Chronological timeline of texts tagged with Pseudepigrapha-Rabbinic Traditions
About This Tag
Some Rabbinic traditions, as found in the Tannaitic, Amoraic, and Saboraic periods, can actually be traced back to much earlier sources found in Pseudepigraphal literature, yet may not be found in the Hebrew Bible. These texts, composed between the Second Temple period and late antiquity, contain theological, legal, and mystical themes that later became integral to Rabbinic Judaism. Writings such as 1 Enoch, Jubilees, and Testament of the Twelve Patriarchs preserve these early interpretations of biblical stories, angelology, and halakhic principles that closely parallel or prefigure later Rabbinic discussions.
Note: Dates shown in this timeline are approximate and based on scholarly estimates.
Back to TagGenesis 22:1 / Jubilees 17:16 / Sanhedrin 89b
5th Century B.C.E. (Final composition)
Genesis 22:1
Hebrew Bible
1 Some time after these things God tested Abraham. He said to him, “Abraham!” “Here I am!” Abraham replied. 2 God said, “Take your son—your only son, whom you love, Isaac—and go to the land of Moriah! Offer him up there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains which I will indicate to you.” 3 Early in the morning Abraham got up and saddled his donkey. He took two of his young servants with him, along with his son Isaac. When he had cut the wood for the burnt offering, he started out for the place God had spoken to him about.
150-100 B.C.E.
Jubilees 17:16
Pseudepigrapha
15 During the seventh week, in the first year during the first month — on the twelfth of this month — in this jubilee [2003], there were voices in heaven regarding Abraham, that he was faithful in everything that he told him, that the Lord loved him, and that in every difficulty he was faithful. 16 Then Prince Mastema came and said before God: ‘Abraham does indeed love his son Isaac and finds him more pleasing than anyone else. Tell him to offer him as a sacrifice on an altar. Then you will see whether he performs this order and will know whether he is faithful in everything through which you test him.’ 17 Now the Lord was aware that Abraham was faithful in every difficulty which he had told him. For he had tested him through his land and the famine; he had tested him through the wealth of kings; he had tested him again through his wife when she was taken forcibly, and through circumcision; and he had tested him through Ishmael and his servant girl Hagar when he sent them away.
450-550 C.E.
Sanhedrin 89b
Rabbinic
§ Apropos the binding of Isaac, the Gemara elaborates: It is written: “And it came to pass after these matters [hadevarim] that God tried Abraham” (Genesis 22:1). The Gemara asks: After what matters? How does the binding of Isaac relate to the preceding events? Rabbi Yoḥanan said in the name of Rabbi Yosei ben Zimra: This means after the statement [devarav] of Satan, as it is written: “And the child grew, and was weaned, and Abraham prepared a great feast on the day that Isaac was weaned” (Genesis 21:8). Satan said before the Holy One, Blessed be He: Master of the Universe, this old man, you favored him with a product of the womb, i.e., a child, at one hundred years of age. From the entire feast that he prepared, did he not have even one dove or one pigeon to sacrifice before You as a thanks-offering? God said to Satan: Did Abraham prepare the feast for any reason but for his son? If I say to him: Sacrifice your son before Me, he would immediately slaughter him. Immediately, after these matters, the verse states: “And God tried Abraham.”
5th Century B.C.E. (Final composition)
Genesis 22:1
Hebrew Bible
1 Some time after these things God tested Abraham. He said to him, “Abraham!” “Here I am!” Abraham replied. 2 God said, “Take your son—your only son, whom you love, Isaac—and go to the land of Moriah! Offer him up there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains which I will indicate to you.” 3 Early in the morning Abraham got up and saddled his donkey. He took two of his young servants with him, along with his son Isaac. When he had cut the wood for the burnt offering, he started out for the place God had spoken to him about.
150-100 B.C.E.
Jubilees 17:16
Pseudepigrapha
15 During the seventh week, in the first year during the first month — on the twelfth of this month — in this jubilee [2003], there were voices in heaven regarding Abraham, that he was faithful in everything that he told him, that the Lord loved him, and that in every difficulty he was faithful. 16 Then Prince Mastema came and said before God: ‘Abraham does indeed love his son Isaac and finds him more pleasing than anyone else. Tell him to offer him as a sacrifice on an altar. Then you will see whether he performs this order and will know whether he is faithful in everything through which you test him.’ 17 Now the Lord was aware that Abraham was faithful in every difficulty which he had told him. For he had tested him through his land and the famine; he had tested him through the wealth of kings; he had tested him again through his wife when she was taken forcibly, and through circumcision; and he had tested him through Ishmael and his servant girl Hagar when he sent them away.
500 C.E.
Genesis Rabbah 55:4
Rabbinic
After these things — misgivings were experienced on that occasion. Who then had misgivings? Avraham, saying to himself: ‘I have rejoiced and made all others rejoice, yet I did not set aside a single bullock or ram for the Holy One of Blessing.’ Said the Holy One of Blessing to him: ‘I know that even if you were commanded to offer your only son to Me, you would not refuse.’ - this is according to Rabbi Eleazar who said that the employment of va-e-lohim where E-lohim would suffice, implies both God and God’s Court. It was the ministering angels who spoke thus: ‘This Avraham rejoiced and made all others rejoice, yet did not set aside for the Holy One of Blessing a single bullock or ram.’ Said the Holy One of Blessing to them: ‘Even if we tell him to offer his own son, he will not refuse.’ Itzchak and Ishmael were engaged in a dispute: the latter argued, ‘I am more beloved than you, because I was circumcised at the age of thirteen’; while the other retorted, ‘I am more beloved than you, because I was circumcised at eight days.’ Said Ishmael to him: ‘I am more beloved, because I could have protested, yet I did not.’ At that moment Itzchak exclaimed: ‘O that God would appear to me and bid me cut off one of my limbs! then I would not refuse.’ Said God: ‘Even if I bid you sacrifice yourself, you will not refuse.’ [Another version: Said Ishmael to him: ‘I am more beloved than you, since I as circumcised at the age of thirteen, but you were circumcised as a baby and could not refuse.’ Itzchak retorted: ‘All that you did lend to the Holy One of Blessing was three drops of blood. But look, I am now thirty-seven years old, yet if God desired of me that I be slaughtered, I would not refuse.’ Said the Holy One of Blessing ‘This is the moment!’ Straightway, “God tested Avraham”.]
5th Century B.C.E. (Final composition)
Genesis 25:27
Hebrew Bible
25 The first came out reddish all over, like a hairy garment, so they named him Esau. 26 When his brother came out with his hand clutching Esau’s heel, they named him Jacob. Isaac was sixty years old when they were born. 27 When the boys grew up, Esau became a skilled hunter, a man of the open fields, but Jacob was an even-tempered man, living in tents. 28 Isaac loved Esau because he had a taste for fresh game, but Rebekah loved Jacob.
150-100 B.C.E.
Jubilees 19:14
Pseudepigrapha
13 In the sixth week, during its second year [2046], Rebecca gave birth to two sons for Isaac: Jacob and Esau. Jacob was perfect and upright, while Esau was a harsh, rustic, and hairy man. Jacob used to live in tents. 14 When the boys grew up, Jacob learned the art of writing, but Esau did not learn it because he was a rustic man and a hunter. He learned the art of warfare, and everything that he did was harsh. 15 Abraham loved Jacob but Isaac loved Esau.
500 C.E.
Genesis Rabbah 63:11
Rabbinic
..."...And the youths grew up" (Bereishit 25:27). Rabbi Levi made an analogy to a myrtle and wild rosebush which grew next to each other; when they had grown, one gave forth scent and the other thorns. So too with these, for thirteen years they both went to school (beit hasefer) and came back from school, but after thirteen years this one went to study-houses (batei midrashot) and this one went to idolatrous temples (batei avodat kochavim). Rabbi Elazar said, until thirteen years a person needs to take care of their children - from this age onwards, they need to say "Blessed is the one who has exempted me from the punishment of this one." "And Eisav was a man who knew how to hunt..." (ibid.) - he trapped people with his mouth; "you didn't steal?! Who stole with you? You didn't kill?! Who killed with you?" Rabbi Abahu said, robber [is the same as] hunter. He hunted in the house and in the field; in the house he said "How do you tithe salt?" and in the field "how do you tithe straw?" Rabbi Chiya said, he made himself ownerless like a field. Yisrael said before the Holy Blessed One, "Master of all universes: is it not enough for us that we are subjugated by the seventy nations - must we also be subjugated by this one, who is penetrated like women?" The Holy Blessed One said to them, "Even I will come in language [?], I will be revenged upon them." Behold it is written, "And the heart of the heroes of Edom was on that day like the heart of a woman in labour" (Yirmiyahu 49:22). "But Ya'akov was a simple man, a dweller in tents..." (Bereishit 25:27) - two tents, the study-house of Shem and the study-house of Ever. "And Yitzchak loved Eisav, for game was in his mouth..." (Bereishit 25:28) a good piece of meat for his mouth, a good cup of wine for his mouth. "And Rivka loved Ya'akov..." (ibid.) - every time she heard his voice she would add love to her love.
200-50 B.C.E.
