Angels at the Aqedah: A study in the development of a midrashic motif

Dead Sea Discoveries

Volumn 7, Issue 3, 2000, Pages 263-291

  Bernstein, Moshe J ^a  

^a YESHIVA UNIVERSITY   (United States)

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[No Author keywords available]

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EID: 60949883549     PISSN: 09290761     EISSN: 15685179     Source Type: Journal    
DOI: 10.1163/156851700509959     Document Type: Article

References (38)

1. 2), and many scholars have followed in his footsteps. The discovery of the Qumran scrolls and the "rediscovery" of the Pseudepigrapha played a significant role in generating scholarship in this area, once scholars realized that there was more to early biblical interpretation than Philo, Josephus and rabbinic literature
2. J.L. Kugel, In Potiphar's House: The Interpretive Life of Biblical Texts (San Francisco: HarperSanFrancisco, 1990)
3. The Bible as It Was (Cambridge, MA: Belknap Press, 1997)
4. The sources which were surveyed consist primarily of the standard Jewish exegetical documents of late antiquity through the rabbinic period. In addition, some other Jewish texts (such as synagogue poetry) were examined. A brief section on "angels at the Aqedah" in Christian sources had to be deleted from the final version for reasons of space. Based on consultation with colleagues and a survey of the broad secondary literature to which they directed me (e.g., J. Gutmann, "The Sacrifice of Isaac: Variations on a Theme in Early Jewish and Christian Art," Thiasos ton Mouson: Studien zu Antike und Christentum. Festschrift für Josef Fink zum 70. Geburtstag [ed. D. Ahrens; Cologne/Vienna: Böhlau, 1984] 115-22
5. and, more recently, R.M. Jensen, "The Offering of Isaac in Jewish and Christian Tradition: Image and Text," BibInt 2 [1994] 85-110), it appears that, despite my hopes of finding representational confirmation of these traditions, early Jewish and Christian iconography does not contain pictorial depiction of the motifs we shall discuss
6. L. Ginzberg, Legends of the Jews (Philadelphia: Jewish Publication Society, 1909-38) 1.271-86 and 5.248-55 nn. 226-55
7. S. Spiegel, The Last Trial. On the Legends and Lore of the Command to Abraham to Offer Isaac as a Sacrifice: The Akedah (trans. J. Goldin; Philadelphia: Jewish Publication Society, 1967)
8. J.E. Ephrati, The Trial of the Akedah: A Literal Interpretation of the Biblical Text and Its Midrashic Literature [Hebrew] (Petah Tiqva: Agudath Bnai Asher, 1983)
9. R.J. Daly, "The Soteriological Significance of the Sacrifice of Isaac," CBQ 39 (1997) 45-75
10. P.R. Davies and B.D. Chilton, "The Aqedah: A Revised Tradition History," CBQ 40 (1978) 514-46
11. R. Hayward, "The Present State of Research into the Targumic Account of the Sacrifice of Isaac," JJS 32 (1981) 127-50
12. A.J. Saldarini, "The Interpretation of the Akedah in Rabbinic Literature," The Biblical Mosaic: Changing Perspectives (eds R. Polzin and E. Rothman; SBLSS 10; Chico, CA: Scholars Press, 1982) 149-65
13. A.F. Segal, "The Sacrifice of Isaac in Early Judaism and Christianity," The Other Judaisms of Late Antiquity (BJS 127; Atlanta: Scholars Press, 1987) 109-30
14. F. Manns (ed.), The Sacrifice of Isaac in the Three Monotheistic Religions (Studium Biblicum Franciscanum Analecta 41; Jerusalem: Franciscan Printing Press, 1995)
15. HALOT, 640b-41a, defines the noun at Hos. 9:7-8 as "persecution. " The "persecuting angel" Mastema is found frequently in the Qumran literature, in such texts as IQS, IQM, CD, 4Q286, 4Q525, 4Q387 and 4Q390, in addition to 4Q225 (for which see below). For the derivation of the name Mastema
16. see S. Olyan, A Thousand Thousands Served Him: Exegesis and the Naming of Angels in Ancient Judaism (TSAJ 36; Tübingen: J.C.B. Mohr [Paul Siebeck], 1993) 66-67
