Religious Thought, Theology and Philosophy of Religion Commons^™

Visionary Ascents Of Moses In Pseudo-Philo's Liber Antiquitatum Biblicarum: Apocalyptic Motifs And The Growth Of Visionary Moses Tradition, Kristine Johnson Ruffatto

Dissertations (1934 -)

This dissertation explores the development of visionary Moses tradition from its origins in the Hebrew Bible through pro-Mosaic Second Temple literature and rabbinic texts. It demonstrates that throughout this variegated literature, there is a developing tendency to portray Moses as an apocalyptic seer. In the non-biblical Mosaic texts that were analyzed, Moses' revelation on Sinai and Nebo is increasingly invested with esoteric content, and Moses' ascents are often depicted as heavenly journeys. These revelatory developments have conceptual roots in alternative visionary traditions, notably Enochic lore. The texts investigated contain a discernible thread of dialogue with Enochic revelatory claims; Moses' ascents …