1 Enoch 5:6
Pseudepigrapha
1 Observe how the trees clothe themselves in green leaves and produce fruit: therefore, pay attention and understand all His creations, and realize how the Eternal One has made them so. 2 And all His works continue year after year forever, and all the tasks they perform for Him, and their tasks do not change, but happen just as God has decreed. 3 And see how the sea and the rivers also fulfill their tasks unchangingly according to His commands. 4 But you have not remained faithful, nor have you obeyed the Lord's commandments. Instead, you have turned away and spoken arrogantly and harshly with your impure mouths against His greatness. Oh, you stubborn-hearted, you will find no peace. 5 Therefore, you will curse your own days, and the years of your life will vanish, and the years of your doom will increase in eternal condemnation, and you will find no mercy. 6 In those days, your names will become a curse forever to all the righteous, and all who curse will use your name, and all the sinners and the godless will swear by your name. 7 And all the righteous will rejoice, and there will be forgiveness of sins, and every kind of mercy and peace and tolerance: There will be salvation for them, a splendid light. And for you sinners, there will be no salvation, but a curse will remain on you all.
190-230 C.E.
Avot D'Rabbi Natan 32
Rabbinic
Rabbi Elazar ben Parta would say about the verse (Genesis 6:3), “My spirit shall not judge human beings forever,” that the Holy Blessed one said: I will not judge them until I double their reward, as it says (Job 21:13), “They spend their days well (and their years pleasantly), and they calmly go down into Sheol.” Rabbi Yosei HaGalili would say: See, it says, “My spirit shall not judge”; the Holy Blessed One said: I do not equate those with evil intentions to those with good intentions. Until when? Until their final judgment has been sealed. But when it is sealed, then both are judged equally (for their sins).
200-50 B.C.E.
1 Enoch 5:6
Pseudepigrapha
1 Observe how the trees clothe themselves in green leaves and produce fruit: therefore, pay attention and understand all His creations, and realize how the Eternal One has made them so. 2 And all His works continue year after year forever, and all the tasks they perform for Him, and their tasks do not change, but happen just as God has decreed. 3 And see how the sea and the rivers also fulfill their tasks unchangingly according to His commands. 4 But you have not remained faithful, nor have you obeyed the Lord's commandments. Instead, you have turned away and spoken arrogantly and harshly with your impure mouths against His greatness. Oh, you stubborn-hearted, you will find no peace. 5 Therefore, you will curse your own days, and the years of your life will vanish, and the years of your doom will increase in eternal condemnation, and you will find no mercy. 6 In those days, your names will become a curse forever to all the righteous, and all who curse will use your name, and all the sinners and the godless will swear by your name. 7 And all the righteous will rejoice, and there will be forgiveness of sins, and every kind of mercy and peace and tolerance: There will be salvation for them, a splendid light. And for you sinners, there will be no salvation, but a curse will remain on you all.
450-550 C.E.
Sanhedrin 108a
Rabbinic
The Sages taught in a baraita (Tosefta, Sota 3:10): The generation of the flood became haughty and sinned due only to the excessive goodness that the Holy One, Blessed be He, bestowed upon them. And what is written concerning them, indicating that goodness? “Their houses are safe without fear, nor is the rod of God upon them” (Job 21:9). And it is written: “Their bull sires, and will not fall; their cow calves, and does not cast her calf” (Job 21:10). And it is written: “They send forth their little ones like a flock, and their children dance” (Job 21:11). And it is written: “They sing to the timbrel and harp, and rejoice at the sound of the pipe” (Job 21:12). And it is written: “They shall spend their days in prosperity, and their years in pleasures” (Job 36:11). And it is written: “And peacefully they go down to the grave” (Job 21:13).
200-50 B.C.E.
1 Enoch 6:2
Pseudepigrapha
1 And it came to pass when the population of humans had increased during those times, beautiful and attractive daughters were born to them. 2 And the angels, the children of heaven, saw them and desired them, and said to each other: 'Come, let us choose wives from among the humans and father children.' 3 And Semjâzâ, their leader, said to them: 'I fear that you will not actually agree to do this, and I alone will have to pay the penalty of a great sin.' 4 And they all replied to him and said: 'Let us all take an oath, and all bind ourselves with a solemn promise not to abandon this plan but to carry out this act.' 5 Then they all took an oath together and bound themselves with a solemn promise to do so. 6 And there were in total two hundred who descended on the summit of Mount Hermon in the days of Jared, and they named it Mount Hermon because they had taken an oath and bound themselves with solemn promises there. 7 And these are the names of their leaders: Semjâzâ, their leader, Arâkîba, Râmêal, Kôkabîal, Tâmîal, Râmîal, Dânal, Êzêqêal, Barâqîjâl, Asâal, Armâros, Batârêal, Anânêal, Zaqîêal, Samsâpêal, Satarêal, Tûrêal, Jômjâal, Sarîêal. 8 These are their chiefs of tens.
1909 C.E.
Legends of the Jews 3
Rabbinic
THE FALL OF THE ANGELS - The depravity of mankind, which began to show itself in the time of Enosh, had increased monstrously in the time of his grandson Jared, by reason of the fallen angels. When the angels saw the beautiful, attractive daughters of men, they lusted after them, and spoke: "We will choose wives for ourselves only from among the daughters of men, and beget children with them." Their chief Shemhazai said, "I fear me, ye will not put this plan of yours into execution, and I alone shall have to suffer the consequences of a great sin." Then they answered him, and said: "We will all swear an oath, and we will bind ourselves, separately and together, not to abandon the plan, but to carry it through to the end." Two hundred angels descended to the summit of Mount Hermon, which owes its name to this very occurrence, because they bound themselves there to fulfil their purpose, on the penalty of Herem, anathema. Under the leadership of twenty captains they defiled themselves with the daughters of men, unto whom they taught charms, conjuring formulas, how to cut roots, and the efficacy of plants. The issue from these mixed marriages was a race of giants, three thousand ells tall, who consumed the possessions of men. When all had vanished, and they could obtain nothing more from them, the giants turned against men and devoured many of them, and the remnant of men began to trespass against the birds, beasts, reptiles, and fishes, eating their flesh and drinking their blood.
200-50 B.C.E.
1 Enoch 6:2
Pseudepigrapha
1 And it came to pass when the population of humans had increased during those times, beautiful and attractive daughters were born to them. 2 And the angels, the children of heaven, saw them and desired them, and said to each other: 'Come, let us choose wives from among the humans and father children.' 3 And Semjâzâ, their leader, said to them: 'I fear that you will not actually agree to do this, and I alone will have to pay the penalty of a great sin.' 4 And they all replied to him and said: 'Let us all take an oath, and all bind ourselves with a solemn promise not to abandon this plan but to carry out this act.' 5 Then they all took an oath together and bound themselves with a solemn promise to do so.
630-1030 C.E.
Pirkei DeRabbi Eliezer 22:4
Rabbinic
Rabbi Simeon said: From Seth arose and were descended all the generations of the righteous. From Cain arose and were descended all the generations of the wicked, who rebel and sin, who rebelled against their Rock, and they said: We do not need the drops of Thy rain, neither to walk in Thy ways, as it is said, "Yet they said unto God, Depart from us" (Job 21:14). Rabbi Meir said: || The generations of Cain went about stark naked, men and women, just like the beasts, and they defiled themselves with all kinds of immorality, a man with his mother or his daughter, or the wife of his brother, or the wife of his neighbour, in public and in the streets, with evil inclination which is in the thought of their heart, as it is said, "And the Lord saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth" (Gen. 6:5). Rabbi said: The angels who fell from their holy place in heaven saw the daughters of the generations of Cain walking about naked, with their eyes painted like harlots, and they went astray after them, and took wives from amongst them, as it is said, "And the sons of Elohim saw the daughters of men that they were fair; and they took them wives of all that they chose" (Gen. 6:2). Rabbi Joshua said: The angels are flaming fire, as it is said, "His servants are a flaming fire" (Ps. 104:4), and fire came with the coition of flesh and blood, but did not burn the body; but when they fell from heaven, from their holy place, their strength and stature (became) like that of the sons of men, and their frame was (made of) clods of dust, as it is said, "My flesh is clothed with worms and clods of dust" (Job 7:5).
200-50 B.C.E.
1 Enoch 8:1
Pseudepigrapha
1 And Azâzal taught men to make swords, knives, shields, and breastplates, and revealed to them the metals of the earth and how to work with them, as well as how to make bracelets, ornaments, and the use antimony, beautifying the eyelids, along with all kinds of precious stones and various dyes. 2 Widespread wickedness arose, and they engaged in fornication, were led astray, and corrupted all their ways. Semjâzâ taught spells and the cutting of roots, Armârôs taught how to break spells, Barâqîjâl taught astrology, Kôkabîal taught about the constellations, Ezêqêal taught about the clouds, Araqiêal taught the signs of the earth, Shamsiêal taught the signs of the sun, and Sariêal taught the course of the moon. And as men died, they cried out, and their cries ascended to heaven.
630-1030 C.E.
