Testamentum Abrahae (recensio A)

XII. ἔτι δὲ ἐμοὶ ταῦτα λαλοῦντος ἰδοὺ δύο ἄγγελοι πύρινοι τῇ ὄψει καὶ ἀνηλεεῖς τῇ γνώμῃ καὶ ἀπότομοι τῷ βλέμματι, καὶ ἤλαυνον μυριάδας ψυχὰς ἀνηλέως τύπτοντες αὐτοὺς ἐν πυρίναις χαρζαναῖς· καὶ μίαν ψυχὴν ἐκράτει ὁ ἄγγελος· καὶ διήγαγον πάσας τὰς ψυχὰς εἰς τὴν πλατεῖαν πύλην πρὸς τὴν ἀπώλειαν· ἠκολουθήσαμεν οὖν καὶ ἡμεῖς τοῖς ἀγγέλοις καὶ ἤλθομεν ἔσωθεν τῆς πύλης ἐκείνης τῆς πλατείας· καὶ ἐν μέσῳ τῶν δύο πυλῶν ἵστατο θρόνος φοβερὸς ἐν εἴδει κρυστάλλου φοβεροῦ ἐξαστράπτων ὡς πῦρ. καὶ ἐπʼ αὐτῷ ἐκάθητο ἀνὴρ θαύμαστος ἡλιόρατος ὅμοιος υἱῷ θεοῦ. ἔμπροσθεν δὲ αὐτοῦ ἵστατο τράπεζα κρυσταλλοειδὴς ὅλος διὰ χρυσοῦ καὶ βύσσου· ἐπάνω δὲ τῆς τραπέζης ἦν βιβλίον κείμενον, τὸ πάχος αὐτοῦ πηχέων ἓξ, τὸ δὲ πλάτος αὐτοῦ πηχέων δέκα· ἐκ δεξιῶν δὲ αὐτῆς καὶ ἐξ ἀριστερῶν ἵσταντο δύο ἄγγελοι κρατοῦντες χάρτην καὶ μέλανα καὶ κάλαμον. πρὸ προσώπου δὲ τῆς τραπέζης ἐκάθητο ἄγγγελος φωτοφόρος, κρατῶν ἐν τῇ χειρὶ αὐτοῦ ζυγόν· ἐξ ἀριστερῶν δὲ ἐκάθητο ἄγγελος πύρινος ὅλος ἀνιλέως καὶ ἀπότομος ἐν τῇ χειρὶ αὐτοῦ κρατῶν σάλπιγγα ἔνδον αὐτῆς κατέχων πῦρ παμφάγον δοκιμαστήριον τῶν ἁμαρτωλῶν. καὶ ὁ μὲν ἀνὴρ ὁ θαυμάσιος ὁ καθήμενος ἐπὶ τοῦ θρόνου, αὐτὸς ἔκρινεν καὶ ἀπεφῄνατο τὰς ψυχάς· οἱ δὲ δύο ἄγγελοι οἱ ἐκ δεξιῶν καὶ ἀριστερῶν ἀπεγράφοντο· ὁ μὲν ἐκ δεξιῶν ἀπεγράφετο τὰς δικαιοσύνας, ὁ δὲ ἐξ ἀριστερῶν τὰς ἁμαρτίας· καὶ ὁ μὲν πρὸ προσώπου τῆς τραπέζης, ὁ τὸν ζυγὸν κατέχων, ἐζυγίαζεν τὰς ψυχάς· καὶ ὁ πύρινος ἄγγελος, ὁ τὸ πῦρ κατέχων, ἐδοκίμαζεν τὰς ψυχάς. καὶ ἠρώτησεν Ἁβραὰμ τὸν ἀρχιστράτηγον Μιχαήλ· Τί ἐστιν ταῦτα ἃ θεωροῦμεν ἡμεῖς; καὶ εἶπεν ὁ ἀρχιστράτηγος· Ταῦτα ἅπερ βλέπεις, ὅσιε Ἁβραὰμ, ἔστιν ἡ κρίσις καὶ ἀνταπόδοσις. καὶ ἰδοὺ ὁ ἄγγελος ὁ κρατῶν τὴν ψυχὴν ἐν τῇ χειρὶ αὐτοῦ, καὶ ἤνεγκεν αὐτὴν ἔμπροσθεν τοῦ κριτοῦ. καὶ εἶπεν ὁ κριτὴς ἕνα τῶν ἀγγέλων τῶν καθυπουργούντον αὐτῷ· Ἄνοιξόν μοι τὴν βίβλον ταύτην καὶ εὑρέ μοι τὰς ἁμαρτίας τῆς ψυχῆς ταύτης. καὶ ἀνοίξας τὴν βίβλον εὗρεν αὐτῆς ζυγίας τὰς ἁμαρτίας καὶ τὰς δικαιοσύνας ἐξ ἴσου, καὶ οὔτε τοῖς βασανισταῖς ἐξέδωκεν αὐτὴν οὔτε τοῖς σωζομένοις, ἀλλʼ ἔστησεν αὐτὴν εἰς τὸ μέσον.

