About the Mystery of the Letters the mid-6th century, in which Mar Saba had played an important role. The anonymous author of the treatise declares he was prompted to the study of the secret meanings of the letters by the words of the Apocalypse, "I am the Alpha and Omega", and that he subsequently received a vision about them on Mount Sinai. The author proposes a re-modelled Greek alphabet reduced to 22 letters on the model of the 22 letters of Hebrew (discounting Xi Ξ and Psi Ψ), and with the Hebrew letter names. He then interprets these letters as symbolic figures of 22 works of
Alphabet of Rabbi Akiva Alphabet of Rabbi Akiva Alphabet of Rabbi Akiva (, "Otiot de-Rabbi Akiva") is a Midrash on the names of the letters of the Hebrew alphabet. Two versions or portions of the same are known to exist. Version A, considered by Adolf Jellinek to be the older form, and by Bloch to be of a much more recent origin, introduces the various letters as contending with each other for the honor of forming the beginning of creation (bereshit). It is based upon Gen. R. i. and Cant. R. on v. 11, according to which Aleph (א) complained before God that Bet