THE APOCALYPSE OF ABRAHAM.

From the Roumanian Text, Discovered and Translated By Dr. M. Gaster. Read 2nd February, 1886. At the moment when the power of prophecy ceased, its place was taken by the mysterious metaphysical and emblematical vision, in which the future was likewise pro nosticated, but in an alle orical and fantastical form. !here rew up the apocalyptical literature, especially in the period of time which elapsed between the Book of Daniel and the Apocalypse of "t. #ohn, and in the followin two or three centuries. Almost at as remote a period as it first arose, the apocalyptic, or rather the apocryphal literature, was sei$ed upon by all who were desirous of e%ercisin an influence on the masses. &n the first instance, the heretical sects of 'hristianity utili$ed it. !he populace, as a rule, understands nothin of the subtle and hi her (uestions of do matism, and it is most easily approached by those who speak its accustomed lan ua e, by those who enter into its )iews, who use its word*pictures and metaphors. +hat could ser)e better to popularise creeds which branched off from the strai ht road of orthodo%y, than to present them in the uise of a reli ious story, of a biblical alle ory, of an apocalyptic )ision, "pecial books of reli ious and prophetical tendency were therefore ascribed to all the patriarchs from Adam onwards. -ach sect had a special predilection for a, different persona e, and )arious books were written, or in some cases ancient ones were altered to suit the re(uirements of the sects, and thus these works increased in number. 'ontest with the rulin 'hurch be an at the same early period. Indices of these heretical books were drawn up, in which their destruction was ur ed as a sacred duty. .1/6 "tran e to say, almost all the forbidden Apocryphas ha)e ne)ertheless been preser)ed to us. !o the e%plorer in the territory of folk*lore opportunities fre(uently present themsel)es of reco ni$in the ancient apocryphal stories amon st the popular literature of the middle a es. All, howe)er, ha)e not been preser)ed from destruction. Amon st others there has been missin until now an apocryphal story concernin the death of Abraham. &t is referred to by Epiphanius 0ad). haereses, 1/, 23, and also by Athanasius 0"ynopsis3. 4ikephorus 0"tichometria, 4o. 023 also speaks of an apocryphon of about 155 )erses, with reference to Abraham. 1 !his apocryphal story, of which until now nothin certain has been known, has been preser)ed in the old "la)onian and in the old Roumanian lan ua e. &n the former, as far as & know, it is only in two M"". 0of which one is a fra ment3, and in 6oumanian it is in four !!., of which one is the translation of the "la)onic fra ment. !he complete te%t, disco)ered by myself, in three M""., which are all in my possession, & propose to i)e now in a literal translation. Before & proceed, & should wish to say a few words concernin this te%t, the more ancient of the two fra ments, and especially re ardin the connection of this te%t with that of the "la)onic one of the si%teenth century. !he first incomplete te%t, which, as & ha)e before stated,7 entirely a rees with that of the contemporaneous "la)onic, is only distin uished from the more complete te%t by reater bre)ity, and some features which are wantin in the latter. !he complete "la)onic te%t1 is distin uished from our present one only by some unimportant features, and therefore points to a common and more ancient source. !hat the source of the "la)onic te%t 0and hence of the 6oumanian3 .1/8 is Greek, is beyond all doubt. !he fathers of the 'hurch, already (uoted, e%pressly say so. But besides this we ha)e historical and lin uistic proofs, which necessarily point to a Greek ori in. 9f the lin uistic proofs & will only adduce one here. !he name of the place****as we will see****where the an el first meets Abraham is called Dria the "lac#, which was taken from the falsely rendered :;<= >? @=AB;C, the translation of the Debrew Elone amre. Dr$a was considered as a proper name, and amre, chan ed into avri, was rendered by the "la)ic translator as blac#. !hus arose this otherwise ine%plicable name.