XII. While he was still saying these things to me, behold, two angels, fiery in appearance, pitiless in mind and harsh in look; and they were driving myriads of souls, pitilessly beating them with fiery whips. And the angel was holding one soul. And they drove all the souls into the broad gate, toward destruction. So we too followed the angels and came inside that broad gate. And between the two gates stood a terrifying throne, in the appearance of terrifying crystal, flashing like fire. And upon it sat a wondrous man, bright as the sun, like a son of God. Before him stood a table like crystal, all of gold and fine linen. Upon the table lay a book, its thickness six cubits and its breadth ten cubits. To the right and left of it stood two angels holding papyrus and ink and pen. In front of the table sat a light-bearing angel, holding a balance in his hand; and on the left sat an angel all of fire, pitiless and harsh, holding in his hand a trumpet and holding within it all-devouring fire, the testing of sinners. And the wondrous man who sat upon the throne himself judged and sentenced the souls; and the two angels on the right and on the left recorded: the one on the right recorded the righteous deeds, and the one on the left the sins. And the one in front of the table, who held the balance, weighed the souls; and the fiery angel, who held the fire, tested the souls. And Abraham asked the commander-in-chief Michael: ‘What are these things that we are looking at?’ And the commander-in-chief said: ‘These things that you see, holy Abraham, are the judgment and the recompense.’ And behold, the angel who was holding the soul in his hand: he brought it before the judge. And the judge said to one of the angels who served him: ‘Open this book for me and find me the sins of this soul.’ And opening the book, he found its sins and its righteous deeds evenly balanced; and he handed it over neither to the tormentors nor to those being saved, but set it in the middle.

