Ap. Bar. iv. 4 the heavenly Jerusalem was shown to Abraham “by nigh t among the portions of the victims.” O r “ lo v er.” Abraham, as God’s chosen friend (or “lover of God,” cf. 2 Chron. xx. 7, Is. xli. 8, E p. James ii. 23) can receive special revelation; for the juxtaposition of the two ideas cf. 4 Ezra iii. 14. Or refrain thyself. By every form of food that proceedeth out of the fire, flesh-meat is no doubt m eant. Fasting as a preparat i on for the reception of a divine revelation was much practised by the apocalyptists. In 4 Ez r a f o u r f as t s o f seven days followed in each case by a divine revelation are referred to. Here, it is to be noted, the period is one of forty days. For th e ter m s h er e used cf. 4 Ezra ix. 24. Anointing the body (especially the face) with oil was a mark of joy used in connexi on wit h feasting (cf. Eccles. ix. 8, Ps. xxiii. 5, Amos vi. 6), and omitted in mourn in g as a sign of grief (cf. 2 Sam. xiv. 2, Dan. x. 3). Cf. Gen. xxii. 2. A omits. The “Word” of God here has a quasi-person a l significance; cf. 4 Ezra vi. 38 (“and thy Word, O Lord, perfected the work”), 43, etc. and omitted by A.

shall come to pass in them on those who have done evil and (practised) righteousness in the generation of men. Abraham, under the Direction of the Angel Jaoel, proceeds to Mount Horeb, a Journey of Forty Days, to offer the Sacrifice (Chapters X.-XII.).

And I rose up and saw him who had grasped me by my right hand and set me up upon my feet: and the appearance of his body5 was like sapphire, and the look of his countenance like chrysolite, and the hair of his head like snow, and the turban upon his head6 like the appearance of the rainbow, and the clothing of his garments like purple; and a golden sceptre was in his right hand.7 And he said to me: “Abraham!” And I said: “Here am I, thy servant.” And he said: “Let not my look affright thee, nor my speech, that thy soul be not perturbed).8 Come with me and I will go with thee, until the sacrifice, visible, but after the sacrifice,9 invisible for ever. Be of good cheer, and come!”

And we went, the two of us together, forty days and nights, 1 0 and I ate no bread, and drank no water, because my food11 was to see the angel who was with me, and his

In the Rabbinical form of th e legend (see Appendix) A braham is rescued fro m th e fiery oven into which he had been cast by Nimrod by Michael, according to the opinion of Eliezer b. Jacob (Genesis rabba xliv. 16). Michael, according to the Rabbis, was the defender o f t h e P atriarchs. Strictly it is Gabriel who is the prince of fire. i.e. the land of Palestine. In Mohammedan tradition Mich ael is the good angel who brings peace and plenty. It was Michael who, according to Rabbinic tradition, at various times appeared t o Abraham, e. g. h e to ld A br ah am that Lot had escaped, protected Sarah from being defiled by Abimelech (Pirke de R. Eliezer xxvi.), announced to Sarah that she should have a son (Gen. xviii. 10), rescued Lot from Sodom (T.B. Baba mesia, 86b), and prevented Isaac from being sacrificed by substituting a ram. In The Tes t. o f Abraham (i.) it is Michael who comes down and visits Abraham in order to take his soul. Here Michael is associated with the speaker, the archangel Jaoel. This rather s uggests that the latter is really fulfilling the rôl e of Met atron (Michael and Metatron are companions, Zohar i. 149b). But Jaoel really combines the functions of both. The writer wishes to make it clear that Ja o el i s closely associated with Michael. K, + his feet (a gloss? suggested by Rev. i. 15). Cf. Rev. xix. 12 (“upon his head many diadems”). Cf. Rev. i. 16 (“and he had in his right hand seven star s ”). T here is a general resemblance here to the description of the exalt ed C h rist in Rev. i. 14-16, but the details are different except that both have the characteristic descriptive phrase, derived from Dan. vii. 9 (“the hair of his head like pure wool,” here “like snow,” cf. Rev. i. 14); cf. also 2 Enoch i. 5 (the description of th e two angels who visit Enoch). The figure desc r i b ed i s r egal (notice the purple garments and the sceptre), and is invested with the divine glory; cf. Ezek. 26 f. Or “troubled”; cf. 2 Enoch i. 8, and often in apocalyptic writings. K, + I will be. The angel appears in visible form for the time being. So Michael ap pear s t o A br ah am “like a very comely warrior” (Test. Abrah. i.). Cf. 1 Kings xix. 8. S, + and my drink.

speech—that was my drink.1 And we came to the Mount of God, the glorious Horeb. And I said to the angel: “Singer of the Eternal O ne! Lo! I have no sacrifice with me,2 nor am I aware of a place of an altar on the mountain: how can I bring a sacrifice?” And he said to me: “Look round!”3 4And I looked round, 4 and lo! there were following us all the prescribed sacrificial (animals)—the young heifer, and the she-goat, and the ram, and the turtle-dove, and the pigeon.5 And the angel said to me: “Abraham!” I said: “Here am I.” And he said to me: “All these slaughter, and divide the animals into halves, one against the other, but the birds do not sever;6 and (“but”) give to the men, whom I will shew thee, standing by thee, for these are the altar7 upon the Mountain, to offer a sacrifice to the Eternal; but the turtledove and the pigeon give to me, for I will ascend upon the wings of the bird,8 in order to shew thee in heaven, and on the earth, and in the sea, and in the abyss, and in the under-world, and in the Garden of Eden, and in its rivers and in the fulness of the who le w orld and its circle—thou shalt gaze in (them) all.”9 Abraham accomplishes the Sacrifice, under the Guidance of the Angel, and refuses to be diverted from his Purpose by Azazel (Chapters XIII.-XIV.).

The angel said to me: 2[“A braham!” A nd I said: “Here am I, thy servant.” And h e said: “Know from henceforth that the Eternal One hath chosen thee, (He) whom thou lovest; be of good courage and use this authority, so far as I bid thee, against him who slandereth truth; 3 should I not b e ab l e to put him to shame who hath s cat t ered over the earth the secrets of heaven 4 and h ath rebelled 5 against t h e M i g h t y One?6]7 Say to him: ‘Be thou the burning coal of the Furnace of the earth;8 go,

Azazel, into the inaccessible parts of the earth;9[for thy heritage is ( t o be) over those existing with t hee being born with th e stars and clouds,10 with the men whose portion thou art, and (w h o) t h r o ug h t hy b ei n g exist;11 and thine enmity is justification. On this account by thy perdition disappear from m e.” A n d

