Originally composed in Hebrew, this text survives today only in Old Slavonic recensions preserved within the medieval Tolkovaja Paleja. Rediscovered by 19th-century scholars who were cataloguing Slavonic manuscripts, the Apocalypse of Abraham is known from six principal manuscripts, each preserving a vivid expansion of the Genesis narratives and a rich tapestry of angelology, mysticism, and Messianic expectation.
In this reading, you’ll first witness young Abraham’s dramatic revolt against his father Terah’s idol-making trade and his divine call from heaven. Next comes his sacred forty-day sacrifice on Mount Horeb under the tutelage of the angel Yahoel, the defeat of the rebel archangel Azazel, and the bestowal of heavenly garments. Finally, embark on Abraham’s awe-inspiring ascent through the seven heavens—beholding the divine throne-vision, the Garden of Eden, the fall of Adam and Eve, the judgment of Cain and Abel, prophecies of Israel’s exile and the Temple’s destruction, the rise of a lawless end-time “man,” ten devastating plagues, and the ultimate arrival of the Messiah to deliver God’s faithful.