17. His argument seems persuasive, and is accepted by J.C. VanderKam, "The Aqedah, Jubilees and Pseudojubilees," Quest for Context and Meaning: Studies in Biblical Intertextuality in Honor of James A. Sanders (ed. C.A. Evans and S. Talmon; Biblical Interpretation Series 28; Leiden: Brill, 1997) 249
18. An important recent treatment of this text is G. Vermes, "New Light on the Sacrifice of Isaac from 4Q225," JJS 47 (1996) 140-46. Vermes includes in his synoptic table, p. 146, the details "presence of angels" and "crying angels," equivalent to the "watching angels" and "weeping angels" of the latter portion of this paper, and remarks briefly on them, pp. 142-43 and nn. 13 and 15
19. Olyan, A Thousand Thousands, 25-26, noting the parallel between this rabbinic version and Jubilees. He does not explore the variety found in the rabbinic traditions
20. For the moment, see Kister, "Observations," 27 n. 43, for possible reasons for the envy of the angels
21. P. Schäfer, Rivalität zwischen Engeln und Menschen (Berlin: de Gruyter, 1975) is, of course, the broadest treatment of that theme, showing the extent of the motif in rabbinic and hekhalot-influenced literature
22. See Ch. Albeck, Midraš Berešit Rabbati: Ex Libro R. Mosis Haddaršan Collectus (Jerusalem: Mekize Nirdamim, 1940) 17 for examples of references to second temple pseudepigraphical literature in this work
23. Note the obvious anachronism; the Aqedah is in most rabbinic treatments the tenth trial. For a recent discussion and a tabulation of some of the lists, see L. Barth, HUCA 58 (1987), especially
24. For angelic opposition to the giving of the Law to humanity, see briefly H. Najman's article in this issue as well as J.P. Schultz, "Angelic Opposition to the Ascension of Moses and the Revelation of the Law," JQR 61 (1970) 282-307
25. (repr. together with corrections in idem, Late Antique, Early Christian and Medieval Art: Selected Papers [New York: George Braziller, 1979] 288-318)
26. Adopting the interpretation of this very difficult word which is offered by M. Sokoloff, A Dictionary of Palestinian Jewish Aramaic of the Byzantine Period (Ramat Gan: Bar Ilan University Press, 1990) 199b-200a, following Löw quoted by Theodor and Albeck ad loc
27. see Y.T. Langermann, Yemenite Midrash: Philosophical Commentaries on the Torah (San Francisco: HarperSanFrancisco, 1996) 265-81
28. M. Margulies [Margaliot] (ed.), Midrash Haggadol on the Pentateuch: Genesis (Jerusalem: Mossad Harav Kook, 1947) 354-55. This midrash contains several of the other versions of the angel motifs; the one cited here appears to be virtually unparalleled
29. Kister, "Observations," 11-14, has already drawn attention to these texts, although his concern is for the differences in the reasons for the angels' resentment
30. On early targumic poems, see the introductory material in J. Yahalom and M. Sokoloff, Jewish Palestinian Aramaic Poetry from Late Antiquity: Critical Edition with Introduction and Commentary [Hebrew] (Jerusalem: Israel Academy of Sciences and Humanities, 1999)
31. and J. Heinemann, "Remnants of Ancient Piyyutim in the Palestinian Targum Tradition" [Hebrew], Hasifrut 4 (1973) 362-75
32. and recently reprinted by him and M. Sokoloff in Jewish Palestinian Aramaic Poetry, 82-86. It would be nice if 'Amar Yiscombining dot belowhcombining dot belowaq were also that ancient, but it need not be in order to be of interest to us
33. Yahalom-Sokoloff, Jewish Palestinian Aramaic Poetry, 129-30, lines 37-40 (letters qof and resh of the acrostic)
34. J. Yahalom, Liturgical Poems of Šim'on bar Megas: Critical Edition with Commentary and Introduction (Jerusalem: Israel Academy of Sciences and Humanities, 1984) v
35. Yahalom, Šim'on, 68
36. J. Yahalom, Priestly Palestinian Poetry: A Narrative Liturgy for the Day of Atonement (Jerusalem: Magnes Press, 1996). Yahalom considers these two texts to be earlier than Yose ben Yose (fifth century), the earliest named liturgical poet of whom we know
37. Yahalom, Priestly Palestinian Poetry, 119
38. The term describing the angels is based on Ezek. 1:7. I follow Yahalom's restoration