Azazel has thus lost his “garment of life,” o r robe of immortality, and become mortal, while A braham gains it. S, Abraham. Cf. John viii. 44 (“h e [th e Dev il] is a liar and the father thereof”). Satan—here Azazel—is par excellence “the slanderer” (Ò *4V$@8@H), “he who slandereth truth.” The fallen ang el s ( 1 E noch vii., lxix. 6 ff.), and especially Azazel (1 Enoch viii. 1), are represented as having brought moral ruin upon the earth by teaching men t h e use of m agic, astrology, and science (including the use of warlike weapons). A close parallel to ou r t ext exists in 1 Enoch ix. 6: “See what Azazel hath done, how h e hath taught all unrigh teousness on earth and revealed th e s ecret things of the world which were wrought in the heavens.” So Samm ael, “th e great prin ce in heaven,” is reproach e d b y the Torah for rebellion against God (Pirke de R. Eliezer xiii.: “Th e T or ah b egan to cry aloud saying: Why, O Sammael! now that the world is created, is it the time to rebel against the Omnipresent? Is it like a time when thou shouldest lift up thyself on high (Job xxxix. 18)?”). Thus the two chief sins of Azazel consist in “scattering the secrets of heaven upon the earth,” and in devising rebellion against the Most High. = probably LXX. Ò ÊFPLD`H (Heb. h~ ’‘l); see chap. viii. note1. Kohler suggests Heb. ’abâr, “Mighty One” (of Jacob), Gen. xlix. 24 (LXX, Ò *L<VFJ0H), Is. xlix. 26 (LXX, ÆFPbH). Bracketed clause attested by A K, omitted by S. Azazel is condemned to be in h imself the fire of Hell; cf. xxxi. (“burnt w i t h th e fire of Azazel’s tongue”). Thus wherever he goes he, as it were, carries Hell with him—a conception tha t ap p e ar s t o b e peculiar to our Apocalypse in early apocalyptic literature (cf. Volz, p. 291). i. e. i n t o t hose parts of the earth reserved for him till the fin al judgement. In 1 Enoch x. 4 Azazel is condemned to be bound and placed in Dudâêl, i n t h e d es er t, and there to be imprisoned in darkness till the final judgement. This expression is obscure. It apparently refers to the m e n w h o b el o ng (? by birth) to Azazel, whose lot h as been pre-determin ed (see next note). The wicked are Azazel’s “portion,” i.e. they h av e been assigned to him from the beginning. The idea seems to be predestinarian; cf. Wisdom ii. 24 (“by the envy of the devil death entered into th e world, an d they that are his portion make trial thereof”), Ap. Bar. xlii. 7 (“for corruption will take th ose th at belong to it, and l i f e t h o s e t h a t b elon g to it”); 1 En och xli. 8. [Does the phrase in the previous clause, “being born with the stars and clouds,” mean those who by birth and creation belong to the s phere of night and darkness, as opposed to the righteous, who belong to t h e re al m o f l ig h t? See 1 Enoch xli. 8 and Charles’s note.]

I uttered the words which the an gel had taught me. And he said: “Abraham!” And I said: “Here am I, thy servant.” ]1

And the angel said to me: “Answer him not; for God hath given him power (lit. will) over those who do answer him.”2 [And the angel spake to me a second time and said: “Now rath er, however much he speak to thee, answer him not, that his will may have no free cours e i n t h ee, because the Eternal and Mighty One h at h given him 3weight and will;3 answer h im not.” I did what was commanded me by the angel;]4 and however much he spake to me, I answered him 5nothing

whatsoever.5 Abraham and the Angel ascend on the Wings of the Birds to Heaven (Chapters XV.-XVI.).

And it came to pass when the sun went down, and lo! a smoke as of a furnace. 6 And the angels who had the portions of the sacrifice7 ascended from the top of the smoking furnace. And the Angel took me with the 8 right hand and set me on the right wing of the pigeon, and set himself on th e left9 wing of the turtle dove, which (birds) had neither been slaughtered nor divided. And he bore me to the borders of the flaming fire [and we ascended as with m any winds to the heaven wh ich was fixed upon th e surf ace. 1 0 And I saw on the air ]11 on the height, to which we ascended a strong light, which it was impossible to describe,12 and lo! in this light a fiercely burning fire for people, many people of male appearance,13 all (constantly) changing in aspect and form, running and being transformed, and worshipping and crying with a sound of words which I knew not.14

Th e bracketed clause is attested by A K, but i s abs en t from S. It may be a later interpolation (but see Introduction). A fine psychological touch. The text may be corrupt. It might mean an over-powering will. The bracketed clause is attested by A K, but is absent f r o m S. It i s obviously a parallel and alternative text to the preceding clause. Accordin g to Sreznevsky’s reading (no se ni ti, lit. “not th is nor th at”). Cf. Gen. xv. 17 (also xv. 12). Cf. chap. xii. above. A, his. A omits. i. e.? the heaven above the firmament. Omitted accidentally in S by h omoiotelen ton (“ascended... ascended”). i. e. the uncr eated light, which origin ally illumin ated the earth, but was with drawn when Adam sin ned. See furth er notes on xvii. below. K, sex. Th e description refers to the host of angels who are born daily, sing their song of praise befor e G od, and then disappear; cf. Genesis rabba lxxviii. 1: Rabbi Helbo in the name of R. Samuel bar Nahman said: “One angel-host never r ep eat s the song of praise, but every morning God creates a new angel-host and these cantillate a new song before H im an d then disappear.” They are created daily out of the stream of fire th at proceeds from th e holy hayyoth (ibid.); cf. Ps. c i v. 4. C f. also 2 Enoch xxix. 3: “And from the fire I made the ranks of the spiritual hosts, ten thousand angels, and their weapons ar e f i er y, a nd their garment is a burnin g flame”; see further Weber, p. 166 f.

And I said to the Angel: “Why1 hast thou brought me up here now, because I2 cannot now see, for I am already grown weak, and my spirit departeth from me?”3 And he said to me: “Remain by me; fear not! And He whom thou seest come straight tow ards us with great voice of holiness4—that is the Eternal One who Loveth thee; but Himself thou canst not see).5 But let not thy spirit grow faint [ on account of the loud crying],6 for I am with thee, strengthening thee.” Abraham, taught by the Angel, utters the Celestial Song and prays for Enlightenment (Chapter XVII.).

