Ein Text aus Palästina? Gedanken zur einleitungswissenschaftlichen Verortung der Apokalypse des Abraham

Nearly all scholars focusing on the Apocalypse of Abraham agree that the text originated in Palestine. The reason for this is generally quite simple: on the one hand, the text refers directly to the destruction of the Second Temple, and on the other hand, its storyline has a very strong “Jewish” character. I question the plausibility of this argument. The literary treatment of Jerusalem, the use of Exodus motifs, as well as the role of the cult in the Apocalypse of Abraham differ substantially from other works that were written more likely in the region around Jerusalem. Instead, it is more reasonable to regard the text as a response to the invasion of foreign cults into synagogal structures in a diaspora context. Although it is not possible to locate the text with any certainty, I tentatively propose the area around Alexandria as its place of origin.