Testament of the Twelve Patriarchs: Read Online

works, of which the Testaments are the fourth, written on folios 2030 -2620. It belongs to the tenth century. It is written in double columns, twenty lines inacolumn. The initials and titles are in red, except the first, which is in gold. It was from this MS. that Grosseteste’s Latin Version was made.

(c) Vatican Library, Cod. Graec. 731. This is a small octavo MS. written on paper, with twenty-two or twenty-three lines on each page. Besides the Testaments it contains extracts from the Fathers. The Testaments are given on folios 076-1678. The script of the latter belongs probably to the thirteenth century. ‘This is the most important of all the MSS.

(4) Vatican Library, Gk. 1238. This is a vellum MS. in three volumes of the LX X belonging to the thirteenth century. On the close of the LXX follows the Testament of Job, folios 340a-3494, and on 350-380 of our present text. There are from 33-39 lines in each page. Strangely enough, above the general title of the Testaments, Διαθῆκαι τῶν «8 πατριαρχῶν υἱῶν Ἰακώβ, appear the words Λεπτῆς Γενέσεως, which is one of the titles of the Book of Jubilees. That there was a close relation between these books we know independently. ec

(e) Mount Athos MS. This MS. is written in two columns of forty lines each in a good hand of the tenth century. The Testaments are given on folios 1076-2200. This MS. is of great interest, as it contains three large additions to the text: the first before καὶ ἐπὶ πύργους in T. Lev. ii. 3, consisting of a prayer of Jacob; the second after the word ἡμερῶν in T. Lev. xviii. 2, and the third after τῆς γῆν in Τ. Ash. vii. 2. The third consists of two and two-third columns of certain Christian disquisitions on love and the Trinity. The second is the remarkable Greek fragment, which I have printed in Appendix 111 in my edition of the Text, and which we show elsewhere to be a translation from a Hebrew work, which was probably an original source of the Testaments.

(J) Paris MS. 038. This is a beautifully written MS. of the tenth century. The Testaments are given on the first seventy-two folios. Each page contains twenty-three lines. On folio τα there is a list of Old Testament names, including the twelve patriarchs, with their meanings. The Testaments proper begin on 14. It is characteristic of this MS. that after the title of each Testament it adds the meaning of the proper name, and also that, at the conclusion of each Testament, it adds the number of years that the patriarch lived. In the latter feature it is followed by the first Slavonic Recension (S'). After the Testaments follow the Testament of Job and other writings.

(g) MS. 411 in the Library of the Monastery of St. John the Evangelist in Patmos. It is a quarto MS. written on parchment, and assigned by H. C. Coxe to the sixteenth century.

(4) Mount Sinai MS. No. 547 in the Library of St. Catherine. See Gardthausen, Cat. Codd. Graec. Sinaiticorum, p. 132. This MS., 14°5 by 10°35 cm., was written in the seventeenth century. It contains seventeen lines on each page. It is incomplete and comes to an end with T. Jos. xv. 7. This MS. has the following peculiar introduction : Ἰωάννου τοῦ ποτε ἑβραίου εἴδησις τῶν διαθηκῶν τῶν ιβ’ υἱῶν τοῦ πατριάρχου 10863 μεταφρασθεῖσα ἀπὸ Ἰονδαικοῦ διαλέκτου eis Ἑλληνικήν. The statement is true, but where the scribe got it we cannot determine.

(2) Mount Sinai MS. This MS. was discovered accidentally in the Convent Library in the spring of 1906 by Mrs. Gibson. This MS. was written not earlier than the seventeenth century. It con- tains 21-23 lines on each page. It has the same peculiar introduction as 4. See preceding MS.

There are many MSS. of this version. The first five are designated by the symbols attached to them in the Venice edition of the text by the Mechitarist Fathers. The rest owe their designa- tion to the present editor. When cited they appear as A®, A”, &c.

ΑΝ. Mechitarist Library of St. Lazzaro, Venice, No. 345. This MS., five by seven inches, was written in the year 1220 on paper. It belongs to the first recension of the text.

ΑΝ". Mechitarist Library of St. Lazzaro, Νο. 280. This MS. is the worst representative of the second recension of the Armenian version.

A». Mechitarist Library of St. Lazzaro, No. 679. This MS., six by ten inches, was written towards the end of the fifteenth century, in double columns of twenty-six lines each, and consists of 679 folios. It belongs to the first recension.

A‘. Mechitarist Library of St. Lazzaro, No. 229. This MS. Bible, eight by ten inches, was written on vellum in double columns of fifty lines each in the year 1655.

A‘. Mechitarist Library of St. Lazzaro, No. 1366. This MS. Bible was written in the sixteenth century on paper, in double columns of forty-three lines each.

This MS. Bible was written in the sixteenth century and belongs to the London Bible‏ ה Society.‏

A‘, This MS. Bible, which belongs to the Catholicos of the Armenian Church at Edschmiadzin 284

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in Armenia, was there photographed by Conybeare in 1891. The MS. is written in two columns of fifty lines each in a beautiful hand.

As. This MS. Bible, which was written in the seventeenth century, belongs to Lord Zouche.

A», Bodleian Library, Oxford, No. ₪. 30 (thirteenth century). Only five Testaments are found in this MS., and in the following order: Simeon (folio 168°), Levi (173°), Joseph (183°), Benjamin (195°), Judah (2033). The MS. is written in two or more hands (latest eighteenth century), and there are two types of text. Fortunately the four first-mentioned Testaments and T. Judah i-xiv. 8.0 5 (i.e. ἐὰν .. . αἰσχρορημονεῖν) belong to the first recension, and only T. Jud. xiv. 84°-xxvi, to the second. This MS. thus attests the same type of text as A®>, but it is more closely rclated to ΑΝ than to A.

All the preceding MSS. have been used by the present editor. There are three others, of two of which he has no knowledge.

Ai. A Vatican MS. of the Bible cited once by Conybeare. See Ζ0 viii. (1896), p. 26ο. It belongs to the seventeenth century.

ΑΕ, Mechitarist Library, Vienna, No. 126 (Dashian’s Catalog der armenischen Handschriften der Mechitaristen-Biblicthek su Wien, 1895, p. 71, 411 sqq.), This MS. was written in the year 1388. On the first 105 folios it contains the history of Joseph and Asenath. Then follow the Testaments. Of these Reuben, Dan, Naphtali, are missing. The order of the remaining nine is peculiar, agreeing in the first five with that of ΑΝ. Thus we have Simeon, Levi, Joseph, Benjamin, Judah, Issachar, Zebulun, Gad, Asher. A study of the titles of these Testaments given in Sinker’s Appendix, p. 25, and the German translation of the T. Jud. xxiv-xxvi, and T. Benj. x. 8°-xii, by Dr. Paul Hunanian, makes it at once clear that A* belongs to the first Armenian recension, and furthermore, that ΑΚ is more nearly related to A*® than to ΑΝ, and to ΑΣ than to Α»,

(ΑΔ). The Hof-Bibliothek, Vienna, No. זז‎ (Dashian’s Catalog der armenischen HSS.,p. 19,1891).

This version is late and is based on the type of text represented by acf, and of these it attaches most closely to f; for S' always and occasionally S* agree in making the addition at the close of each Testament, that is to be found in f alone of the Greek MSS. This version, as I have shown in my edition, exhibits traces of the influence also of a.

The two Slavonic recensions ₪1 and S* are primarily taken from the so-called Palea (Greck Παλαιά), which contain short accounts of events mentioned inthe Old Testament. They are printed in Tichonravov's work entitled Panzjatniki otrechennot Russkot Literaturz (2 vols., St. Petersburg, 1863).

As we have already observed in § 4, there are two recensions of this version, Αα, ΑΒ. As, which is found in non-Biblical MSS., includes four MSS., A®**. The relations of these MSS. can be repre- sented as follows :--

0 als Ab A8, which appears to be found only in Biblical MSS., includes AD*efs, Of these ΑΝ" stands aloof from the rest. Its idiosyncrasies arc innumerable, but in a very few cases, where it diverges from the other representatives of this recension, it has the support of the best Greek MSS. The relations of these MSS are as follows :--

וב

Ab*‏ 0% א

_ The variations between A® and A¥ are very numerous, but the greater part of them appear to have arisen from interna] corruption, or from the attempt on the part of the scribe of Αα to abbreviate the text. But over and above these diffcrences, there are certain important sections where the differences

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between the two recensions go back to the Greek, as in T. Levi ii. 7-10, xiv. 1, where Λα agrees with a against β, and in T. Levi iii. i-5, where As is less corrupt than a, and gives the nearest reproduction of the original Hebrew archetype.

Exclusive of the sections just mentioned, A, taken as a whole, agrees with 8S against a (see my edition of the Text, p. xv sq.). But within β there are two secondary types of text, to which aef and édg belong respectively. All but universally A agrees with ddg where édg differs from aef.

The value of A will be best understood when we come to deal with the Christian interpolations inthe text. “These are by no means absent from A, but they are present in a much less degree in A than ina and 8. This is especially the case in the last two Testaments.

But, however valuable A is, it must be admitted that on almost every page it is guilty of omis- sions. These omissions are made obvious to the reader by the use of brackets. All words enclosed thus 7 'are omitted by A.

The Greek version is found in two forms, a and 8. 1 do not call them recensions, since, as I have sought in my edition to prove, they very probably go back to distinct forms in the Hebrew.

a and its characteristics. ais represented by three MSS., ci. Their relations may be represented as follows :--

27 are derived from one and the same parent and show signs of a mixed ancestry (i.e. the influence of 8), and herein diverge occasionally from 6. a shows some omissions such as T. Reub. ii. 3-45 T. Jud. vi. 1-2. xii. 6-10, &c. Though much freer than 8 from Christian interpolations, it too has suffered from the Christian scribes’ ill-directed activity.

β and its characteristics. B is represented by six MSS., abdefg, which represent two diverging types of text, acf showing affinities with a, and ddg with A. We have already pointed out (§ 5) that S is derived from aef. aef agree closely together, but not 5ο édg. Furthermore ddg are remarkable for large additions to the text in T. Zeb. vi. 4-6, vii—viii. 3, ix. 8. These may have belonged to the original tradition.

Space will not admit of a description of édg, but a few characteristics of ὁ should here be noted. The variants of this MS. are sometimes due to deliberate emendation. Thus in T. Lev. xvii. 2 the priesthood of an ancient worthy is said to have been πλήρην μετὰ κυρίου, 1.6. ,שלם עם יי‎ “ perfect with the Lord.’ But the scribe of 4, failing naturally to understand this Semitic idiom, wrote πλήρης μετὰ φόβου κυρίου. Not infrequently it alters the text against all the other authorities. ‘Thus it adds καὶ ἐθαύμαζον in T. Jos. xvii. 5, ζήσεσθε in T. Jud. xvi. 2, changes συντρέχει into συνεργεῖ in T. Benj. iv. 5, συγγενῇ into συµπεισθῇς in T. Jos. vii. 3, and in iv. 5, &c. On the other hand, it possibly preserves two words καὶ νότου in T. Jud. v. 2, which have been lost in all the other MSS. Though a good representative of the type édg, 2 cannot form a secure foundation on which to build a text.