And while he yet spake (and) lo! fire7 came again st us 8round about,8 and a voice was in the fire like a voice of many waters, 9 like the sound of the sea in its uproar. 10 And the angel bent his head with me and worshipped.11 And I desired to fall down upon the earth, and the high place, on which w e stood, [at one moment rose upright,]12 but at another rolled downwards. 13 And he said: “O nly worship, Abraham, and utter the song which I have taught thee;” because there was no14 earth to fall upon. And I worshipped only, and uttered the song which

S, where. K, mine eyes. The mortal m an, con sci ous of his weakness, is blinded by th e heavenly light. On the other hand, Adam, before he fell, was able to see by its aid “from one end of the world to th e o ther” (T.B. Hag. 12a). i. e. proclaiming His holiness, so A; in S th e wor d is co rrupt. K (which may preserve the right reading here) has: “[wi t h a g r ea t v o ice] saying: Holy, holy, holy is the Lord.” In 1 Enoch xxxix. 12 the trisagion (Is. vi. 5) is the song of the angelic watchers. God is Himself invisible. Omitted by S. The Divine Presence is revealed by fire (Ex. iii. 2, Deut. iv. 36, Ps. lxxviii. 14), and God Himself i s s p oken of as “a consuming fire” (Deut. iv. 24, ix. 3). But here th e fiery chariot which bore the D i vi n e Presence is probably thought of; cf. Ezek. i. 4 (“a great cloud with a fire infolding itself”). A omits. Cf. Rev. i. 15 (Dan. x. 6). This feature is part of the supernatural colouring so c h ar ac t er i stic of Apocalyptic—the heavenly ligh t is of dazzling brilliance, the divine voice is like thunde r (c f. 2 En och xxxix. 7: “like great thunder with continual agitation of the clouds”); see Volz, Der G eis t G ott es, p. 120 f. Cf. Is. xvii. 12. A strongly Jewish touch—divine h o n o u r m ay b e paid to God alone, and to none other, even the most exalted of heavenly beings; cf. Rev. xxii. 9. S omits. This description is in terestin g. The seer has ascen ded “as with many wi n ds ” to h eaven, and is standing “on the height” (chap. xv.). He exp e r i en c e s a s trong feeling of desire to fall down upon the earth, because the high place on wh ich he is standing with the angel, at o ne moment rose upright, at another plunged downward (cf. 4 Ezra vi. 2 9 and 13-16). The commotion is produced by the Divine Voice. In chap. xxx. the seer finds himself suddenly (while God is speaking) again upon the earth. A omits no.

he had taught me.1 And he said: “Recite without ceasing.” And I recited, and he 2also himself2 with me3 recited the song:4 Eternal, mighty, Holy, El,5 God only—Supreme! Thou who art self-originated,6 incorruptible, spotless, Uncreate, immaculate, immortal, Self-complete, self-illuminating; Without father, without mother, unbegotten,7 Exalted, fiery One! Lover of men,8 benevolent,9 bountiful,10 jealous over me and very compassionate;11

Only the angels understand h ow to utter the divine song of praise, though t he blessed among mortals may (as here) be taught to si n g thus in a state of ecstasy. Each of the angelic spheres has its own “Voice” (cf. 1 Enoch xl. 3 ff.), and the angelic language is incomprehe n s i b l e t o m o r t als (cf. chap. xv. abov e, en d), though the illuminated and in spired seer may be taught both to understand and utter such “words” (as here; cf. ¦< (8fF F"4H 8"8,Ã< in N.T.). The exalted En och in heaven underwent a sim ilar experience (cf. 1 E n o ch l x xi. 11 f.: “I fell on my face and my whole body melted away, but my spirit was tr ansf igu red, and I cried with a loud voice,” etc.), as also did Isaiah (Asc. Is. viii. 17). According to Philo no beings can adequately express th e pr ais e due t o God (Life of Moses, ii. xxxi. [§ 239]), contrast Ecclus. xxxix. 6. See further Volz, op. cit., p. 137. 3

A omits. S omits. In Asc. Is. viii. 17 the inspired seer joins with the angel in the celestial song of praise. K, + the firs t s on g of Abraham which I, the holy angel Jaoel, taught him (while) moving with him in the air.

A K omit El. Cf. the opening lines of the Jewish med iæ v al h ym n, ’Adon ’ôl~m “Lord of th e world He reigned alon e, while yet creation was unformed,” and for “self-originat ed ” the phrase “beginningless” (blî r’shîth) applied to God in the same context. The divine n ame Shaddai was traditionally explained as = “the self-sufficient” (sh-dai hß lô). This idea may underlie the text here. C f. Heb. vii. 3, BVJTD :ZJTD •(g<g"8`(0J@H, of Melchizedek (= Heb. b‘’‘n ’~b b’‘n ’‘m be’‘n yahas). As Westcott rem arks (ad loc.), “The words (BVJTD, :ZJTD) were used con stantly in Greek mythology (e.g. of Athene and Hephæstus); and so passed into the loftier concep t io n s of the Deity, as in th at of Trismegistus quoted by Lactantius (iv. 13): ipse enim pater Deus et origo et principium rerum quoniam parentibus caret BVJTD atque :ZJTDa Trismegisto verissime nominatur, quod ex nullo sit procreatus.” = N4 8V <2D TB@<: cf. Wisdom i. 6 (“For Wisdom is a spirit that loveth men” [N48V<2DTB@< B<gØ"]. =? PD0FB`H. = P"D4FJ46`H. Cf. Deut. v. 9 f. The whole clause (from “lover of men” to “compassionate”) contains a short s um m ary of the divine attributes based upon Ex. xxxiv. 6, 7, a passage much used in later liter atur e (cf. e. g. Wisdom xv. 1), and especially in th e Liturgy; cf. 4 Ezra v i i. 132-viii. 3 and the writer’s notes thereon. These attributes are predicab l e es p ecially of the Tetragrammaton (Jahveh), which connotes more particularly the elements of mercy and compassion, while ’ElÇhâm denotes multiplied power (the Almighty), and is associated with the idea of justice and fixed law; ’El is pa r t o f ’El Ç hâm and den otes simply power.

Eli, that is, My God— Eternal, mighty holy Sabaoth,1 very glorious El, El, El, El, Jaoel!2 Thou art He whom my soul hath loved! Eternal Protector, shining like fire, Whose voice is like the thunder, 3 Whose look is like the lightning, all-seeing,4 Who receiveth the prayers of such as honour Thee! [And turneth away from the requests of such as embarrass with the embarrassment of their provocations, Who dissolveth the confusion s of th e world5 which arise from the ungodly and righ teous 6 in the corruptible age,7 renewing the age of the righteous! 8]9