9f the historical proofs, the most incontestible lies in the fact that all theolo ical literature, in the widest sense of the word, reached the "la)ic throu h the medium of the Greek, and that e)en a Greek M". of it seems to be preser)ed in the library of Eienna.F !he stories, howe)er, came ori inally from the poetical -ast, with its fantastic ima ery, and amidst the influences of similar pictures of olden times. !he fathers of the 'hurch, who ha)e preser)ed for us the name of this apocrypha, ha)e also recorded the name of the sect in whose midst it first arose, namely, the sect of the !ethians, who beheld in "eth the son of Adam the true 'hrist and 6edeemer from hereditary sin. &t would carry me too far afield were & to be more e%plicit as to this, and especially were & to dilate on the heretical a itation in Asia Minor, and to follow out in these te%ts traces which ha)e been almost obliterated by time. &n reference to this & wish to point out the Gthreefold %ud&ementG mentioned here, of which the orthodo% church knows nothin . At e)ery step we meet parallels to the )arious incidents of this le endary story, both in the correspondin #ewish literature, and in the apocalyptic which has de)eloped out of it. .1/8 & will reser)e to myself for some future work the in)esti ation of these parallels. Hor the present it will suffice if & merely refer to the principal sources, or rather the most strikin parallels. As an e%ample present to the mind of the authors of this le end, & would cite the Apocalypse of the Apostle Iaul,2 especially the 9riental )ersion, which has also been published in -n lish from a "yriac ori inal. &n this le end the Apostle, who has been carried up to hea)en, beholds a )ery similar spectacle of the #ud ment after death. !he second part of the le end of Abraham, that relatin to his death, shows a decided leanin towards the widely spread le ends 0of #ewish literature3 relatin to the death of Moses. !hat some features ha)e been altered, whilst others ha)e been superadded, will e%cite no surprise in those who are e)en but partially ac(uainted with this )ery lu%uriant literature. &n conclusion, & would here set at rest an obJection which is contained in the (uestion, as to whether this te%t is actually the ancient and hitherto undisco)ered apocalypse, !he road usually taken by such apocrypha precludes any possible doubt. Brou ht from the -ast, they were in an early period translated from the Greek into the "la)onic, and thence they became also by translation part of 6oumanian literature. "imilarly to these manuscript stories, the GKistsG of heretical books were translated into the "la)onic, and here we find our te%t incontestibly fi urin amon st the forbidden books. 'ri&en, in (uotin this te%t, appears to labour under a sli ht misconception. !he An el of Good and the An el of -)il do not dispute with re ard to the sal)ation of Abraham himself, but in AbrahamLs presence the an els dispute concernin that of another soul. !his is meant by the story related in the te%t, when the soul was placed in the mid*way until it was released by the prayer of Abraham. 9ut of the three M"". in my possession & ha)e reconstructed the critical 6oumanian te%t, which is published here .1// for the first time. As a basis & took the M". of c. 1825, which althou h fra mentary at the be innin and end, ne)ertheless represents the best )ersion. &n 0 3 & included the corrections & considered necessary, and in M N the additions taken either from M". b 018183, or M". c 018883, or from both. !he transcription is strictly phonetical, followin the ordinary manner used in publishin 6oumanian te%ts. &t is as followsO letters ha)e the &talian )alue, t P t$Q s P shQ a, a, i P e 0Kepsius3Q i P y. -)ery 'yrillian letter, in which the te%ts are ori inally written, is reproduced by a Katin letterQ and & went so far as to preser)e e)en the dialectical forms, for the M"". bear a oldavian character. !he translation is of the reconstructed te%t, which has been di)ided by me in chapters. .755 The Life and Death of our Father Abraham the Just, written according to the Apocalypse in nice words. Introduction.

