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Cornell University Library30.A6A3 1918

Thetineoriginal oftliisbool is inCornell University Library.There are no known copyrightrestrictions inthe United States on the use of 44048

TRANSLATIONS OF EARLY DOCUMENTSSERIESIPALESTINIAN JEWISH TEXTS(PRE-RABBINIC)THE APOCALYPSE OFABRAHAM

THE APOCALYPSEOF ABRAHAMEDITED, WITH A TRANSLATION FROM THE SLAVONICTEXT AND NOTESBYG.LECTURERH. 130X, M.A.IN RABBINICHEBREW, KING'S COLLEGE, LONDONST. ALBANSJHON. CANON OFWITH THE ASSISTANCE OFJ.I.LANDSMANSOCIETY FOR PROMOTINGCHRISTIAN KNOWLEDGELONDON: 68, HAYMARKET, S.W.NEW YORK:\hE MACMILLAN COMPANYi.1918

Printed in Great Britain dyRichard Clay & Sons, Limited,brunswick st., stamford st., s.e. i,and bungay, suffolk.illi(

EDITORS' PREFACEThe object of this series of translations is primarilyto furnish students with short, cheap, and handytext-books, which, it is hoped, will facilitate thestudy of the particular texts in class under competent teachers. But it is also hoped that thevolumes will be acceptable to the general readerwho may be interested in the subjects with whichthey deal.It has been thought advisable, as ageneral rule, to restrict the notes and comments toa small compass; more especially as, in most cases,excellent works of a more elaborate character areavailable.Indeed, it is much to be desired thatthese translations may have the effect of inducingreaders to study the larger works.Our principal aim, in a word, is to make somedifficult texts, important for the study of Christianorigins, more generally accessible in faithful andscholarly translations.In most cases these texts are not available in acheap and handy form. In one or two cases textshave been included of books which are availablein the official Apocrypha; but in every such casereasons exist for putting forth these texts in a newtranslation, with an Introduction, in this series.Anedition of The Apocalypse of Abraham is inthe present volume. The explanatorynotes, in this case, given in the commentary on thecluded in

PREFACEviand fuller than usual. Thiswas rendered necessary by the fact that the Book istext, are rather longermadefirstaccessibletime;hereand thetoEnglish readersdifficultiesfor thein theand obscuritiestext are not inconsiderable.W.O. E. Oesterley.G. H. Box.

;INTRODUCTIONShort Account of the BookThe Apocalypse oj Abraham, which has beenpreserved in old Slavonic literature, falls into twodistinct parts (cf. the somewhat similar case of TheAscension oj Isaiah). The first part, contained inchaps, i.-viii., consists of a Midrashic narrativebased upon the legend of Abraham's conversionfrom idolatry, which has several peculiar features.The second part (chaps, ix.-xxxii.) is purelyapocalyptic in character, and contains a revelationmade to Abraham about the future of his race, afterhis (temporary) ascent into the heavenly regions,under the guidance of the archangel Jaoel, who hereseems to play the part of Metatron-Michael. It isbased upon the account of Abraham's trance-visiona favourite theme fordescribed in Genesis xv.In the Book, as it lies beforeapocalyptic speculation.Thusus, the two parts are organically connected./ am the one whoin chap. x. the archangel sayswas commissioned to set on fire thy father's housetogether with him, because he displayed reverence fordead [idols) an allusion to the narrative of chap. viii.and the general plan of the whole work seems to bebased upon the idea that Abraham's dissatisfactionwith the idol-worship by which he was surrounded,which found vent in his strong protest to his fatherTerah (chaps, i.-viii.), appealed so much to the divinefavour, that the archangel Jaoel was specially sent—:—1See AppendixviiI,esp. p. 93.

INTRODUCTIONviiiinitiate him into theWhether themysteries.apocalyptic portion ever existed in a shorter andindependent form will be discussed below.The Book opens with a description of Abraham'sactivities as a maker and seller of idols, his fatherby Godto instruct himof heavenlyandknowledgeTerah being a manufacturerof idols.His doubtsas to the justifiable character of the idol-worship areroused especially by an accident that befell the stoneimage called Merumath, and by a similar accident thathappened to " five other gods," by which they werei.-ii.).Reflecting on this, heled to protest to his father against the unreaUtyof asking a blessing from such helpless images, therebyrousing Terah's anger (chaps, iii.-iv.). He is led totest further the powers of the idols by placing abroken in pieces (chaps,iswooden god Barisat before the fire, and telling theidol to see that the fire must not be allowed to diedown during his absence. On returning he finds Barisatfallen backwards and " horribly burnt " (chap. v.).He again protests to his father against the futility ofsuch worship, sarcastically contrasting the relativemerits of gold, silver and wooden idols (chap. vi.).He then proceeds to show that the elements of fire,water, earth, and the heavenly bodies (sun, moon,and stars) are more worthy of honour than the idols,and yet, as each is subjected to some superior force,they can none of them claim to be God (chap. vii.).While he was yet speaking to his father a voice camefrom heaven bidding him leave his father's house.He had scarcely left the house when fire descendedand consumed all \\'ithin it.The apocalyptic part opens with a divine commandto Abraham to prepare a sacrifice with a view toreceiving a divine revelation concerning the future(chap. ix.).Abraham, terrified at the experience, isconfronted by the angel Jaoel, who encourages him,and explains his commission to be with Abraham, andact as his celestial guide.Under the direction of theangel he proceeds to Horeb, the Mount of God, a