XIII. καὶ εἶπεν Ἁβραάμ· Κύριέ μου ἀρχιστράτηγε, τίς ἐστιν οὗτος ὁ κριτὴς ὁ πανθαύμαστος; καὶ τίνες οἱ ἄγγελοι οἱ ἀπογραφόμενοι; καὶ τίς ὁ ἄγγελος ὁ ἡλιόμορφος ὁ τὸν ζυγὸν κατέχων; καὶ τίς ὁ ἄγγελος ὁ πύρινος ὁ τὸ πῦρ κατέχων; εἶπεν δὲ ὁ ἀρχιστράτηγος· Θεωρεῖς, πανόσιε Ἁβραὰμ, τὸν ἄνδρα τὸν φοβερὸν τὸν ἐπὶ τοῦ θρόνου καθήμενον; οὖτός ἐστιν υἱὸς Ἀδὰμ τοῦ πρωτοπλάστου, ὁ ἐπιλεγόμενος Ἄβελ, ὃν ἀπέκτεινε Κάϊν ὁ πονηρός· καὶ κάθηται ὧδε κρῖναι πᾶσαν τὴν κτίσιν καὶ ἐλέγχων δικαίους καὶ ἁμαρτωλούς· διότι εἶπεν ὁ θεός· Ἐγὼ οὐ κρίνω ὑμᾶς, ἀλλὰ πᾶς ἄνθρωπος ἐξ ἀνθρώπου κριθήσεται· τούτου χάριν αὐτῷ δέδωκεν κρίσιν, κρῖναι τὸν κόσμον μέχρι τῆς μεγάλης καὶ ἐνδόξου αὐτοῦ παρουσίας· καὶ τότε, δίκαιε Ἁβραὰμ, γίνεται τελεία κρίσις καὶ ἀνταπόδοσις, αἰωνία καὶ ἀμετάθετος, ἣν οὐδεὶς δύναται ἀνακρῖναι· πᾶς γὰρ ἄνθρωπος ἐκ τοῦ πρωτοπλάστου γεγέννηται, καὶ διὰ τοῦτο ἐνταῦθα πρῶτον ἐκ τοῦ υἱοῦ αὐτοῦ κρίνονται· καὶ ἐν τῇ δευτέρᾳ παρουσίᾳ κριθήσονται ὑπὸ τῶν δώδεκα φυλῶν τοῦ Ἰσραὴλ, καὶ πᾶσα πνοὴ καὶ πᾶσα κτίσις. τὸ δὲ τρίτον, ὑπὸ τοῦ δεσπότου θεοῦ τῶν ἁπάντων κριθήσονται καὶ τότε λοιπὸν τῆς κρίσεως ἐκείνης τὸ τέλος ἐγγὺς, καὶ φοβερὰ ἡ ἀπόφασις, καὶ ὁ λύων οὐδείς· καὶ λοιπὸν διὰ τριῶν βημάτων γίνεται ἡ κρίσις τοῦ κόσμου καὶ ἡ ἀνταπόδοσις· καὶ διὰ τοῦτο ἐπὶ ἑνὸς ἡ δύο μαρτύρων οὐκ ἀσφαλίζεται λόγος εἰς τέλος· ἀλλʼ ἐπὶ τριῶν μαρτύρων σταθήσεται πὰν ῥῆμα. οἱ δὲ δύο ἄγγελοι ὁ ἐκ δεξιῶν καὶ ὁ ἐξ ἀριστερῶν, οὗτοί εἰσιν οἱ ἀπογραφόμενοι τὰς ἁμαρτίας καὶ τὰς δικαιοσύνας· ὁ μὲν ἐκ δεξιῶν ἀπογράφεται τὰς δικαιοσύνας, ὁ δὲ ἐξ ἀριστερῶν τὰς ἁμαρτίας. ὁ δὲ ἡλιόμορφος ἄγγελος, ὁ τὸν ζυγὸν κατέχων ἐν τῇ χειρὶ αὐτοῦ, οὗτός ἐστιν ὁ Δοκιὴλ ὁ ἀρχάγγελος ὁ δίκαιος ζυγοστάτης, καὶ ζυγιάζει τὰς δικαιοσύνας καὶ τὰς ἁμαρτίας ἐν δικαιοσύνῃ θεοῦ· ὁ δὲ πύρινος καὶ ἀνιλέως ἄγγελος, ὁ κατέχων ἐν τῇ χειρὶ αὐτοῦ τὸ πῦρ, οὗτός ἐστιν Πυρουὴλ ὁ ἀρχάγγελος ὁ ἐπὶ τοῦ πυρὸς ἔχων τὴν ἐξουσίαν, καὶ δοκιμάζει τὰ τῶν ἀνθρώπων ἔργα διὰ πυρός· καὶ εἴ τινος τὸ ἔργον κατακαύσει τὸ πῦρ, εὐθὺς λαμβάνει αὐτὸν ὁ ἄγγελος τῆς κρίσεως καὶ ἀποφέρει αὐτὸν εἰς τὸν τόπον τῶν ἁμαρτωλῶν, πικρότατον κολαστήριον. εἴ τινος δὲ τὸ ἔργον τὸ πῦρ δοκιμάσει καὶ μὴ ἅψεται αὐτοῦ, οὗτος δικαιοῦται, καὶ λαμβάνει αὐτὸν ὁ τῆς δικαιοσύνης ἄγγελος καὶ ἀναφέρει αὐτὸν εἰς τὸ σώζεσθαι ἐν τῷ κλήρῳ τῶν δικαίων· καὶ οὕτως, δικαιότατε Ἁβραὰμ, τὰ πάντα ἐν πᾶσιν ἐν πυρὶ καὶ ζυγῷ δοκιμάζονται.

