Brigham Young University
Several early Jewish texts from the Septuagint and Pseudepigrapha are considered comic or humorous due to their comic plotlines as well as over-the-top exaggerations. While many scenes and characterizations in these texts have been discussed for their humor, God is often not part of the conversation despite being a common character. Instead, God is usually depicted as a remote figure receiving prayers and worship not playing an active role in the denouement of these texts’ plots where instead mortal figures propel the action forward. Occasionally, however, God seemingly steps out of his usual omnipotent, solitary role and affects the lives of particular mortals. One example is in the Testament of Abraham where God first summons Michael to alert Abraham of his impending death and gather his soul. When Michael is unsuccessful, God dialogues with Death (Thanatos) and sends him to retrieve Abraham’s soul. Death almost fails until he finally tricks Abraham and brings about his death. It has been argued that the characters in this story are depicted by the narrator one way, only to have them act differently, comically, from their expected role. Does God likewise act differently from his usual depiction in a comic fashion? Why didn’t God simply take Abraham’s soul directly when it was time? Is God’s function within the comic narrative also meant to elicit humor and entertainment? This paper will examine the characterization of God in this text and compare with others to attempt to answer these questions.