The second part of the Apocalypse of Abraham, a Jewish pseudepigraphon written in early centuries of the Common Era,1 deals with the ascent of the eponymous hero to the heavenly Holy of Holies. On this celestial journey, Abraham and his angelic companion Yahoel encounter a strange demonic creature, namely, the fallen angel Azazel, who attempts to interfere, warning the patriarch about the grave dangers that a mortal might encounter upon ascending to the abode of the Deity. In response to Azazel's challenge, Yahoel rebukes and curses the fallen angel. The curses imposed on the fallen angel are often seen as having cultic significance.

2 In the sacerdotal framework of the Slavonic apocalypse, which is permeated with the dynamics of the Yom Kippur ritual,3 the cursing formulae delivered by the angel Yahoel, whom the text depicts as the celestial cultic servant, 4 appear reminiscent of those curses bestowed on the scapegoat by the high priest on the Day of Atonement.5 Thus, some have argued that the fallen angel bearing the conspicuous name Azazel6 is depicted here as the celestial scapegoat predestined to take upon itself the sins and transgressions of Abraham in order to carry them into the realm of his exile. This chapter will explore Azazel's curses and their role in the sacerdotal framework of the Slavonic apocalypse. (Andrei Orlov)

About Author:

Andrei A. Orlov is an American professor of Judaism and Christianity in Antiquity at Marquette University. He "is a specialist in Jewish Apocalypticism and Mysticism, Second Temple Judaism, and Old Testament Pseudepigrapha. Within the field of Second Temple Jewish apocalyptic literature, Orlov is considered among the leading experts in the field of Slavonic texts related to Jewish mysticism and Enochic traditions." He "has established himself as a significant voice in the study of Second Temple Jewish traditions, especially those associated with 2 Enoch and other Slavonic Pseudepigrapha." Orlov is a veteran of the Enoch seminar and a member of the Advisory Board of the journal Henoch.

He was born in 1960 in Moscow. In the years 1978-1980. Served in the Soviet Army. Senior sergeant of the air defense forces.

In 1986 he graduated from the Faculty of Journalism of Moscow State University.

In 1990, at the Institute of Sociology of the Russian Academy of Sciences under the scientific supervision BA Grushin defended his thesis for the degree of Candidate of Sociological Sciences (direction: Sociology of Culture) on the theme "Descriptive phenomenology of game structures." A well-known Russian sociologist, Yu. A. Levada, was a scientific opponent in the defense.

In 1990-1991 he was a senior research fellow at the Institute of Sociology of the Russian Academy of Sciences.

In 1991, Orlov moved to the United States.

In 1991-1997 he worked as a research fellow (since 1993 - associate professor) at the Abilene Christian University (English) Russian.

In 1995 and in 1997 he graduated from the Bible Studies College of the Abilene Christian University (English), where he received bachelor's degrees in New Testament studies and a master's degree in theology, respectively.

In 1998-2002 he worked as an assistant at the University of Marquette (English) Russian.

In 2002-2003 he was at the prestigious John P. Raynor Scholarship, S.J., established in honor of one of the former presidents of the University of Marquette.

In 2003, the University of Marquette (English) Russian. Under the scientific guidance of Dr. Deirdre A. Dempsey (English Deirdre A. Dempsey) defends his doctoral dissertation (Ph.D.) on religious studies according to the tradition of Enoch-Metatron (English From Patriarch to the Youth: The Metatron Tradition in 2 Enoch). His thesis is published by Martin Hengel and Peter Schaefer in one of the most prestigious series on Judaica (Texts and Studies in Ancient Judaism, Tuebingen, Mohr-Siebeck).

In 2003-2004 he worked as a teacher of the theological faculty of the University of Marquette (English) Russian.
In 2004-2009, the senior lecturer of the theological faculty of the University of Marquette (English) Russian.
In 2009-2011 Associate Professor (Associate Professor) of the Theological Faculty of the University of Marquette (English) Russian.
Since 2012, Professor of the Theological Faculty of the University of Marquette (English) Russian.
The author of a number of international scientific works on the Jewish apocalyptic and mysticism of the Second Temple.

Bibliography, Books:

- The Enoch-Metatron Tradition (Texts and Studies in Ancient Judaism, 107; Tuebingen: Mohr-Siebeck, 2005) ISBN 3-16-148544-0.
- From Apocalypticism to Merkabah Mysticism: Studies in the Slavonic Pseudepigrapha (Supplements to the Journal for the Study of Judaism, 114; Leiden: Brill, 2007) ISBN 90-04-15439-6.
- Divine Manifestations in the Slavonic Pseudepigrapha (Orientalia Judaica Christiana, 2; Gorgias, 2009) ISBN 1-60724-407-1.
- Selected Studies in the Slavonic Pseudepigrapha (Studia in Veteris Testamenti Pseudepigrapha, 23; Leiden: Brill, 2009) ISBN 90-04-17879-1.
- Dark Mirrors: Azazel and Satanael in Early Jewish Demonology (New York: SUNY Press, 2011) ISBN 978-1-4384-3951-8.
- ????????? ?????: ????????? ??????? ? ?????????? ????????? (Concealed Writings: Jewish Mysticism in the Slavonic Pseudepigrapha) (Flaviana; Moscow: Gesharim, 2011) [in Russian] The ISBN printed in the document (978-5-93273-340-3) is bad; it causes a checksum error.
- Heavenly Priesthood in the Apocalypse of Abraham (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2013) ISBN 978-1-1070-3907-0.
- Resurrection of the Fallen Adam: Ascension, Transfiguration, and Deification of the Righteous in Early Jewish Mysticism (Moscow: RSUH, 2014) ISBN 978-5-98604-435-4.
- Divine Scapegoats: Demonic Mimesis in Early Jewish Mysticism (Albany: SUNY, 2015) ISBN 978-1-4384-5583-9.