XIII. And Abraham said: ‘My lord commander-in-chief, who is this all-wondrous judge? And who are the angels who record? And who is the sun-like angel who holds the balance? And who is the fiery angel who holds the fire?’ And the commander-in-chief said: ‘Do you see, all-holy Abraham, the terrifying man seated upon the throne? This is the son of Adam the first-formed, who is called Abel, whom Cain the wicked killed. And he sits here to judge all creation, examining the righteous and the sinners. For God said: “I do not judge you, but every man shall be judged by a man.” For this reason he has given him judgment, to judge the world until his great and glorious coming. And then, righteous Abraham, comes the perfect judgment and recompense, eternal and unchangeable, which no one can review. For every man has been born of the first-formed, and for this reason they are first judged here by his son. And at the second coming they will be judged by the twelve tribes of Israel, every breath and every creature. And the third time they will be judged by the Master, God of all; and then at last the end of that judgment is near, and the sentence is terrifying, and there is no one to undo it. And so the judgment of the world and the recompense take place through three tribunals; and for this reason a matter is not finally established on one or two witnesses, but on three witnesses every word shall stand. The two angels, the one on the right and the one on the left, these are the ones who record the sins and the righteous deeds: the one on the right records the righteous deeds, and the one on the left the sins. The sun-like angel, who holds the balance in his hand, this is Dokiel the archangel, the just weigher, and he weighs the righteous deeds and the sins in the righteousness of God. And the fiery and pitiless angel, who holds the fire in his hand, this is Pyruel the archangel, who has authority over fire, and he tests the works of men by fire. And if the fire burns up anyone’s work, at once the angel of judgment takes him and carries him off to the place of sinners, a most bitter place of punishment. But if the fire tests anyone’s work and does not touch it, that man is justified, and the angel of righteousness takes him and carries him up to be saved in the lot of the righteous. And so, most righteous Abraham, all things in all are tested by fire and balance.’

