Texts in Conversation
Daniel 7 divides the rule of empires into four kingdoms before God’s judgment. The Apocalypse of Abraham echoes this fourfold sequence in the punishment of Abraham’s descendants, placing the history of foreign domination within his covenant vision.
Share:
2500 BCE
1000+ CE
Daniel 7:3
Hebrew Bible
3 Then four large beasts came up from the sea; they were different from one another. 4 “The first one was like a lion with eagles’ wings. As I watched, its wings were pulled off, and it was lifted up from the ground. It was made to stand on two feet like a human being, and a human mind was given to it. 5 “Then a second beast appeared, like a bear. It was raised up on one side, and there were three ribs in its mouth between its teeth. It was told, ‘Get up and devour much flesh!’ 6 “After these things, as I was watching, another beast like a leopard appeared, with four bird-like wings on its back. This beast had four heads, and ruling authority was given to it.
Apocalypse of Abraham 28:4
Pseudepigrapha, Apocalypses
1 And I answered and said: "O Mighty, [Eternal One], hallowed by Your power! Be favourable to my petition, [for for this You have brought me up here — and show me]. As You have brought me up to Your height, 2 so make [this] known to me, Your beloved one, as much as I ask — whether what I saw shall happen to them for long?" 3 And He showed me a multitude of His people, 4 and said to me: "On their account through four issues, as you saw, I shall be provoked by them, and in these my retribution for their deeds shall be (accomplished). 5 But in the fourth outgoing of a hundred years and one hour of the age — the same is a hundred years — it shall be in misfortune among the heathen [but one hour in mercy and contumely, as among the heathen]."
Search:
Notes and References
“... Most scholars have understood the four ascents to refer to the four
kingdoms of Daniel, modified, as they are in other apocalypses, to sig-
nify Babylon, Persia, Greece, and Rome. ...”
Jones, Kenneth R.
Jewish Reactions to the Destruction of Jerusalem in A.D. 70: Apocalypses and Related Pseudepigrapha
(p. 253) 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.
Your Feedback:
Leave a Comment
Anonymous comments are welcome. All comments are subject to moderation.
User Comments
,