INTRODUCTIONixjourney of forty days (chaps, x.-xii.), and there, withthe help of Jaoel, accomphshes the sacrifice. At thispoint Azazel, the fallen archangel and seducer of mankind, intervenes and attempts to dissuade Abrahamfrom his purpose. In the form of an unclean bird heflies down " upon the carcasses " (cf. Gen. xv. ii),and tries to induce Abraham to leave the holy place,but in vain. Jaoel denouijces the evil spirit, biddinghim depart, and telling him that the heavenlygarment which was formerly his has been set asideforAbraham(chaps, xiii.-xiv.).After this Abraham and the angel ascend on thewings of the unslaughtered birds (of the sacrifice)to heaven, which is described at length.It is filledwith " a strong light " of power inexpressible, andthere they see the angels who are bom and disappeardaily, after singing their hymn of praise (chaps, xv.xvi.).At this point Abraham, hearing the divinevoice, falls prostrate, and, taught by the angel, uttersthe celestial song of praise, and prays for enlightenment (chap. xvii.). He sees the divine throne withthe Cherubim and the holy Creatures (bayyoth), ofwhom a description is given, and particularly of theirrivalry which is mitigated by the activity of Jaoel(chap, xviii.).God now speaks and discloses toAbraham the powers of heaven in the various firmaments below (chap. xix.). God promises him a seednumerous as the stars (chap. xx.). In answer to aquestion by Abraham about Azazel, God shows hima vision of the world, its fruits and creatures, thesea and its monsters (including Leviathan), theGarden of Eden, its fruits, streams, and blessedness.He sees also a multitude of human beings " half ofthem on the right side of the picture, and half ofthem on the left " (chap. xxi.). The fall of man isexplained to him, being traced to the sin of Adamand Eve in the Garden, a vision of which appearsin the picture and also of its results upon the destiniesof mankind, who are divided into the people on theright side of the picture, representing the Jewish

INTRODUCTIONXworld, and the people on the left representing theheathen world. In particular the sin of idolatryresulting in impurity and murder is sketched andmade manifest (chaps, xxii.-xxv.). The question,why sin is permitted, is answered by God (chap, xxvi.),and this is followed by a vision of judgement in whichthe destruction of the Temple is pourtrayed.Inanswer to Abraham's anguished question it is explained to him that this is due to the sin of idolatryon the part of his seed. At the same time a hint isgiven him of coming salvation (chap, xxvii.).Inanswer to the question, how long shall the judgementlast ? a description is given of the troubles precedingthe Messianic Age, and the dawn of the latter (chaps,xxviii.-xxix.the latter chapter contains a longChristian interpolation)At this point Abraham findshimself " upon the earth," but receives a furtherdisclosure regarding the punishment of the heathenand the ingathering of Israel (chaps, xxx.-xxxi.).A short paragraph repeating the promise of thechosen people's deliverance from oppression closesthe Book (chap, xxxii.).The character of the Book, as a whole, is thoroughlyIts original language was probably HebrewJewish.or Aramaic, from which a Greek version (underlyingthe Slavonic) was made and the date of the originalcomposition may be placed at the end of the firstor the beginning of the second century a.d.;.;The Slavonic Text and MSSThe Slavonicversion,or rather translation,ofThe Apocalypse of Abraham [Ap. Abr.) has beenpreserved in a number of MSS. The oldest andmost valuable of these is the famous Codex Sylvester, 1 The substance of this section of the Introductionhasbeen contributed by Mr. J.I. Landsman. Sylvester, after whom the MS.is named, was a prominentpriest in the early years of the reign of Ivan the Terrible,

INTRODUCTIONxiwhich now belongs to the Library of the Printingdepartment of the Holy Synod in Moscow. TheMS., which dates from the first half of the fourteenthcentury, is written on parchment, with two columnson each page, and contains 216 leaves in all, ourApocalypse occupying leaves 164-182. It contains a collection of hves of different saints, and TheApocalypse of Abraham stands in it as a work complete in itself, without any connexion with the workswhich precede and follow it.The text of our Apocalypse according to CodexSylvester (cited as S) has been edited by ProfessorN. Tikhonravov in la?,' emorials of Russian Apocry-Mphal Literature {Pamyatniki otrechennoi russkoi literatury), Moscow, 1863, Vol. I. pp. 32-53; and alsoProfessor J. Sreznevsky in his Ancient Monuments ofRussian Writing and Language {Drevnie Pam'yatnikirusskovo pis'ma i yazyka), Petrograd, 1863, I. pp.247''-256", with readings from the Uvaroff MS.,which apparently is a mere copy of S. Tikhonravovhas supphed his edition with corrections of thenumerous clerical mistakes which abound in S,thereby earning the gratitude of students, whileSreznevsky has satisfied himself with producing amere copy of the text, with allfrom these editions there hasitsmistakes.Apartalso been publishedby the Imperial Society of Bibliophiles a facsimileedition of the text of our Apocalypse, according toS (Petrograd, 1890), thus affording students the meansconsulting the MS. itself. Apart from S theofupon whom he for some years exercised a salutary influence.He was an author and lover of books, and the Codex wasone of a collection of MSS. which remained after his deathin the Kirillo monastery, whither he was banishedsee:Sreznevsky, Narratives about the Saints Boris and Gleb[Shazan iasv'yatykh Borise i Glebe), Petrograd, i860, Pt. I.,and The Orthodox Encyclopedia [Pravoslavnaya BogoslovshayaE.) iv. 1 195 (s.v. Domostroi). A full description of S is given by Sreznevsky, op. cit.,pp.i-viii.