XVI. τότε ὁ ὕψιστος λέγει· Κάλεσόν μοι ὡδε τὸν θάνατον τὸν κεκλημένον τὸ ἀναίσχυντον πρόσωπον καὶ ἀνέλεον βλέμμα. καὶ ἀπελθών Μιχαὴλ ὁ ἀσώματος εἶπεν τῷ θανάτῳ· Δεῦρο, καλεῖ σε ὁ δεσςπότης τῆς κτίσεως, ὁ ἀθάνατος βασιλεύς. ἀκούσας δὲ ὁ θάνατος ἔφριξεν καὶ ἐτρόμαξεν δειλίᾳ πολλῇ συνεχόμενος, καὶ ἐλθὼν μετὰ φόβου πολλοῦ ἔστη ἔμπροσθεν τοῦ ἀοράτου πατρὸς, φρίττων στένων καὶ τρέμων, ἀπεκδεχόμενος τὴν κέλευσιν τοῦ δεσπότου. λέγει οὖν ὁ ἀόρατος θεὸς πρὸς τὸν θάνατον· Δεῦρο, τὸ πικρὸν καὶ ἄγριον τοῦ κόσμου ὄνομα, κρύψον σου τὴν ἀγριότητα, σκέπασόν σου τὴν σαπρίαν, καὶ τὴν πικρίαν σου ἀπό σου ἀποβαλοῦ, καὶ περιβαλοῦ τὴν ὡραιὀπητά σου καὶ πᾶσαν τὴν δόξαν σου, καὶ κάτελθε εἰς τὸν φίλον μου τὸν Ἀβραὰμ καὶ λάβε αὐτὸν καὶ ἄγαςγε αὐτὸν πρός μεʼ ἀλλὰ καὶ νῦν λέγω σοι ὅτι μὴ ἐκφοβήσῃς αὐτὸν ἀλλὰ μετὰ κολακίας τοῦτον παράλαβε, ὅτι φίλος μου γνήσιος ὑπάρχει. ταῦτα ἀκούσας ὁ θάνατος ἐξῆλθεν ἀπὸ προσώπου τοῦ ὑψίστου καὶ περιεβάλετο στολήν λαμπροτάτην καὶ ἐποίησεν ὄψιν ἡλιόμορφον καὶ γέγονεν εὐπρεπὴς καὶ ὡραῖος ὑπὲρ τοὺς υἱοὺς τῶν ἀνθρώπων, ἀρχαγγέλου μορφήν περικείμενος, τάς παρειὰς αὐτοῦ πυρὶ ἀστράπτων, καὶ ἀπῆλθεν πρὸς τὸν Ἀβραάμ. ὁ δὲ δίκαιος Ἀβραὰμ ἐξῆλθεν ἐκ τοῦ τρικλίνου αὐτοῦ καὶ ἐκάθητο ὑποκάτω τῶν δένδρων τῶν Μαμβρινῶν, τὴν σιαγόνα αὐτοῦ τῇ χειρὶ κατέχων καὶ ἐκδεχόμενος τὴν ἔλευσιν τοῦ ἀρχαγγέλου Μιχαήλ. καὶ ἰδοὺ ὀσμὴ εὐωδίας ἤρχετο πρὸς αὐτὸν, καὶ φωτὸς ἀπαύγασμα περιστραφεὶς δὲ Ἀβραὰμ εἶδεν τὸν θάνατον ἐρχόμενον πρὸς αὐτὸν ἐν πολλῇ δόξῃ καὶ ὡραιότητι· καὶ ἀναστὰς Ἁβραὰμ ὑπήντησεν αὐτῷ, νομίζων εἶναι τὸν ἀρχιστράτηγον τοῦ θεοῦ· καὶ ἰδὼν αὐτὸν ὁ θάνατος προσεκύνησεν αὐτὸν λέγων· Χαίροις, τίμιε Ἀβραὰμ, δικαία ψυχή, φίλε γνήσιε τοῦ θεοῦ τοῦ ὑψίστου, καὶ τῶν ἀγίων ἀγγέλων ὁμόσκηνε. εἶπεν δὲ Ἁβραὰμ πρὸς τὸν θάνατον· Χαίροις ἡλιόρατε, ἡλιόμορφε, συλλήπτωρ ἐνδοξότατε, φωτοφόρε, ἀνὴρ θαυμάσιε, πόθεν ἥκει ἡ σὴ ἐνδοξότης πρὸς ἡμᾶς, καὶ τίς εἶ σὺ, καὶ πόθεν ἐλήλυθας; λέγει οὖν ὁ θάνατος· Ἀβραὰμ δικαιότατε, ἰδοὺ λέγω σοι τὴν ἀλήθειαν· ἐγὼ εἰμὶ τὸ πικρὸν τοῦ θανάτου ποτήριον. λέγει αὐτῷ Ἀβραάμ· Οὐχὶ, ἀλλὰ σὺ εἶ εὐπρέπεια τοῦ κόσμου, σὺ εἶ ἡ δόξα καὶ τὸ κάλλος τῶν ἀγγέλων καὶ τῶν ἀνθρώπων, σὺ εἶ πάσης μορφῆς εὐμορφότερος, καὶ λέγεις ὅτι Ἐγὼ εἰμὶ τὸ πικρὸν τοῦ θανάτου ποτήριον καὶ οὐ λέγεις μᾶλλον ὅτι Ἐγὼ εἰμὶ παντὸς ἀγαθοῦ εὐμορφότερος; εἶπεν δὲ ὁ θάνατος· Ἐγὼ γὰρ λέγω σοι τὴν ἀλήθειαν· ὅπερ ὠνόμασέν με ὁ θεὸς, ἐκεῖνο καὶ λέγω σοι. εἶπεν δὲ Ἁβραάμ· Εἰς τί ἐλήλυθας ὧδε; εἶπεν δὲ ὁ θάνατος· Διὰ τὴν σὴν ἁγίαν ψυχήν παραγέγονα. λέγει οὖν Ἁβραάμ· Οἰδα τί λέγεις, ἀλλʼ οὐ μή σε ἀκολουθήσω. ὁ δὲ θάνατος ἐν σιωπῇ γενόμενος οὐκ ἀπεκρίθη αὐτῷ λόγον.