1. 9ur father Abraham li)ed more than 182 years. &n his lifetime he was )i orous, )ery entle, compassionate and Just towards all, and )ery hospitable. De dwelt not far from the place called Dria the "lac#, at the cross*road by which all stran ers had to pass. De recei)ed the wayfarers and entertained them. 6ich and poor, kin s and princes, boyards and )oye)ods, all nei hbours, the weak and the sick, all were treated with the reatest kindness, for Abraham was ood and Just, and lo)in all men, till he attained to e%treme old a e, and the time and the hour drew ni h when he was to taste the cup of death. 7. !hen the Kord called the archan el ihail, and said unto himO Go down, ihail, to my friend Abraham, and remind him of death, for & ha)e promised him to increase his .751 property and to multiply his descendants like the stars of hea)en and like the sand of the sea. And & ha)e blessed him. !herefore he is now richer and more Just than all in his oodness and hospitality which he displays until his end. 1. And the archan el ihail, who sat before the Kord, went out of Dis presence and descended to Abraham in Dria the "lac#, And he found our father Abraham near the )illa e with his ser)ants and also other youn men. And the archan el approached him. Abraham seein him, thou ht he was a soldier, bein so modest and fair in his appearance. F. !hen the a ed Abraham arose in order to meet the archan el. And the archan el said, G6eJoice, )enerable father, the chosen one of the Kord, ri hteous soul, friend of the 6uler of hea)en.G And Abraham said to the an el, G6eJoice, oh chief of the hosts 0Arhistrati 3R !hou, who art reater than any of the children of men, be welcome on my return home. Sindly relate me, oh youn man, whence thou comest, and whence it is that thou art so beautiful,G .757 2. And the Arhistrati replied, G9h, Just manR & come from the Great 'ity, and & am sent by the Great 6uler, to say to Dis chosen friend, that he should be prepared, because the 6uler calls him.G And Abraham replied, G +ellR Ket us o back to the )illa e.GL And the Arhistrati said, GKet us oR G 6. And they went to the nearest )illa e, and sat down to rest. And Abraham said to his ser)ants, GGo to the field, where the horses are, and fetch two that are fit for ridin , and et them ready, so that & may mount one, and the stran er the other one.G But the Arhistrati said to Abraham, GKet them not brin the horses, because & do not ride on a beast with four le s. 9h, thou ri hteous soul, let us o on foot to thy pure abode.G And Abraham replied, GKet it be so.G And they walked from that )illa e to his house. 8. 9n the way there rew a lofty and mi hty cypress. And the tree e%claimed, by the will of God. with a loud )oice of manO GDoly oneR Doly oneR Doly oneR !he .751 Kord God calls theeRG And Abraham held his peace, and replied not, for he thou ht the Arhistrati had not heard the )oice of the tree. 8. !hen they approached the courtyard, and sat down. &saac, the son of Abraham, saw the face of the an el, and said to his mother "arah, GKook at the man who is sittin with my father, he does not appear to me to be born from a human bein .G And &saac ran to the an el, and bowed down before him. And the an el blessed him, and said, GMay God i)e thee what he has i)en to thy father and thy motherRG /. And Abraham said to &saac, G!ake the basin and pour in some water, so that we may wash the feet of this stran er, who comes from afar to us, and who is weary.G And &saac ran to the well and poured water into the basin and brou ht it. And Abraham went to wash the feet of the an el, and Abraham si hed and wept on account of this stran er. And &saac seein his father weep, wept also, and his tears ran down. And the an el seein them both weepin , wept with .75F them, and his tears fell down into the basin. And these tears turned into precious stones. And when Abraham beheld this miracle, he took away the Jewels and hid the secret in his heart. 15. And Abraham said to his belo)ed son, GGo into the room and et ready two beds, one for me and the other for the stran er, because he is a wayfarerQ and prepare e)erythin well and carefully, and put candles in the candlesticks, and prepare the table, and li ht the incense*burner, and brin sweet smellin herbs of the paradise and put them on the floor, so that they may scent the place, and li ht se)en candles, and we will sit down and reJoice with the stran er, who is reater than any human bein on the earth, and mi htier than kin s.G And &saac prepared e)erythin carefully, accordin to the directions of his father. And Abraham went with the an el in the room, where the beds were ready, and they both sat down, one on one bed and one on the other, and between them stood the table with food. .752

