The libretto was written by Schoenberg himself 1915-1917 based on the biblical story Genesis chapter 28 and supplemented with ideas from theosophy and Swedish mysticism Swedenborg.
1915-1922 - the main period of work on music.
1944 - the last attempt to orchestrate individual fragments.
After the composer`s death 1951 his student Winfried Zillig at the request of his widow Gertrude Schoenberg prepared a score for performance based on the author`s sketches.

The action centers on the Archangel Gabriel who guides souls on their path to divine light. The characters represent archetypes the skeptic the one struggling with God the monk etc. undergoing trials and spiritual purification.
Musically the oratorio is notable for its use of
- Sprechgesang speech singing - intonation techniques at the intersection of speech and vocals;
- developing variation - a method of continuous updating of musical material;
- symbolism For example the vocalizations on the word Seele Soul at the end of the fragment symbolize the ascent to heaven.