The affinities of the various MSS. and Versions may be represented as follows :—

H (Hebrew Archetype)

toc (Ist Hebrew Recension) חְ‎ B(2ndHebrew Recension)

In this table all the main connexions are representcd, but not the influence that in a few cases the descendants of 8 have exerted on 2.

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Apart from Grabe, no notable scholar has advocated a Hebrew original till recently. Even Grabe, though he declared for a Hebrew original, advanced no linguistic arguments in support of his contention. It is remarkable that such a great Semitic scholar as Dillmann ) 1102005 xii. 362) could write : ‘ Since the publication of Nitzsch’s study all are agreed that the book is not a translation, but was originally written in Greek.’ Dr. Sinker in the Cambridge edition of the Greek text is still more pronounced.

To two Jewish scholars, Kohler (1893) and Gaster )1004( within the last twenty years belongs the honour of reopening the question of a Hebrew original of the Testaments, but the former did not advance any linguistic evidence, and the latter, though he brought forward a few good points, failed to establish his thesis. Shortly after the above articles were written the present writer began his study of the Testaments, in the course of which he early came to the conclusion, which he set forth in the Excyc. Biblica i. 241 (1899), that the bulk of the work was written before Ico B.C., and sub- sequently in fuil detail in 7700 Greek Versions of the Testaments of the Twelve Patriarchs in 1908. Since that date this thesis has been accepted by all Semitic scholars.

In what follows only a few specimens of the evidence for a Hebrew original can be given. A fuller statement of the evidence will be found in my edition of 7he Testaments of the Twelve Patriarchs, pp. xlii-I (1908), and a nearly complete one in my edition of the Greek Versions (pp. xxiii-xxxix) above referred to.

πο, Hebrew constructions and expressions are to be found on every page. Though the vocabulary ts Greek, the idiom is frequently Hebraic and foreign to the Greek language. | T. Reub. i. 6 ἀγνοίᾳ νεύτητος = ‘sins of youth’, 1.6. פשע נעורים‎ ; ΠΠ. 8 συνιὼν ἐν τῷ vopw = בן בתורה‎ : iv. 6 οὐκ ἐν καιρῷ αὐτῶν = pny בלא‎ ; vi. 11 ἐν αὐτῷ ἐξελέξατο = .בו בחר‎

T. Sim. ii. 12 καίγεξ- DN in its adversative meaning = * but’—a non-Greek use. Cf. Eccles. iii. 13, vi. 7 ; in iv. 4 ἠγάπησέ pe σὺν τοῖς ἀδελφοῖς pov (a) = אחי‎ DY אהבני‎ - In ₪ we have the normal rendering ὡς τοὺς ἄλλους ἀδελφούς. ν. 4 ἐν Λευὶ ἀδικήσουσι = בלוי ירעו‎ ; ν. 5 οὐ δυνήσονται πρὸς Λευέξ- 95 לא יכלו‎ {the same Hebraism recurs in T. Iss. iv. 4; I. Dan v. 4); vi. 5 σώζων ἐν αὐτῷ τὸν ᾿Αδάμ. Here as in T. Lev. ii. τι ἐν αὐτῷ (or ἑαυτῷ) = בעצמו‎ , which the translator should have rendered simply by airés. Cf. Midrash Wajjikra on Lev. xvii. 3 .אנא בעצמי גואל אתחם‎

Τ. Lev. viii. 8 κλάδον . . . éAaias πιότητος = ‘a branch of the oil-olive’, i.e. jew זיח‎ ; cf. Deut. viii. 8; Vill. 14 ἐπικληθήσεται αὐτῷ ὄνομα καινόν = WIN יקרא לו שם‎ .

T. Jud. vii. 1/6095 βαρύς = חיל כבד‎ ‘a numerous army’; xii. 8 ἕως τῆς ζωῆς µου = בחיי‎ ‘so long as I lived’; xx. 4 ἐν στήθει ὁστέων αὐτοῦ, which is absolutely unintelligible, is full of meaning in the Hebrew = בלב עצמו‎ ‘on his very heart’; xxv. 1 ἔξαρχοι σκήπτρων = * chiefs of the tribes’ (שבטים)‎

T. Ash. ili. 1 6 θεὸς ἀναπαύεται eis αὐτήν = אלהים ישבן בה‎ ‘God hath his habitation therein’.

T. Jos. ii. 3 ἔδωκέ pe ὃ κύριος εἷς οἰκτιρμοὺς ἐνώπιον = נתן אתי לרחמים לפני‎ (cf. Dan. i. 9), ‘granted me to find mercy in the sight of’; xii. 3 ποίησον per’ αὐτοῦ κρίσιν = WY .עשה משפמ‎

T. Benj. x. 11 κατοικήῄσετε ἐπ ἐλπίδι ἐν ἐμοί בי‎ nord תשבו‎ ‘ye shall dwell secuve/y with me’. ‘The same mistranslation is found in Ezek. xxviii. 26, xxxiv. 28, &c.

The above instances are sufficient in themselves to prove the derivation of the text from a Hebrew original. The bulk of the above expressions could hardly, on any hypothesis, have been written for the first time in Greek. But the evidence can be multiplied fourfold, both in quantity and conclusiveness.

2°, Dittographic renderings of the same Hebrew phrase, and expressions in the Greek implying dittographs in the Hebrew MS. before the translator.

In Τ. Naph. iii. 5 ἀπὸ κατοικήσίας . . . τάξας τὴν γῆν ἀοίκητον is a Clear instance of dittoyraphy. ‘The original may have been 3w~ מבלי‎ which is twice rendered in the Greek. In vi. 2 the impossible peorév ταρίχων ἐκτὸς ναυτῶν is due to the same cause. µμεστὸν ταρίχων = ,מלא מלוחים‎ a corruption of בלא מלחים‎ = ἐκτὺς ναιτῶν. One more will here suffice. In viii. 4, 6 there are a strophe and an antistrophe. The latter consists of six lines, but the former of seven. Now if we compare them closely, we discover the six lines of the antistrophe correspond line for line to the first six lines in the strophe. Thus the seventh line is against the structure of the stanza. It is also against the sense. How then did it come to be here? We discover the reason the moment we retranslate into Hebrew. The genuine line καὶ 6 κύριος ἀγαπήσει ὑμᾶς (cf. the corresponding line in the antistrophe καὶ 6 κύριος µισήσει αὐτόν) = ואלחים יאהבכם‎ which was written corruptly a second time as ומלאכים יאחזכם‎

3°. Paronomastae which are lost in the Greek can be restored by retranslation tnto Hebrew.

We can recover more than a dozen of these by retranslation, the most of them having to do with the names of the patriarchs, 1. 6. on Simeon, Gershom, Kohath, Μετα, Jochebed, Judah, Issachar, Gad, Zebulun, Naphtali, Bilhah, Asher, Benjamin. See my edition of the Greek Versions, pp. xxvi-xxvii.

4°. Many passages which are obscure or wholly unintelligible in the Greek become clear on retranslation.

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In T. Reub. iv. πυλλὰ ἐποίῃσε αὐτῷ, where the text is speaking of Potiphar’s wife trying to ensnare Joseph, cannot be right. As Perles has pointed out, תרבה לו‎ is corrupt for 15 ,תארב‎ ‘she lay in wait for him’.

In T. Sim. ili. 6 καὶ λοιπὸν cuprabe τῷ )00

καὶ συγγινώσκει τοῖς tayarGouwt αὐτόν

καὶ οὕτως παύεται τοῦ Φθόνου cannot be right, and as Perles recognizes the error lies in ἀγαπῶσιν which is against the ρωταΠο]ίσπι and sense. Here τοῖς 6. αὐτόν = YANN, corrupt for איביו‎ ‘those hostile to him’.

In T. Lev. ii. 8 the second heaven is said to be brighter and more brilliant than the first, ἦν yap καὶ dios ἐν αὐτῷ ἄπειρον. Clearly there is something wrong here. ‘The greater brightness of the second heaven cannot be due to its greater loftiness. The error, therefore, lies in the tyes. This word = 923, which is corrupt for ננה‎ = φῶς or φέγγος. Thus the brightness of the second heaven was due to a boundless light (das ἄπειρον) that was therein. ‘This light may have been physical, if we may adopt the Talmudic view, which represents the sun, moon, and stars as being in the second heaven (Chag. 12.

In T. Jud. ix. 3 καὶ tipOyt νεκρὸς ἐν dpe Σιείρ, καὶ πορευόµενοι ἐν ᾿Ανονιρὰμ ἀπέθανεν (8, S"), the words καὶ... ἀπέθανεν are omitted by a as unintelligible. But a comparison with the Midrash Wajjissau where the same incident is recounted shows that this clause belongs to the original text, and in the form in which it appears in β, 5. Moreover these authorities help us to discover how the corruption in νεκρός arose. νεκρός = נבלה‎ , whereas the Midrash has נחלה‎ = τετραυµατισµένο.. Thus Esau was wounded on Mount Seir and died as he was passing over Anoniram.

T. Jud. xxi. 6 of μὲν tewdvvetovowt αἰχμαλωτιζόμενοι, of δὲ πλουτοῦσιν ἁρπάζοντες τὰ ἀλλότρια Here instead of κωδυνεύουσιν, we require a verb forming an antithesis to πλουτοῦσιν. Now κιδυνεύουσιν = 31903 (late Hebrew) which in earlier Hebrew = πτωχεύουσιν.

T. Zeb. 1x. 2 ἐὰν δὲ eis πολλὰ διαιρεθῶσιν, 7 yy ἀφανίζει αὐτά, καὶ γίνονται Γεὐκαταφρόνηταγ. Here, as Perles has pointed out, εὐκαταφρόνητα = 3984193, which is either a corruption or secondary form of 1819) = * melt away’, ‘vanish’. The same corruption underlies ὡς ὕδωρ taypyorovt (= ‘as useless water’) = נמאפים‎ DYDD, corrupt for כמים נמסים‎ ‘ vanishing away as water’.

In T. Jos. xi. 7 ἐπλήθυνεν αὐτὸν ἐν χρυσίω καὶ ἀργυρίῳ καὶ tépywt{a). β, A omit καὶ ἔργῳ as unintelligible. But by retranslation the source of the corruption springs to light. ἔργω = ,עבדה‎ which the translator read as עבדֶה‎ = ἔργῳ, but which he should have read as M71) = ‘household servants’.

The above form a small part of the passages where the Greek text has to be retranslated in order to discover the source of the corruption. In all these passages there is no divergence between the MSS. and Versions. In the next section we shall discuss only those passages in the text where the MSS. and Versions attest different readings, α generally standing in opposition to 8, A, 5.

