Testaments of the Twelve Patriarchs

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Testaments of the Twelve Patriarchs is an important constituent of the apocryphal scriptures connected with the Old Testament, comprising the dying commands of the twelve sons of Jacob. It is part of the Oskan Armenian Orthodox Bible of 1666. Fragments of similar writings were found at Qumran, opinions are divided if these are the same texts. It is considered Apocalyptic literature.

The testaments were written in Greek, probably by a hellenised Jew. The books were later (first or second century) thoroughly reworked by a Christian author/editor. For several centuries it was wholly lost sight of, and it was not till the 13th century that it was rediscovered through the agency of Robert Grosseteste, bishop of Lincoln, who translated it into Latin, under the misconception that it was a genuine work of the twelve sons of Jacob, and that the Christian interpolations were a genuine product of Jewish prophecy.

The advent of the Reformation brought in critical methods, and the book was unjustly disparaged as a mere Christian forgery for nearly four centuries. Scholarly opinions are divided if the books are Christian rewritings of earlier Jewish writings, or Jewish writings with Christian interpolations.

A copy of the testaments is published in The Lost Books of the Bible and the Forgotten Books of Eden.

1 The Testaments
- 1.1 Reuben
- 1.2 Simeon
- 1.3 Levi
- 1.4 Judah
- 1.5 Issachar
- 1.6 Dan
- 1.7 Naphtali
- 1.8 Gad
- 1.9 Asher
- 1.10 Joseph
- 1.11 Benjamin
2 Prophecy
3 References
4 External links

[edit] The Testaments

To a modern reader, the main value of the “Testaments”, is not in the ranting variations on biblical text, but in their ethical teachings, as amplified by the following citations: • Love the Lord trough all your life, and one another with a true heart • Love yea one another from the heart; and if a man sin against thee, speak peacefully to him, and in thy soul hold not guile; and if he repent and confess, forgive him. But if he deny it, do not get into a passion with him, lest catching the poison from thee he take to swearing, and so then sin doubly … • Love the Lord and your neighbor. • Anger is blindness, and does not suffer to see any man with truth • Hatred, therefore is evil ; etc. (The above cited from The Apocrypha in English. Edited by Rev. R.H. Charles)

[edit] Reuben

The Testament of Reuben is predominantly concerned with admonishing lust, and the sinfulness of Reuben in his having had sex with Bilhah, a concubine of his father. It is likely that the author wished to cover the topic of fornication anyway, and assigned it for Reuben to discuss due to Reuben's relationship with Bilhah being recounted in the canonical bible.

Additional details to the biblical story are added in the Testament, which appear to derive from a combination of the Book of Jubilees and from the biblical account of David and Bathsheba. Reuben is portrayed as having spied Bilhah bathing, and when Bilhah later becomes drunk, Reuben seduces her. The diatribe in the Testament is noticeably misogynist, portraying women as the cause of the downfall of the Watchers, and of man in general. Joseph is on the other hand portrayed as the ideal, for his resistance against Potiphar's wife.

[edit] Simeon

The Testament of Simeon is primarily a diatribe against envy. In the Genesis narrative, Simeon is portrayed as having been bound in chains by Joseph, and the author of the Testament argues that Simeon had wanted to kill Joseph due to jealousy, allowing the Testament to continue with a discourse about envy. The narrative of the Testament explains that it was Simeon who had sold Joseph into slavery, and goes on to portray Joseph as the ideal of virtue and generosity.

[edit] Levi

The Testament of Levi is an Apocalyptic text that was composed in its final form in the 2nd century BC. It is possible that it rests upon earlier accounts that are also authentic. It is one of the longest of the Testaments, and is predominantly concerned with arrogance. Taking the theme of the Levite priesthood, the Testament explains how Levi's descendants corrupted the office by their arrogant disregard for the proper regulations.

The narrative describes two visions, the first of which involves Levi being taken to heaven and promised the priesthood forever, while in the second Levi is physically given the insignia of the priesthood (as described in Exodus) by angels. The sins of his descendants are then announced, and the promise that at the end there will be a glorious priest who will restore the righteousness of his office. The description of the priest is in terms that most scholars agree was meant to describe John Hyrcanus.

One way in which this testament is distinguished from the others is by the discovery of fragments of its text among the Dead Sea Scrolls in the original Aramaic. The find consisted of six fragments in two manuscripts from cave 4 (4Q213-214). These fragments can be matched to a Greek version of the manuscript from Mount Athos. A small related fragment was also found in cave 1 (1Q21). According to some sources, these scrolls were dated by the Oriental Institute to between 100-200 BC using Radiocarbon dating.

[edit] Judah

The Testament of Judah is primarily concerned with courage, monetary greed, and fornication. It begins by portraying Judah as idealistically courageous, involving bravery in front of wild beasts, as well as successful military expeditions, sometimes basing the narrative on acts that the canonical bible attributes to Jacob. However, it goes on to present a xenophobic focus, criticising his marriage to a non-Israelite, as well as his sexual activity with Tamar, his daughter-in-law who at that time was pretending to be a prostitute.

The narrative argues that Judah had sex with Tamar and his wife due to drunkenness, and that he bribed his wife's father in order to be allowed to marry her. It then goes on to instruct that the role of a king is lesser than that of a priest, and that Levi is more important, clearly pointing to the theocratic attitude of the author.

[edit] Issachar

The Testament of Issachar predominantly concerns asceticism, which the text portrays as virtuous. The narrative however begins by retelling the biblical tale of Leah's purchase of Jacob's nocturnal services by the giving of mandrakes to Rachel. Rachel is portrayed as virtuous for being more celibate than the randy Leah. In the remainder of the narrative Issachar himself is portrayed as leading a godly and simple agricultural life, indicating that the author based his text on the Septuagint rather than masoretic text, since in the masoretic Issachar is condemned to forced labour on the fields, and it is only the Septuagint that portrays him as labouring voluntarily.

Zebulun

Thesixth son of Leah and Jacob.

Zebulun, the sixth son of Leah and Jacob .The inventor and philanthropists. What he learned as a result of the plot against Joseph.

The copy of the words of Zebulun, which he enjoyed on his sons before he died in the hundred and fourteenth year of his life, two years after the death of Joseph. 2And he said to them: Hearken to me, ye sons of Zebulun, attend to the words of your father. 3 I, Zebulun, was born a good gift to my parents. 4 For when I was born my gfather was increased wery exceedingly, both in the flocks and herds, when with the straked rods he had his portion. 5 I am not conscious that I have sinned all my days, save in in thought. 6 Nor yet do I remember that I have done any iniquity, except the sin of ignorance which I committed against Joseph; for I coveanted with my brethren, because they had all agreed that if any one should declare the secret, the secret, he should be slain.