The Apocalypse Of Abraham

Part I

The Legend (Chapters I.-VIII.)

Title

The Book of the Revelation of Abraham, the son of Terah, the son of Nahor, the son of Serug, the son of Roog (Reu), the son of Arphaxad, the son of Shem, the son of Noah, the son of Lamech, the son of Methuselah, the son of Enoch, the son of Jared (Arad).

Abraham's Conversion from Idolatry

(Chapters I.-VIII.)

I. On the day when I planed the gods [idols] of my father Terah and the gods of Nahor his brother, when I was searching as to who the Mighty GOD in truth is — I, Abraham, at the time when it fell to my lot, when I [witnessed] the services (the sacrifices) of my father Terah to his gods of wood and stone, gold and silver, brass and iron; having entered into their temple [as my father's helper], I found the god whose name was Merumath (which was) hewn out of stone, fallen forward at the feet of the iron god Nahon. And it came to pass, when I saw it, my heart was perplexed, and I considered in my mind that I should not be able to bring him back to his place, I, Abraham, alone, because he was heavy, being of a large stone, and I went forth and made it known to my father. And he entered with me, and when both of us moved him (the god) forward, so that we might bring him back to his place, his head fell from him while I was still holding him by the head. And it came to pass, when my father saw that the head of Merumath had fallen from him, he said to me: "Abraham!" And I said: "Here am I." And he said to me: "Bring me an axe, of the small ones, from the house." And I brought it to him. And he hewed aright another Merumath out of another stone, without head, and the head which had been thrown down from Merumath he placed upon it, and the rest of Merumath he shattered.

II. And he made five other gods, and gave them to me and commanded me to sell them outside in the street of the town. And I saddled my father's ass, and placed them upon it, and went towards the inn to sell them. And lo! merchants from Fandana in Syria were travelling with camels going to Egypt, to trade. And I spoke with them. And one of their camels uttered a groan, and the ass took fright and sprang away and upset the gods; and three of them were smashed, and two were preserved. And it came to pass, when the Syrians saw that I had gods, they said to me: "Why didst thou not tell us that thou hadst gods? Then we would have bought them before the ass heard the sound of the camel, and they would not have been lost. Give us, at any rate, the gods that remain, and we will give thee the proper price for the broken gods, also for the gods that have been preserved." For I was concerned in my heart as to how I could bring to my father the purchase-price; and the three broken ones I cast into the water of the river Gur, which was at that place, and they sank into the depths, and there was nothing more of them.

III. When I was still going on the way, my heart was perplexed within me, and my mind was distracted. And I said in my heart: "What evil deed is this that my father is doing? Is not he, rather, the god of his gods, since they come into existence through his chisels and lathes, and his wisdom, and is it not rather fitting that they should worship my father, since they are his work? What is this delusion of my father in his works? Behold, Merumath fell and could not rise in his own temple, nor could I, by myself, move him until my father came, and the two of us moved him; and as we were thus too weak, his head fell from him, and he (i.e. my father) set it upon another stone of another god, which he had made without head. And the other five gods were broken in pieces down from the ass, which were able neither to help themselves, nor to hurt the ass, because it had broken them to pieces; nor did their broken fragments come up out of the river." And I said in my heart: "If this be so, how can Merumath, my father's god, having the head of another stone, and himself being made of another stone, rescue a man, or hear a man's prayer and reward him?"

IV. And while I cogitated thus, I reached my father's house; and having watered the ass, and set out hay for it, I brought the silver and gave it into the hand of my father Terah. When he saw it he was glad, and he said: "Blessed art thou, Abraham, of my gods, because thou hast brought the price of the gods, so that my work was not in vain." And I answered and said to him: "Hear, O my father, Terah! Blessed are the gods of thee, for thou art their god, since thou hast made them; for their blessing is ruination, and their power is vain; they who did not help themselves, how shall they, then, help thee or bless me? I have been kind to thee in this affair, because by (using) my intelligence, I have brought thee the money for the broken gods." And when he heard my word, he became furiously angry with me, because I had spoken hard words against his gods.