XVI. Then the Most High says: ‘Call Death here to me, the one called the shameless face and the pitiless look.’ And Michael the incorporeal went off and said to Death: ‘Come; the Master of creation, the immortal King, calls you.’ When Death heard, he shuddered and trembled, gripped by great dread, and coming with great fear he stood before the invisible Father, shuddering, groaning and trembling, awaiting the Master’s command. So the invisible God says to Death: ‘Come, bitter and savage name of the world: hide your savagery, cover your rottenness, cast your bitterness away from you, and clothe yourself in your beauty and all your glory, and go down to my friend Abraham and take him and bring him to me. But I tell you this too, now: do not terrify him, but take him with gentle coaxing, for he is my true friend.’ When Death heard these things, he went out from the presence of the Most High and put on a most brilliant robe, and made his appearance sun-like, and became comely and beautiful beyond the sons of men, wearing the form of an archangel, his cheeks flashing with fire; and he went off to Abraham. Now righteous Abraham had gone out of his chamber and was sitting under the trees of Mamre, holding his chin in his hand and awaiting the coming of the archangel Michael. And behold, a scent of sweet fragrance came toward him, and a radiance of light; and turning round, Abraham saw Death coming toward him in great glory and beauty. And Abraham rose and went to meet him, thinking him to be the commander-in-chief of God. And Death, seeing him, bowed down before him, saying: ‘Hail, honoured Abraham, righteous soul, true friend of God Most High, and tent-companion of the holy angels.’ And Abraham said to Death: ‘Hail, you of sun-bright look, sun-formed, most glorious helper, light-bearer, wondrous man: from where does Your Glory come to us, and who are you, and from where have you come?’ So Death says: ‘Most righteous Abraham, see, I tell you the truth: I am the bitter cup of death.’ Abraham says to him: ‘No, rather you are the comeliness of the world, you are the glory and the beauty of angels and of men, you are fairer in form than every form; and you say, “I am the bitter cup of death,” and do not rather say, “I am fairer than every good thing”?’ And Death said: ‘I am telling you the truth: what God named me, that is what I tell you.’ And Abraham said: ‘For what have you come here?’ And Death said: ‘I have come for your holy soul.’ So Abraham says: ‘I know what you mean, but I will not follow you.’ And Death fell silent and did not answer him a word.