11. And the Arhistrati arose and went out to take the air, and he ascended to hea)en, and came before the Kord, and said to the Kord God, GKordR KordR know that Abraham is )ery powerful, so that & cannot mention to him of death, for & ha)e ne)er seen a man like unto him on the earth, Just, compassionate, and a)oidin all e)il.G 17. And the Kord spake to the Arhistrati , GGo to my friend Abraham, and eat of all that which will be put on the tableQ and & will send My "pirit unto his son &saac, and & will show him the approach of his fatherLs death, so that he may see all in a dream.G 11. And the Arhistrati said, G!he incorporeal bein s of hea)en do not eat, neither do they drink, and he has spread for me a table with all the ood thin s of the earthQ and now, 9 Kord, what shall & do, Dow can & become different, as we shall be all at one table,G .756 1F. And the Kord answered him, GGo to My friend Abraham, and do not trouble thyself, for & will send spirits, who shall cause the food to disappear from thy hands and from thy mouthQ all that is on the table shall disappear. And reJoice them with him. But thou shalt interpret &saacLs dreams unto him, so that Abraham may know the hour of his death. Hor he has numberless properties and lands and houses, because & ha)e blessed him, and & ha)e increased his possessions like the sands of the sea and like the stars in hea)en.G 12. !hereon the Artistrati descended to AbrahamLs table, and they sat down. And &saac had pro)ided the supper. And Abraham said his prayer, as it was his custom. And after the meal they arose, said a prayer, and sat down each one on his bed. 16. And &saac said to his father, G& should like to sleep here also, because & lo)e with all my heart to listen to the words of this stran er.G But Abraham replied to his son, .758 G4o, my sonR o thou to thy bed and rest, so that we may not incon)enience this stran er.G !hen &saac recei)ed his fatherLs blessin , and went to his bed to rest. 18. And the Kord showed &saac in a dream the approachin death of his father. And after the third hour of the ni ht &saac awoke from his sleep, and arose from his bed, and ran (uickly to his father, where he slept with the Arhistrati , and called aloud, GMy father Abraham, open the door (uickly, so that & may enter and clin to thy neck, and kiss thee before they take thee away from me.G 18. And Abraham ot up and opened the door. And &saac entered, and he embraced his father, and wept aloudQ and Abraham wept alsoQ and the Arhistrati seein this, wept with them. And Abraham said to &saac, GMy dear child, tell me truly what has appeared to thee, so that thou camest so fri htened to me,G .758 1/. And &saac wept, and said to his father, L& beheld the sun and the moon, with luminous and far*stretchin rays, restin on my head, and seein this & was ladQ when suddenly the hea)en opened and a luminous man descended from hea)en. And he was brilliant. And he remo)ed the sun from my head and ascended to hea)en. And shortly afterwards, while & was still sad, & saw the luminous man a ain descendin from hea)en, and he remo)ed the moon from my head. And & wept, and & said to him, Gdo not take from me my pride, but ha)e pity on me and listen to me, for thou hast taken the sun from me. Do not also take away the moonRL And he replied, LKet them o, because the Kord of hea)en wishes that & should brin them to him.L And they left their rays upon me.G 75. And the Arhistrati said to them, GKisten to me, oh Abraham the JustR !hou art the sun, seen by thy son &saac his fatherQ and the luminous man, descendin from hea)en, will take away thy soul. And know, oh Just AbrahamR that .75/ thou wilt soon lea)e this world to o to the Kord.G And Abraham replied, G9h wonderfulR & fear thou art the man who will take away my soulRG And the Arhistrati said to Abraham, G& am the an el ihail, the reatest of the an els standin before the KordQ and & announce to thee the news of thy death. And thou wilt come to Dim, accordin to thy co)enant.G And Abraham replied, G4ow & understand that thou art he who will recei)e my soul****but & will not yield to theeRG 71. After these words of Abraham, the Arhistrati disappearedQ for he went up to hea)en and stood before the Kord, and related to him all that he had seen and heard in the house of Abraham, and how Abraham had said, G& will not yield to thee.G 77. And the Kord replied to his Arhistrati , GGo to my friend Abraham, and say to him as followsO & am the Kord his God, who brou ht him out and led him to the Iromised KandQ and & ha)e blessed him, so that his descendants

