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Genesis 15 has Abraham look up at the stars as God promises him countless descendants. The Apocalypse of Abraham reshapes the same promise from heaven, placing the stars below Abraham and turning an earthly assurance into part of his heavenly vision.
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2500 BCE
1000+ CE
Genesis 15:5
Hebrew Bible
1 After these things the Lord’s message came to Abram in a vision: “Fear not, Abram! I am your shield and the one who will reward you in great abundance.” 2 But Abram said, “O Sovereign Lord, what will you give me since I continue to be childless, and my heir is Eliezer of Damascus?” 3 Abram added, “Since you have not given me a descendant, then look, one born in my house will be my heir!” 4 But look, the Lord’s message came to him: “This man will not be your heir, but instead a son who comes from your own body will be your heir.” 5 The Lord took him outside and said, “Gaze into the sky and count the stars—if you are able to count them!” Then he said to him, “So will your descendants be.”
Apocalypse of Abraham 20:3
Pseudepigrapha, Apocalypses
2 And I said: "Here I am." 3 [And He said:] "Consider from above the stars which are beneath you, and number them [for me], and make known [to me] their number." 4 And I said: "When can I? For I am but a man [of dust and ashes]." 5 And he said to me: "As the number of the stars and their power, (so will) I make your seed a nation and a people, set apart for me in my heritage with Azazel." 6 And I said: "O Eternal, Mighty One! Let your servant speak before You, and do not let Your anger kindle against Your chosen one! 7 Behold, before You led me up Azazel inveighed against me. How, then, while he is not now before You, have You constituted Yourself with him?"
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Notes and References
“... In a reversal of the account of the making of the
covenant in Genesis, God again tells Abraham to look down and count
the stars, promising to make his seed as numerous (19–20). ...”
Jones, Kenneth R.
Jewish Reactions to the Destruction of Jerusalem in A.D. 70: Apocalypses and Related Pseudepigrapha
(p. 249) 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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