Pirkei DeRabbi Eliezer 22:4
Rabbinic
Rabbi Simeon said: From Seth arose and were descended all the generations of the righteous. From Cain arose and were descended all the generations of the wicked, who rebel and sin, who rebelled against their Rock, and they said: We do not need the drops of Thy rain, neither to walk in Thy ways, as it is said, "Yet they said unto God, Depart from us" (Job 21:14). Rabbi Meir said: || The generations of Cain went about stark naked, men and women, just like the beasts, and they defiled themselves with all kinds of immorality, a man with his mother or his daughter, or the wife of his brother, or the wife of his neighbour, in public and in the streets, with evil inclination which is in the thought of their heart, as it is said, "And the Lord saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth" (Gen. 6:5). Rabbi said: The angels who fell from their holy place in heaven saw the daughters of the generations of Cain walking about naked, with their eyes painted like harlots, and they went astray after them, and took wives from amongst them, as it is said, "And the sons of Elohim saw the daughters of men that they were fair; and they took them wives of all that they chose" (Gen. 6:2). Rabbi Joshua said: The angels are flaming fire, as it is said, "His servants are a flaming fire" (Ps. 104:4), and fire came with the coition of flesh and blood, but did not burn the body; but when they fell from heaven, from their holy place, their strength and stature (became) like that of the sons of men, and their frame was (made of) clods of dust, as it is said, "My flesh is clothed with worms and clods of dust" (Job 7:5).
200-50 B.C.E.
1 Enoch 10:9
Pseudepigrapha
3 And now instruct him so that he may escape and his descendants may be preserved for all future generations.' 4 And the Lord also said to Raphael: 'Bind Azâzal hand and foot, and cast him into the darkness: make a hole in the desert in Dûdâel, and throw him in. 5 Place upon him rough and jagged rocks, cover him with darkness, and let him remain there forever, and cover his face so he may not see light. 6 On the day of great judgment he shall be thrown into the fire. And restore the earth which the angels have corrupted, and announce the restoration of the earth, so that the plague may be healed, and all the children of men may not perish due to the secrets that the Watchers have revealed and taught their children.' 8 The entire earth has been corrupted by the deeds taught by Azâzal: attribute all sin to him.' 9 And to Gabriel, the Lord said: 'Proceed against the bastards, the outcasts, and the children of fornication: and destroy them; make them fight one another, so they may destroy each other in battle: for they shall not have long lives. 10 And no request made by their fathers on their behalf will be granted; for they hope to live an eternal life, and each one of them thinks he will live five hundred years.'
450-550 C.E.
Yoma 67b
Rabbinic
The Gemara asks: And the other, what does he do with this word gezeira? The Gemara answers: He needs it for that which was taught in a baraita with regard to the word gezeira: Gezeira means nothing other than cut. That is, he must send the goat away to a place cut up by rocks standing upright and sticking out. Alternatively, gezeira is referring to nothing other than something that breaks apart and falls, a reference to the goat, which is torn limb from limb. Alternatively, the word gezeira is written lest you say the procedure of the scapegoat is a meaningless act, since what sanctity and atonement is achieved in sending the goat to Azazel and pushing it from the cliff? Therefore, the verse states: “I am the Lord” (Leviticus 18:5), i.e., I, the Lord, decreed it [gezartiv], and you have no right to question it. Having clarified the reasoning of each opinion, the Gemara concludes its discussion of whether the limbs of the goat are permitted for benefit. Rava said: It is reasonable to rule in accordance with the one that said the limbs of the goat are permitted, since the Torah did not say: “And send the goat” to cause mishap. Once the man pushes the goat off the cliff, he is no longer responsible for it. Therefore, if it were prohibited to derive benefit from the goat’s remains, the mitzva itself could lead to a mishap if someone were to find the goat’s remains and make use of them. § The Sages taught: The word Azazel indicates that the cliff the goat is pushed from should be rough and hard. I might have thought that it may be located in a settled area. Therefore, the verse states: “In the wilderness.” And from where does one derive that the goat is pushed from a cliff? The verse states “gezeira,” indicating an area that is sharp, like a cliff. It was taught in another baraita: Azazel is a reference to the hardest mountain, and so it says: “And the mighty [eilei] of the land he took away” (Ezekiel 17:13). Azazel is interpreted as azaz-el, with the term el connoting something rough and hard. The school of Rabbi Yishmael taught: Azazel is so called because it atones for the actions of Uzza and Azael. These are the names of “sons of God” who sinned with “daughters of men” (Genesis 6:2) and thereby caused the world to sin during the generation of the Flood.
200-50 B.C.E.
1 Enoch 17:4
Pseudepigrapha
2 And they led me to a place of darkness, and to a mountain whose peak reached to heaven. 3 And I saw the places of the sun and moon and the treasuries of the stars and of the thunder in the utmost depths, where there was a fiery bow and arrows and their quiver, and a fiery sword and all the lightnings. 4 And they took me to the living waters, and to the fire of the west, which receives every setting of the sun. 5 And I came to a river of fire where the fire flows like water and pours into the great sea towards the west. 6 I saw the great rivers and came to the great river and to the great darkness, and went to the place where no flesh walks.
450-550 C.E.
Bava Batra 84a
Rabbinic
The Gemara asks: And according to that which entered our mind initially, that the sun is white, doesn’t it redden in the morning and evening? The Gemara answers: In the morning it becomes red as it passes over the site of the roses of the Garden of Eden, whose reflections give the light a red hue. In the evening the sun turns red because it passes over the entrance of Gehenna, whose fires redden the light. And there are those who say the opposite in explaining why the sun is red in the morning and the evening, i.e., in the morning it passes over the entrance of Gehenna, while in the evening it passes over the site of the roses of the Garden of Eden.
200-50 B.C.E.
1 Enoch 54:8
Pseudepigrapha
7 'In those days, punishment will come from the Lord of Spirits, and he will open all the chambers of waters above the heavens, and the fountains beneath the earth. 8 And all the waters will merge: the water above the heavens is masculine, and the water beneath the earth is feminine. 9 They will destroy all who live on the earth and those who live at the ends of the heaven. 10 And when they acknowledge their wrongdoing that they committed on the earth, by these they will perish.'
375-425 C.E.
Jerusalem Berakhot 9:2
Rabbinic
And Rebbi Levi said: The upper waters are male and the lower ones female. What is the reason? (Is. 45:8) The verse starts: “The heavens should pour down from high, and the skies should flow with justice,” speaking of rain. The Babli has two contradictory sermons in this matter. Rav Yehudah is reported in Taänit 6b that rain is the earth’s husband because in Is. 55:10 it is said that rain makes the earth give birth, while Rebbi Abbahu (there and Berakhot 59b) says that a benediction is recited only if “the bridegroom goes towards the bride,” meaning that drops jump up from the earth towards the descending rain. [This is the traditional interpretation, given by Ashkenazic Rabbenu Gershom and Sephardic Rabbenu Ḥanan‘el. Rashi, sensing the apparent contradiction, has a prosaic interpretation, that on both sides of the street the gutters will spout water one towards the other.] “The earth shall open,” like a female who opens before a male; “they should bear fruit of help,” that is being fruitful and multiplying; “and justice shall sprout together,” that is rainfall; “I, the Eternal, did create it,” for that I created it, for the well-being of the world. Rebbi Aḥa stated it in the name of Rebbi Simeon ben Gamliel169This is the end of Rebbi Simeon ben Eleazar’s text in Tosephta Taäniot. In the Babli (Taänit 6b), this passage appears as a statement of the Amora Rebbi Abbahu.: Why is it called “fertilizing,” because it impregnates the earth.
200-50 B.C.E.
1 Enoch 72:5
Pseudepigrapha
4 The great luminary, the Sun, follows first. His circuit is as vast as the circumference of the heavens, and he is completely filled with illuminating and heating fire. 5 The chariot that carries the Sun is driven by the wind. The Sun descends from the heavens and circles through the north to reach the east, guided to enter the proper portal and shine across the heavens. 6 Specifically, he rises from the fourth portal, one of the six eastern portals, in the first month.
630-1030 C.E.
Pirkei DeRabbi Eliezer 6
Rabbinic
The aperture which is in the midst of the firmament is named M'zarim and (the sun) does not go forth or set therein except once in its great cycle; (thereon) it goes through it as on the day when it was created. At night the sun is in the west. At the Teḳuphah of Tishri and at the Teḳuphah of Ṭebeth the sun goes on its course in the south quarter and in the waters of the Ocean (which are) between the ends of the heavens and the ends of the earth where it is submerged. For the night is long and the way is long until (the sun) reaches the aperture which is in the east, (even) the aperture through which it desires to go forth, as it is said, "It goeth toward the south, and turneth about unto the north" (Eccles. 1:6). It goes to the south at the Teḳuphah of Tishri and at the Teḳuphah of Ṭebeth, and turns to the north at the Teḳuphah of Nisan and at the Teḳuphah of Tammuz. It goes on its course for six months in the south quarter, and for six months in the north quarter, and owing to its circuits the sun returns to the aperture which is in the east. The sun has three letters of (God's) Name written upon his heart, and the angels lead him; such || as lead him by day do not lead him by night, and such as lead him by night do not lead him by day. The sun rides in a chariot and rises, crowned as a bridegroom, as it is said, "Which is as a bridegroom coming out of his chamber, and rejoiceth as a strong man to run his course" (Ps. 19:5). The sun's rays and face, which are turned downwards (to the earth), are of hail; and were it not for the hail which quenches the flames of fire the world would be consumed by fire, as it is said, "And there is nothing hid from the heat thereof" (Ps. 19:6). In winter (the sun) turns the upper (half of) his face downwards, and were it not for the fire which warms the face of hail the world could not endure because of the ice (cold), as it is said, "Who can stand before his cold?" (Ps. 147:17). These are the ends of the ways of the sun.