By means of the evidence thus forthcoming we hope to advance a stage further than we have yet reached. We have proved that our book is derived from an Hebrew original: we shall now try and prove that a and β did not originate in the Greek but are derived respectively from two distinct Hebrew recensions 116 and 6

aand β are not, strictly speaking, Greek recensions; for their chief variations appear not to have originated in the Greek, but to go back to diverse forms of text already existing in the Hebrew, which we denote as H« and 118. Of these two recensions, He and Ἠβ, sometimes one gives the correct text, sometimes the other. According to the most likely hypothesis 116 was first translated into Greck, i.e. a, and then 116 was rendered into Greek by a translator who had a before him. In regard to the Book of Daniel the same hypothesis is necessary. The LXX version was undoubtedly made first, and subsequently that of Theodotion from a Semitic text diverging considerably from that used by the translator of the LXX version, not merely in individual readings but also in the subject-matter, especially in Daniel iv. Now in the case of the text before us the same phenomenon is repeated, but on a very much smaller scale. In T. Lev. ii. 7-iii, the description of the Three Heavens is more or less faithfully handed down in ₪ A , whereas in the corresponding chapters in 8 there is an account of the Seven Heavens. There is no good ground for assuming that this divergence originated in the Greek and not in the Hebrew ; for such duplicate accounts of the same event are found occasionally in the Hebrew books of the O.T., and in the Zadokite Fragments. Moreover, I will now give a few of the passages, where a and 3 undoubtedly presuppose variations in the Hebrew. The variants will be underlined.

T. Benj. xii. 2 (a) ἐκοιμήθη ὕπνῳ Kade. (B, A) ἀπέθανε . . . ἐν γήρει Kady.

Here 118 (i.c, B, A) is undoubtedly right. In He שיבה‎ (= γήρει) was corrupted into שינה‎ = ὕπνῳ. The sane 288

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corruption was present in both 116 and 118 in T. Zeb. x. 6; T. Dan vii. ז‎ (ο: T. Ash. viii. 1; T. Jos. xx. 4; whereas both Hebrew recensions were right in T. Iss. vii. 9. The above conclusion is confirmed by the fact that in the Hebrew Test. Naph. i. 1 we find .בשיבה טובה‎ Though this Testament is not the original Testament of Naphtali, it preserves in several passages a more original text than the Greek.

T. Ash. vi. 6 (a) εἰσφέρει αὐτὸν cis ζωὴν αἰώνιον. (B, A) παραμυθεῖται αὐτὸν ἐν ζωῇ. Here He is right and not 116. The angel of peace, who is mentioned earlier in the verse, conducts the good soul into eternal life. Here εἰσφέρει = ינחה‎ , which in 118 was corrupted into .ינחם‎ ὁδηγει would have been the usual rendering of nn», as we find in T. Benj. vi. 1 6 yap ἄγγελος τῆς εἰρήνης ὁδηγεῖ τὴν ψυχὴν αὐτοῦ. The LXX implies the same corruption of ינחה‎ into ינחם‎ in 1 Sam. xxii. 4; Isa. Ivii. 18, and Symmachus the converse corruption in Job xxxix. 25.

T. Reub. iv. 1 (a) μοχθοῦντες ἐν ἔργοις καλοῖς καὶ ἐν (6) μοχθοῦντες ἐν ἔργοις καὶ ἀποπλανώμενοι ἐν γράµ- γράµμµασιν. 5 pacw. 0 Here a, which is in part supported by A, is clearly right. ἐν ἔργοις καλοῖς = OU" במעסים‎ , of which ישרים‎ was corrupted in 118 into ושרים‎ = καὶ ἀποπλανώμενοι.'

T. Ash. vi. § (a) ὅτε γὰρ πονηρὰ ἡ ψυχἠ ἀπέρχεται. (β, A) ὅτε γὰρ τεταραγµένη 4 ψυχἠ ἀπέρχεται. Here רעושה‎ (= τεταραγμένη) in 118 was corrupted in Ἠα into רשעה‎ = πονηρά.

T. Jos. iv. 7 (aaef) ἀντεφιλονείκει. (4g, A) ἐσιώπησε. Here 116 read התחרתה‎ which was a corruption of 118 התתריטה‎ .

T. Jos. iv. 3 (a) τῆς δολιότητος αὐτῆς. (B, A) τῆς Aiyurrias. Here Ἠα = 78D ‘from her snares’ (so Perles, but neither δόλιος nor its derivatives ever render this Hebrew word in the LXX): or = מתרמיתה‎ and 116 ממצרית‎ -

T. Zeb. iv. 3 (a) ἀπεδόθη = .נמסר‎ (8, A) ἐπράθη = .במבר‎

The above instances are sufficient to establish the existence of two distinct types of text in the Hebrew— Hz, 116. For over thirty other passages in the Testaments where the variations postulate the same conclusion see Introd. to my Text, § 12.

The date of the original Hebrew is not difficult to determine. Thus Reuben (T. Reub. vi. 10-11) admonishes his sons: ‘ Draw ye near to Levi in humbleness of heart, that ye may receive a blessing from his mouth . . . because him hath the Lord chosen to be king over all the nation.’ Herea high- priest who is also king is referred to. Such a combination of officers naturally makes us think of the Maccabean priest-kings of the second century B.C. Moreover, the possibility of doubting this reference is excluded by the words that immediately follow: ‘And bow down before his seed; for on our behalf it shall die in wars visible and invisible and shall be among you an eternal king.’ A similar statement is made in T. Sim.v. 5. Thus the high-priest is not only to be high-priest and civil ruler, but also a warrior. That the Maccabean high-priests are here designed cannot be reasonably doubted. But the identification becomes undeniable as further marks and tokens of this priestly dynasty come to light. Thus it is said that this priesthood shall be called by a new name (T. Lev. viii. 14). Now the Maccabean high-priests were the first Jewish priests to assume the title ‘priests of the Most High God’—the title anciently borne by Melchizedek, and applied to the Maccabean high-priests in Jubilees, the Assumption of Moses, Josephus, and the Talmud. A kindred title of the same significance is applied according to a growing body of expositors to Simon the Maccabee in Ps. cx. In due accord with these facts our text (T. Lev. viii. 14) declares that a new name should mark the new priesthood.

But the praises accorded in this book could not apply to all the Maccabean priest-kings ; for, since it was written by a Pharisee, it could not have been composed after the breach arose between John Hyrcanus and the Pharisees towards the close of the second century B.C. Thus the date of composition lies between 153, when Jonathan the Maccabee assumed the high-priesthood, and the year of the breach of Hyrcanus with the Pharisees. But the limits can be determincd more closely. To only one member of the Maccabean dynasty are the prophetic gifts assigned in our text (T. Lev. viii. 15) in conjunction with the functions of kingship and priesthood. Now in all Jewish history the triple offices were ascribed to only one individual, John Hyrcanus. Hence we conclude that the Testaments were written between 137 and 107 B.C. But the limits may be fixed still more

4 Since καλοῖς would be the stock rendering of טוכים‎ , it is possible that this word stood in 11" and was corrupted into וטועים‎ in HE. 1108.2 289 U

definitely. For the text refers most probably to the destruction of Samaria, T. Lev. vi.11. In that case our book was written between 109 and 107 B.C. (see my edition, pp. I—liii).

The groundwork, which consists of about eleven-twelfths of the Testaments, after the removal of the Jewish and Christian additions (δ6 12, 13), presents, it must be confessed, a certain want of coherence, and the parts dealing with the duty of submission to Levi, or to Levi and Judah jointly, come in at times very abruptly. Notwithstanding, I accept on the whole the unity of the book ; for its two main characteristics—the strictly Hasid element in the book and its loyal acceptance of the Maccabean dynasty—belong to the period to which our author belongs and to none other before or after. Furthermore, both these parts of the book are universalistic in tone. On the other hand, much of the unevenness of the book may be due to the use of sources and to faulty transmission of the text.

The author was a Pharisee of the early type. He was an upholder of the Law and of the Temple sacrifices: he looked for the Messianic kingdom and the resurrection of the body to a new life therein. He taught the duties of chastity, truthfulness, forgiveness, self-control, and temperance. Our author has drawn freely on earlier books and traditions. He shows a wide acquaintance with the O.T., Sirach,and 1 Enoch, as well as of other ancient works—such as the account of the War of Jacob and his sons against the Amorites utilized in Τ. Jud. iii-vii, Jubilees xxxiv. 1-9, the Midrash Wajjissau (see my Text, pp. 235-8), and the Book of Jasher: the account of the war between Jacob and Esau utilized in T. Jud. ix, Jubilees xxxvii-xxxviii, and the Jalkut Shimeoni i. 132.

Another very important source for the 1, Levi has just been discovered in the lost Hebrew document, from which the Aramaic and Greek fragments are printed in my Greek Versions of the Testaments, pp. 245-56, and translated in my 7estaments of the Twelve Patriarchs, pp. 228-35. This source deals with the temple ritual of the second century B.C. and is therefore of great importance from an historical standpoint.

Our author drew also upon a Hebrew document dealing with the ‘ Two Ways’ in the T. Asher and upon Jewish tradition generally on a great variety of points.

A large body of these additions can be classed under one head, as interpolated at a certain period and written with a well-defined object. The period was about 70-40 B.C., and the object of the additions was the overthrow of the Maccabean high-priesthood, which in the first century B.C. had become guilty of the most abandoned lewdness and baseness.

1% First century additions :-—~

T. Lev. x, xiv—xvi.

T. Jud. xvii. 2-xviii. 1 (?), xxi. 6-xxiii, xxiv. 4-6.

T. Zeb. ix.

T. Dan v. 6-7, vii. 3 (?).

T. Naph. iv.

T. Gad viii. 2.

T. Ash. vii. 4-7.

In these passages the nation is declared to be guilty of apostasy; the laying waste of the Temple is predicted, and a second captivity: a redemption of the nation either by God Himself or by a Messiah sprung from Judah, and a blessed return to their own land. In all these respects these passages agree with the Psalms of Solomon, which belong to the same period.

Another characteristic of these additions is their frequent citation of the Enoch literature. The citations cannot be found in 1 Enoch, but bear a close affinity to certain passages in 2 Enoch, whence we may reasonably infer the existence of certain portions of that literature, which were subsequently embodied in some form in 2 Enoch.

ον. Other additions of various dates :— 7. Reub. ii. 3-iii. 2.

T. Lev. xvii. 1-9.

T. Zeb. vi. 4-6, vii-viii. 3.

T. Jos. .א‎ 5—xviii.

On this section see my edition, pp. lvii-]xi.

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These additions are found in nearly all the Testaments and were made at different periods. The dominant characteristic of all these additions (which are bracketed in the following translations, and a full list of which is given in my edition, pp. |xi—Ixv) is their dogmatic character. They always import dogmatic Christian statements into a Jewish text, to which they are naturally alien in character. A few English scholars on the ground of these undoubted interpolations have proceeded to infer that all other passages common to the Testaments XII Patriarchs and the N.T. must have been interpolated in the former from the latter. But these scholars have failed to observe the characteristic differences between the two sets of passages in question. In the case of the first we have dogmatic Christian statements interpolated in a Fewish work at variance not only with the teaching and character of that work as a whole, but also at variance with their respective contexts. But in regard to the second, we have ethical sayings and teachings, which are in harmony not only with the spirit of the book as a whole, but also with their respective contexts. The ethical teaching, while very much loftier than that of the O.T., is yet its true spiritual child, and, though not so pure and sublime as that of the N.T., is a product of the school that prepared the way for the N.T.

It is hard to understand the mental attitude of those who regard these ethical teachings as Christian interpolations. Three-fourths of these teachings have no direct parallels in the N.T., and they stand practically on the same level as the rest, which are parallel to, or rather have exercised a direct influence on, the N.T. The only reasonable conclusion is that these ethical teachings belong to the original Testaments.