shall become as numerous as the sands of the sea, and as the stars in the hea)en. And say to him, Dow hast thou dared .715 to oppose my Arhistrati Mihail, by sayin that thou wouldst not follow him, GDoes he not know that from the time of Adam and -)e all ha)e died, !hat neither the kin s, nor the forefathers ha)e escaped death, because no one is immortalQ but all ha)e died and ha)e one down into hell. But to him & did not send either death, or sickness, or the scythe of death, which should mow him downQ but & sent to him my Arhistrati . with a re(uest, so that he mi ht know my decision and put his house and lands in order. But why did he oppose my Arhistrati Mihail, sayin that he would not follow, Does he not know, that & will send the an el of death, whose presence he could not endure,G 71. After recei)in the command of the Kord, the Arhistrati descended to Abraham, fell at his feet, and repeated to him all that he had heard from the Kord. And Abraham the Just said amidst many tears, G& entreat thee, Arhistrati of the hea)enly powers, because thou had honoured me, a sinner, rant me one re(uest. Hor the Kord God has always .711 i)en me the thin s for which & ha)e prayed, and has always fulfilled my wishes. And & know that & shall not escape death, but & shall certainly die. Snow, therefore, that & e%pect that thou wilt fulfil this my re(uestO & should like to see now, whilst still in the flesh, all the peoples and their deedsQ then & will yield myself entirely.G 7F. And the Arhistrati ascended once more to hea)en, and placed himself before the Kord, and told him all about Abraham. And the Kord replied to the Arhistrati , GIlace Abraham the Just in the chariot of the cherubim, and carry him to hea)en.G And the Arhistrati descended and took the Just Abraham into the clouds and surrounded him with si%ty an els. 72. And Abraham walked on the clouds, and he beheld another chariot behind him, and also some who walked 0,3. And in another part he saw people who were sufferin , and much wron *doin . And he said, G9h KordR command that the earth may open and swallow them.G And in another .717 direction he saw people plunderin and stealin , and despoilin the stran er. And he e%claimed, G9h Kord & command that fire shall come down from hea)en and destroy them.G And fire came from hea)en and consumed them. 76. And instantlyG there a )oice came from hea)en to the an els, and a thunder*clap reached the Arhistrati and he heard the wordsO G!urn round the chariot and depart with Abraham so that he may not see the people any moreQ for if he sees them li)in in sin he will destroy them all to the )ery last,G because Abraham could not endure those who did e)il. And the Kord continuedO G& ha)e created the world, and & do not wish that any human bein shall be destroyed, for & do not desire the death of the wicked, but that he should repent and li)e. Kead the Just Abraham to the first ate of hea)en, so that he may see the last Jud ment, and that he also may repent e)en more than the sinners.G 78. And the Arhistrati turned round AbrahamLs chariot, and brou ht him to the first ate of hea)en. And Abraham .711 beheld two paths, one narrow and difficult to pursue, and the other wide and e%tended. And on the narrow path he saw a man sittin on a olden chair, and his face was terrible like unto God. And he saw many souls pursued by an els on the broad way, and but few souls conducted by the an els on the narrow path. And the mar)ellous man, when he saw all the wounded and sick souls on the wide way, tore out the hair of his head and of his beard, and he cast himself from his olden chair unto the round and wept. But when he saw many souls in the narrow path, he rose and sat on his olden chair in Joy. 78. And Abraham asked the Arhistrati O GKordR who is this mar)ellous man in such splendour, "ometimes