200-150 B.C.E.
Letter of Aristeas
Pseudepigrapha
for other needs. I shall give you a full account of the workmanship after I have set before you copies of the letters. The letter of the king ran as follows: 'King Ptolemy sends greeting and salutation to the High Priest Eleazar. Since there are many Jews settled in our realm who were carried off from Jerusalem by the Persians at the time of their power and many more who came with my father into Egypt as captives - large numbers of these he placed in the army and paid them higher wages than usual, and when he had proved the loyalty of their leaders he built fortresses and placed them in their charge that the native Egyptians might be intimidated by them. And I, when I ascended the throne, adopted a kindly attitude towards all my subjects, and more particularly to those who were citizens of yours - I have set at liberty more than a hundred thousand captives, paying their owners the appropriate market price for them, and if ever evil has been done to your people through the passions of the mob, I have made them reparation. The motive which prompted my action has been the desire to act piously and render unto the supreme God a thank offering for maintaining my kingdom in peace and great glory in all the world. Moreover those of your people who were in the prime of life I have drafted into my army, and those who were fit to be attached to my person and worthy of the confidence of the court, I have established in official positions. Now since I am anxious to show my gratitude to these men and to the Jews throughout the world and to the generations yet to come, I have determined that your law shall be translated from the Hebrew tongue which is in use amongst you
450-550 C.E.
Megillah 9a
Rabbinic
The Gemara continues: And this was due to the incident of King Ptolemy, as it is taught in a baraita: There was an incident involving King Ptolemy of Egypt, who assembled seventy-two Elders from the Sages of Israel, and put them into seventy-two separate rooms, and did not reveal to them for what purpose he assembled them, so that they would not coordinate their responses. He entered and approached each and every one, and said to each of them: Write for me a translation of the Torah of Moses your teacher. The Holy One, Blessed be He, placed wisdom in the heart of each and every one, and they all agreed to one common understanding. Not only did they all translate the text correctly, they all introduced the same changes into the translated text.
150-100 B.C.E.
Jubilees 1:1
Pseudepigrapha
1 During the first year of the Israelites' exodus from Egypt, in the third month — on the sixteenth of the month — the Lord said to Moses: “Come up to me on the mountain. I will give you the two stone tablets of the law and the commandments which I have written so that you may teach them.” 2 So Moses went up the mountain of the Lord. The glory of the Lord took up residence on Mt. Sinai, and a cloud covered it for six days. 3 When he summoned Moses into the cloud on the seventh day, he saw the glory of the Lord like a fire blazing on the summit of the mountain.
450-550 C.E.
Berakhot 5a
Rabbinic
And Rabbi Levi bar Ḥama said that Rabbi Shimon ben Lakish said: God said to Moses, “Ascend to me on the mountain and be there, and I will give you the stone tablets and the Torah and the mitzva that I have written that you may teach them” (Exodus 24:12), meaning that God revealed to Moses not only the Written Torah, but all of Torah, as it would be transmitted through the generations. The “tablets” are the ten commandments that were written on the tablets of the Covenant, the “Torah” is the five books of Moses. The “mitzva” is the Mishna, which includes explanations for the mitzvot and how they are to be performed. “That I have written” refers to the Prophets and Writings, written with divine inspiration. “That you may teach them” refers to the Talmud, which explains the Mishna. These explanations are the foundation for the rulings of practical halakha. This verse teaches that all aspects of Torah were given to Moses from Sinai.
150-100 B.C.E.
Jubilees 4:30
Pseudepigrapha
29 At the end of the nineteenth jubilee, during the seventh week — in its sixth year [930] — Adam died. All his children buried him in the land where he had been created. He was the first to be buried in the ground. 30 He lacked 70 years from 1000 years because 1000 years are one day in the testimony of heaven. For this reason it was written regarding the tree of knowledge: “On the day that you eat from it you will die.” Therefore he did not complete the years of this day because he died during it.
600-900 C.E.
Pesikta Rabbati 40
Rabbinic
He [God] did not specify to Adam if it would be a day of his [own days] or a day of God's, which lasts one thousand years, since 'a thousand years in your [God's] sight are like yesterday' [Ps. 90:4].
150-100 B.C.E.
Jubilees 5:2
Pseudepigrapha
1 When mankind began to multiply on the surface of the entire earth and daughters were born to them, the angels of the Lord — in a certain (year) of this jubilee — saw that they were beautiful to look at. So they married of them whomever they chose. They gave birth to children for them and they were giants. 2 Wickedness increased on the earth. All animate beings corrupted their way — (everyone of them) from people to cattle, animals, birds, and everything that moves about on the ground. All of them corrupted their way and their prescribed course. They began to devour one another, and wickedness increased on the earth. Every thought of all mankind's knowledge was evil like this all the time. 3 The Lord saw that the earth was corrupt, (that) all animate beings had corrupted their prescribed course, and (that) all of them — everyone that was on the earth — had acted wickedly before his eyes.
500-800 C.E.
Tanchuma Noach 12
Rabbinic
Similarly, Isaac told Jacob: Arise! Go to Padan-aram, to seek a wife proper for him. He did not wish him to be like the men of the generation of the flood, who wallowed in unchastity and indulged in sexual intercourse with species other than their own. Observe what is written concerning them: The sons of God saw the daughters of men … and took them wives, whomsoever they chose. That was the reason they were obliterated from the earth. The animals, likewise, copulated with species other than their own: the horse with the ass, the ass with the horse, and the serpent with the bird, as it is said: And God saw the earth, and behold, it was corrupt; for all flesh had corrupted their way upon the earth. Notice that Scripture does not say in this verse “all man” but all flesh. Therefore, He blotted out every living substance which was upon the face of the ground, both man and cattle. No being that had copulated with a species other than its own entered the ark, as it is said: From all the pure cattle. Because the ark could harbor only pure beings, they came from among those alone, as it is said: Two and two unto Noah.
150-100 B.C.E.
Jubilees 7:20
Pseudepigrapha
20 During the twenty-eighth jubilee [1324-72] Noah began to prescribe for his grandsons the ordinances and the commandments — every statute which he knew. He testified to his sons that they should do what is right, cover the shame of their bodies, bless the one who had created them, honor father and mother, love one another, and keep themselves from fornication, uncleanness, and from all injustice. 21 For it was on account of these three things that the flood was on the earth, since it was due to fornication that the Watchers had illicit intercourse — apart from the mandate of their authority — with women. When they married of them whomever they chose, they committed the first acts of uncleanness. 22 They fathered as their sons the Nephilim. They were all dissimilar from one another and would devour one another: the giant killed the Naphil; the Naphil killed the Elyo; the Elyo mankind; and people their fellows.
500 C.E.
Genesis Rabbah 33:5
Rabbinic
“AND IT CAME TO PASS AT THE END OF FORTY DAYS, THAT NOAH OPENED THE HALON [WINDOW] OF THE ARK.” This supports the view that it was a window [trapdoor]. “AND HE SENT FORTH A RAVEN (VIII, 7): thus it is written, ‘He sent darkness, and it was dark’ (Ps. cv, 28). AND IT WENT FORTH TO AND FRO (YAZO WASHOB). R. Judan said in the name of R. Judah b. R. Simon: ‘It began arguing with him: ‘Of all the birds that thou hast here, thou sendest none but me!’ ‘What need then has the world of thee?’ he retorted; ‘for food? for a sacrifice?’ R. Berekiah said in R. Abba's name: The Holy One, blessed be He, said to him [Noah]: ‘Take it back, because the world will need it in the future.’ ‘When?’ he asked. ‘When the waters dry off from the earth.’ He replied: ‘A righteous man will arise and dry up the world, and I will cause him to have need of them [the ravens],’ as it is written, ‘And the ravens (’orbim) brought him bread and flesh, etc.’ (I Kings xvii, 6). R. Judah said: It refers to a town within the borders of Bashan called Arbo. R. Nehemiah said: ‘Ravens literally are meant, and whence did they bring him [food]? From Jehoshaphat's table.’ R. Akiba preached in Ginzak on the theme of the Flood, and the audience did not weep, but when he mentioned the story of the raven they wept. He then quoted this verse: ‘The womb (rehem) forgetteth him; the worm feedeth sweetly on him; he shall be no more remembered; and unrighteousness is broken as a tree’ (Job xxiv, 20). ‘Rehem forgetteth’: They [the generation of the Flood] forgot to be merciful to their fellow men, therefore the Holy One, blessed be He, made His mercy forget them. ‘The worm feedeth sweetly on him’: the worm became sweet through [feeding on] them. ‘He shall be no more remembered, and unrighteousness is broken as a tree’: R. Aibu said: It is not written, ‘is uprooted’ but ‘is broken’: i.e. like something which is broken, yet produces another stock in exchange; and to what does that allude? To the generation of the Separation [of races].
150-100 B.C.E.
Jubilees 10:26
Pseudepigrapha
25 For this reason the whole land of Shinar was named Babel because there God confused all the tongues of mankind. From there they were dispersed into their cities, each according to their languages and their nations. 26 The Lord sent a wind at the tower and tipped it to the ground. It is now between Asshur and Babylon, in the land of Shinar. He named it the Collapse. 27 In the fourth week, during the first year — at its beginning — of the thirty-fourth jubilee [1639], they were dispersed from the land of Shinar.
500-800 C.E.
Tanchuma Noach 18
Rabbinic
The Holy One, blessed be He, thereupon declared: You evil men, because you have sinned with the words Come, let us, I shall confound you through those very words, as it is said: Come, let us go down there and confound their language (ibid., v. 7). R. Hiyya the son of Abba said: One third of the tower they erected was consumed in fire, another third was swallowed into the earth, and the remainder was left standing. Yet if one climbed to the summit of the remaining third, the palm trees in Jericho below appeared no larger than grasshoppers.
150-100 B.C.E.
Jubilees 12:26
Pseudepigrapha
25 Then the Lord God said to me: ‘Open his mouth and his ears to hear and speak with his tongue in the revealed language.’ For from the day of the collapse it had disappeared from the mouths of all mankind. 26 I opened his mouth, ears, and lips and began to speak Hebrew with him — in the language of the creation. 27 He took his fathers’ books (they were written in Hebrew) and copied them. From that time he began to study them, while I was telling him everything that he was unable to understand. He studied them throughout the six rainy months.
500 C.E.
Genesis Rabbah 18:4
Rabbinic
Resh Lakish was asked: Why do not all other dreams exhaust a man, yet this [a dream that intimacy takes place] does exhaust a man? Because from the very beginning of her creation she was but [formed] in a dream, replied he. BONE OF MY BONES, AND FLESH OF MY FLESH. R. Tanhuma said: When a man takes one of his relations to wife, of him it is said, BONE OF MY BONES, AND FLESH OF MY FLESH. SHE SHALL BE CALLED, WOMAN (ISHAH), BECAUSE SHE WAS TAKEN OUT OF MAN (ISH). From this you learn that the Torah was given in the Holy Tongue.’ R. Phinehas and R. Helkiah in R. Simon’s name said: Just as it was given in the Holy Tongue, so was the world created with the Holy Tongue. Have you ever heard one say, gini, ginia; itha, ittha; antropt, antropia; gabra, gabretha?* But ish and ishah [are used]: why? because one form corresponds to the other.
150-100 B.C.E.
Jubilees 17:16
Pseudepigrapha
15 During the seventh week, in the first year during the first month — on the twelfth of this month — in this jubilee [2003], there were voices in heaven regarding Abraham, that he was faithful in everything that he told him, that the Lord loved him, and that in every difficulty he was faithful. 16 Then Prince Mastema came and said before God: ‘Abraham does indeed love his son Isaac and finds him more pleasing than anyone else. Tell him to offer him as a sacrifice on an altar. Then you will see whether he performs this order and will know whether he is faithful in everything through which you test him.’ 17 Now the Lord was aware that Abraham was faithful in every difficulty which he had told him. For he had tested him through his land and the famine; he had tested him through the wealth of kings; he had tested him again through his wife when she was taken forcibly, and through circumcision; and he had tested him through Ishmael and his servant girl Hagar when he sent them away.
450-550 C.E.
Sanhedrin 89b
Rabbinic
§ Apropos the binding of Isaac, the Gemara elaborates: It is written: “And it came to pass after these matters [hadevarim] that God tried Abraham” (Genesis 22:1). The Gemara asks: After what matters? How does the binding of Isaac relate to the preceding events? Rabbi Yoḥanan said in the name of Rabbi Yosei ben Zimra: This means after the statement [devarav] of Satan, as it is written: “And the child grew, and was weaned, and Abraham prepared a great feast on the day that Isaac was weaned” (Genesis 21:8). Satan said before the Holy One, Blessed be He: Master of the Universe, this old man, you favored him with a product of the womb, i.e., a child, at one hundred years of age. From the entire feast that he prepared, did he not have even one dove or one pigeon to sacrifice before You as a thanks-offering? God said to Satan: Did Abraham prepare the feast for any reason but for his son? If I say to him: Sacrifice your son before Me, he would immediately slaughter him. Immediately, after these matters, the verse states: “And God tried Abraham.”
150-100 B.C.E.
Jubilees 17:16
Pseudepigrapha
15 During the seventh week, in the first year during the first month — on the twelfth of this month — in this jubilee [2003], there were voices in heaven regarding Abraham, that he was faithful in everything that he told him, that the Lord loved him, and that in every difficulty he was faithful. 16 Then Prince Mastema came and said before God: ‘Abraham does indeed love his son Isaac and finds him more pleasing than anyone else. Tell him to offer him as a sacrifice on an altar. Then you will see whether he performs this order and will know whether he is faithful in everything through which you test him.’ 17 Now the Lord was aware that Abraham was faithful in every difficulty which he had told him. For he had tested him through his land and the famine; he had tested him through the wealth of kings; he had tested him again through his wife when she was taken forcibly, and through circumcision; and he had tested him through Ishmael and his servant girl Hagar when he sent them away.
450-550 C.E.
Sanhedrin 89b
Rabbinic
Rabbi Yoḥanan said in the name of Rabbi Yosei ben Zimra: This means after the statement [devarav] of Satan, as it is written: “And the child grew, and was weaned, and Abraham prepared a great feast on the day that Isaac was weaned” (Genesis 21:8). Satan said before the Holy One, Blessed be He: Master of the Universe, this old man, you favored him with a product of the womb, i.e., a child, at one hundred years of age. From the entire feast that he prepared, did he not have even one dove or one pigeon to sacrifice before You as a thanks-offering? God said to Satan: Did Abraham prepare the feast for any reason but for his son? If I say to him: Sacrifice your son before Me, he would immediately slaughter him. Immediately, after these matters, the verse states: “And God tried Abraham.”
150-100 B.C.E.
Jubilees 17:17
Pseudepigrapha
16 Then Prince Mastema came and said before God: ‘Abraham does indeed love his son Isaac and finds him more pleasing than anyone else. Tell him to offer him as a sacrifice on an altar. Then you will see whether he performs this order and will know whether he is faithful in everything through which you test him.’ 17 Now the Lord was aware that Abraham was faithful in every difficulty which he had told him. For he had tested him through his land and the famine; he had tested him through the wealth of kings; he had tested him again through his wife when she was taken forcibly, and through circumcision; and he had tested him through Ishmael and his servant girl Hagar when he sent them away.
190-230 C.E.
Pirkei Avot 5:3
Rabbinic
2 [There were] ten generations from Adam to Noah, in order to make known what long-suffering is His; for all those generations kept on provoking Him, until He brought upon them the waters of the flood. [There were] ten generations from Noah to Abraham, in order to make known what long-suffering is His; for all those generations kept on provoking Him, until Abraham, came and received the reward of all of them. 3 With ten trials was Abraham, our father (may he rest in peace), tried, and he withstood them all; to make known how great was the love of Abraham, our father (peace be upon him).
150-100 B.C.E.
Jubilees 19:8
Pseudepigrapha
7 All the time of Sarah's life was 127 — that is, two jubilees, four weeks, and one year. This was the time in years of Sarah's life. 8 This was the tenth test by which Abraham was tried, and he was found to be faithful and patient in spirit. 9 He said nothing about the promise of the land which said that the Lord would give it to him and his descendants after him. He pleaded for a place there to bury his dead because he was found to be faithful and was recorded on the heavenly tablets as the friend of the Lord.
190-230 C.E.
Pirkei Avot 5:3
Rabbinic
2 [There were] ten generations from Adam to Noah, in order to make known what long-suffering is His; for all those generations kept on provoking Him, until He brought upon them the waters of the flood. [There were] ten generations from Noah to Abraham, in order to make known what long-suffering is His; for all those generations kept on provoking Him, until Abraham, came and received the reward of all of them. 3 With ten trials was Abraham, our father (may he rest in peace), tried, and he withstood them all; to make known how great was the love of Abraham, our father (peace be upon him). 4 Ten miracles were wrought for our ancestors in Egypt, and ten at the sea. Ten plagues did the Holy one, blessed be He, bring upon the Egyptians in Egypt and ten at the sea. [With] ten trials did our ancestors try God, blessed be He, as it is said, “and they have tried Me these ten times and they have not listened to my voice” (Numbers 14:22).