V. I, however, having thought over my father's anger, went out; and after I had gone out my father cried, saying: "Abraham!" And I said: "Here am I." And he said: "Take and collect the splinters of the wood out of which I made gods of pine-wood before thou camest; and make ready for me the food of the mid-day meal." And it came to pass, when I collected the splinters of wood, I found under them a little god which had been lying among the brush-wood on my left, and on his forehead was written: GOD Barisat. And I did not inform my father that I had found the wooden god Barisat under the chips. And it came to pass, when I had laid the splinters in the fire, in order that I might make ready food for my father — on going out to ask a question regarding the food, I placed Barisat before the kindled fire, saying threateningly to him: "Pay careful attention, Barisat, that the fire do not die down until I come; if, however, it dieth down, blow on it that it may burn up again." And I went out and accomplished my purpose. And on returning I found Barisat fallen backwards, and his feet surrounded by fire and horribly burnt. I burst into a fit of laughter, and I said to myself: "Truly, O Barisat, thou canst kindle the fire and cook food!" And it came to pass, while I spake (thus) in my laughter he (i.e. Barisat) was gradually burnt up by the fire and reduced to ashes. And I brought the food to my father, and he did eat. And I gave him [water] and milk, and he was gladdened and blessed his god Merumath. And I said to him: "O father Terah, bless not thy god Merumath, and praise him not, but rather praise thy god Barisat because, loving thee more, he hath cast himself into the fire to cook thy food!" And he said to me: "And where is he now?" And I said: "He is burnt to ashes in the violence of the fire and is reduced to dust." And he said: "Great is the power of Barisat! I (will) make another to-day, and to-morrow he will prepare my food."

VI. When I, Abraham, however, heard such words from my father, I laughed in my mind and sighed in the grief and in the anger of my soul, and said: "How then can that which is made by him — manufactured statues — be a helper of my father? Or shall the body then be subject to its soul, and the soul to the spirit, and the spirit to folly and ignorance!" And I said: "It is fitting once to endure evil. So I will direct my mind to what is pure and lay my thoughts open before him." And I answered and said: "O father Terah, whichever of these thou praisest as a god, thou art foolish in thy mind. Behold the gods of thy brother Ora which stand in the [idol] temple, are more worthy of honour than these of thine. For behold Zucheus, the god of thy brother Oron, is more worthy of honour than thy god Merumath, because he is made of gold which is highly valued by people, and when he groweth old in years he will be re-modelled; but if your god Merumath is changed or broken, he will not be renewed, because he is a stone; the which is also the case with the god Joavon who standeth with Zucheus over the other gods — how much more worthy of honour is he than the god Barisat, who is made of wood, while he is forged of silver! How is he made, by adaptation of man, valuable to outward appearance! But thy god Barisat, while he was still, before he had been prepared, rooted up (?) upon the earth and was great and wonderful with the glory of branches and blossom, thou didst hew out with the axe, and by means of thy art he hath been made into a god. And lo! his fatness is already withered and perished, he is fallen from the height to the ground, he hath come from great estate to littleness, and the appearance of his countenance hath vanished, and he Barisat himself is burnt up by fire and reduced to ashes and is no more; and thou sayest: 'To-day I will make another which to-morrow shall make ready my food!' He hath perished to utter destruction!"

VII. "Behold, the fire is more worthy of honour than all things formed because even that which is not subjected is subjected unto it, and things easily perishable are mocked by its flames. But even more worthy of honour is the water, because it conquereth the fire and satisfieth the earth. But even it I do not call GOD, because it is subjected to the earth under which the water inclineth. But I call the earth much more worthy of honour, because it overpowereth the nature (and the fulness) of the water. Even it (viz. the earth), however, I do not call god, because it, too, is dried up by the sun, and is apportioned to man to be tilled. I call the sun more worthy of honour than the earth, because it with its rays illumineth the whole world and the different atmospheres. But even it I do not call god, because at night and by clouds its course is obscured. Nor, again, do I call the moon or the stars god, because they also in their season obscure their light at night. But hear this, Terah my father; for I will make known to thee the GOD who hath made everything, not these we consider as gods. Who then is He? or what is He? Who hath crimsoned the heavens, and made the sun golden,

And the moon lustrous, and with it the stars;

And hath made the earth dry in the midst of many waters,

And set thee in ...., and tested me in the confusion of my thoughts.

Yet may GOD reveal Himself to us through Himself!"

VIII. And it came to pass while I spake thus to my father Terah in the court of my house, there cometh down the voice of a Mighty One [GOD] from heaven in a fiery cloud-burst, saying and crying: "Abraham, Abraham!" And I said: "Here am I." And He said: "Thou art seeking in the understanding of thine heart the GOD of Gods [angels] and the Creator; I am He: Go out from thy father Terah, and get thee out from the house, that thou also be not slain in the sins of thy father's house." And I went out. And it came to pass when I went out, that before I succeeded in getting out in front of the door of the court, there came a sound of a great thunder and burnt him and his house, and everything whatsoever in his house, down to the ground, forty cubits.