he weeps, and sometimes he reJoices.G !he Arhistrati answeredO G!his is Adam, who was the first man created to adorn the world, for all are descended from him. And when he sees many souls tra)ersin the narrow path he reJoices, because that is the entrance to hea)en, by which the Just o to .71F paradise. And when he sees many souls oin on the wide way he weeps and tears his hair, because that is the path of the sinners, by which they o to hell. &n se)en thousand years only one soul will be sa)ed.G 7/. And while they were speakin , two an els brou ht innumerable souls, and struck them with a whip of fireQ and one poor soul was supported by their hands and led on the narrow way. 15. And he beheld a ain at the doorway a olden chair, shinin like fireQ and on it there sat a man in the form of the "on of God. And in front of him stood a table of precious stones and pearlsQ and upon the table there lay a Bible, that is a bi book of twel)e yards in len th, and ei ht yards in width. And there were two an els holdin paper, ink, and pens. And at the head of the table there sat a luminous an el holdin a scale in his handQ and at

his left hand stood an an el of fire, who held in his hand a paper, and on it were inscribed the temptations and sins. And that man who sat .712 there condemned or liberated the souls. And of the two an els who stood to the ri ht and left, the one on the ri ht wrote the )irtues, and the one on the left hand wrote down the sinsQ and the one at the head of the table wei hed the soulsQ and the an el of fire e%amined the souls. 11. And Abraham asked the Arhistrati O G +hat is it that & see, G And the an el replied, G!hat, which thou seest, oh Just Abraham, is the Jud ment in the other world.G And he saw the soul of a man brou ht before the Jud e by an an el. And the an el said to the Jud e, G9pen the book and see the record of his sins and of his )irtues .... and erase them, for he is neither to be condemned nor to be sa)edQ therefore place him in the middle.G 17. And Abraham said, GMy lordR who are these Jud es, and these luminous an els,G And the Arhistrati replied, GKisten, oh Just Abraham & De who sits in the chair and Jud es, is Abel, the son of Adam. De Jud es the ri hteous and the sinners. Hor the Kord hath said, that De will not .716 Jud e mankind, but that they shall Jud e each other. And to him 0Abel3 he has i)en the power to Jud e men, till the last Jud ment. !hen the "on of God will Jud e perfectly and finally and for e)erQ and no other will be able to Jud e. Because men are descended from Adam, they must be first Jud ed by a son of AdamQ but at the second resurrection they will all be Jud ed by the twel)e ApostlesQ but at the third resurrection, our Kord and "a)iour will Jud e them. Hor at the third time, at that terrible Jud ment, all will be ended. As it is written, LBy three witnesses shall the Jud ment be fulfilled.L And of the two an els the an el on the left records the e)il deeds, and the an el on the ri ht records the ood actionsQ and he shines like the sun.G 11. And Abraham asked his Arhistrati Mihail, GMy lordR what is to be done with the soul which the an el brou ht in his hand, and which was placed in the middle,G !he an el answered, G!he Jud e has found that his ood and his bad deeds shall be erased, and he is neither condemned nor sa)ed, until the Kord, the #ud e, shall come.G .718 1F. And Abraham asked, G+hat is wantin to this soul that it should be sa)ed, G !he an el answered, G&f he had performed one more ood deed, he would had been sa)ed.G And Abraham said, G+e will say a prayer for this soul perhaps God will sa)e itRG And the Arhistrati said GAmenR so shall it beRG And they both prayed, and God listened to them and sa)ed this soul. And Abraham said G& pray thee, Arhistrati , tell me where is the soul,G And the an el answered, G&t hath been sa)ed, in answer to the prayer of thy holinessR G 12. And Abraham said, G9h, Arhistrati , let us entreat God for the sins of those whom & cursed beforeR G And the Arhistrati listened to him, and they prayed for a lon time, until there came a )oice from hea)en, sayin , GAbrahamR & ha)e heard thy prayer for those whom it appeared to thee that & destroyed. But & ha)e sa)ed them, and ha)e preser)ed them ali)e. At the last Jud ment & will separate them. Hor, e)en if & destroy some on earth, & do not deli)er any one entirely to deathQ & wish that they may repent and li)e.G .718 16. And the Kord said to the Arhistrati , GMy ser)antR !urn the chariot, and take him back to his dwellin , for the end of his life is approachin , and he must put his house in order.G And the Arhistrati turned the chariot of clouds and brou ht him back to his house. And Abraham went and sat on his bed. 18. And "arah, the wife of Abraham, came and knelt at the an elLs feet, and kissed them, and wept and thanked him, sayin , G& thank thee, that thou hast brou ht back my lord, for it seemed to me, that he had withdrawn himself from our midst.G And &saac came and embraced his fatherQ the ser)ants also came and surrounded Abraham, thankin and blessin God. 18. And the Arhistrati said to Abraham, G"et thy house in order, and settle all with thy ser)ants which concerns themQ for thy last day draws near, when thy soul will depart from thy bodyQ because the Kord has ordered it so, and De is Just.G And Abraham replied to the Arhistrati , G& will not obey theeRG .71/ 1/. +hen the Arhistrati heard these words, he ascended at once to hea)en, stood before the Kord, and said, GKordR "ustainer of allR & fulfilled !hy will, and !hy friend Abraham has seen all the earth and the hea)en, and whilst still li)in he beheld the #ud ment from the chariot of clouds, and yet he says that he will not obey me. & would willin ly i)e him time, because he has done so much ood on the earth that no man is like unto himQ he is like an immortal kin , and he is worthy of immortality. 9h KordR what dost !hou command,G

F5. And the Kord said, G'all Death hitherRG And the Arhistrati Mihail went to Death, and said, GGo, for the &mmortal Sin calls thee.G G+hen Death heard this, he trembled and round his teeth, and went to the Mi hty Kord, and stood before Dim with much fear and tremblin . F1. And the Kord said unto Death, GGo and dis uise thy fearful face and thy countenance, and clothe thyself with entleness and beauty and splendourQ and o to My friend .775 Abraham and recei)e his soul and brin it to MeQ and thou shalt not fri hten him, but take it away in all tenderness.G +hen Death heard this, he went away from the presence of the Kord, and chan ed his fearful countenance, and became entle and luminous, and of reat beauty. F7. And Abraham sat under a sweet smellin tree, restin his hand on his knees, awaitin hopefully the return of the Arhistrati Mihail. And he noticed the approach of a worthy and fine*lookin man, and it appeared to him that it was the Arhistrati . And the an el beheld him, and bowed to him, and said, G6eJoice, )enerable Abraham, Just soul, friend of the Kord, like unto the an elsRG And Abraham replied, G6eJoice, shinin li ht, luminous manR Hrom whence has this resplendent man come, G F1. And Death answered, G& tell thee the truth. & am the poison of deathRG And Abraham said, GArt thou the cup which poisonest, And art thou he who takest away the life of man and the beauty of woman, Art thou the poison .771 of death,G And Death replied, G& am the poisoned cup of deathQ and & speak unto thee the truth, for thus has the Kord commanded me.G FF. And Abraham said, G+hy hast thou come hither, G Death replied, G& ha)e come for thy ri hteous soul.G And Abraham said, G& understandR But, & do not wish to dieRG And Death was silent, for he would not i)e any further answer. F2. And Abraham arose and went in and seated himself on his bed. And Death seated himself also on the bed, at the feet of Abraham. And Abraham said, GDepart from me, for & would rest.G And Death replied, G& shall not depart from thee until & ha)e taken thy soul.G And Abraham said, GHulfil my wishO show me the bitterness of thy poison when thou takest the souls of mankind.G And Death replied, G!hou couldLst not in any case bear to see my fearful countenance.G And Abraham said, G& will see itQ in the 4ame of the Kord, for De is with me.G F6. !hen Death cast off all his beauty, and he assumed a fierce and murderous and all*consumin e%pression, like unto .777 the wild beastsQ and 0he assumed3 a dra onLs head with se)en faces, and his countenance was as se)enteen fiery facesQ and he became like unto a fierce and dreadful lion and like a poisonous snake, and he had a mane like a lion, and he was like a thunderbolt, and like the wa)es of the sea, and like the stream of a rapid torrent, and like a )ery wild dra on with three win s. And from the