150 B.C.E. - 100 C.E.
Sibylline Oracles 1:37
Pseudepigrapha
34 He longed for conversation, being alone, 35 And prayed that he might see another form 36 Such as he had. And forthwith, from man’s side 37 Taking a bone, God himself made fair Eve, 38 A wedded spouse, and in that Paradise 39 Gave her to dwell with him. And, when he gazed 40 Upon her, all of a sudden filled with joy
500 C.E.
Genesis Rabbah 40:5
Rabbinic
‘You are carrying precious stones.’ ‘I will pay on precious stones.’ ‘It is imperative that you open it and we see what it contains,’ he insisted. As soon as he opened it the land of Egypt was irradiated with her lustre [beauty]. R. ‘Azariah and R. Jonathan in R. Isaac’s name said: Eve’s image was transmitted to the reigning beauties of each generation. Elsewhere it is written, And the damsel was very faiwr—‘ad me’od (1 Kings 1, 4), which means that she attained to Eve’s beauty; but here in truth it is written, THE EGYPTIANS BEHELD THE WOMAN THAT SHE WAS VERY FAIR (ME’OD)— which means, even more beautiful than Eve’s image.
100-50 B.C.E.
Wisdom of Solomon 18:5
Deuterocanon
4 For they were worthy to be deprived of light and imprisoned in darkness, who had kept thy sons shut up, by whom the uncorrupt light of the law was to be given unto the world. 5 And when they had determined to slay the babes of the saints, one child being cast forth, and saved, to reprove them, thou tookest away the multitude of their children, and destroyedst them altogether in a mighty water. 6 Of that night were our fathers certified afore, that assuredly knowing unto what oaths they had given credence, they might afterwards be of good cheer.
150-100 B.C.E.
Jubilees 48:14
Pseudepigrapha
13 I stood between you, the Egyptians, and the Israelites. We rescued the Israelites from his power and from the power of the people. The Lord brought them out through the middle of the sea as if on dry ground. 14 All of the people whom he brought out to pursue the Israelites, the Lord our God threw into the sea — to the depths of the abyss — in place of the Israelites, just as the Egyptians had thrown their sons into the river. He took revenge on 1,000,000 of them. One thousand men who were strong and also very brave perished for one infant of your people whom they had thrown into the river.
450-550 C.E.
Sotah 11a
Rabbinic
Alternatively, there is an additional way to punish the Egyptians with water: He does not bring a flood upon them, but they may come and fall into water, and so it says: “And the sea returned to its strength when the morning appeared; and the Egyptians fled toward it; and the Lord overthrew the Egyptians in the midst of the sea” (Exodus 14:27), indicating that the Egyptians fell into the water. And this is what Rabbi Elazar says: What is the meaning of that which is written: “Now I know that the Lord is greater than all gods, for in that which they conspired [zadu] against them” (Exodus 18:11)? The phrase means: In the pot in which they cooked, they themselves were cooked, as they were punished through drowning, measure for measure, for drowning the Jewish babies. The Gemara asks: From where may it be inferred that this word “zadu” is a term meaning a pot? The Gemara answers: As it is written: “And Jacob simmered a pot [vayyazed Ya’akov nazid]” (Genesis 25:29).
80-30 B.C.E.
Psalms of Solomon 5:9
Pseudepigrapha
6 Don't be too demanding of us, lest we sin in desperation. 7 And even if you don't turn us back, we will not keep away, but we will come to you. 8 For if I am hungry, I will cry out to you, O God, and you will give me something. 9 You feed the young birds and the fish, when you send rain to the wilderness that the grass may grow; 10 So to provide pasture in the wilderness; for every living thing; when they are hungry, will turn to you. 11 You feed kings and rulers and their subjects, O God, and who is the hope of the poor and the needy, if not you, O Lord?
500 C.E.
Genesis Rabbah 76
Rabbinic
AND ENCAMPED BEFORE THE CITY. He showed his regard (hanan) for the important men (panim) of the city by sending them gifts. Another interpretation of AND ENCAMPED BEFORE THE CITY: he began to set up bazaars and sell cheaply. This teaches that a man must be grateful to a place whence he derives benefit. R. Simeon b. Yohai and his son were hidden in a cave for thirteen years. Their food consisted of withered carobs until their bodies broke out in sores. At the end of this period he [R. Simeon] emerged and sat at the entrance of the cave and saw a hunter engaged in catching birds. Now whenever R. Simeon heard a heavenly voice exclaim from heaven, ‘Mercy!’ it escaped; if it exclaimed, ‘Death!’ it was caught. ‘Even a bird is not caught without the assent of Providence,’ he remarked; ‘how much more then the life of a human being!’ Thereupon he went forth and found that the trouble had subsided. Then they went and bathed in cold baths.
80-30 B.C.E.
Psalms of Solomon 5:9
Pseudepigrapha
6 Don't be too demanding of us, lest we sin in desperation. 7 And even if you don't turn us back, we will not keep away, but we will come to you. 8 For if I am hungry, I will cry out to you, O God, and you will give me something. 9 You feed the young birds and the fish, when you send rain to the wilderness that the grass may grow; 10 So to provide pasture in the wilderness; for every living thing; when they are hungry, will turn to you. 11 You feed kings and rulers and their subjects, O God, and who is the hope of the poor and the needy, if not you, O Lord?
190-230 C.E.
Mishnah Kiddushin 4
Rabbinic
Rabbi Yehuda says: A bachelor may not herd cattle, nor may two bachelors sleep with one covering, lest they transgress the prohibition against homosexual intercourse, but the Rabbis permit it. Anyone who has professional dealings primarily with women may not be secluded with women. There is more of a concern that such a man might sin due to his familiarity with the women. And a person may not teach his son a trade that necessitates frequent interaction with women, for the same reason. With regard to teaching one’s son a trade, Rabbi Meir says: A person should always teach his son a clean and easy trade and pray for success to the One to Whom wealth and property belong, as ultimately there is no trade that does not include both poverty and wealth, since a person can become rich from any profession. Poverty does not come from a particular trade, nor does wealth come from a particular trade, but rather, all is in accordance with a person’s merit. Therefore, one should choose a clean and easy trade, and pray to God for success. Rabbi Shimon ben Elazar says: Have you ever seen a beast or a bird that has a trade? And yet they earn their livelihood without anguish. But all these were created only to serve me, and I, a human being, was created to serve the One Who formed me. Is it not right that I should earn my livelihood without anguish? But I, i.e., humanity, have committed evil actions and have lost my livelihood. This is why people must work to earn a living.
30 B.C.E - 70 C.E.
2 Enoch 25:3
Pseudepigrapha
1 I commanded in the very lowest parts, that visible (physical) things should come down from invisible (spiritual), and Adoil came down very great, and I beheld him, and lo! He had a belly of great light. 2 And I said to him: Become undone, Adoil, and let the visible (physical) come out of you. 3 And he came undone, and a great light came out. And I was in the midst of the great light, and as there is born light from light, there came forth a great age, and showed all creation, which I had thought to create. 4 And I saw that it was good.
450-550 C.E.
Chagigah 12a
Rabbinic
The Gemara poses a question: And was light created on the first day? But isn’t it written: “And God set them in the firmament of the heaven” (Genesis 1:17), and it is also written: “And there was evening, and there was morning, a fourth day” (Genesis 1:19), indicating that light was created on the fourth day. The Gemara answers: This should be understood in accordance with Rabbi Elazar, as Rabbi Elazar said: The light that the Holy One, Blessed be He, created on the first day was not that of the sun but a different kind of light, through which man could observe from one end of the world to the other. But when the Holy One, Blessed be He, looked upon the generation of the Flood and the generation of the Dispersion and saw that their ways were corrupt and that they might misuse this light for evil, He arose and concealed it from them, as it is stated: “And from the wicked their light is withheld” (Job 38:15).
30 B.C.E - 70 C.E.
2 Enoch 30:10
Pseudepigrapha
9 And there came evening, and there came morning the sixth day. 10 [Friday]. On the sixth day I commanded my wisdom to create man from seven consistencies, one, his flesh from the earth, two, his blood from the dew, three, his eyes from the sun, four, his bones from stone, five, his intelligence from the swiftness of the angels and from cloud, six, his veins and his hair from the grass of the earth, seven, his soul from my breath and from the wind.
500 C.E.
Genesis Rabbah 1:1
Rabbinic
The great Rabbi Hoshaya opened [with the verse (Mishlei 8:30),] “I [the Torah] was an amon to Him and I was a plaything to Him every day.” Amon means “pedagogue” (i.e., nanny). Amon means “covered.” Amon means “hidden.” And there is one who says amon means “great.” Amon means “nanny,” as in (Bamidbar 11:12) ‘As a nanny (omein) carries the suckling child.’ Amon means “covered,” as in (Eichah 4:5) ‘Those who were covered (emunim) in scarlet have embraced refuse heaps.’ Amon means “hidden,” as in (Esther 2:7) ‘He hid away (omein) Hadassah.’ Amon means “great,” as in (Nahum 3:8) ‘Are you better than No-amon [which dwells in the rivers]?’ which the Targum renders as, ‘Are you better than Alexandria the Great (amon), which dwells between the rivers?’ Alternatively, amon means “artisan.” The Torah is saying, ‘I was the artisan’s tool of Hashem.’ In the way of the world, a king of flesh and blood who builds a castle does not do so from his own knowledge, but rather from the knowledge of an architect, and the architect does not build it from his own knowledge, but rather he has scrolls and books in order to know how to make rooms and doorways. So too Hashem gazed into the Torah and created the world. Similarly, the Torah says, ‘Through the reishis Hashem created [the heavens and the earth],’ and reishis means Torah, as in ‘Hashem made me [the Torah] the beginning (reishis) of His way’ (Mishlei 8:22).”