Fragments of an ethical tradition which was largely independent of the O.T. are preserved in the Story of Ahikar. That this story with its moral goes back to a very ancient date we now know, since Aramaic fragments of the fifth century Ε.Ο, have been recently discovered. For the account of this story the reader should consult Dr. Rendel Harris’ study of it at the close of this volume. Now our author appears to have borrowed a few of his sayings from this story. Thus—

Ahikar, Syr. Version 28 (Syr. 28; Arab. τοῦ, 58%). “Ἡ thine enemy meet thee with evil meet him with wisdom’ (‘with good’ Syr. Frag. 20).

Greek version preserved in Aesop. xxvi. 6 τοῖς εὖ πράττουσιν μὴ Φθόνει, ἀλλὰ σύγχαιρε- φθονῶν γὰρ σεαυτὸν μᾶλλον βλάψεις.

T. Jos. xviii. 2 ‘If any one seeketh to do evil to thee do him a good turn, and pray for him, and so from all evil shall ye be redeemed of the Lord’. Cf. T. Benj. iit. 3.

T. Gad iii. 3 (6 μισῶν) τῷ κατορθοῦντι Φθονεῖ. vii. 1 ἐὰν δὲ els ὑπὲρ ὑμᾶς εὐοδοῦται μὴ λυπεῖσθε, GAN’ εὔχεσύε ὑπὲρ αὐτοῦ ἵνα τελείως εὐοδοῦται(ο4ερ Α 5'). 2 καὶ

ἐὰν ἐπὶ πλεῖον ὑψοῦται, ph Φθονεῖτε. ']. Sim. iii. 6 συμπαθεῖ τῷ φθονουµένω. These parallels are close ; but it will be observed how our author has touched to finer issues and glorified what he has borrowed, far above the highest imaginings of Ahikar. Ahikar Syr. 19 (Syr. Frag. 7) ‘My son, go not after the beauty of a woman: and lust not after her in thy heart.’

T. Reub. iv. 1 ph οὖν προσέχετε, τέκνα µου, κάλλος γυναικῶν, Cf. T. Jud. xvii. 1; T. Iss. iv. 4. T. Benj. Vill. 2 ὁ ἔχων διάνοιαν καθαρὰν (8 S') .. . οὐχ dpa γυναικα eis πορνείαν.

With the above we might compare Matt. v. 28 mas 6 βλέπων γυναῖκα πρὸς τὸ ἐπιθυμῆσαι αὐτὴν ἤδη ἐμοίχευσεν αὐτὴν ἐν τῇ καρδίᾳ αὐτοῦ.

Once more in T. Jos. iii. 5 the words, which Joseph uses with regard to himself, ἐὰν δὲ ἀπεδήμει ὁ κύριός µου οἶνον οὐκ ἔπινον καὶ ἐλάμβανόν µου τὴν τροφὴν καὶ ἐδίδουν αὐτὴν τοῖς πένησιν, seem to be used deliberately to contrast his conduct with that of Nadan the nephew of Ahikar, who acted in the opposite fashion, when he believed Ahikar was dead. As Drs. James and Harris have already pointed out, the story of Ahikar lies at the base of the Parable of the Wicked Servant, Matt. xxiv. 48-51 | Luke xii. 45-6.

_ Since the influence of the Testaments on the N.T. has been very extensive only some of the chief instances of this influence can be touched on here. The reader can consult my edition. pp: Ixxviii—xcii, where it is shown that the Sermon on the Mount reflects in several instances the

21 πο

spirit and even reproduces the very phrases of our text: that many passages in the Gospels exhibit traces of the same, and that St. Paul seems to have used the book as a wade mecum.

ἐὰν μὴ ἀφῆτε ἕκαστος τῷ ἀδελφῷ αὐτοῦ ἀπὸ‏ 35 .וטא τῶν καρδιῶν ὑμῶν.‏

αὐτῷ ἐν εἰρήνη . .

T. Gad vi. 3 (8) ἐάν τις ἁμαρτήσει eis σε εἰπὲ ἐν - καὶ div... µετανοήσῃ ἄφες αὐτῷ.

καρδίας.

With the above we must take Luke xvii. 3 ἐὰν ἁμάρτῃ ὁ ἀδελφός σου ἐπιτίμησον αὐτῷ, καὶ dav µετανοήσῃ

ἄφες αὐτῷ.

That the N.T. passages are here dependent cannot be reasonably denied.

ali Dan v.3 ἀγαπήσατε τὸν κύριον ἐν πάση τῇ tort

ὑμῶν καὶ ἀλλήλους ἐν ἀληθινῇ καρδίᾳ.

Our text, which enunciates the same duty twice elsewhere, T. Iss. ν. 2, vii. 6, is the first literatory

authority to conjoin the two great commands of love to God and love to our neighbour. commandments are given separately in Deut. vi. 5 and Lev. xix. 18.

These In the latter passage and

possibly in our text the sphere of neighbourhood is S limited to Israclites, but in our Lord’s use there

is no limit of race or country. 3°. Various borrowings of ideas or diction.

Matt. xxv. 35, 36 ἐπείνασα γὰρ καὶ ἐδώκατέ pou Φαγεῖν . . . ἠσθένησα καὶ ἐπεσκέψασθέ µε, ἐν Φυλακῇ

ἥμην καὶ ἤλθατε πρός µε. Luke ii. 19 συνετήρει τὰ ῥήματα ταῦτα . . καρδία αὐτῆς. Acts xii. 11 ἐξαπέστειλεν 6 κύριος τὸν ἄγγελον αὐτοῦ καὶ ἐξείλατό µε ἐκ χειρός. John i. ϱ τὸ φῶς . . -

. ἐν τῇ

ὃ φωτίζει πάντα ἄνθρωπον.

4”. The Pauline borrowings are too numerous to be dealt with here. There are over seventy words which are common to the Testaments and the Pauline

my tcxt.

T. Jos. i. 5, 6 ἐν λιμό συνεσχέθην καὶ αὐτὸς 6 κύριος διέθρεψέ µε . . . ἐν ἀσθενείᾳ ἤμην καὶ ὁ κύριος ἐπεσκέ- ψατό µε, ἐν φυλακῇ ἤ πο καὶ 06095 µου ἐχαρίτωσέ με.

T. Lev. vi. 2 συνετήρουν τοὺς λόγους τούτους ἐν τῇ eared μου.

+ Sim. it. 8 6 Geos... ἀπέστειλε τὸν ἄγγελον αὐτοῦ καὶ ne σατο αὐτὸν ἐκ τῶν Χειρῶν pov.

T. Lev. xiv. 4 τὸ φῶς τοῦ νόµου τὸ Sober eis φωτισμὸν παντὸς ἀνθρώπου.

T. Benj. vi. 4 οὐκ ἐπιδέχεται δόξαν . .

. ἀνθρώπων (B-a, S').

The reader can consult

Epistles, but which are not found in the rest of the N.T. Only a few of the most notable passages where St. Paul draws upon the Testament will here be appended :

1 Thess. Π. 16 ἔφθασεν δὲ ח0‎ αὐτοὺς ἡ ὀργὴ (+100 0600 DE FG, Itala. Vulg.) eis τέλος,

Rom. i. 32 οὐ µόνον αὐτὰ ποιοῦσιν ἀλλὰ καὶ συνευδο-

Τ. Lev. vi. 11 ἔφθασε δὲ αὐτοὺς ἡ ὀργὴ τοῦ θεοῦ eis τέλος. T. Ash. vi. 2 καὶ πράσσουσι τὸ κακών. καὶ συνευδο-

κοῦσιν τοῖς πράσσουσιγ.

aii. 21 νίκα ἐν τῷ ἀγαθῳ τὸ κακόν.

1 Cor. iv. 4 οὐδὲν .. . ἐμαυτῷ σύνοιδα.

2 Cor. vil, 10 ἡ γὰρ κατὰ θεὺν λύπη µετάνοιαν εἰς σωτηρίαν ἀμεταμέλητον ἐργάξεται.

e

κοῦσιν τοῖς πράσσουσιν (a).

T. Benj. iv. 3 οὗτος τὸ ἀγαθὸν ποιῶν ב‎ τὸ κακόν.

T. Iss. vil. 1 οὐκ ἔγνων ἐν ἐμοὶ 6 ἁμαρτίαν.

ive Naph. vili. 8 καιρὸς γὰρ συνουσίας γυναικός, καὶ καιρὸς ἐγκρατείας 618 προσευχὴν αὐτοῦ.

T. Gad v. 7 ἡ γὰρ κατὰ θεὸν ἀληθὴς μετάνοια... ὁδηγεῖ τὸ διαβούλιον πρὸς σωτηρίαν.

Forgiveness.—Wc have in our text a passage of truly epoch-making importance. Its importance cannot be grasped until we contrast the teaching of the New Testament with that of the Old on the question of man’s forgiveness of his neighbour. In the New Testament from the first page to the last it is cither explicitly stated or implicitly understood that a man can only receive the divine forgiveness on condition that he forgives his neighbour. Indeed, in their essential aspects, these two forgivenesses are seen to be one and the same. But in the Old Testament it is very different. There, indced, God's forgivencss is granted, without money and without price, to the sinner who truly secks it. But the penitent in the Old Testament could accept and enjoy the divine pardon, and yct cherish the most bitter feelings towards his own personal enemy. David on his death-bed shows this unforgiving spirit when he charges Solomon not to let Joab’s hoar head go down to the grave in peace; and commands him to deal similarly with Shimei, though David had promised to

1 This section is reprinted in the main from my cdition of the Testaments, pp. xcii sqq. 292

preserve his life. There is certainly the notable instance of Joseph’s forgiveness of his brethren ; but this act of grace on Joseph’s part does not seem to have impressed later O.T. writers, or led them to urge Joseph’s conduct therein as worthy of imitation. There is, of course, the noble passage on the subject of beneficence to one’s enemy in Prov. xxv. 21, 22: ‘If thine enemy be hungry, give him bread to eat ; And if he be thirsty, give him water to drink. For thou shalt heap coals of fire on his head, And the Lord shall reward thee.’ But to show how far these words are from representing the attitude which the saints should adopt to those who wronged them, we have only to turn back to the preceding chapter (Prov. xxiv. 17, 18), where we receive this remarkable piece of advice, ‘Rejoice not when thine enemy falleth, And let not thine heart be glad when he is overthrown: Lest the Lord see it and it displease Him, And He turn away His wrath from him.’ Moreover, the righteous man can pray to God to make him strong enough to pay out his enemies: ‘Do thou, O Lord, have mercy upon me, and raise me up, that I may requite them’ (Ps. xli. ιο). Thus we may conclude on the whole that in the Old Testament the saint as well as the sinner could indulge in resentful feelings or even in personal vengeance.

