Sample the Apocalypse of Abraham

Most people have never heard of The Apocalypse of Abraham (התגלות אברהם, hitgalut Avraham). It is an ancient Jewish apocalyptic text believed to have been written between 70 CE and 150 CE. Like many midrash stories about Abraham, it extols faith in one powerful and very real God. I recently published my new, modern English translation of this text inside the book - "Unheard Voices of Hebrew Kings and Prophets." And here is a narrated video if you would like to sample it.

Sometimes people ask me why I spend my time translating ancient texts like this one. There are several good reasons...

The ancient Jewish lore, which was oral for ages and ages, lies at the core of the Bible. Next time you run into a story or reference about Abraham and say, wait a minute, I don't remember reading this in Genesis, you will realize that these stories are living traditions. Next time, you ask yourself why Jesus said, "Before Abraham was, I am," and what he meant by that. You might want to consider stories like this one to fully appreciate his teachings. Texts like this one show us the spiritual struggles of the times when they were written, and knowing that might just lead us to a much deeper understanding of biblical revelation and its meaning. I can probably go on, but I will stop there and encourage you to read my explanations about these matters in "Missing Ingredients: Your Bible Study Recipe."