The Chronicles of Jerahmeel: Or, the Hebrew Bible Historiale. Being a Collection of Apocryphal and Pseudo-Epigraphical Books Dealing With the History of the World from the

---

---

THE CHRONICLES OF

JERAHMEEL

OR

THE HEBREW BIBLE HISTORIALE

BY

M. GASTER

1899

---

Chronicles of Jerahmeel by Moses Gaster.

This edition was created and published by Global Grey

©Global Grey 2016

Get more eBooks at:

www.globalgreyebooks.com

---

Table of Contents

Preface

Introduction

Compiler's Preface

I

II

III

IV

V

VI

VII

VIII

IX. The Formation Of The Child

X

XI

XII

XIII. The Beating Of The Grave

XIV. This Is The Description Of Gehinnom (Hell)

XV

XVI

XVII

XVIII. Paradise

XIX

XX

XXI

XXII

XXIII

XXIV

XXV. The Midrash Of Shemhazai And ‘Azael

XXVI

XXVII

XXVIII

XXIX

XXX

XXXI

XXXII

---

XXXIII

XXXIV

XXXV

XXXVI

XXXVII

XXXVIII

XXXIX

XL

XLI

XLII

XLIII. The Chronicles Of Moses

XLIV

XLV

XLVI

XLVII

XLVIII

XLIX

L

LI

LII

LIII

LIV

LV

LVI

LVII

LVIII

LIX

LX

LXI. The Children Of Moses

LXII. The Ten Banishments Of The Sanhedrim

LXIII. Elchanan The Merchant

LXIV. The Midrash Of A

ḥab Ben Qolaya And Zedekiah Ben Ma‘Aseyah

LXV. The History Of Susanna

LXVI

LXVII

LXVIII

LXIX

LXX

LXXI

---

LXXII

LXXIII

LXXIV

LXXV

LXXVI

LXXVII

LXXVIII

LXXIX

LXXX. The Beating Of The Grave

LXXXI

LXXXII

LXXXIII

LXXXIV. The Throne Of Solomon, King Of Israel

LXXXV. The Book Of The Maccabee

LXXXVI

LXXXVII

LXXXVIII

LXXXIX

XC

XCI

XCII

XCIII

XCIV

XCV

XCVI

XCVII

XCVIII

---

PREFACE

The present volume contains a collection of old-world legends and tales.

The heroes are mostly biblical personages; hence the name given to it by me,

'Bible Historiale.' It resembles in tendency and spirit these mediæval

compilations, and is their oldest representative. The Hebrew text exists only in

one single manuscript. My translation is as faithful and literal a rendering as

such a subject requires. Unlike others, I have followed the older example and

have added a full index. It is a complete digest of the whole matter contained in

the book. No incident of any importance has wilfully been omitted. For the

purpose of preparing it and of facilitating critical and bibliographical

investigations, I have divided the text into chapters and paragraphs. Indications

in the manuscript guided me.

In a long introduction I have investigated firstly the question as to the date

and authorship of the chronicle as a whole; then discussed the place of its

composition; the relation in which the chronicle of Jera

ḥmeel stands to the Book

of Yashar and to Yosippon. I have laid bare the connection with the 'Genesis

Rabba Major' of Moses ha Darshan; and drawn attention to the parallelism

between this chronicle, the 'Historia Scholastica' of Comestor, and other similar

Christian compilations.

In a second part of the introduction I have studied each chapter and each

text separately, and I have minutely investigated each paragraph and smaller

incident. Parallels have been adduced by me not only from the Hebrew but also

from non-Hebrew literatures. An attempt has been made to ascertain the

---

probable age of each of these legends, to show the historical background of

some, and the value for textual criticism of the other texts contained in this

chronicle.

Five pages of the Hebrew manuscript of decisive importance for the date

and for the original character of this compilation have been added. In short, no

pains have been spared to make this book a worthy contribution to the study of

Biblical Apocrypha, and to place in the hand of the student the means of testing

the truth and cogency of the conclusions to which I have arrived.

It remains now for me to fulfil a pleasant duty in thanking my friends Dr.

W. H. Greenburg and Dr. H. Barnstein for the assistance they have rendered me,

and above all Mr. F. F. Arbuthnot, to whose generosity the book owes its

appearance.

M. GASTER.

London,

June 16, 1899.

Tammuz 8, 5659.

---