Thou, O Light, shinest10 before the light of the11 morning upon Thy creatures,

Th e use of Sabaoth alone as a designation of God is unusual, but not unexampled; cf. Ex. rabba i i i. 6 [in answer to Moses’ question, What is His name? Ex. iii. 13]: “Th e Holy One, blessed be He, sai d: Dost thou seek to know my n am e? I am cal led accordin g to my deeds. I am called at various times by the names ’El Shaddai, Sabaoth, Elohim, Jahveh. When I judge the cre at u r es I am named Elohim, and wh en I wage war against the wicked I am called Sabaoth, and wh en I suspen d (th e punishment) o f m a n ’s s i n s I am called ’El Shaddai, and wh en I compassionate my world I am called Jahveh, because Jahveh m eans nought else but the attribute of compassion, as it is said (E x. x x x i v. 6 f.) Jahveh, Jahveh a God full of compassion,” etc. The fourfold El (attested only by S) look s like a substitution for the Tetragrammaton; Jaoel (here applied to God) is undoubtedly so. Elsewhere in this book it is the designation of the archangel. Cf. Note3 at beginning of this chapter. Cf. Dan. x. 6 (“and his face as the appearance of lightning, and his ey e s a s l am p s o f f i r e”) and Ezek. i. 13, 14. Lit. “the all” (Heb. ha-kÇl); the expression is som etimes so used in the later Hebrew Liturgy. The mixture of good and evil, or rather of the righteous and ungodly, in this wo rl d, m akes the present æon “corruptible” (cf. 4 Ezra iv. 2 6 - 3 0); e v en the righteous themselves suffer from contact with the godless—their h oliness is dimm ed. i. e. the present corruptible age ( o r “ æ o n ”); cf. 4 Ezra vii. 112, xiv. 13 (“ th e life that is corruptible”). The confusions of th e present world w i l l b e o v ercome by the elimination of the godless; then the renovated world (i. e. the present world purified) will become the fit habitati on of t h e righteous. This view harmonises with the Rabbinical, whi ch contemplated a renovation of the present world; see further Volz, Eschatologie, p. 297, and cf. Jubilees, passim. The bracketed clause i s at t e s ted by A K, but om itted by S; it is probably an interpolation. The rhythm is much improved by its omission. Or “Thou shinest as Light”; the original Semitic text should pro b a b l y b e rendered “Thou didst shine.” Light is th e most striking feature in the highest h eaven (cf. 2 E n o c h x x. i, “I saw there a very great light,” and xxxi. 2); God is Light (cf. 1 John i. 5). H i s majesty is surrounded with light to make Him invisible to all beings (T. B. Megilla, 19b). It is this heavenly light which is referred to here (cf. also Wisdom vii. 26 f., where Wisdom is represented as t h e r ad ian ce of the everlasting light). The first act of creation was when God “robed Himself with light as with a garment” (Ps. civ. 2), while the “radian ce o f His glory” (Heb. ziv h|d~r Ç) illumined the earth from one end to th e ot h er (c f. Gen. rabba iii., Pirke de R.

Eliezer iii.). This h eavenly light was afterwards withdrawn; the lumin aries receive their light fro m a s p ark o f i t. Fo r ligh t as a symbol of blessedness cf. Volz, Eschatologie, p. 328. Ps. xix. contrasts natural (created) and spiritual light. Perhaps, as Ginzberg suggests, “before the morning l i g h t ” i s a mistranslation of the Semitic origin al “before the primæval morning” (’ôr r§shôn or nhôr~ kadm Çniyy~). The meani ng o f t h e original line would be that God at first illumined the earth with the heavenly radiance. [so that it becometh 1 day upon the earth,]2

And in Thy2 heavenly dwelling places there is no need of any other light than (that) of the unspeakable splendour from the lights of Thy countenance. 3 Accept my prayer [and be well-pleased with it],4 likewise also the sacrifice which Thou hast prepared Thee through me who sought Thee! Accept me favourably, and shew me, and teach me, And make known to Thy servant as thou hast promised me!5

Abraham’s Vision of the Divine Throne (Chapter XVIII.).

And6 while I still recited the song, the mouth of the fire which was on the surface rose up on high. And I heard a voice like the roaring of the sea; nor did it cease on account of7 the rich abundance7 of the fire.8 And as the fire raised itself up, ascending into the height, I saw under the fire a throne of fire,9 and, round about it

Render became. S omits. Cf. Rev. xxii. 5, xxi. 23, Is. lx. 19 f. [ Th e t h e m e i s expanded in the Synagogue Liturgy in connexion with the Benediction over light which precedes the recitation of th e Shem a: “ Blessed art Thou, O Lord, who formest light an d c r ea t es t darkn ess.... Yea, eternal ligh t (Heb. ’ôr ’ôl~m) in the treasury of life; for He spake, and out of darkness there was light.”] The bracketed clause is attested by A K; S omits. Abraham prays th at the sacrifice m ay be accepted, and as a r esult of this that the secrets of the future may be disclosed by revelation. The prayer seems to be a personal addition to the song of praise on the part of A brah am. The structu r e of the whole with its opening invocation, made up of clauses describing the divine attributes and transcendence, and f o l l o w e d b y a prayer, is similar to that of 4 Ezra viii. 20 ff. (cf. especially verses 20-27), which is also poetical in form. Here it is to be noticed that the “song” proper appears to be a mi d r ashic developmen t of th e divine attributes and character as deduced from the various names of God (El Shaddai, Elohim, Jahveh, Sabaoth). 7 S omits. So A K; S is corrupt here. i.e.? the voice was still audible even through the crackling of th e fire. Cf. 2 En och xx. 3. The vision of God’s th rone of glory was the central p o i nt of the mystical experience.

all-seeing ones, 1 reciting the song, and under the throne four fiery living creatures singing, and their appearance was one, each one of them with four faces.2 And3 such was the appearance of their countenances, of a lion, of a man, of an o x, of an eagle:4 four heads [were upon their bodies]5 [so that the four creatures had sixteen faces];6and each had six wings; 7 from their shoulders, [and their sides] 8 and their loins. And with the (two) wings from their shoulders they covered their faces, and with the (two) wings which (sprang) from their loins they covered their feet, while the (two) middle wings they spread out for flying straightforward.9 And when they had ended the singing, they looked at one another and threatened one another.10 And it came to pass when the angel who w as with me saw that they were threatening each other, he left me and went running to them and turned the countenance of each living creature from the countenance immediately confronting him, in order that they might not see their countenances threatening each other.11 And he taught them the song of peace which 1 2 hath its origin [in the Eternal One].12 And as I stood alone and looked, I saw behind the living creatures a chariot with fiery wheels, each wheel full of eyes round about;13 and over the wheels was a throne;14 which I saw, and this was covered w ith fire, and fire encircled it round about,15 and lo! an indescribable fire environed a fiery host. And I heard its holy voice like the voice of a man.16

