Texts in Conversation
Ezekiel 1 compares the light around God's glory to a rainbow. The Apocalypse of Abraham echoes this sign in the rainbowlike turban of Jaoel, placing an image associated with God's throne on the angel who prepares Abraham to approach it.
Share:
2500 BCE
1000+ CE
Ezekiel 1:28
Hebrew Bible
25 Then there was a voice from above the platform over their heads when they stood still. 26 Above the platform over their heads was something like a sapphire shaped like a throne. High above on the throne was a form that appeared to be a man. 27 I saw an amber glow like a fire enclosed all around from his waist up. From his waist down I saw something that looked like fire. There was a brilliant light around it, 28 like the appearance of a rainbow in the clouds after the rain. This was the appearance of the surrounding brilliant light; it looked like the glory of the Lord. When I saw it, I threw myself face down, and I heard a voice speaking.
Apocalypse of Abraham 11:3
Pseudepigrapha, Apocalypses
1 And I rose up and saw him who had grasped me by my right hand and set me up upon my feet: 2 and the appearance of his body was like sapphire, and the look of his face like chrysolite, and the hair of his head like snow, 3 and the turban upon his head like the appearance of the rainbow, and the clothing of his garments like purple; and a golden sceptre was in his right hand. 4 And he said to me: "Abraham!" And I said: "Here I am, your servant." And he said: "Do not let my look frighten you, nor my speech, that your soul not be perturbed. 5 Come with me and I will go with you, until the sacrifice, visible, but after the sacrifice, invisible for ever.
Search:
Notes and References
“... The mention of the rainbow is
reminiscent of Ezekiel 1.28 (cf. Rev. 4.3), where God's glory is
compared to the bow in the clouds. An angel with a rainbow
around his head appears also in Revelation 10.1, ...”
Rowland, Christopher
The Open Heaven: A Study of Apocalyptic in Judaism and Early Christianity
(p. 102) Society for Promoting Christian Knowledge, 1982
* 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.
Your Feedback:
Leave a Comment
Anonymous comments are welcome. All comments are subject to moderation.
User Comments
,