Texts in Conversation
The Ladder of Jacob interprets twelve steps as the periods of an age ruled by hostile kings. The Apocalypse of Abraham echoes this timetable in the twelve divisions of its evil age, placing the descendants of both patriarchs under a limited foreign rule.
Share:
2500 BCE
1000+ CE
Ladder of Jacob 4:1
Pseudepigrapha, Hebrew Bible Expansions
1 But this said he to me: The ladder which you saw, which had twelve steps having two human faces which changed their appearance — now this ladder is this age, and the twelve steps are the times of this age, and the twenty-four faces are the kings of the lawless heathen of this age. 2 Under these kings will be tried your children's children and the line of your sons: they will rise up against the lawlessness of your descendants, and will lay this place waste through four descents of the sins of your descendants. 3 And of the substance of the forefathers will be built this palace in the temple of the name of your God and your fathers; but through the wrath of your descendants will it be desolate until the fourth descent of this age; for you saw four visions.
Apocalypse of Abraham 29:2
Pseudepigrapha, Apocalypses
2 And He said: "I have ordained twelve years of this ungodly Age to rule among the heathen and in your seed; and until the end of the times it shall be as you saw. 3 And reckon and understand and look into the picture." 4 And I [looked and] saw a man going out from the left side of the heathen; and there went out men and women and children, from the side of the heathen, many hosts, and worshipped him. 5 And while I still looked there came out from the right side [many], and some insulted that man, while some struck him; others, however, worshipped him. 6 [And] I saw how these worshipped him, and Azazel ran and worshipped him, and having kissed his face he turned and stood behind him.
Search:
Notes and References
“... The lad-
der in Jacob’s vision has twelve steps, on each of which sit two busts
(Lad. Jac. 1.5). The ladder with its twelve steps represents this age
with its twelve divisions; the twenty-four busts represent the kings of
the ungodly nations of this age (Lad. Jac. 5.1–4). ...”
Jones, Kenneth R.
Jewish Reactions to the Destruction of Jerusalem in A.D. 70: Apocalypses and Related Pseudepigrapha
(p. 254) 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
,