“The watchfulness of many eyes” (2 Enoch xx. 1), cf. Ezek. i. 18, x. 12: t h e “Ophannim” (“Wheels”) are so described, and are regarded as an order of heavenly beings (like th e Cherubim). But h e r e the Cherubim are probably meant. 3 Cf. Ezek. i. 5, 6. S K omit. 5 Cf. Ezek. i. 10 (Rev. iv. 7). S omits. The bracketed clause is attested by A K; S omits. It looks like a scribal gloss. So Rev. iv. 8 (based on Is. vi. 2); in Ezek. i. 6 th e four “living creatures” have each four wings. Here S reads three (i. e.? three pairs of wings). 9 S omits. Cf. Is. vi. 2, Ezek. i. 11, 12. The underlying idea of this stran ge representation seems to be that of emulation and rivalry (in service). This may be illus t rat ed fr om t h e Midrash Tauhuma on Gen. ii. 4 (ed. Buber, p. 10), where in a comment on the verse Domin ion and fear are with him, he maketh peace in his high places (Job xxv. 2) it is said: “ Dom inion, i. e. Michael, and fear, i. e. Gabriel; who maketh peace in his high places, even the celes ti al s (h~-‘elyônîm) need peace. The constellations rise: Taurus says, “I am first, and I see what is before him”; the Gemini say, “I am first, and I see what is before him”; and so every single one says, “I am first” (corrected text). It is to be noted that in the mystical Hebrew literature concerned with the theme of the Divine Chariot and Th ron e (Merkaba) the angels who guard the Chariot are r epr esen ted as fierce and warlike in aspect—flames dart for t h fr om t h eir eyes, and th ey are armed with fiery weapons (cf. Jellinek, Beth ha-Midrash iii. 94 f.). See furth er A dditional N ote II (p. 87). The relative position of th e celestial beings about the div in e throne is th us described in th e Liturgy: “The hayyoth [‘livin g creatures’] sing: the Ch erubim glorify: the Serap h i m ex ul t, and the Arelim bless. The face of every hayy a, Ophan, and Ch erub is set toward the Seraphim, and thus confronting each the other, they utter praise and say, Blessed be the glory of the Lord from His place” (S er vice of the Synagogue, Festival Prayers (New Year), p. 87 (ed. Davis)). Lit. which is in itself [of the Eternal One]: S omits th e bracketed words. 14 Cf. Ezek. i. 15, 18, x. 9, 12. Cf. Ezek. i. 26. Cf. Ezek. i. 27. Cf. Ezek. i. 28 (end) combined with i. 26.

God discloses to Abraham the Powers of Heaven (Chapter XIX.).

And a voice came to me out of the midst of the fire, saying: “Abraham, Abraham!” I said: “Here am I!” 1 And He said: “Consider the expanses which are under the firmament on which thou art (now) placed, 2 and see how on no single expanse is there any other but He whom thou hast sought, or who hath loved thee.”3 And w hile He 4 was yet speaking (and) lo! the expanses opened, and beneath me5 the heavens. And I saw upon the seventh firmament upon which I stood a fire widely extended, and light, and dew, and a multitude of angels, and a power of invisible glory over the living creatures which I saw; but no other being did I see there.6 And I looked from the mountain 7in which I stood7 [downwards] 8 to the sixth firmament, and saw there a multitude of angels, of (pure) spirit, without bodies, who carried out the commands of the fiery angels who were upon the ei ghth 9firmament, as I was standing suspended over them. And behold, upon this firmament 10there were no other powers10 of (any) other form, but only angels of (pure) spirit, like the power which I saw on the seventh firmament. 11 And He commanded 12that the sixth firmament13 should be taken away.12 And I saw there, on the fifth firmament,13 the powers of the stars which carry out the commands laid upon them, and the elements of the earth obeyed them. 14

Cf. Ex. iii. 4, 4 Ezra xiv. 1 (K, + Lord). Abraham is now presumably “placed” in the seventh heaven, and surveys from abov e what is discl osed t o him as existin g in th e various firmaments below him, and in th e earth (the angels, celestial bodies, and everythin g th at is movin g on th e earth). ? God is the sole controller of all these, and in this sense is the only reality. 5 A K this (voice). A, them. In Asc. Is. vii. 7 f. it is said that Isaiah saw in the seventh heaven “a wonderful light and angels innumerable,” an d “ al l the righteous from the time of Adam” (including Abel and Enoch); in T. B. Hag. 12b th e seventh heaven (‘Araboth) c on t a in s judgement and righteousness, the treasures of life, peace, and blessing, the souls of the departed righ teous, the spirits and souls yet unborn, th e dew with which God will awake the dead, t he Seraphim, Ophannim, Hayyoth, and other angels of service, and God Himself sitting on the Throne of Glory. No doubt the “dew” in our passage is th e r esurrection-dew. Fire and light are much dwelt upon in this connexion. Possibly this mystical literature was in flue nced by the cult of Mithra, who was especially the God of Light. 8 Lit. of my standing. S omits. 10 eighth can hardly be righ t: read? seventh. So A; S, their powers were not. In 2 Enoch xix. the seer describes what he saw in th e s ixth h eaven: legions of angels more resplendent than the sun, the archangels set over the sun, star s, s e as o n s, rivers, vegetation, the living things and the souls of men, w i t h s i x p h œ n i x e s, seven cherubim, and seven hayyoth in the midst, all singing with a voice indescribably beautiful; cf. also Asc. Is. viii. 1 ff, 6 ff., where the sixth heaven is described as full of hosts of angels utterin g pr ai s e. In our passage apparently th e angels of service (ministering angels) are located in this heaven. A K, the sixth firmament and it went away: S reads third for sixth. Lit. surface. In T. B. Hag. 12b th e sun, moon, and stars are l ocat ed in t h e second heaven; in 2 Enoch xi. 1-5 “the course of the sun” and the angels “which wait upon the sun” are located in the fourth heaven.

The Promise of a Seed (Chapter XX.).

And the Eternal Mighty One said to me: “Abraham, Abraham!” And I said: “Here am I.” [And He said:] 1 “Consider from above the stars which are beneath thee, and number, 2 them [for me],3 and make known [to me]3 their number.” And I said: “When can I? For I am but a man [of dust and ashes].4 And he said to me: “As the number of the stars and their power, (so will) I make thy seed a nation 5 and a people, set apart for me in my heritage with Azazel.”6 And I said: “O Eternal, Mighty One! Let thy servant speak before Thee, and let not Thine anger kindle against Thy chosen one!7 Lo, before Thou leddest me up Azazel inveighed against me. How, then, while he is not now before Thee, hast Thou constituted Thyself with him?” A Vision of Sin and Paradise: the Mirror of the World (Chapter XXI.).

