[Midrashim]. Anonymous. (Attributed to Rabbi Eliezer ben Hyrcanus)

One of the earliest aggadic books, Pirkei Rabbi Eliezer aims to inculcate ethical teachings for daily life, by demonstrating moral values deduced from the beauty of the Biblical narrative. Embellished with many stories, the works’ style at times waxes poetic, especially concerning the coming of the Messiah, a subject to which many passages are devoted. According to Waxman, “The book is of a peculiar character; it cannot be said to be a strictly ethical book as it contains a good deal of extraneous matters, such as chapters on astronomy, the calculation of the calendar, and many exotic legends. It is best characterized...an ethical narrative book.” See M. Waxman, Vol. I, pp.144-145.