fear of Death, se)en thousand boys and irls died, and e)en Abraham the Just was in dan er of his life. F8. All this Abraham saw, and he said to Death, G& pray thee, poisonous Death, hide thy fearful countenance, and appear in thy former beauty.G And Death resumed his former beauty. And Abraham said, G+hat hast thou done to kill so many souls, Dast thou been sent to kill them also, G And Death replied, G4o, my lordR & was sent only on thy account.G F8. Abraham said, G&ndeed, Dow couldLst thou kill them when the Kord did not command thee to do it,G .771 And Death answered, GBelie)e me, my lord, it is a wonder thou didLst not die with them. But & swear to thee in )ery truth, that & ha)e in this hour the power of killin thee, and thy stren th, will not a)ail thee. !herefore put in order all that thou wishest to arran e.G F/. And Abraham said, G& acknowled e now that the weakness of death is upon me. and my soul rows faint. But, & pray thee, oh poisonous Death to tell me, why hast thou killed so many boys and irls, Ket us now both entreat the Kord to restore these boys and irls to life, and perchance De may listen to us.G And Death said, GAmenR so may it be.G And Abraham arose and threw himself on the round on his face, and Death also cast himself on the roundQ and they both prayed to God for a lon time. And God sent the spirit of life unto the dead, and they were restored to life a ain. 25. And Abraham returned thanks unto God, and went to his bed. Death also went to the bed. And Abraham said to Death, GDepart from meQ & would rest, for soon thou wilt take away my soul.G And Death replied, G& will not lea)e .77F thee, until & shall ha)e taken thy soul.G And the patriarch Abraham became cross with him, and spoke

an ry words, and said unto Death, G+ho has sent thee to me, Dost thou really belie)e that & will die,G And Abraham repeated a ain, G& will not follow thee.G 21. And Death said, GKisten to me, oh, Just AbrahamR &n se)en epochs & shall destroy the whole world, and & shall cause all human bein s and kin s to o down into the earth, and to descend into hellQ the kin s, princes, rich and poor, old and youn . !herefore & ha)e shown thee the se)en heads of a lion and the fiery faces, so that thou mayest arran e thy property and lea)e e)erythin in order.G 27. And Abraham said, GDepart from me, for & will see, if ha)in the fa)our of God, & must still die, as thou doest demand of meRG And Death said, G& tell thee the truth, by God, there are se)enty*two kinds of death, and & mow whomsoe)er & likeQ put therefore away thy doubts, oh Just Abraham, and obey me, accordin to the will of the Tni)ersal #ud eRG And Abraham said, GDepart from me for a while, .772 so that & may rest for a time on my bedQ for & ha)e lost, all stren th since mine eyes ha)e beheld theeQ all parts of my body are weak, my head is hea)y as lead, and my spirit is tremblin within me, so that & can no lon er see thy face.G 21. And &saac came and cried bitterlyQ and all the ser)ants athered him and cried bitterly. And Abraham arose and set free all his ser)ants and his maids. And he called his belo)ed son &saac, and kissed him tenderly, and blessed him with the fatherLs blessin . And he blessed his wife "arah, and he took lea)e of her and of all. 2F. And the hour of his death approachedQ and Death said to Abraham, G'ome and kiss my ri ht hand, so that thou mayest re)i)e for a while.G And Abraham was decei)ed, and kissed the hand of Death. But Death, when he a)e him his hand, a)e him also the cup with the poison of death. And at the same moment the Arhistrati Mihail and numberless an els came and recei)ed in their holy hands the pure and holy soul, and brou ht into the holy hands of the KordLs. .776 22. But the body was en)eloped in clean and pure linen, and they sprinkled him with hea)enly perfumes, and buried him with many hea)enly son s. And all wept and lamented reatly. &saac his belo)ed son, and "arah, the mother of &saac, and his ser)ants, and his maids, and all his nei hbours lamented for him, because they had lost their ood and blessed father Abraham. 26. And they buried him in GDria the black,G with many hymns and with reat honour. And they heard the )oice of the Kord sayin from hea)en, G!ake My friend Abraham and lead him into the paradise of Joy, the abode of all the ri hteousQ and to the eternal life, which is e)erlastin and without end.G UUUUUU