And I said: “O Eternal, Mighty One! What is this picture of the creatures?” And He said to me: “This is my will with regard to those who exist in the (divine) world-counsel,8 and it seemed well-pleasing before my sight, and then afterwards I gave commandment to them through my Word.9 And it came to pass whatever I had determined to be, was already planned beforehand in this (picture), and it stood before me ere it was created, as thou hast seen.”10

Or possession. Leviathan’s dwelling is “in the lowest waters” (Pirke de R. Eliezer ix.). All th e great sea-mon sters in the sea are Leviathan’s food, one being devoured every day (ibid.). “and between its [Leviathan’s] fins rests the middle bar of the earth” (op. cit., ibid.). When Leviathan is hungry, one haggadic saying runs, “it sends forth from its mouth a heat so gr eat as to make all the waters of the deep boil.” [The two great monsters in the original form of t h e legen d were Behemoth (the male) and Leviathan (the female): cf. Job xl.-xli.; 1 Enoch lx. 7 f.; Ap. Bar. x x i x. 4. In th e Rabbinical form of the Haggada (cf. T. B. Baba bathra 74b) each mon ster was multiplied into a pair, male and female; but they were ren d e r ed i n c ap able of producing an y progeny, lest by so doing they should “destroy the world.” The female leviathan was kille d a n d r e se r v ed for the righteous in the world to come; the male leviathan will not be slain till th e last; see fur th er 4 Ezra vi. 49-52, and th e writer’s discussion in E.A., pp. 90 ff., with references. A, sources. The heavenly Paradise is ref er r ed to wh i ch i s to be the abode of the righteous (“those wh o beh aved righteously”), whose fruits are “incorruptible” (4 Ezra vii. 123), wherein is “the tree of life” (Rev. ii. 7) whose “leaves are f or the healing of the nations” (Rev. xxii. 2). In 2 Enoch viii. 2 the seer describes how he saw in Paradise “all the trees o f beautiful colours and their fruits ripe and fragrant, and all kinds of food which they produced, springi ng up with delightful fragrance.” N ote that P aradise is here located on the earth, though the transcenden tal Paradise is meant: see E.A., p. 196. The bracketed clause is omitted (accidentally) in S. The whole world is divided into two parts; the people of Go d on th e righ t half, and the nations on th e left. The latter (= th e heathen) arc Azazel’s portion (cf. chap. xxxi.). Emended text (Bonwetsch); MSS. read in the light. N o t e t h i s h ypostasising use of Word developed from such passages as Ps. xxxii. 6; cf. Heb. xi. 3, 2 Pet. iii. 5, 4 Ezra vi. 38. The whole conception is s t r o n g l y p redestinarian; the whole course of creation—the rise of evil, and the coming of the r i gh t e ou s— i s predetermined; cf. 1 Enoch xciii., cvi. 19, cvii. 1, and Charles’s note on 1 Enoch xlvii. 3. A strong expression of this idea occurs in 4 Ezra iv. 36, 37. For the “picture” of our passage we may perhaps compare the “pattern” ( ßB@*g\(:") of Heb. viii. 5 (Ex. xxv. 40, xxvi. 30, Acts vii. 44). In th e Rabbinical literature Israel’s election is spoken of as p red estined before the creation of the worl d, and th is idea is applied to certain other thin gs, such as the name of the Messiah, the Torah, an d

repentance. In such connexions they often employ the figure of an architect and plans. One passage (Gen. rabba i.) runs: When a man erects a building, at the time when the building is erected he enlarges it as it is erected, or other w is e he en larges it below, and contracts it above: but the Holy One... does not act thus, but “the heavens” (which He created) were the heavens which had as cended in (His) thought, and “the earth” (which He created) was the earth which had ascended in His thought. It was, however, the Essenes who insisted on an absolute predestination. The Rabbis, while allowing for a certain amoun t of predestination, emph asised man’s moral freedom: “Everything is foreseen, but free will is given,” as Aki ba said.

And I said: “O Lord, mighty and eternal! Who are the people in this picture on this side and on that?” And He said to me: “These which are on the left side are the multitude of the peoples which have formerly been in existence and which are after thee destined,1 some for judgement and restoration, and others for vengeance and destruction at the end of the world.2 But these which are on the right side of the picture—they are the people set apart for me of the peoples with Azazel. 3 These are they whom I have ordained to be born of thee and to be called My People.

“Now look again in the picture, who it is wh o seduced Eve and what is the fruit of the tree, [and]4 thou wilt know what there shall be, and h ow it shall be to thy seed5 6among the people at the end of the days of the age,6 and so far as thou canst not understand I will make known to thee, for thou art well-pleasing in my sight, and I will tell thee wh at is kept in my heart.” And I looked into the picture, and mine eyes ran to the side of the Garden of Eden. And I saw there a man very great in height and fearful in breadth, incomparable in aspect,7 embracing a woman, who likewise approximated to the aspect and shape of the man. And they were 8 standing under a tree of (the Garden of) Eden, and the fruit of this tree9 was like the appearance of a bunch of grapes of the vine,10 and behind the tree was standing as it were a

Lit. prepared. Of the peoples on the left side, wh o r ep resent th e heathen world as opposed to the Jews, some are to be spared at the final judgement, while the rest will be annih ilated; cf. Ap. Bar. l x x i i, 2, where it is said of the Me ss i ah t h a t he will summon all the nations, and some of them He will spare, and some of them He will slay. Sometimes (as in 4 Ezr a x i i i. 37 ff.) the wh ole heathen world is doom ed to annih ilation, and this view i s v e r y pr ominent in later Judaism. The idea of our text accords with the older view based upon such passages as Ps. lxxii. 1 1, 1 7; Is. lxvi. 12, 19-21 (cf. Psalms of Solomon, xvii. 34). Notice that our passage says nothing about the Messiah in this connexion. 4 Cf. chap. xx. note 6 S omits. 6 So A K, reading s meni; S has to thy name (reading imeni). So S; but A K omit. Adam’s great stature is often referred to in Rabbinical literature: “it reached” (when he was first created) “from one en d o f the world to th e other,” but when he sinned it was diminished (T. B. Hag. 12a); his manly beauty is also referred to T. B. Baba mesia 84a). 9 K, + both. Cf. Gen. iii. 6. Cf. T. B. Berakoth 40a, where it is recorded that R. Meir declared th at the tree of which A dam ate was a vine, because the one thing that brings woe upon mankind is wine; cf. Gen. ix. 21 (“A nd h e drank of the wine and was drunken”). S o al s o the Greek, Ap. Bar. iv. 8 (cf. Sanh. 70a, Bereshith rabba xix. 8). The usual opinion was that the tree was a fig-tree; according to another view (G en. rabba x i. 8) the fruit was b arl ey; an other (Samuel ben Isaac) a date. With this last agrees the varia lectio of A K here (“palm-tree”).

serpent in form, having hands and feet like a man’s,1 and wings on its shoulders, six2 on the right side and six2 on the left,3 and they were holding the grapes of the tree 4in their hands,4 and both were eating it whom I had seen embracing. And I said: “Who are these mutually embracing, or who is this who is between them, or what is the fruit which they are eating, O Mighty Eternal One?” And He said: “This is 5the human world,5 this is Adam, and this is their desire upon the earth, this is Eve; but he who is between them representeth ungodliness, their beginning (on the way) to perdition, even Azazel.”6 And I said: “O Eternal, Mighty One! Why hast Thou given to such power to destroy the generation of men in their works upon the earth?” And He said to me: “They who will (to do) evil—and how much I hated (it) in those who do it!—over them I gave him power, and to be beloved of them.”7 And I answered and said: “O Eternal, Mighty One! Wherefore hast Thou willed to effect that evil should be desired in the hearts of men, since Thou indeed art angered over that which was willed by Thee, at him who is doing what is unprofitable in thy counsel8?”

