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Apocalypse of Abraham

About this book

The Angel Yahoel

Chapter 10

1 And when I heard the voice of Him who spoke these words to me, (and) I looked here and there 2 and look, there was no human breath, and my spirit was terrified, and my soul left me, and I became like a stone, and fell down on the earth, for I had no more strength to stand on the earth. 3 And while I was still lying facedown on the earth, I heard the voice of the Holy One speaking: "Go, Jaoel, who bears my name, through my unutterable Name consecrate that man for me, and strengthen him (so that he recovers) from his trembling." 4 And the angel He had sent to me came in the form of a man, and took my right hand, and stood me on my feet,⁠ 5 and said to me: "Stand up, [Abraham,] Friend of God who loves you;⁠ do not let human fear make you tremble! 6 For look, I have been sent to you to strengthen you and bless you in the name of God, who loves you, the Creator of everything in heaven and on earth. 7 Do not be afraid, and hurry to Him. 8 He who moves those who are with me on the seventh expanse on the heavenly vault calls me Jaoel. I am a power through the unutterable Name that dwells in me.⁠ 9 I have been assigned, by His command, to restrain the threatening attack of the living creatures of the Cherubim against one another, and to teach those who carry Him the song for the seventh hour of the human night. 10 I am appointed to restrain the Leviathans, for the attack and threat of every reptile are subject to me. 11 [I have been ordered to open Hades, to destroy those who revere the dead.] 12 I was ordered to set fire to your father's house with him inside, because he revered dead (idols). 13 I have been sent to bless you now, and the land which the Eternal One, whom you have called on, has prepared for you, 14 and I have traveled over the earth for your sake. 15 Stand up, Abraham! Go without being afraid; be very glad and joyful; and I am with you! For eternal honor has been prepared for you by the Eternal One. 16 Go, fulfill the sacrifices you were commanded to make. For look, I have been appointed to be with you and with the descendants destined (to spring) from you; 17 and with me Michael blesses you forever. Take courage, go!"

Texts in conversation

Compare Exodus 23:21 and Apocalypse of Abraham 10:8

Hebrew Bible · Pseudepigrapha, Apocalypses

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Summary

In Exodus, God tells Israel to obey his guiding angel because God's name is in him. In the Apocalypse of Abraham, the angel Jaoel, who guides Abraham toward heaven, also has God's name in him as the source of his power.

Passages

Exodus 23:21

Hebrew Bible
21 Take heed because of him, and obey his voice; do not rebel against him, for he will not pardon your transgressions, for my Name is in him. 22 But if you diligently obey him and do all that I command, then I will be an enemy to your enemies, and I will be an adversary to your adversaries. 23 For my angel will go before you and bring you to the Amorites, the Hittites, the Perizzites, the Canaanites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites, and I will destroy them completely. 24 “You must not bow down to their gods; you must not serve them or do according to their practices. Instead you must completely overthrow them and smash their standing stones to pieces.
750–400 BCE (scholarly estimate) Read in Exodus

Apocalypse of Abraham 10:8

Pseudepigrapha, Apocalypses
6 For look, I have been sent to you to strengthen you and bless you in the name of God, who loves you, the Creator of everything in heaven and on earth. 7 Do not be afraid, and hurry to Him. 8 He who moves those who are with me on the seventh expanse on the heavenly vault calls me Jaoel. I am a power through the unutterable Name that dwells in me. 9 I have been assigned, by His command, to restrain the threatening attack of the living creatures of the Cherubim against one another, and to teach those who carry Him the song for the seventh hour of the human night. 10 I am appointed to restrain the Leviathans, for the attack and threat of every reptile are subject to me.
70–150 CE (scholarly estimate) Read in the Apocalypse of Abraham

References

“... This interpretation corre- sponds to the meaning of Yahoel that is a combination of God’s names. See B. Sanh. 38b (based on Exod. 23:20–21). Yahoel and Metatron, whose functions are very similar, are explicitly iden- tified in 3 En. 48D:1.32 Cf. Apoc. Ab. 10:8 and comments there. ...”
Alexander Kulik, “Apocalypse of Abraham,” in Outside the Bible: Ancient Jewish Writings Related to Scripture, ed. James L. Kugel Louis H. Feldman and Lawrence H. Schiffman (Philadelphia: Jewish Publication Society, 2013), 1463.

References are not endorsements of their contents. Read each reference in full to understand its author's intentions in using these texts.

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Exodus 23:21 and Apocalypse of Abraham 10:8

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