Library/Old Testament pseudepigrapha
Apocalypse of Abraham
Idols burn. Yahoel, a heavenly choirmaster with the Name in him, takes Abraham up. Azazel appears as an unclean bird on the sacrifice and is rebuked: the world is divided, and he gets the sinners. Merkabah plus the Watchers’ scapegoat.
- Status
- Pseudepigrapha
- Date
- 1st–2nd century CE
- Languages
- Old Slavonic (from a lost Greek/Hebrew)
- Setting
- Abraham vs. his father’s idols; then an ascent with Yahoel
What it contains
- The idol-maker’s house
- The sacrifice
- Ascent
- Azazel and the lots
Why it sits outside most canons
Slavonic survival of a Jewish apocalypse; no canonical reception.
Themes
- Azazel
- Idolatry
- Ascent
- Yahoel
- Two lots
Passages
Apoc. Ab. 13
Yahoel to Azazel: ‘Shame on you, Azazel! For Abraham’s portion is in heaven, and yours is on earth. The Eternal Mighty One has given you the lot of the wicked.’