XVII. ἀνέστη δὲ Ἁβραὰμ καὶ ἦλθεν εἰς τὸν οἶκον αὐτοῦ· ἠκολούθει δὲ καὶ ὁ θάνατος ἕως ἐκεῖ· ἀνέβη δὲ Ἁβραὰμ εἰς τὸ τρίκλινον αὐτοῦ· ἀνέβη δὲ καὶ ὁ θάνατος μετʼ αὐτοῦ· ἀνέπεσεν δὲ Ἁβραὰμ ἐπὶ τῆς κλίνης αὐτοῦ· ἠλθεν δὲ καὶ ὁ θάνατος καὶ ἐκαθέσθη παρὰ τοὺς πόδας αὐτοῦ. εἶπεν δὲ Ἁβραάμ· Ἄπελθε, ἄπελθε ἀπʼ ἐμοῦ, ὅτι θέλω ἀναπαύεσθαι ἐν τῇ κλίνῃ μου. λέγει ὁ θάνατος· Οὐκ ἀναχωρῶ ἕως οὗ λάβω τὸ πνεῦμά σου ἀπό σου. λέγει αὐτῷ Ἁβραάμ· Κατὰ τοῦ θεοῦ τοῦ ἀθανάτου σοι λέγω ἵνα μοι εἴπῃς τὸ ἀληθές· σὺ εἶ ὁ θάνατος; λέγει αὐτῷ ὁ θάνατος· Ἐγὼ εἰμὶ ὁ θάνατος· ἑγὼ εἰμὶ ὁ τὸν κόσμον λυμαίνων. εἶπεν δὲ Ἁβραάμ· Δέομαί σου, ἐπειδὴ σὺ εἶ ὁ θάνατος, ἀνάγγειλόν μοι, καὶ πρὸς πάντας οὕτως ἀπέρχῃ ἐν εὐμορφίᾳ καὶ δόξῃ καὶ ὡραιότητι τοιαύτῃ; καὶ ὁ θάνατος εἶπεν· Οὐχὶ, κύριέ μου Ἁβραάμ· αἱ γὰρ δικαιοσύναι σου καὶ τὸ ἄμετρον πέλαγος τῆς φιλοξενίας σου καὶ τὸ μέγεθος τῆς ἀγάπης σου τῆς πρὸς θεὸν ἐγένετο στέφανος ἐπὶ τῆς ἐμῆς κεφαλῆς, καὶ ἐν ὡραιότητι καὶ ἐν ἡσυχίᾳ πολλῇ καὶ κολακίᾳ προσέρχομαι τοῖς δικαίοις· τοῖς δὲ ἁμαρτωλοῖς προσέρχομαι ἐν πολλῇ σαπρίᾳ καὶ ἀγριότητι καὶ μεγίστῃ πικρίᾳ καὶ ἀγρίῳ τῷ βλέμματι καὶ ἀνίλεῳ. εἶπεν δὲ Ἁβραάμ· Δέομαί σου, ἐπάκουσόν μου καὶ δεῖξόν μοι τὴν ἀγριότητά σου καὶ πᾶσαν τὴν σαπρίαν καὶ πικρίαν. καὶ εἶπεν ὁ θάνατος· Οὐ μὴ δυνηθῇς θεάσασθαι τὴν ἐμὴν ἀγριότητα, δικαιότατε Ἁβραάμ. εἶπεν δὲ Ἁβραάμ· Ναὶ, δυνήσομαι θεάσασθαί σου πᾶσαν τὴν ἀγριότητα ἕνεκεν τοῦ ὀνόματος τοῦ θεοῦ τοῦ ζῶντος, ὅτι ἡ δύναμις τοῦ θεοῦ μου τοῦ ἐπουρανίου μετʼ ἐμοῦ ἐστίν. τότε ὁ θάνατος ἀπεδύσατο πᾶσαν αὐτοῦ τὴν ὡραιότητα καὶ τὸ κάλλος, καὶ πᾶσαν τὴν δόξαν καὶ τὴν ἡλιόμορφον μορφὴν ἣν περιέκειτο, καὶ περιεβάλετο στολήν τυραννικήν, καὶ ἐποίησεν ὄψιν ζοφερὰν καὶ παντοίων θηρίων ἀγριωτέραν καὶ πάσης ἀκαθαρσίας ἀκαθαρσιωτέραν· καὶ ἐπέδειξεν τῷ Ἁβραὰμ κεφαλὰς δρακόντων πυρίνους ἑπτὰ, καὶ πρόσωπα δεκατέσσαρα, πυρὸς φλογεστάτου καὶ πολλῆς ἀγριότητος, καὶ πρόσωπον σκοτοειδὲς καὶ πρόσωπον ἐχίδνης ζοφωδέστατον καὶ πρόσωπον κρημνοῦ φρικοωδεστάτου καὶ πρόσωπον ἀσπίδος ἀγριώτερον καὶ πρόσωπον λέοντος φοβεροῦ καὶ πρόσωπον κεραστοῦ καὶ βασιλίσκου· ἔδειξεν δὲ καὶ πρόσωπον ῥομφαίας πυρίνης καὶ πρόσωπον ξιφηφόρον καὶ πρόσωπον ἀστραπῆς φοβερῶς ἐξαστράπτον καὶ ἦχος βροντῆς φοβερᾶς· ἔδειξεν δὲ καὶ ἕτερον πρόσωπον θαλάσσης ἀγρίας κυματιζούσης καὶ ποταμὸν ἄγριον κοχλάζντα καὶ δράκοντα τρικέφαλον φοβερὸν καὶ ποτήριον μεμεστωμένον φαρμάκων, καὶ ἁπλῶς εἰπεῖν ἔδειξεν αὐτῷ πολλὴν ἀγριότητα καὶ πικρίαν ἀβάστακτον καὶ πᾶσαν νόσον θανατηφόρον ὡς τῆς ὀσμῆς τοῦ θανάτου. καὶ ἐκ τῆς πολλῆς πικρίας καὶ ἀγριότητος ἐτελεύτησαν παῖδες καὶ παιδίσκαι τὸν ἀριθμὸν ὡσεὶ χιλιάδες ἑπτά· καὶ ὁ δίκαιος Ἁβραὰμ ἦλθεν εἰς ὀλιγωρίαν θανάτου ὥστε ἐκλείπειν τὸ πνεῦμα αὐτοῦ.

