Vision of the Glory of God

The Apocalypse of Abraham is an apocalyptic retelling of elements of the biblical narratives about Abraham. Though now extant only in its later Slavonic version, it was likely originally written in Hebrew in the second century CE. The following passage is based on Genesis 15:7–20, in which Abram (later called Abraham) sacrifices animals and divides them in two, after which he has a vision of a flaming torch passing between the pieces. In this elaborated version of the story, Abram is accompanied by an angel and ascends to heaven, where he has a terrifying vision of the divine. He and the angel recite a song of praise, and then Abraham asks God for instruction and knowledge. Echoes of this text, and of the hymn especially, are found in the late antique and early medieval Jewish mystical Hekhalot (“palaces”) literature, which explores apocalyptic and visionary ascents to heavenly palaces. (For related rabbinic views about the Messiah and the world to come, see DEATH AND THE NEXT WORLD.)