Praxis of the Voice: The Divine Name Traditions in the "Apocalypse of Abraham"
2008; Society of Biblical Literature; Volume: 127; Issue: 1 Linguagem: Inglês
10.2307/25610106
ISSN1934-3876
Autores Tópico(s)Biblical Studies and Interpretation
Resumotheir depiction of the heavenly realities, the authors of the Apocalypse of Abraham appear very reluctant to endorse one of the most crucial tenets in the divine chariot lore: the anthropomorphic depiction of the Glory of God.The reluctance seems rather puzzling in view of some close similarities in angelological imagery that the Apocalypse of Abraham shares with the first chapter of the book of Ezekiel, the formative account of the Merkabah tradition, where the ideology of the divine form looms large. 2 It has been previously noted that the seer's vision of the divine throne found in the Apocalypse of Abraham relies significantly on Ezekiel's account and stands in direct continuity with Merkabah tradition. 3 At the same time, however, scholars observe that the Slavonic pseudepigraphon shows attempts to depart from the overt anthropomorphism of this prophetic book.Christopher Rowland, for example, notes that the shift from anthropomorphism is apparent in the portrayal of the divine throne in ch.18 of the Apocalypse of Abraham.Notwithstanding the many allusions to Ezekiel 1 in the depiction of the throne room in chs.18 and 19 of the Apocalypse, Rowland highlights a radical paradigm shift in the text's description of the deity, noting "a deliberate attempt . . . to exclude all reference to the human figure mentioned in Ezek 1. " For Rowland, this shift entails that "there was a definite trend within apocalyptic thought away from the direct description of God." 4
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