Heavenly Priesthood in the Apocalypse of Abraham

The Apocalypse of Abraham is a vital source for understanding both Jewish apocalypticism and mysticism. Written anonymously soon after the destruction of the Second Jerusalem Temple, the text envisions heaven as the true place of worship and depicts Abraham as an initiate of celestial priesthood. Andrei A. Orlov focuses on the central rite of the Abraham story – the scapegoat ritual that receives a striking eschatological reinterpretation in the text. He demonstrates that the development of the sacerdotal traditions in the Apocalypse of Abraham, along with a cluster of Jewish mystical motifs, represents an important transition from Jewish apocalypticism to the symbols of early Jewish mysticism. In this way, Orlov offers unique insight into the complex world of the Jewish sacerdotal debates in the early centuries of the Common Era. The book will be of interest to scholars of early Judaism and Christianity, Old Testament studies, and Jewish mysticism and magic.

• Examines the Apocalypse of Abraham, a relatively neglected piece of ancient writing preserved solely in its Slavonic translation
• Explores early Jewish priestly and liturgical traditions so readers can better understand the formation of sacerdotal traditions in the crucial time of transition from Late Antiquity to the Middle Ages
• Discusses and clarifies the roots of Jewish and Christian demonology and angelology