30 B.C.E - 70 C.E.
2 Enoch 30:13
Pseudepigrapha
12 I conceived a cunning saying to say, I created man from invisible (spiritual) and from visible (physical) nature, of both are his death and life and image, he knows speech like some created thing, small in greatness and again great in smallness, and I placed him on earth, a second angel, honorable, great and glorious, and I appointed him as ruler to rule on earth and to have my wisdom, and there was none like him of earth of all my existing creatures. 13 And I appointed him a name, from the four component parts, from east, from west, from south, from north, and I appointed for him four special stars, and I called his name Adam, and showed him the two ways, the light and the darkness, and I told him, 14 This is good, and that bad, that I should learn whether he has love towards me, or hatred, that it be clear which in his race love me.
1150 C.E.
The Chronicles of Jerahmeel
Rabbinic
7 God then called Gabriel and said, "Go and bring Me dust from the four corners of the earth, and I will create man from it." Gabriel went to gather the dust, but the earth drove him away and would not allow him to take any. Gabriel said, "Why, O earth, do you not listen to the voice of your Lord, who founded you upon the waters without props or pillars?" The earth answered, "I am destined to become cursed through man, and if God Himself does not take dust from me, no one else will either." 8 When God saw this, He stretched out His hand, took some dust, and created the first man on the sixth day. God created the body of man with four colors: white, black, red, and green. The bones and sinews are white, the intestines black, the blood red, and the skin greenish (livid). When the soul departs from the body, it immediately becomes livid.
30 B.C.E - 70 C.E.
2 Enoch 30:13
Pseudepigrapha
12 I conceived a cunning saying to say, I created man from invisible (spiritual) and from visible (physical) nature, of both are his death and life and image, he knows speech like some created thing, small in greatness and again great in smallness, and I placed him on earth, a second angel, honorable, great and glorious, and I appointed him as ruler to rule on earth and to have my wisdom, and there was none like him of earth of all my existing creatures. 13 And I appointed him a name, from the four component parts, from east, from west, from south, from north, and I appointed for him four special stars, and I called his name Adam, and showed him the two ways, the light and the darkness, and I told him, 14 This is good, and that bad, that I should learn whether he has love towards me, or hatred, that it be clear which in his race love me.
630-1030 C.E.
Pirkei DeRabbi Eliezer 11
Rabbinic
The Holy One, blessed be He, spoke to the Torah: "Let us make man in our image, after our likeness" (Gen. 1:26). The Torah spoke before Him: Sovereign of all the worlds! The man whom You would create will be limited in days and full of anger; and he will come into the power of sin. Unless You will be long-suffering with him, it would be well for him not to have come into the world. The Holy One, blessed be He, rejoined: And is it for nought that I am called "slow to anger" and "abounding in love"? He began to collect the dust of the first man from the four corners of the world; red, black, white, and "pale green," which refers to the body. Why did He gather man's dust from the four corners of the world? Thus spoke the Holy One, blessed be He: If a man should come from the east to the west, or from the west to the east, and his time comes to depart from the world, then the earth shall not say, The dust of thy body is not mine, return to the place whence thou wast created. But (this circumstance) teaches thee that in every place where a man goes or comes, and his end approaches when he must depart from the world, thence is the dust of his body, and there it returns to the dust, as it is said, "For dust thou art, and unto dust shalt thou return" (Gen. 3:19).
30 B.C.E - 70 C.E.
2 Enoch 30:13
Pseudepigrapha
12 I conceived a cunning saying to say, I created man from invisible (spiritual) and from visible (physical) nature, of both are his death and life and image, he knows speech like some created thing, small in greatness and again great in smallness, and I placed him on earth, a second angel, honorable, great and glorious, and I appointed him as ruler to rule on earth and to have my wisdom, and there was none like him of earth of all my existing creatures. 13 And I appointed him a name, from the four component parts, from east, from west, from south, from north, and I appointed for him four special stars, and I called his name Adam, and showed him the two ways, the light and the darkness, and I told him, 14 This is good, and that bad, that I should learn whether he has love towards me, or hatred, that it be clear which in his race love me.
450-550 C.E.
Sanhedrin 38a
Rabbinic
It is taught in a baraita that Rabbi Meir would say: The dust that served to form Adam the first man was gathered from the entire world, as it is stated: “When I was made in secret and wrought in the lowest places of the earth, Your eyes did see my unshaped flesh” (Psalms 139:15–16), and it is written: “For the eyes of the Lord run to and fro throughout the whole earth” (II Chronicles 16:9), indicating that this figure was formed from the whole earth, the place within the view of the Lord’s eyes. Rav Oshaya says in the name of Rav: With regard to Adam the first man, his torso was fashioned from dust taken from Babylonia, and his head was fashioned from dust taken from Eretz Yisrael, the most important land, and his limbs were fashioned from dust taken from the rest of the lands in the world. With regard to his buttocks, Rav Aḥa says: They were fashioned from dust taken from Akra De’agma, on the outskirts of Babylonia.
70-100 C.E.
4 Ezra 3:14
Pseudepigrapha
12 ‘The population of the earth increased; families and peoples multiplied, nation upon nation. But then once again they began to sin, more wickedly than those' before them. 13 When they sinned, you chose for yourself one of them, whose name was Abraham; 14 him you loved, and to him alone, secretly, at dead of night, you showed how the world would end. 15 You made an everlasting covenant with him and promised never to abandon his descendants. 16 You gave him Isaac, and to Isaac you gave Jacob and Esau; of these you chose Jacob for yourself and rejected Esau; and Jacob grew to be a great nation.
500 C.E.
Genesis Rabbah 44:21
Rabbinic
AND IT CAME TO PASS, THAT, WHEN THE SUN WENT DOWN, AND THERE WAS THICK DARKNESS (xv, 17): there was intense darkness. BEHOLD A SMOKING FURNACE AND A FLAMING TORCH. Simeon b. Abba said in R. Johanan’s name: He [God] showed him four things, viz. Gehenna, the [foreign] kingdoms, Revelation, and the Temple, with the promise: As long as thy children occupy themselves with the latter two, they will be saved from the former two; if they neglect the latter two they will be punished by the former two. Wouldst thou rather that thy children descend into Gehenna or into the power of the [foreign] kingdoms? He asked him. R. Hinena b. Papa said: Abraham himself chose [subjection to foreign] powers.
70-100 C.E.
4 Ezra 6:40
Pseudepigrapha
38 ‘O Lord, at the beginning of creation you spoke the word. On the first day you said, “Let heaven and earth be made!”, and your word carried out its work. 39 At that time the hovering spirit was there, and darkness circled round; there was silence, no sound as yet of human voice. 40 Then you commanded a ray of light to be brought out of your store-chambers, to make your works visible from that time onwards. 41 On the second day you created the angel of the firmament, and commanded him to make a dividing barrier between the waters, one part withdrawing upwards and the other remaining below.
450-550 C.E.
Chagigah 12a
Rabbinic
The Gemara poses a question: And was light created on the first day? But isn’t it written: “And God set them in the firmament of the heaven” (Genesis 1:17), and it is also written: “And there was evening, and there was morning, a fourth day” (Genesis 1:19), indicating that light was created on the fourth day. The Gemara answers: This should be understood in accordance with Rabbi Elazar, as Rabbi Elazar said: The light that the Holy One, Blessed be He, created on the first day was not that of the sun but a different kind of light, through which man could observe from one end of the world to the other. But when the Holy One, Blessed be He, looked upon the generation of the Flood and the generation of the Dispersion and saw that their ways were corrupt and that they might misuse this light for evil, He arose and concealed it from them, as it is stated: “And from the wicked their light is withheld” (Job 38:15).
70-100 C.E.
4 Ezra 9:31
Pseudepigrapha
26 So I went out as the angel told me to a field called Ardat. There I sat among the flowers; my food was what grew in the field, and I ate to my heart’s content. 27 The week ended, and I was lying on the grass troubled again in mind with all the same perplexities. 28 I broke my silence and addressed the Most High 29 ‘O Lord,’ I said, ‘you showed yourself to our fathers in the desert at the time of the exodus from Egypt, when they were traveling through the barren and untraveled waste. 30 You said, “Hear me, Israel; listen to my words, race of Jacob. 31 This is my law, which I sow among you to bear fruit and bring you glory forever.” 32 But our fathers who received your law did not keep it; they did not observe your commandments. Not that the fruit of the law perished; that was impossible, for it was yours. 33 Those who received it perished, because they failed to keep safe the good seed that had been sown in them.
