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Apocalypse of Abraham

About this book
Chapter 11

1 And I stood up and saw the one who had taken my right hand and stood me on 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 on his head like the appearance of the rainbow,⁠ and his clothing like purple;⁠ and a golden scepter 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 appearance frighten you, or let my speech trouble your soul. 5 Come with me and I will go with you, visible until the sacrifice, but invisible forever after the sacrifice. 6 Take courage, and come!"

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Compare Daniel 7:9 and Apocalypse of Abraham 11:2

Hebrew Bible · Pseudepigrapha, Apocalypses

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Summary

In Daniel, the Ancient of Days has hair like pure wool and clothing white as snow. In the Apocalypse of Abraham, the angel Jaoel has the same snow-white hair that God has in Daniel's throne vision.

Passages

Daniel 7:9

Hebrew Bible
9 “While I was watching, thrones were set up, and the Ancient of Days took his seat. His attire was white like snow; the hair of his head was like lamb’s wool. His throne was ablaze with fire, and its wheels were all aflame. 10 A river of fire was streaming forth and proceeding from his presence. Many thousands were ministering to him; many tens of thousands stood ready to serve him. The court convened, and the books were opened. 11 “Then I kept on watching because of the arrogant words of the horn that was speaking. I was watching until the beast was killed and its body destroyed and thrown into the flaming fire. 12 As for the rest of the beasts, their ruling authority had already been removed, though they were permitted to go on living for a time and a season.
200–101 BCE (scholarly estimate) Read in Daniel

Apocalypse of Abraham 11:2

Pseudepigrapha, Apocalypses
1 And I stood up and saw the one who had taken my right hand and stood me on 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 on his head like the appearance of the rainbow, and his clothing like purple; and a golden scepter 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 appearance frighten you, or let my speech trouble your soul. 5 Come with me and I will go with you, visible until the sacrifice, but invisible forever after the sacrifice.
70–150 CE (scholarly estimate) Read in the Apocalypse of Abraham

References

“... As in Revelation 1 the description of the angel takes up the reference to the Ancient of Days in Daniel 7.9. Once again there would appear to be a strong indication that this angel is closely linked with God himself. ...”
Christopher Rowland, The Open Heaven: A Study of Apocalyptic in Judaism and Early Christianity (London: SPCK, 1982), 102.

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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Daniel 7:9 and Apocalypse of Abraham 11:2

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