Now that we have grasped the conflicting attitudes of the Old and New Testaments on this great moral and religious question, we are able to appreciate the value of the contribution which the Testa- ments make in this direction. This contribution is found in T. Gad vi. 4--7 (see also § 26, p. xxviii of my edition). These verses, as I have said in my notes, contain the most remarkable statement on the subject of forgiveness in all ancient literature. They show a wonderful insight into the true psycho- logy of the question. So perfect are the parallels in thought and diction between these verses and Luke xvii. 3, Matt. xviii. 15. 35, that we must assume our Lord’s acquaintance with them. The meaning of forgiveness in both cases is the highest and noblest known to us, namely, the restoring the offender to communion with us, which he had forfeited through his offence. And it is likewise the essence of the divine forgiveness—God’s restoration of the sinner to communion with Him, a communion from which his sin had banished him. But, though such is the meaning of forgiveness in the full sense of the word, our author is aware that it is often impossible to attain to such a perfect relation with the offender. Thus forgiveness comes often to be synonymous with banishing the personal feeling of resentment which rises within us when we suffer wrong, and which, when indulged, leads to hate. When we have achieved this right attitude towards the offender the way is always open for his return to a right relation with us, and so far as we do so we reflect the attitude of God Himself to His erring children.

For the further prosecution of the parallels the reader should consult p. 292. We now see the importance of our text. It shows that pre-Christian Judaism possessed a noble system of ethics on the subject of forgiveness. By the early school of the Hasidim, or the pious ones of the Psalms, the best elements of the Old Testament had been taken up, studied and developed, and the highly ethical code of conduct deduced therefrom had been carried out in actual life by these ancient Quietists. But when Pharisaism, breaking with the ancient ideals of its party, committed itself to political interests and movements, and concurrently therewith surrendered itself more and more wholly to the study of the letter of the Law, it soon ceased to offer scope for the further development of such a lofty system of ethics as the Testaments attest, and so the true successors of the early Hasids and their teaching quitted Judaism and found their natural home in the bosom of primitive Christianity.

Duty of loving God and one's neighbour.—It is remarkable that the famous command in the Gospels that embodies all duty in itselt, ‘ Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thinc heart... . Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself’ (Mark xii. 30, 31)—is already found in the Testaments, though less emphatically and vigorously stated. Thus in T. Iss. v. 2 we have, ‘ Love the Lord and your neighbour’ ; T. Dan. v. 3, ‘Love the Lord through all your life, And one another with a true heart’; and again in T. Iss, vii. 6, Issachar declares, ‘I loved the Lord; Likewise also every man with all my heart.’

Various ethical teachings.—The Testaments deal largely with the questions of hatred, lying, envy, hate, lust, covetousness and the virtues of long-suffering, truthfulness, love, purity, generosity, and the like. We can touch here only on a few of their pithy sayings on such subjects. Thus: * Anger is blindness, and does not suffer one to see the face of any man with truth’ (T. Dan ii. 2). * Hatred, therefore is evil; for it constantly mateth with lying’ (T. Gad v. 1). ‘Envy dominates the whole mind of man’ (T. Sim. iii. 2), ‘it has no rest while the object of it prospers’ (iii. 3): * Deliverance therefrom cometh through the fear of God’ (iii. 4). Wherefore ‘If a man prospereth more than you, do not be vexed, but pray for him that he may have perfect prosperity’ (T. Gad vii, 1). ‘When envy goes a man’s mind is lightened, so that he can enjoy the well-being of his former rival’ (T. Sim. iti. 5, 6). A man is ‘not to keep a ledger account of the evil done him’ by his neighbour ' (T. Zeb. viii. 5), a clause that St. Paul borrows in 1 Cor. xiii. 5, where λογίζεται τὸ κακόν

293

is wrongly rendered in A.V. by ‘thinketh no evil’, and misleading in R.V. by ‘ taketh not account of evil’.

As regards the questions of temperance and total abstinence, what better advice could be given than that of this old writer: ‘If ye drink wine with gladness, be ye modest with the fear of God. For if in your gladness the fear of God departcth, then drunkenness ariscth and shamelessness stealcth in. But if you would live soberly do not touch wineat all, lest ye sin in words of outrage , . . and perish before your time’ (T. Jud. xvi. 2-3). ‘ Be not drunk with winc ; for wine turneth away the mind from truth and inspireth the passion of lust . . . and if the occasion of lust be present, he worketh the sin and is not ashamed ' (T. Jud. xiv. 1-3).

Universalism.—Although the Testaments were written about the same date as the Book of Jubilees and both books were the work of Pharisces, the views of the two authors were widely sundered on some of the greatest questions, and particularly on that of the destiny of the Gentiles. The author of Jubilees taught that there was no hope for the Gentiles: God had placed them under angelic guardians with the object of accomplishing their destruction (xv. 31). Morcover, the Jew who intermarried with them should be put to death, and the man who gave his daughter in marriage to a Gentile should be stoned with stones (xxx. 7-17). How different the spirit of the author of the Testaments. A true son of the larger-hearted O.T. prophets, he proclaims the salvation of the Gentiles. The promised time has come. The kingdom is already established, and all the Gentiles will be saved through Israel. In the Judgement the conduct of the best heathen will form the norm according to which Israel shall be judged. The teachings of the author on this question will be found in the note on T. Benj. ix. 2.

The first century 1.0. additions are likewise characterized by the samc Universalism. The Law was given to lighten every man, and the Gentiles were to be saved through the example and teaching of Israel (T. Lev. xiv. 4). The same view of the destiny of the Gentiles is found in the Pss. of Solomon (xvii. 32), though it is perhaps not as favourable as that in these additions. In other literature of the first century B.C. a harsher fate is predicted for the Gentiles, as in 1 Enoch xxxvii- Ixxi and the Assumption of Moses, and in 4 Ezra in the next century.

The Messiah.—In the original work the Messiah is to be descended from Levi, and not from Judah—in other words he is to be first of all priest, and then prophet and king. There are many passages expressing this view: T. Reub. vi. 7-12; T. Lev. viii. 14, xviii; T. Jud. xxiv. 1-3; T. Dan v. 10,11; T. Jos. xix. 5-9. We have here the attestation of a most remarkable revolution in the Jewish expectations of the Messiah. For some thirty or forty years the hope of a Messiah from Judah was abandoned in favour of a Messiah from Levi. But with the breach of Hyrcanus with the Pharisees this hope was abandoned, and so we find that in the first-century additions the hope of a Messiah from Judah reappears (T. Jud. xxiv. 5-6; 1. Naph. iv. 5 ()).

The prerogatives and powers ascribed to the priestly Messiah from Levi are very lofty. He was to be free from sin (T. Jud. xxiv. 1); to walk in meckness and righteousness (T. Jud. xxiv. 1) ; to establish a new priesthood under a new name (T. Lev. viii. 14), and also be a mediator for the Gentiles (T. Lev. viii. 14, emended) ; likewise he was to be a prophct of the Most High (T. Lev. viii. 15); to be a king over all the nation (T. Reub. vi. 11, 12; T. Lev. viii. 14) ; 10 war against Israel’s national enemies and against Beliar and the powers of wickedness (Τ. Reub. vi. 12; T. Lev. xviii. 12; T. Dan v. 1Ο), and deliver the captives taken by him, even the souls of the saints (T. Dan ν. 11); to open Paradise to the righteous (Τ. Lev. xviii. 10; T. Dan v. 12), and give the saints to eat of the tree of life (T. Lev. xviii. τι). Moreover, he should give the faithful power to tread upon evil spirits and bind Beliar (xviii. 12), who should be cast into the fire (T. Jud. xxv. 3), and sin should come to an end (T. Lev. xviii. 9).

It was the priestly character of the Maccabean pricst-kings that gave rise to the expectation that the Messiah was also to be a priest as well as a king.

The Resurrection—There is to be a resurrection, first of the Ο.Τ. heroes and patriarchs, and next of the rightcous on the right hand and of the wicked on the left (T. Benj. x. 6-8). The scene of the future kingdom is to be the present earth. It is to last for ever.

Demonology.—The book represents a very developed demonology as a refcrence to ‘ Spirits’ in Index 11 in my edition will show. The conception of Beliar in the Testaments is very advanced for this early date.

The Antichrist.—In the first century addition, Τ. Dan ν. 6, we have the most ancient authority at present known to us for the view which connects the tribe of Dan with Antichrist, and helps to explain the exclusion of this tribe from the list of the Twelve in the N.T. Apocalypse.

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Of 8. Grabe, Sficilegium Patrum®*, i. 129-44, 335-74. The text here given is 4 with a few readings from a.

Sinker, Zestamenta XI Patriarcharum ad fidem codicis Cantabrigiensis edita: accedunt lectiones cod. Oxoniensis, Cambridge, 1869.

Appendix containing a collation of the Roman and Patmos MSS., 1879.

Of aazd B. Charles, The Greek Versions of the Testaments of the Twelve Patriarchs, edited from nine MSS. together with the Variants of the Armenian and Slavonic Versions and some Hebrew Fragments, The Clarendon Press, Oxford, 1908.

The Armenian Version. H. Sargis Josepheanz, The Treasury of the Old and New Fathers, ἱ. 27-151.

The Slavonic Version. Tichonravov, Pamiatntht otrechennot Russkot Literaturi, 1863.

(6) ΕΡΙΤΙΟΝΣ OF THE HEBREW FRAGMENTS. Fragments of the T. Judah are found in the Midrash Wajjissau: see the Charles edition of the Greek Versions, pp. 235-8; and of the T. Naph. in the late Hebrew Test. of Naphtali, of. ₪1. pp. 239-44; Gaster, ‘The Hebrew Text of one of the Testaments of the Twelve Patriarchs,’ PSSA, Dec. 1893, Jan. 1894.

Grabe : see above and Sinker in his edition, and Dyct. Christ. Biog. iv. 865-74.

Schnapp, Dre Testamente der zwolf Patriarchen untersucht, 1884.

Conybeare, ‘On the Jewish Authorship of the Testaments of the Twelve Patriarchs,’ JOR, 1893, 375-98.

Kohler, 776 Pre-Talmudic Haggada, JQR, 1893, 400-6; ‘ Testaments of the Twelve Patriarchs, Jewish Encyc.,

1906, xii. 113-18. Charles. * Apocalyptic Literature, Encyc. Bib., 1899, i. 237-41. Hastings, B. D., 1902, iv. 721-5 ; Hrbbert Journal, 1905, 558-73; 227/66 Brit., 1011, xxvi. 666-8.

Bousset, * Die Testamente der zw6lf Patriarchen’ in Ζ. /. NTliche Wissenschaft, 1900, pp. 187-209, 344-6.

(α) Εριτιονς OF GREEK VERSIONS, i.e.

)0( COMMENTARY. Charles, Zhe Testaments of the Twelve Patriarchs, translated from the Editor’s Greek Text and edited with Introduction, Notes, and Indices, A. & C. Black, London, 1908. For a complete bibliography see this volume.

Brackets. The same brackets are used in this book as throughout the entire work; and in addition the brackets Γ 1 to signify that the words so enclosed are omitted by A. Symbols and Abbreviations. a, b, 6, d, e, f, g, h, i denote the Greek MSS. a denotes the MSS. 0 2 2 of the first class. 8 denotes the MSS. aéde fg of the second class. A denotes the Armenian Version. ה‎ Ab*, A>, Ας, ὥς., denote the Armenian MSS. Αα denotes the MSS. Α5ΡΡΚ of the first class. ΑΡ denotes the MSS. *ל\,‎ 96918 of the second class. 51 denotes the first Slavonic recension. S? denotes the second Slavonic recension.

