Apocalyptic Tradition and Mystical Prayer in the Ladder of Jacob

Abstract

The so-called Ladder of Jacob—known already for nearly 150 years—is still a largely unknown text among biblical scholars. This article tries to evaluate the recent state of debate in order to prepare the path for a new German translation and commentary (JSHRZ.NF). Crucial for the understanding is the distinction between something like a Jewish ‘core’ and a Christian Fortschreibung, but most of all the identification of specific historical events in the angels speech. The most important contribution during recent years has been the discovery of a Hebrew prayer from the Cairo Geniza, which is clearly a version of Ladd. Jac. 2. Deserving of further study shall be the possible influences of Rabbinic tradition on this short and unusual apocalypse