ARMENIAN APOCRYPHA
!"#$%&'( %) $*!$+$, Society of Biblical Literature
Early Judaism and Its Literature
Rodney A. Werline, Series Editor
Editorial Board
Mark J. Boda George J. Brooke Esther Glickler Chazon Steven D. Fraade Martha Himmelfarb James S. McLaren Jacques van Ruiten
Number 37
ARMENIAN APOCRYPHA R"#$%&'( %) A*!$+$, ARMENIAN APOCRYPHA
R"#$%&'( %) A*!$+$,
Michael E. Stone
Society of Biblical Literature Atlanta ARMENIAN APOCRYPHA R"#$%&'( %) A*!$+$,
Copyright © 2012 by the Society of Biblical Literature
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Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Stone, Michael E., 1938- Armenian apocrypha relating to Abraham / by Michael E. Stone. pages cm. — (Early Judaism and its literature ; no. 37) Includes bibliographical references. ISBN 978-1-58983-715-7 (paper binding : alk. paper) — ISBN 978-1-58983-716-4 (electronic format) 1. Testament of Abraham—Criticism, interpretation, etc. 2. Abraham (Biblical patriarch) I. Title. BS1830.T32S76 2012 229’.9140.1667—dc23 2012041815
Printed on acid-free, recycled paper conforming to ANSI /NISO Z39.48–1992 (R1997) and ISO 9706:1994 standards for paper permanence. C)'%"'%/
Preface ...... ix Abbreviations...... xi List of Works Published Here by Date ...... xv List of Manuscripts Published Here ...... xvi List of Manuscripts Consulted in Appendix 1 ...... xvii
GENERAL INTRODUCTION ...... 1 Character of the Armenian Abraham Traditions...... 1 Specifi c Exegetic and Narrative Traditions ...... 2 Structure and Discussion of Selected Elements ...... 3 Biblical and Nonbiblical Episodes in the Abraham Saga ...... 15 Date of the Abraham Saga ...... 16 Sources of the Abraham Saga: The Ravens ...... 18 Sources of the Abraham Saga: Early Armenian Commentaries on Genesis ...... 20 Affi nities of Armenian ...... 24 Editorial Procedures ...... 24
TEXTS AND TRANSLATIONS
1. LISTS AND CHRONOLOGY (M2769) ...... 29 Text 1 ...... 32 Text 2 ...... 33
2. STORY OF FATHER ABRAHAM ...... 36 ...... 37 Story of Father Abraham ...... 41
3. BIBLICAL PARAPHRASES ON ABRAHAM ...... 51 Text and Translation ...... 51
4. THE MEMORIAL OF THE FOREFATHERS ABRAHAM, ISAAC, AND JACOB ...... 55 The Character of the Document ...... 56 Remarks on the Text, Collations, and Apparatus ...... 57
.v. vi CONTENTS