And He said to me: “Being angered at the nations9 on thy account, and on account of the people of thy family who are (to be) separated after thee, as thou seest in the picture the burden (of destiny) that (is laid) upon them10—and I will tell thee what shall be, and how much shall be, in the last days. Look now at everything in the picture.” And I looked and saw there what was before me in creation; I saw Adam, and Eve existing with him, and with them the cunning Adversary,11 and Cain who acted lawlessly through

Cf. Gen. rabba xx. 8: “Upon thy bel ly s h a lt thou go: At the moment when the Holy One... said to t h e s erpent upon thy belly shalt thou go the ministering angels descended and cut off its hands and its feet, an d its cry went from one end of the world to th e other.” This legend was well kn own i n an t i q ui t y. According to Syncellus (i. 14) the serpent h a d o r i gi n a l ly four feet; cf. also Josephus i. 1, 4, who declares t h at the serpent was deprived of both language and feet. For the punishmen t of th e serpent see P irk e de R. Eliezer xiv. (ed. Friedlander, p. 99 an d notes). v.l. three. This description really applies to Sammael (or Azazel), who had twelv e win gs (Pirke de R. Eliezer xiii.), and who descended and, finding the serpent skilful t o do evil, mounted and rode upon it. Before its punishmen t by God the serpent had the appearance of a camel, according to the same authority (ibid.). A K omit. Lit. “council of th e world,” so K; A S, “light of the worl d.” A dam (whose body is compounded of the four primal elements) is the microcosm. Azazel plays the part elsewhere assigned to Samm ael; h e uses the serpent as his instrument (cf. Pirke de R. Eliezer xiii.). In chap. xiii. (end) th e wick ed (as distinguished from the righteous) are spoken of as those who “follow” Azazel, and “love” what he wills. They are Azazel’s “portion.” A striking fe at u r e o f o ur book is the way in which th e souls and bodies of men are represented as possessed by either good or evil powers. A K, world (which may be right). The word in S rendered coun sel is an un us ual one in this m eanin g. A, men. This apparently is the answer to th e question given at the end of the previous chapter. God allows men to desire evil (with i t s inevitable punishment later) because of the treatment meted out by the nations to the chosen seed (A braham an d his descen dants). Cf. 2 Cor. xi. 3 (“th e serpent beguiled Eve in his craftin es”).

the Adversary,1 and the slaughtered Abel, (and) the destruction brought and caused upon him through the lawless one.2 I saw there also Impurity,3 and those who lust after it, and its pollution, and their jealousy, and the fire of their corruption in the lowest parts of the earth. I saw there Theft, and those who hasten after it, and the arrangement [of their ret ribution, the judgemen t o f t h e G r eat Assize].4 I saw there5 naked men, the foreheads against each other, and their disgrace, and their passion which (they had) against each other, and their retribution. I saw there Desire, and in her hand the head o f every kind of lawlessness [and her scorn and h er waste assigned to perdition].6

I saw there the likeness of the idol of jealousy,7 having the likeness of woodwork such as my father was wont to make, and its statue8 was of glittering bronze; and before it a man, and he worshipped it; and in front of him an altar, and upon it a boy slain in the presence of the idol. But I said to Him: “What is this idol, or what is the altar, or 9who are they that are sacrificed,9 or who is the sacrificer? Or what is the Temple which I see that is beautiful in art, and its beauty (being like) the glory that lieth beneath Thy10 throne?” And He said: “Hear, Abraham. This which thou seest, the Temple and altar and beauty, is my idea of the priesthood of my glorious Name, in which dwelleth every single prayer of man, and the rise of kings and prophets, and whatever sacrifice I ordain to be offered to me among my people who are to come out of thy generation.11 But the statue which thou sawest is mine anger12 wherewith the people13 anger me who are to proceed for me from thee. But the man

According to Pirke de R. Eliezer xxi. Cain was the offspring of Eve and Sammael. In Ep. Barnabas xv. 5 the Devil is called “the Lawless O n e” ( Ò –<@:@H): when His Son shall come, and shall abolish the time of the Lawless One (cf. also 2 Thess. ii. 8). N ot ice that here and below certain evil tendencies are personified (Impurity, Theft, Desire; t h e catalogue seems to have been i nf luen ced by the Decalogue, Comm andm ents vii., viii., x.) In later Kabbalisti c b o o ks such tendencies are personified as demons; cf. e. g. The Testament of Solomon, § 34 (J.Q.R., xi. 24; 1899), where seven female demons appear before Solomon bearing such n am es as “Deception,” “Strife,” “Jealousy,” “Power.” The bracketed clause is missing in S. A, also (instead of there). Omitted by S. Perhaps the clause is an interpolation; in any case the text appears t o b e co r r upt. The word here rendered scorn (moltshanie, lit. “silen c e”) i s sometimes used in this sense, expressing “contempt,” “scorn”; see D’yachenko’s Church Slavonic Dictionary, s.v. Cf. Ezek. viii. 3, 5. Or body. K, who is the sacrificed one. S, my (a scri bal mistake?). The whole sacrificial system an d t h e L ev i t i cal cultus are of divine origin, and embody the divine i deal. The “rise of kings and prophets” is apparently in volved in it as a subordinate development from i t. The tone of the pas sag e is reminiscent rather of Jubilees. In apocalyptic literature such allusions to the cultus are rare. “The image of jealousy” is correctly explained here as meanin g th e im age which provokes God’s jealousy or anger. Idolatrous practices in Israel are referred to. K omits the people.

whom thou sawest slaughtering—that is he who inciteth murderous sacrifices,1 of (sic) which are a witness2 to me of the final judgement, even at the beginning of creation.” Why Sin is permitted (Chapter XXVI.).

And I said: “O Eternal, Mighty One! Wherefore hast Thou established3 that it should be so, and then proclaim the knowledge thereof?” And He said to me: “Hear, Abraham; understand what I say to thee, and answer me as4 I question thee. Why did thy father Terah not listen to thy voice, and (why) did he not cease from the devilish idolatry until he perished [and]5 his whole household with him?”

And I said: “O Eternal, [Mighty One]!5 (It was) entirely because he did not choose to listen to me; but I, too, did not follow his works.” And He said [to me]:6 “Hear, Abraham. As the counsel7 of thy father is in him, and as thy counsel is in thee, so also is the counsel of my will in me ready for the coming days, before thou hast knowledge of these,8 or (canst) see with thine eyes what is future in them. How those of thy seed will be, look in the picture.” A Vision of Judgement and Salvation (Chapter XXVII.).

