Church could thus appropriate them as her own with just reason.

In the use of some of the apocryphal and pseudepigraphic writings, I found it expedient to quote the English translations of them made by others, in so far as they could be brought into accord with the general style of the book, for which purpose I permitted myself the liberty of slight verbal changes. In particulars, I was guided, naturally, by my own conception of the subject, which the Notes justify in detail.

Besides the pseudepigrapha there are other Jewish sources in Christian garb. In the rich literature of the Church Fathers many a Jewish legend lies embalmed which one would seek in vain in Jewish books. It was therefore my special concern to use the writings of the Fathers to the utmost.

The luxuriant abundance of the material to be presented made it impossible to give a verbal rendition of each legend. This would have required more than three times the space at my disposal. I can therefore claim completeness for my work only as to content. In form it had to suffer curtailment. When several conflicting versions of the same legend existed, I gave only one in the text, reserving the other one, or the several others, for the Notes, or, when practicable, they were fused into one typical legend, the component parts of which are analyzed in the Notes. In other instances I resorted to the expedient of citing one version in one place and the others in other appropriate places, in furtherance of my aim, to give a smooth presentation of the matter, with as few interruptions to the course of the narrative as possible. For this reason I avoided such transitional phrases as "Some say," "It has been maintained," etc. That my method sometimes separates things that belong together cannot be considered a grave disadvantage, as the Index at the end of the work will present a logical rearrangement of the material for the benefit of the interested student. I also did not hesitate to treat of the same personage in different chapters, as, for instance, many of the legends bearing upon Jacob, those connected with the latter years of the Patriarch, do not appear in the chapter bearing his name, but will be found in the sections devoted to Joseph, for the reason that once the son steps upon the scene, he becomes the central figure, to which the life and deeds of the father are subordinated. Again, in consideration of lack of space the Biblical narratives underlying the legends had to be omitted—surely not a serious omission in a subject with which widespread acquaintance may be presupposed as a matter of course.

As a third consequence of the amplitude of the material, it was thought advisable to divide it into several volumes. The references, the explanations of the sources used, and the interpretations given, and, especially, numerous emendations of the text of the Midrashim and the pseudepigrapha, which determined my conception of the passages so emended, will be found in the last volume, the fourth, which will contain also an Introduction to the History of Jewish Legends, a number of Excursuses, and the Index.

As the first three volumes are in the hands of the printer almost in their entirety, I venture to express the hope that the whole work will appear within measurable time, the parts following each other at short intervals.

LOUIS GINZBERG.

NEW YORK, March 24, 1909

CONTENTS

PREFACE
I. THE CREATION OF THE WORLD
The First Things Created—The Alphabet—The First Day—The Second
Day—The Third Day—The Fourth Day—The Fifth Day—The Sixth
Day—All Things Praise the Lord.

II. ADAM
Man and the World—The Angels and the Creation of Man—The
Creation of Adam—The Soul of Man—The Ideal Man—The Fall of
Satan—Woman—Adam and Eve in Paradise—The Fall of Man—The
Punishment—Sabbath in Heaven—Adam's Repentance—The Book of
Raziel—The Sickness of Adam—Eve's Story of the Fall—The Death
of Adam—The Death of Eve.

III. THE TEN GENERATIONS
The Birth of Cain—Fratricide—The Punishment of Cain—The
Inhabitants of the Seven Earths—The Descendants of Cain—The
Descendants of Adam and Lilith—Seth and His
Descendants—Enosh—The Fall of the Angels—Enoch, Ruler and
Teacher—The Ascension of Enoch—The Translation of
Enoch—Methuselah.

IV. NOAH
The Birth of Noah—The Punishment of the Fallen Angels—The
Generation of the Deluge—The Holy Book—The Inmates of the
Ark—The Flood—Noah Leaves the Ark—The Curse of
Drunkenness—Noah's Descendants Spread Abroad—The Depravity of
Mankind—Nimrod—The Tower of Babel.

V. ABRAHAM
The Wicked Generations—The Birth of Abraham—The Babe Proclaims
God—Abraham's First Appearance in Public—The Preacher of the
True Faith—In the Fiery Furnace—Abraham Emigrates to Haran—The
Star in the East—The True Believer—The Iconoclast—Abraham in
Canaan—His Sojourn in Egypt—The First Pharaoh—The War of the
Kings—The Covenant of the Pieces—The Birth of Ishmael—The
Visit of the Angels—The Cities of Sin—Abraham Pleads for the
Sinners—The Destruction of the Sinful Cities—Among the
Philistines—The Birth of Isaac—Ishmael Cast Off—The Two Wives
of Ishmael—The Covenant with Abimelech—Satan Accuses
Abraham—The Journey to Moriah—The Akedah—The Death and Burial
of Sarah—Eliezer's Mission—The Wooing of Rebekah—The Last
Years of Abraham—A Herald of Death—Abraham Views Earth and
Heaven—The Patron of Hebron.

VI. JACOB
The Birth of Esau and Jacob—The Favorite of Abraham—The Sale of
the Birthright—Isaac with the Philistines—Isaac Blesses
Jacob—Esau's True Character Revealed—Jacob Leaves His Father's
House—Jacob Pursued by Eliphaz and Esau—The Day of
Miracles—Jacob with Laban—The Marriage of Jacob—The Birth of
Jacob's Children—Jacob Flees before Laban—The Covenant with
Laban—Jacob and Esau Prepare to Meet—Jacob Wrestles with the
Angel—The Meeting between Esau and Jacob—The Outrage at
Shechem—A War Frustrated—The War with the Ninevites—The War
with the Amorites—Isaac Blesses Levi and Judah—Joy and Sorrow
in the House of Jacob—Esau's Campaign against Jacob—The
Descendants of Esau.

I

THE CREATION OF THE WORLD THE FIRST THINGS CREATED THE ALPHABET THE FIRST DAY THE SECOND DAY THE THIRD DAY THE FOURTH DAY THE FIFTH DAY THE SIXTH DAY ALL THINGS PRAISE THE LORD

I

THE CREATION OF THE WORLD

THE FIRST THINGS CREATED

In the beginning, two thousand years before the heaven and the earth, seven things were created: the Torah written with black fire on white fire, and lying in the lap of God; the Divine Throne, erected in the heaven which later was over the heads of the Hayyot; Paradise on the right side of God, Hell on the left side; the Celestial Sanctuary directly in front of God, having a jewel on its altar graven with the Name of the Messiah, and a Voice that cries aloud, "Return, ye children of men."[1]

When God resolved upon the creation of the world, He took counsel with the Torah.[2] Her advice was this: "O Lord, a king without an army and without courtiers and attendants hardly deserves the name of king, for none is nigh to express the homage due to him." The answer pleased God exceedingly. Thus did He teach all earthly kings, by His Divine example, to undertake naught without first consulting advisers.[3]