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1: The copy of the Testament of Reuben, even the commands which he gave his sons “before he 2 dicd in the hundred and twenty-fifth year of his life. Two years after the death of Joseph ‘his 3 brother', when Reuben fell ill, his sons and his sons’ sons were gathered together to visit him. And 4he said to them: My children, behold I am dying, and go the way of my fathers. And seeing ‘there! Judah, and Gad, and Asher, his brethren, he said to them: Raise me up, that I may tell to my brethren and to my children what things I have hidden in my heart, for behold now at length 5 I am passing away. And he arose and kissed them, and said unto them: Hear, my brethren, and 6 do ye, my children, give ear to Reuben your father. in the commands which I give unto you. And behold I call to witness against you this day the God of heaven, that ye walk not in the sins of 7 youth and fornication, wherein 1 was poured out, and defiled the bed of my father Jacob. And I tell you that he smote me with a sore plague in my loins for seven months; and had not my father 8 Jacob prayed for me to the Lord, the Lord would have destroyed me. For I was thirty years old 9 when I wrought the evil thing before the Lord, and for seven months I was sick unto death. And 10 after this I repented with set purpose of my soul for seven years before the Lord. And wine and strong drink I drank not, and flesh entered not into my mouth, and I eat no pleasant food ; but

I mourned over my sin, for it was great, such as had not been in Israel. ΑΙ And now hear me, my children, what things I saw concerning the seven spirits of deceit, when

TirLe. So hi. cis corrupt: bef add ‘regarding thoughts’; 4/5518 ‘the Book of the Chronicles, the words of Reuben, First (> Α5) Testament’; A» ‘Testament and words of Reuben from the Book of the Chronicles’.

1. hundred and twenty-fifth year. This agrees with the Midrash Tadshe (viii. Eppstein’s edition) which is itself based on Jubilees and the Testaments. It gives Reuben’s age as 125, Simeon’s as 120, Levi's 137, Dan’s 125, Judah's 119 (2), Naphtali’s 133, Gad’s 125, Issachar’s 122, Asher’s 123, and Joseph's 110,

his brother. So ad only.

what things I have in my heart. T.S. ii.1. now at length, = ἀπὺ τοῦ νῦν. + Thus the LXX translates הפעם‎ in Gen. xlvi. 30 .אמותא הפעם‎ Cf. ἀπ᾿ ἄρτι in John i. 51 in some MSS. Also ἀπ) ἄρτι, Matt. xxvi. 64 = ἀπὸ τοῦ νῦν, Luke xxii. 69.

I was poured out. A classical use of ἐξεχύθην. Cf. Pindar, Jsth. i. 4.

7. The importance of prayer is emphasized by our author. Jacob prays for Judah, T. Jud. xix. 2; for Gad, T. G. v.93 for his ten eldest sons, T. B. iii.6. Cf. Τ. 5. ii.2,133 T.N.vi. 8; T. Jos. ili. 3, vii. 4, viii. 1; T.B.v.§. Fasting accompanies prayer, T. Jos. iii. 3, 1v. 8, x. 1, 2: Τ. B. 1. 4.

g. The chastisement lasted seven months, the penance seven years.

1ο. eat no pleasant food. Cf. Dan. x. 4. Reuben practises abstinence for seven years, Simeon for two, Τ. S. iii. 4, and Judah till old age, T. Jud. xv. 4, xix. 2, in expiation of their sins. Joseph fasts seven years to preserve his chastity, T. Jos. iii. 4. Issachar in his righteousness and self-control abstains from wine all his life, T. Iss. vii. 3. The righteous man ‘combines fasting with chastity’, T. Jos. ix. 2: the double-hearted man superstitiously combines fasting and adultery, T. A. ii. 8, iv. 3.

such as had not been in Israel. Soc and practically A. Cf. 2 Sam. xiii. 12.

ll. 1. seven spirits of deceit. Origen refers to this passage (H/on:. i Josuam 15», ed. Lommatzsch, xi. 143, as from the Testaments of the XII Patr. as implying various ‘ Satanae’. Matt. xii. 45 speaks of seven evil spirits. spirits of deceit. ‘The Testaments contain a vast demonology. ‘The chief of the demons is called Beliar passim (see 1. Lev. iii. 3); the Devil, T. .א‎ viii. 43; the Prince of Deceit, Τ. 5. ii. 7; T. Jud. xix. 4; or your Prince (of Dan), Τ. D. v. 6. Beliar’s works are opposed to God's law, T. L. xix. 1; T. Iss. vi. 1. He rules over disturbed souls, T. D. iv. 7, or those which yield to their evil inclination, T. A.i.8. He flees, however, from the righteous and keepers of the law, Τ. D. v.1; Τ. Ν. viii. 4. The Messiah will make war on Beliar and take away from him the captive souls, T. D. v. 10; Beliar will be bound, T. L. xviii. 12, and cast into the fire, T. Jud. xxv. 3. The evil spirits in general are

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2 ] repented. Seven spirits therefore are appointed against man, and they are the leaders in the works

3 of youth. [And seven other spirits are given to him at his creation, that through them should be

4 done every work of man. The first is the spirit of life, with which the constitution (of man) is

5 created. The second is the sense of sight, with which ariseth desire. The third is the sense of

| hearing, with which cometh teaching. The fourth is the sense of smell, with which tastes are given

| 6.7%0 draw air and breath. The fifth is the power of speech, with which cometh knowledge. The

sixth is the sense of taste, with which cometh the eating of meats and drinks ; and by it strength is

| 8 produced, for in food is the foundation of strength. The seventh is the power of procreation and

9 sexual intercourse, with which through love of pleasure sins enter in. Wherefore it is the last in

| order of creation, and the first in that of youth, because it is filled with ignorance, and leadeth the youth as a blind man to a pit, and as a beast to a precipice.

$81 Besides all these there is an eighth spirit of sleep, with which is brought about the trance of

2, 3nature and the image of death. With these spirits are mingled the spirits of error.] First, the

| spirit of fornication is seated in the nature and in the senses; the second, the spirit of insatiableness,

ο 4in the belly ; the third, the spirit of fighting, in the liver and gall. The fourth is the spirit of

ο 5 obsequiousness and chicanery, that through officious attention one may be fair in seeming. The

fifth is the spirit of pride, that one may be boastful and arrogant. The sixth is the spirit of lying,

| 6 fin perdition and [עפטס[ה6[‎ to practise 060615, and concealments from kindred and friends. The

|

called spirits of deceit, Τ. R. ii. 1,2; 1. 5.0.1: and 2040: also wicked spirits, 1. 5. iv. 9; spirits of Beliar, T. Iss. vii. 7, &c.; unclean spirits, 1. B. ν. 2; angels of Satan, T. A. vi. 4. Their function is threefold as in | 1 and 2 Enoch and the Ν. T., (1) to tempt men, (2) to accuse them when they fall, (3) to torment them. (2) is not | a feature in this book, (3) is mentioned twice, Τ. Γ.. iii. 2, spirits of retribution, and T. A. vi. 5, the evil spirit which a man serves waits for his soul as it leaves the body at death to torment it. (1) is their most prominent function in the Testaments. Of the tempting spirits, there are the seven spirits of deceit which attack youth, T. R. ii, 1-2, namely, those of fornication (cf., too, T. Jud. xii. 3), insatiableness, fighting, obsequiousness, pride, lying, and injustice, 1. R. ili. 3-6. T. Jud. xvi. 1 adds the spirits of lust, hot desire, profligacy, and filthy lucre. There are also the spirits of jealousy, T. Jud. xii. 3; and of envy, T. 5. iii. 1, iv. 7, which are wicked and poisonous spirits, Τ. 5. iv. 9; the spirits of anger, T. D. ii. 4. There are angels, morcover, which stir men to murder, T. D. i. 7; and idolatry, Τ. .א‎ iii. 3; and lust, T. Jos. vii. 4. The faithless and wicked fall an easy prey to them, but the spirits first require permission to tempt men, Τ. B. iii. 3 (cf. Job 1. 12, it. 6). 11 men yield, the devil makes them into his own instruments, Τ. .א‎ viii. 6; but if they are single-hearted and do right, then neither the spirits of deceit nor Beliar have power over them, T. Iss. iv. 4; T. B. iii. 3; indeed, the devil and the spirits of Beliar and unclean spirits flee from them, Τ. .א‎ viii. 4; Τ.

Iss. vii. 7; T. Β. v.2. Nay, more, the righteous rule over them, Τ. 5. vi. 6, and tread them under foot, T. L. xviii, 12, T. Z. ix. 8 (bdg). These spirits are punished or the judgement day, T. L., iii. 3. 2. against man + ‘by Beliar’ BAS. = leaders in the works. ‘leader,’ 8-fg 4% 5, which points to the singular ראש‎ in Hebrew, which =‘ poison’ as well as ‘leader’. Cf. ‘ poisonous spirit’, T. 5. iv. 9.

Il. 3—III. 2. A late addition to the text, undoubtedly first made in Greek, and chiefly drawn from Greek sources. Not only does this passage intrude between the promise in ii. 1 and its fulfilment in iii. 3, 7, but it has no organic connexion with either. Moreover, the division of the bodily senses here given is based on Stoic theories, 6. g. the peculiar meaning attached to πνεύματα as that of senses, organs, or appetites. The Stoics held that the soul had eight parts, namely, the five senses, the powers of reproduction and speech, and the dominant part or reason which ruled the other seven. They discharged themselves into the various parts of the body in the form of immaterial currents or πνεύματα. Cf. Plutarch, De Plac. iv. 21; also Zeller, Stoics, 214-15 (Eng. Trans.). For full quotations 566 my Comm. on the Testt.; also my note in Slav. Enoch xxx. 9. A parallel interpolation occurs in MS. 248 of Sirach xvii. 4, and precedes as here the Hebrew division of various powers.

4. seven other spirits. ‘other’ a, >§8S, ‘again’ A. This use of πνεύματα is confined to the Stoics, and has no parallel in the Hebrew .רדת‎ The Stoic division gives eight πνεύματα, but our text omits ἀφή, and replaces the eighth power τὸ ἡγεμονικόν by πνεῦμα ζωῆς.

4. spirit of life. Here πνεῦμα is used in its usual sense, cf. Gen. vi. 17, vii. 15. But the Hebrew usage would not imply more than life in an impersonal sense, whereas the Stoic parallel τὸ ἡγεμονικόν, and the next phrase * with which the constitution of man is created’ suggest the power which gives vitality and life to the material organism and constitutes man’s powers into a unity which is personal.

sight ... desire. Cf. 1 John ii. 16 ἡ ἐπιθυμία τῶν ὀφθαλμῶν. to draw air and breath. Cf. T. .א‎ ii. 8 (note); also Arist. De Spir. 2.

the image of death. Cf. Homer, //. xiv. 231, &c.

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seventh is the spirit of injustice, with which are thefts and acts of rapacity, that a man may fulfil the desire of his heart; for injustice worketh together with the other spirits by the taking of gifts.