XVII. And Abraham rose and went into his house, and Death too followed him there. Abraham went up into his chamber, and Death too went up with him. Abraham lay down on his couch, and Death too came and sat by his feet. And Abraham said: ‘Go away, go away from me, for I wish to rest on my couch.’ Death says: ‘I will not withdraw until I take your spirit from you.’ Abraham says to him: ‘By the immortal God I charge you to tell me the truth: are you Death?’ Death says to him: ‘I am Death; I am the one who ravages the world.’ And Abraham said: ‘I beg you, since you are Death, tell me: do you go to everyone in this way, in such fairness of form and glory and beauty?’ And Death said: ‘No, my lord Abraham; for your righteous deeds, and the boundless sea of your hospitality, and the greatness of your love for God have become a crown upon my head; and in beauty and in great calm and gentleness I approach the righteous, but I approach sinners in great rottenness and savagery and the greatest bitterness, and with a savage and pitiless look.’ And Abraham said: ‘I beg you, listen to me and show me your savagery and all your rottenness and bitterness.’ And Death said: ‘You will not be able to behold my savagery, most righteous Abraham.’ And Abraham said: ‘Yes, I shall be able to behold all your savagery, for the sake of the name of the living God, because the power of my heavenly God is with me.’ Then Death stripped off all his beauty and comeliness, and all the glory and the sun-like form that he had worn, and put on a tyrant’s robe, and made his appearance gloomy, more savage than every kind of wild beast and more unclean than every uncleanness. And he showed Abraham seven fiery heads of dragons, and fourteen faces, of most flaming fire and great savagery: a dark face, and the most gloomy face of a viper, and the face of a most dreadful precipice, and the face of an asp, more savage still, and the face of a fearsome lion, and the face of a horned viper and of a basilisk. He showed also the face of a fiery broadsword, and a sword-bearing face, and the face of lightning flashing fearsomely, and the roar of fearsome thunder. He showed also another face, of a savage sea surging with waves, and a savage river seething, and a fearsome three-headed dragon, and a cup brimming with poisons; and, in a word, he showed him great savagery and unbearable bitterness and every deadly disease, as of the smell of death. And from the great bitterness and savagery menservants and maidservants died, about seven thousand in number; and righteous Abraham came into a faintness of death, so that his spirit failed.