200 C.E.
Sifre Deuteronomy 345
Rabbinic
(Devarim 33:4) "Torah was commanded lanu by Moses": This command is only "lanu," only for our sake. Similarly, (I Kings 8:20) "And I have built the house for the name of the L-rd, the G-d of Israel" — What is the purpose of this house? (Ibid. 21) "And I have built there a place for the ark" — This command is only lanu, only for our sake. Variantly: "Torah was commanded to us by Moses": It is not from Moses alone that we hold the Torah; for our fathers, too, acquired it, viz. (Devarim, Ibid.) "the inheritance of the congregation of Jacob." This tells me (only) of an inheritance for the sons of kings. Whence do I derive the same for the sons of non-kings? From (Devarim. 29:9) "You are standing this day, all of you, etc." Variantly: Do not read it "morashah" ("inheritance"), but me'orasah" ("betrothed"), the Torah being betrothed to Israel, and (it is forbidden) to the gentiiles as (is) a married woman. Similarly, (Mishlei 6:27-29) "Will a man draw forth fire into his lap, and his clothes not be burned? Will a man walk on coals and his feet not be scorched? So, he who comes to his friend's wife. No one who touches her shall go clean." Thus "the betrothed of the congregation of Jacob."
70-150 C.E.
Apocalypse of Abraham 9:6
Pseudepigrapha
1 Then came a voice saying to me twice, “Abraham, Abraham!” 2 And I said “Here am I!” 3 And he said, “Behold, it is I! Fear not, for I am the primordial and mighty God, who initially created the two luminaries of the world. 4 I protect you and I am your helper. 5 Go, take for me a heifer in her third year, and a she-goat in her third year, and ram in his third year, and a turtledove, and a pigeon, and set out for me a pure sacrifice. And in this sacrifice I shall set before you the ages 6 and make you know secrets, and you will see great things which you have not seen, since you loved to search for me, and I called you ‘my friend.’
500 C.E.
Genesis Rabbah 44:21
Rabbinic
AND IT CAME TO PASS, THAT, WHEN THE SUN WENT DOWN, AND THERE WAS THICK DARKNESS (xv, 17): there was intense darkness. BEHOLD A SMOKING FURNACE AND A FLAMING TORCH. Simeon b. Abba said in R. Johanan’s name: He [God] showed him four things, viz. Gehenna, the [foreign] kingdoms, Revelation, and the Temple, with the promise: As long as thy children occupy themselves with the latter two, they will be saved from the former two; if they neglect the latter two they will be punished by the former two. Wouldst thou rather that thy children descend into Gehenna or into the power of the [foreign] kingdoms? He asked him. R. Hinena b. Papa said: Abraham himself chose [subjection to foreign] powers.
70-150 C.E.
Apocalypse of Abraham 14:6
Pseudepigrapha
2 And he said, “Know by this that the Eternal One whom you have loved has chosen you. 3 Be bold and have power, as I order you, over him who reviles justice, 4 or else I shall not be able to revile him who scattered about the earth the secrets of heaven and who conspired against the Mighty One. 5 Say to him, ‘May you be the fire brand of the furnace of the earth! Go, Azazel, into the untrodden parts of the earth. 6 Since your inheritance are those who are with you, with men born with the stars and clouds. And their portion is you, and they come into being through your being. 7 And justice is your enmity. Therefore through your own destruction vanish from before me!’” 8 And I said the words as the angel had taught me. 9 And he said, “Abraham!” And I said, “Here am I, your servant!”
450-550 C.E.
Yoma 67b
Rabbinic
The Gemara asks: And the other, what does he do with this word gezeira? The Gemara answers: He needs it for that which was taught in a baraita with regard to the word gezeira: Gezeira means nothing other than cut. That is, he must send the goat away to a place cut up by rocks standing upright and sticking out. Alternatively, gezeira is referring to nothing other than something that breaks apart and falls, a reference to the goat, which is torn limb from limb. Alternatively, the word gezeira is written lest you say the procedure of the scapegoat is a meaningless act, since what sanctity and atonement is achieved in sending the goat to Azazel and pushing it from the cliff? Therefore, the verse states: “I am the Lord” (Leviticus 18:5), i.e., I, the Lord, decreed it [gezartiv], and you have no right to question it. Having clarified the reasoning of each opinion, the Gemara concludes its discussion of whether the limbs of the goat are permitted for benefit. Rava said: It is reasonable to rule in accordance with the one that said the limbs of the goat are permitted, since the Torah did not say: “And send the goat” to cause mishap. Once the man pushes the goat off the cliff, he is no longer responsible for it. Therefore, if it were prohibited to derive benefit from the goat’s remains, the mitzva itself could lead to a mishap if someone were to find the goat’s remains and make use of them. § The Sages taught: The word Azazel indicates that the cliff the goat is pushed from should be rough and hard. I might have thought that it may be located in a settled area. Therefore, the verse states: “In the wilderness.” And from where does one derive that the goat is pushed from a cliff? The verse states “gezeira,” indicating an area that is sharp, like a cliff. It was taught in another baraita: Azazel is a reference to the hardest mountain, and so it says: “And the mighty [eilei] of the land he took away” (Ezekiel 17:13). Azazel is interpreted as azaz-el, with the term el connoting something rough and hard. The school of Rabbi Yishmael taught: Azazel is so called because it atones for the actions of Uzza and Azael. These are the names of “sons of God” who sinned with “daughters of men” (Genesis 6:2) and thereby caused the world to sin during the generation of the Flood.
130-150 C.E.
Protoevangelium of James 8
Pseudepigrapha
8 Her parents left, marveling and praising the Lord because the child hadn’t turned back. Mary remained in the temple of the Lord, like a dove living there, receiving food from the hand of an angel. When she turned twelve, the priests gathered and said, “Look, Mary has reached the age of twelve here in the temple. What should we do with her so that she doesn’t defile the sanctuary of the Lord?” They said to the high priest, “You stand at the altar of the Lord; go in and pray about her, and whatever the Lord reveals to you, that’s what we’ll do.” The high priest went in, taking the robe with the twelve bells, and entered the holy of holies. As he prayed about her, an angel of the Lord appeared beside him, saying, “Zacharias, Zacharias, go out and gather the widowers of the people. Let each one bring his staff, and the one to whom the Lord shows a sign, she will be his wife.” So the heralds went throughout all of Judea, and the trumpet of the Lord sounded, and everyone came running.
190-230 C.E.
Mishnah Niddah 5:7
Rabbinic
The Sages stated a parable based on the development of the fruit of a fig tree with regard to the three stages of development in a woman: Minority, young womanhood, and grown womanhood. An unripe fig, a ripening fig, and a ripe fig. An unripe fig represents the stage when she is still a child and has not yet developed the signs of puberty; a ripening fig represents the days of her young womanhood, when she reaches twelve years and one day and has developed two pubic hairs. With regard to the periods both during this stage, minority, and during that stage, young womanhood, the Sages said that her father is entitled to any lost object that she finds that cannot be returned to its owner, and to her earnings, and to nullification of her vows. A ripe fig represents the stage of grown womanhood: Once she has reached her majority, her father no longer has authority over her. He can no longer nullify her vows, and he does not have a claim to lost objects found by her and her earnings belong to her.
130-150 C.E.
Protoevangelium of James 7
Pseudepigrapha
7 Time passed, and the child grew. When she was two years old, Joachim said, “Let’s take her to the temple of the Lord to fulfill the vow we made, in case the Lord calls us before we’ve made our offering.” But Anna replied, “Let’s wait until she’s three, so she won’t miss her father or mother.” Joachim agreed, and they waited. When the child turned three, Joachim said, “Invite the undefiled daughters of the Hebrews, and let each one take a lamp. Let them stand with the lamps burning so the child won’t turn back or become distracted from going to the temple of the Lord.” They did this as they made their way to the temple. The priest welcomed her, kissed her, and blessed her, saying, “The Lord has exalted your name for all generations. In you, in the last days, the Lord will reveal His redemption to the people of Israel.” He then set her down on the third step of the altar, and the Lord God poured grace upon her. She danced with joy, and all the people of Israel loved her.
190-230 C.E.
Mishnah Niddah 5.4
Rabbinic
A girl who is three years and one day old, whose father arranged her betrothal, is betrothed through intercourse, as the halakhic status of intercourse with her is that of intercourse in all halakhic senses. And in a case where the childless husband of a girl three years and one day old dies, if his brother the yavam engages in intercourse with her, he acquires her as his wife; and if she is married, a man other than her husband is liable for engaging in intercourse with her due to violation of the prohibition against intercourse with a married woman. And if she is impure due to menstruation, she imparts impurity to one who engages in intercourse with her who then renders impure all the layers of bedding beneath him, rendering them impure like the upper bedding covering a zav, in the sense that it assumes first-degree ritual impurity and does not become a primary source of ritual impurity, and it renders impure food and drink, but it does not render impure people and vessels. If she marries a priest, she may partake of teruma, like any other wife of a priest; if she is unmarried and one of the men who are unfit for the priesthood, e.g., a mamzer or ḥalal, engaged in intercourse with her, he disqualifies her from marrying into the priesthood, and if she is the daughter of a priest, she is disqualified from partaking of teruma. Finally, if one of all those with whom relations are forbidden, as stated in the Torah, e.g., her father or her husband’s father, engaged in intercourse with her, they are executed by the court for engaging in intercourse with her, and she is exempt, because she is a minor. If the girl is less than that age, younger than three years and one day, the status of intercourse with her is not that of intercourse in all halakhic senses; rather, it is like placing a finger into the eye. Just as in that case, the eye constricts, sheds tears, and then returns to its original state, so too, in a girl younger than three years and one day old, the hymen returns to its original state.