7,8 [And with all these the spirit of sleep is joined which is (that) of error and fantasy.] | And so perisheth every young man, darkening his mind from the truth, and not understanding the law of

9 God, nor obeying the admonitions of his fathers, as befell me also in my youth. And now, my children, love the truth, and it will preserve you: hear ye ‘the words of ' Reuben your father. עב | סנ‎ no heed to the face of a woman, Nor associate with another man’s wife, Nor meddle with affairs of womankind. וז‎ For had I not secn Bilhah bathing in a covered place, I had not fallen into this great iniquity. 12 For my mind taking in the thought of the woman’s nakedness, suffered me not ‘to sleep’ until I had 13 wrought the abominable thing. For while Jacob our father had gone to Isaac his father, when we were in Eder, near to -phrath in Bethlehem, Bilhah became drunk and was asleep uncovered in her 14 chamber. Having thcrefore gone in and beheld her nakedness, I wrought the impiety ‘without her 15 perceiving it', and leaving her sleeping I departed. And forthwith an angel of God revealed to my father concerning my impiety, and he came and mourned over me, and touched her no more. 4, Pay no heed, therefore, ‘my children’, to the beauty of women, nor set your mind on their affairs ; but walk in singlencss of heart in the fear of the Lord, and expend labour on good works, and on study and on your flocks, until the Lord give you a wife, whom He will, that ye suffer not as 1 4 2 For until my father’s death I had not boldness to look in his face, or to speak to any of my brethren, 3 because of the reproach. Even until now my conscience causeth me anguish on account of my 4 impiety. And yet my father comforted me much, and prayed for me unto the Lord, that the anger

of the Lord might pass from me, even as the Lord showed. And thenceforth until now I have 5 been on my guard and sinned not. Therefore, my children, ‘I say unto you', observe ‘all! things 6 whatsoever 1 command you, and ye shall not sin. For a pit unto the soul is the sin of fornication,

separating it from God, and bringing it near to idols, because it deceiveth the mind and under-

6. fulfila. ‘do’ BAS. 7. An interpolation. See iii. 1 (note). Sleep is properly a natural power, not a vice like the other seven. aa e read ‘which is error and fantasy ’. δ. darkening his mind. Cf. Eph. iv. 18 ἐσκοτισμένοι τῇ διανοίᾳ, also Rom. i. 21. understanding the law. Here συνιὼν ἐν τῷ vépo is a Hebraism. g. the words of. Soaaef. 10. Pay no heed, &c. See iv. 1.

associate (a): ‘be alone’ B-gS'. Cf. Sir. ix. 9, where the verb is κάθου, ‘sit,’ in the Greek, תטעם‎ ‘eat’ in the Hebrew, and AMY ΠΠ ‘talk much’ according tothe Syriac (cf. Aboth i. 5). In Sanh. 1οοῦ and Yebam. 630, where

Sir. is quoted, we have אצלה‎ on אל‎ ‘turn not aside to her’. Cf. also Nedarim 20°. meddle with affairs, &c. Cf. Sir. xli.21. For πρᾶξιν (abfS), ‘affairs’,areads ὄψιν, A>* κάλλος καὶ πράξεις. 11-15. Cf. Gen. .טאאא‎ 21, 22; Jub. xxxili. 1-9. Reuben’s sin is denied in late works, 6. g- Gen. rabba 98,99; Ps.-Jon. on Gen. .טאאא‎ 22. See note on Jub. xxxiii. 2. 13. had gone to Isaac. Jub, xxxiii. 1. . Eder near to Ephrath. Gen. xxxv. 10, 21; Jub. χακί. 1. Bilhah became drunk. Peculiar to our text. Hence the new turn to the story in 7. 15. 14. without her perceiving ita: < ₪ 4 5. 9 leaving her sleeping. Jub. xxxiii. 4-7 says Bilhah awoke and cried out. She also told the matter to Jacob on is return.

singleness of heart, ἁπλότητι τῆς καρδίας = "לבב‎ DA, Wisd.i.1; Col. ii. 22; Eph. vi. 5. See note on upright- ness in T. Iss. iii. 1.

on good works and. SoaA. ἐν ἔργοις καὶ ἀποπλανώμενοε BS. i.e. the 8 recension had a corrupt Hebrew וְשָרִים‎ Oyo instead of ON במעשים‎ .

your flocks. Cf. stress on husbandry, T. Iss. v. 3 ; vi. 2.

3. This is the first occurrence in Jewish literature of the conscience as a fully-developed conception. The LXX first uses the word in the technical sense in Wisd. xvii. 10 dei δὲ προσείληφεν τὰ χαλεπὰ (πονηρία) συνεχοµένη τῇ συνειδήσει. See also T. Jud. xx. 2 (a). The action of the conscience is described (without the term) in T. Jud. xx. 5; T. G. v. 3.

impiety a. ‘Sin’ 1% 4. that the anger of the Lord might pass. Jub. xxxiii. 15 says ‘ Reuben was granted life and forgiveness’. until now, έως νῦν α. μετανοῶν, ‘repenting',d g A. ἕως ἐννοιῶν, ‘(even) in thought’, ae f.

6-7. Cf. T. Jud. xv. 1, xviii. 2-6, on the evils of fornication.

separating it from God ... near to idols. This recurs in T. S. v. 3. Cf. Kethub. 115 * Most idolaters are adulterers’, also Wisd. xiv. 12 ἀρχὴ γὰρ πορνείας (= spiritual unfaithfulness) ἐπίνοια εἰδώλων.

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standing, and leadeth down young men into Hades before their time. For many hath fornication destroyed ; because, though a man be old or noble, ‘or rich or poor’, he bringeth reproach upon ₪ himself with the sons of men and derision with Beliar. For ye heard regarding Joseph how he guarded himself from a woman, and purged his thoughts from all fornication, and found favour in 9 the sight of God and men. For the Egyptian woman did many things unto him, and summoned το magicians, and offered him love potions, but the purpose of his soul admitted no evil desire. There- 11 fore the God of your fathers delivered him from every evil (and) hidden death. For if fornication overcomes not your mind, neither can Beliar overcome you.

₪ ו‎ ‘For! evil are women, my children ; and since they have no power or strength over man, they use 2wiles by outward attractions, that they may draw him to themselves. And whom they cannot 3 bewitch by outward attractions, him they overcome by craft. ‘For! moreover, concerning them, the angel of the Lord told me, and taught me, that women are overcome by the spirit of fornication more than men, and in their heart they plot against men; and by means of their adornment they deceive first their minds, and by the glance of the eye instil the poison, and then through the accom- 4 plished act they take them captive. For a woman cannot force a man openly, but by a harlot’s 5 bearing she beguiles him. Flee, therefore, fornication, my children, and command your wives and your daughters, that they adorn not their heads and faces to deceive the mind: because every woman | 6who useth these wiles hath been reserved for eternal punishment. For thus they allured the Watchers who were before the flood; for as these continually beheld them, they lusted after them, | and they conceived the act in their mind ; for they changed themselves into the shape of men, and 7 appeared to them when they were with their husbands. And the women lusting in their minds after

| their forms, gave birth to giants, for the Watchers appeared to them as reaching even unto heaven. (6 Beware, therefore, of fornication ; and if you wish to be pure in mind, guard your senses from every 2woman. And command the women likewise not to associate with men, that they also may be pure 3in mind. For constant meetings, even though the ungodly deed be not wrought, are to them an 4 irremediable disease, and to us a destruction of Beliar and an eternal reproach. For in fornication 5 there is neither understanding ποτ] godliness, and all jealousy dwelleth in the lust thereof. There-

leadeth down . . . to Hades. Cf. Prov. vii. 27, where LXX has κατάγουσαι as here. before their time, οὐκ ἐν καιρῷ αὐτῶν = .בלא עתם‎ Cf. T. Jud. xvi. 3. 7. many hath fornication destroyed. Cf. Prov. vii. 26; also Sir. ix. 8, where read ἀπεκτάνθησαν for ἐπλανήθησαν. So Sanh. too”, Yebam. 63%. or rich or poor. a only. - - | derision, γέλωτα, de AS. mpéoxoppa, ‘an offence’ or * stumbling-block ', a, i.e. מוקש‎ for .שחוק‎ | 8. For ye heard, &c., ‘for since Joseph guarded himself from every woman . . . he found’, 66. BAS'.

found favour in the sight of God (‘of the Lord’ βΑ5'). Cf. T.S.v.2; also 1 Sam. ii. 26; Luke ti. 52. Acts vii. 10 says of Joseph ‘God . . . gave him favour’. g. Cf. T. Jos. vi.

did many things unto = תרבה‎ , perhaps corrupt for תארב‎ , * lay in wait for’. 10. delivered him, &c. Cf. Acts vii. 10. eVil,a. ‘visible and’ 8-4 AF 51, i.e. ראוי‎ for .רע‎ 11. Beliar is powerless with the pure. Cf. Jub. i. 20, x. 6 (note); Eccles. vii. 26. V. 1. For. a only. evilare women. Cf. Eccles. vii. 27, 28. by outward attractions, ἐν σχήµασι, i.e. figure, bearing, attire, and gestures. 2. by outward attractions, διὰ σχήµατος a. δυνάµεως BAS, 1.6. הון‎ for הוד‎ or .חן‎ 3. they plot. Cf. Eccles. vii. 26, 27. glance of the eye. Cf. T. Iss. vii.2; T. B. vi. 3: also Prov. vi. 25 ; Sir. xxiii. 4. 4- openly . . . beguiles him. a only. 5. adorn not their heads and faces. Enoch viii. 1 says that the fallen Watchers taught women to beautify the face and wear precious metals. For Hebrew adornments see Isa. iii. 16. reserved for eternal punishment, εἰς κόλασιν αἰώνιον τετήρηται. Cf. Jude 6 eis κρίσεν . . « τετήρηκεν; 2 Pet. il. 4 εἰς κρίσιν τηρουµένους 6. thus they allured the Watchers. Jub. iv. 15 (see note) says the Watchers descended to instruct the children of men, and afterwards proceeded to take wives of the daughters of men (Jub. ν. 1). See Chron. Jerahmeel xxv. 2-4. In xxv. 7, 13 Azazel is said to be ‘appointed chief over all dyes and all kinds of ornaments by which women entice men to thoughts of sin’. Is this story in view in 1 Pet. iii. 3~5; 1 Tim. ii. 9? Watchers. See Dan. iv. 13, 23; 1 En. vi-viii; Jub. iv. 15, v. 1 ; 2 En. xviii. 3. lusted after them A *ל ל‎ 6 4 5 8 : ‘lusted after one another’ αβ-ϱ. 7. teaching unto heaven. Their height was 3,000 ells, 1 En. vii. 2. VI. 1. Beware ... of fornication. Cf. iv.6; Τ. 5. v.35; Tobit iv.

