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Isaiah 44 mocks a man who cooks with part of a tree and worships the rest as a god. The Apocalypse of Abraham reshapes this contrast into a joke about Barisat, a wooden god that burns up while Abraham prepares Terah's meal.
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2500 BCE
1000+ CE
Isaiah 44:16
Hebrew Bible
14 He cuts down cedars and acquires a cypress or an oak. He gets trees from the forest; he plants a cedar and the rain makes it grow. 15 A man uses it to make a fire; he takes some of it and warms himself. Yes, he kindles a fire and bakes bread. Then he makes a god and worships it; he makes an idol and bows down to it. 16 Half of it he burns in the fire—over that half he cooks meat; he roasts a meal and fills himself. Yes, he warms himself and says, ‘Ah! I am warm as I look at the fire.’ 17 With the rest of it he makes a god, his idol; he bows down to it and worships it. He prays to it, saying, ‘Rescue me, for you are my god!’
Apocalypse of Abraham 5:14
Pseudepigrapha, Apocalypses
9 And on returning I found Barisat fallen backwards, and his feet surrounded by fire and horribly burnt. 10 I burst into a fit of laughter, and I said to myself: "Truly, O Barisat, you can kindle the fire and cook food!" 11 And it came to pass, while I spoke (thus) in my laughter he (i.e. Barisat) was gradually burnt up by the fire and reduced to ashes. 12 And I brought the food to my father, and he ate. 13 And I gave him wine and milk, and he was gladdened and blessed his god Merumath. 14 And I said to him: "O father Terah, do not bless your god Merumath, and do not praise him, but rather praise your god Barisat because, loving you more, he has cast himself into the fire to cook your food!"
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Notes and References
“... The fate of Barisat is reminiscent of the rather comic belittling of wooden idols
in Isa 44.9–20. ...”
Jones, Kenneth R.
Jewish Reactions to the Destruction of Jerusalem in A.D. 70: Apocalypses and Related Pseudepigrapha
(p. 247) Brill, 2011
* The use of references are not endorsements of their contents. Please read the entirety of the provided reference(s) to understand the author's full intentions regarding the use of these texts.
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