And I answered and said: “O Mighty, [Eternal One],17 hallowed by Thy power! Be favourable to my petition, [for for this h ast Th ou b rough t me up here—and shew me].18 As Thou hast brought me up to Thy height, so make [this] 17 known to me, Thy beloved one, as much as I ask—whether what I saw shall happen to them for long?”19

The writer obviously has in min d t h e op erat ions of the Romans under Titus, which ended in the d es t r u ct i o n of the Temple by fire in A.D. 70. For the burning an d pillaging of the Temple cf. Joseph us, War, vi. 4, 5 f.; cf. also 4 Ezra x. 21 f. Of those wh o were not killed in the Roman war, some were reserv ed for the victor’s triumph, some for the arena, an d the rest were sold as slaves; cf. Josephus, War, vi. 9, 2 f. 4 Omitted by S. A, from now onward. K, angered. 7 Lit. so much. A omits. Israel’s captivity and sufferings are due to lapse into idolatry. 10 So A K; but S omits. A omits but. Something has fallen out of the text here. So A K; S, this. [The sent ence O E t ernal Mighty One... his (?) righteousness is rendered according to the text of A K; the text of S here is not in order.] 14 So K; A, him; S omits. So S; A K, the type (set) by. The “kings” and “righ teous -dealin g rulers” referred to are, presumably, such as David, Hezekiah, and Jo si ah, un der whose rule the claims of righteousness were recognised and the sovereignty of God, to some extent, realised. Lit. “for them” (=? “ for themselves”)—from the righteous rulers s pr i n g sons who are faithless to their heritage (such as Manasseh). The sentence is obscure, and the meaning uncertain. S omits. Omitted accidentally in S (by homoioteleuton, “brought up... brought up”). Cf. 4 Ezra iv. 33 ff.

And He showed me a multitude of His people, an d said to me: “On their account through four issues,1 as thou sawest, I shall be provoked by them, and in these2 my retribution for their deeds shall be (accomplished). But in the fourth outgoing3 of a hundred years4 and one hour of the age—the same is a hundred years5—it shall be in misfortune among the heathen [but one hour in mercy and contumely, as among the heathen].”6

“And then I will sound the trumpet 1 out of the air, and will send mine Elect One,2 having in him all my power, one measure3; and this one shall summon4 my despised people from the nations,5 and I will burn with fire6 those7 who have insulted them and who have ruled among8 them in (this) Age. “And I will give those who have covered me with mockery to the scorn of the coming Age;9 and I have prepared them to be food 1 0 for the fire of Hades and for ceaseless flight to and fro through the air in the underworld beneath the earth11 [the body filled with worms.12 For on them shall th ey see the righteousness of th e Creator—those, namely, who have chosen to do my will, and those who have openly kept my13 commandments,14 (and) they shall rejoice with joy over the

The t r um p et is blown to announce the Divine intervention and the coming of salvation; it is n ot a direct summons to the exiles to return (cf. Volz, p. 310); cf. Benediction X in the Shm Çn ‘ ‘ Es r ‘ P r ayer (Singer, p. 48): Sound the great horn for our freedom; lift up the ensign to gather our ex iles, and gat her us from the four corners of the earth. This title of the Messiah is a favourite on e in th e “ Si militudes” of 1 Enoch; cf. 1 Enoch xlviii. 9, lv. 4, etc. It recurs as a Messianic title in Luke ix. 35, xxiii. 35, and goes back to Is. xlii. 1. i.e. a measure of all th e divine attributes—he reflects in little the totality of t h e div in e character. This is an exalted conception, but does no t s eem to imply more than that the Messiah is a divinely end owed m a n, f ul l o f the power of the Holy Spirit (Is. xi. 1), which makes him free from sin (Ps. Sol. xvii. 36 f.). He is not depicted as a supernatural angelic being like Met a t r o n. H e i s sent by God at the appointed time; cf. Ps. Sol. xvii. 23, Gal. iv. 4, John xvii. 3. N ot e t hat it is th e Messiah here who summons the outcast Israelites from the nations (so also Ps. Sol. xvii. 28, Matt. xxiv. 31, 4 Ezra xiii. 39). More usually th is is perform ed by God Himself (cf. the prayer cited in note1 above). Cf. Is. lx. 4. Punishment of the godless by fire at God’s hands is a common featur e in the eschatology. It is the fire of the divin e an ger t h at i s t h ought of, and is based upon Mal. iv. 1 (iii. 19); cf. the “fiery stream” and “flaming breath” which t h e Messiah emits from his mouth to destroy his enemies in 4 Ezra xiii. 10 (interpreted figuratively in verses 36 f.). A adds through him (after I will), i. e. th rough th e Messiah; K, through them. i. e. the heathen nations. i. e. “over.” Cf. Ap. Bar. lxxii. 6 ( “ Bu t al l t hose who have ruled over you... shall be given to the sword”). Those who have s co r n e d s h a l l be scorned; cf. Wisdom iv. 18, Dan. xii. 2, Ps. Sol. ii. 32 f. (“the coming Age” is the Age of the righteous). Possibly renegade Jews are referred to, and are the subject of the remaining part of this chapter. Cf. Mal. iv. I (iii. 19). Here t wo co n ceptions seem to be mixed; there is (1) the idea of “th e fire of Hades” (or Hell), which is located beneath the earth (for “Hades” = Hell in this sense: cf. Ps. Sol. xv. 11); t h i s f i re consumes their bodies; (2) combined with this is the idea of wanderin g (f l ying) restlessly about (properly in the air or outer darkn ess); cf. 4 Ezra vii. 80. In T. B. Shabb. 152b the souls of the wicked are said to be given no p l ac e o f re st t ill the judgement. Here (at the word earth) S ends. The rest of the text (printed in small type) is found both in A and K. In Judith xvi. 17 “fire and worms” await the heathen enemie s of Israel; cf. Ecclus. vii. 17, 1 En och x l v i. 6 (“darkness will be their dwelling and worm s th eir bed”), Is. lxvi. 24. Here renegade Jews ar e probably meant. 14 A, thy. Cf. Is. lxvi. 24, 4 Ezra vii. 93.

downfal l of t h e m en who still remain, who have followed the idols and their murders.1 For they shall putrefy in the b o dy o f t h e evil worm Azazel,2 and be burn t with the fire of A zazel’s tongue;3 for I hoped th at they would come to m e,4 and n ot have l o v ed an d p rai s ed th e strange (god),5 and n ot have adhered to h im for wh om they were not allotted,6 but (instead) they have forsaken the migh ty Lord.”

Conclusion (Chapter XXXII.)

“Th erefore hear, O Abraham, an d s ee; l o! t h y seventh generation 7 (shall) go with thee, and they shall go o u t i n t o a strange land, and they shall enslave them, and evil-entreat them 8 as it were an hour of the Age of ungodliness9 but the nation whom they shall serve I will judge.”]10