12. if you wish ... guard 8A 51: ‘be pure in mind: guard also’ a, 2. Cf. iii. 10. Note that purity of heart is required. Cf. Matt. v. 27, 28. 4. a destruction of Beliar and an eternal reproach ο: ‘an eternal reproach of Beliar’ 8S': reproach ’ A. 4- godliness, εὐσέβειαν. Probably corrupt for εὐλάβειαν, * discretion ’. jealousy. Cf. Num. v. 29; Prov. vi. 34. ! 5-12. Many passages in the Testaments set forth Levi’s merits and claims. Cf. 1. 5. .וע‎ 21 Τ. L. ti. 11, vill. 14,

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‘a great

fore, 'then I say unto you’, ye will be jealous ‘against the sons of Levi', and will seek to be exalted 6 over them; but ye shall not be able. For God will avenge them, ‘and ye shall die by an evil death’. 7 For to Levi God gave the sovereignty [and to Judah with him and to me also, and to Dan and 8 Joseph, that we should be for rulers]. ‘Therefore I command you to hearken to Levi, because he shall know the law of the Lord, and shall give ordinances for judgement and shall sacrifice for all Isracl until the consummation of the times, as the anointed High Priest, of whom the Lord spake. 9 1 adjure you by the God of heaven to do truth each one unto his neighbour and to entertain love סו‎ each one for his brother. And draw ye near to Levi in humbleness of heart, that ye may receive 11 a blessing from his mouth. For he shall bless Israel and Judah, because him hath the Lord chosen to 12 be king over all the nation. And bow down before his seed, for on our behalf it will die in wars visible and invisible, and will be among you an eternal king. 71.2 And Reuben died, having given these commands to his sons. And they placed him in a coffin until they carricd him up from Egypt, and buried him ‘in Hebron’ in the cave where his father was.

αι The copy of the words of Simeon, the things which he spake to his sons before he died, in the hundred and twentieth year of his life, at which time Joseph, ‘his brother!, died. For when Simeon

xviii. 1,2; T. Dov. 43 Τ. Ν. vill. 2; Τ. G. viii. 1; T. Jos. xix. 11. The salvation of Israel is to come from both Levi and Judah jointly, T. S. vii. 1, &c. Only in T. G. viii. 1 (probably corrupt) is Judah placed before Levi. Levi 5 priest and king, 1. R. vi. 7-12; T. L. viii. 14, xviii. 1, 2; as high-priest, Τ. 5. vii. 2. Judah is king T. 5. vii. 2; ד‎ Jud, i. 6, xvi. 5: T. .א‎ viii. 2 (corrupt?). T. R. vi. 70 and T. Jud. xxiv. 4-6 are additions.

jealous against the sons of Levi. Cf. the charge against Simeon’s sons, T. 5. v. 4, and Dan's, T. D. v. =. The purpose of this admonition is to establish the Maccabean begemony.

7. Levi is to be king. The bracketed words are a foolish interpolation. Why ‘to Dan’ is not clear. In Ps.-Jon. on Gen. xlix. 3 we have the non-Maccabean view: ‘because thou (Reuben) didst sin, my son, the primogeniture is given to Joseph, the kingdom to Judah, and the priesthood to Levi.’

give ordinances for judgement, διαστελεῖ eis κρίσιν cA-byS: διατελεῖ eis κρίσιν hy A, ‘fulfil as regards judgement,’ perhaps corrupt for διατελέσει κρίσιν. all Israel (> ‘all’ a). The Twelve Tribes are considered as in Palestine by our author. John Hyrcanus, who is meant by our text, is to bless Israel and Judah, verse 11. The title ‘ Twelve Patriarchs’ points to the same view. Cf. the letter of Aristeas, which says that Eleazar the high-priest sent six men from each of the Twelve Tribes to Ptolemy. The pre-Maccabean view (1 En. Ixxxix. 72) was that the Northern tribes were still in captivity. The Maccabean view was due to the extensive sway of those native kings. With the failure of the Maccabees, the Messianic promises were again attached to Judah instead of Levi, and the idea of the Captivity of the Northern Tribes revived. See Pss. Sol. xvii. 28, 34, 50; Ass. Mos. iv. 8,9; Sib. Or. ii. 170-3; 4 Ezra xili. 39-47; Apoc. Bar. i. 2, 3, Ixxviil. I, 5, 7, Ixxxiv. 1ο. For the rejection of Dan see T. D. v. 6-7. consummation of the times, τελειώσεως χρόνων. Cf. Τ. L. x. 2 (Τ. Β. xi. 3) συντελείᾳ τῶν αἰώνων; Τ. 2. ix. 8 καεροῦ συντελείας. This means the closing years of the age present to the writer, and the opening of a new era, possibly with no catastrophe, as in Jub. i. 29, v. 12, xxtii. 26-30 (sce notes). Cf. Daniel’s ‘time of the end’ (Dan. viii. 19, xi. 35, 40, xii. 49), ΤΩΝ. The LXX gives ὥραν καιροῖ, ὥραν συντελείας, καιροῦ συντελείας. Cf. 1 En. x. 13 ἡμέρας τελεσμοῦ, xvi. 1 ἡμέρα τῆς τελειώσεως. Also Ass. Mos. 1. 18‘ in consummatione exitus dierum’; x. 13 ‘(tempora) consummentur’; 2 Bar. xxvii. 15, &c. ‘consummation of the times’; lvi. 2 ‘ of the world’; Ixxxili.

7 ‘of the age’. Cf. 4 Ezra ix. 5 and T. Iss. vi. 1 (note); also Matt. συντέλεια αἰῶνος, 4111. 39, xxiv. 3. as the anointed High Priest. So emended from ἀρχιερεὺς Χριστοῦ h: (times) * of the anointed High Priest’ 0.2% of whom the Lord spake. Ps. cx, originally written in honour of Simon, is here interpreted of John Hyrcanus, Cf. for reinterpretation Dan. vii. 7, 8 as explained in Dan. vii. 23-5, and interpreted anew in 4 Ezra xi. 1 ff. g. do truth ו םת‎ 8 5 : ‘walk in truth’ A: ‘ speak truth’ 6, as also T. D. v. 2 (Zech. viii. 16 ; Gal. iv. 25). entertain love. Cf. Τ. L. xix. 18; also T. S. iv. 7; T. D. v. 3. 10-11. Levi as priest and king. Cf. 1 Macc. xiv. 41 concerning Simon, ἡγούμενον καὶ ἀρχεερέα. receive a blessing. Cf. Jub. xxxi. 15 Sir. |. 20. 11. him hath the Lord chosen, i.e. Levi: ἐν αὐτῷ ἐξελέξατο--α Hebraism. nation af A: ‘nations’ 8-fS!. 12. Achievements of the Maccabean prince-priests. Most ‘died in wars visible’, cf. 1. S. v. 5. As spiritual leaders they spent themselves in warfare against spiritual opposition, Cf. Ps. lxix. 9, cxix. 139. eternal king (‘kings’ A). Cf. iepets eis αἰῶνα 1 Macc. xiv. 41; Ps. cx. 4. ‘ Seed’ and * die’, however, may be corrupt. If so, read 7} for זרעל‎ and יעמד‎ for ny, and render * Bow down before his might, for he will stand forth . a king for ever’, of Hyrcanus.

TITLE a: +‘regarding envy’ 8-8 6 6 \ * 8 1. Ι. 1. The copy of the words ה[‎ 8-6 6 5': ‘testament’ ο: ‘copy of the testament’ deA®”. before ... died < 4 hundred and twentieth year ]3-0 *ל 4 ק‎ 96. See T. Ri. 1. Joseph died. Jub. xxviii. 13, 24 makes Joseph ten years younger than Simeon. 300

was sick, his sons came to visit him, and he strengthened himself and sat up and kissed them, and said :-- 1 Hearken, my children, to Simeon your father, And I will declare unto you what things I have in my heart. 2 I was born of Jacob as my father’s second son; And my mother Leah called me Simeon, Because the Lord had heard her prayer. 3 Moreover, I became strong exceedingly ; I shrank from ne achievement, Nor was 1 afraid of ought. 4 For my heart was hard, And my liver was immovable, And my bowels without compassion. 6,6 Because valour also has been given from the Most High to men in soul and body. For in the time of my youth I was jealous ‘in many things’ of Joseph, because my father loved him ‘beyond vail’. And 1 set my mind against him to destroy him. because the prince of deceit sent forth the spirit of jealousy and blinded my mind, so that I regarded him not as a brother, nor did I spare even 8 Jacob my father. But his God and the God of his fathers sent forth His angel, and delivered him 9 out of my hands. - For when I went to Shechem to bring ointment for the flocks, and Reuben to Dothan, where were our necessaries and all our stores, Judah my brother sold him to the Ishmaclites. το And when Reuben heard these things he was grieved, for he wished to restore him to his father. זג‎ But on hearing this I was ‘exceedingly! wroth against Judah in that he let him go away alive, and 12 for five months 1 continued wrathful against him. But the Lord restrained me, and withheld ‘from 13 me’ the power of my hands; for my right hand was half withered for seven days.

And I knew, my children, that because of Joseph this had befallen me, and I repented and wept; and I besought the Lord God that my hand might be restored, and that I might hold aloof from all pollution and’ envy 14 and from all folly’. For I knew that I had devised an evil thing before the Lord and Jacob my father, on account of Joseph my brother, in that I envied him. 1,2 And now, my children, ‘hearken unto me and’ beware of the spirit of deceit and envy. For envy ruleth over the whole mind of a man. and suffereth him ‘neither to eat nor to drink’, nor to do any 3 good thing. But it ever suggesteth (to him) to destroy him that he envieth ; and so long as he that 4 is envied flourisheth, he that envicth fadeth away. Two years ‘therefore! I afflicted my soul with fasting in the fear of the Lord, and I learnt that deliverance from envy cometh by the fear of God. 5 For if a man flee to the Lord, the evil spirit runneth away from him, and his mind is lightened. 6 And henceforward he sympathiseth with him whom he envied and forgiveth those who are hostile to him, and so ceaseth from his envy. 1 And my father asked ‘concerning τηε], because he saw that I was sad ; and I said unto him, 1 am 2 pained in my liver. For I mourned more than they all, because I was guilty of the selling of Joseph. 3 And when we went down into Egypt, and he bound me as a spy, I knew that 1 was suffering justly, 4and I grieved not. Now Joseph was a good man. and had the Spirit of God within him: being

II. 2. Simeon . . . heard her prayer. Cf. Gen. xxix. 33 for this play on the name. 4. liver. Here the spirit of war dwells, Τ. R. iii. 4. 6. jealous of Joseph. Cf. iv. 2, 3; and Targum Ps.-Jon. which attributes Gen. xxxvii. 19, 20 to Simeon and Levi. in many things 4 only. beyond 811 a only. 7. mind, ἧπατα. See 2. 4. prince of deceit. See T. R. ii. 1 (note). blinded my mind. Cf. T. R. iii. 8. 8. sent forth his angel and delivered. Dan. iii. 28; Acts xii. rr. Cf. Ps, xxxiv. 7, 8. ο. Reuben to Dothan. Reuben’s absence explains Gen. xxxvii. 21. Judah ... sold him. Cf. Gen. xxxvii. 26-8. .סג‎ heard these things, ἀκούσας c (cf. Gen. xxxvii. 21): ‘came’ ΒΑ 5), i.e. בשובו‎ for .בשמעו‎ Same corruption in v.11. restore cA = השיב‎ : ‘save’ 8-8 ]5' = .הושיע‎ 13. the Lord God ad: ‘the Lord’ 8-8 ל*‎ 60 68 1: ‘God’ Aabh,

11. 1. spirit of deceit and envy «AS*. Cf. ii. 7. ‘spirits’ ₪ % 3. and so long, &c. Perhaps render ‘ And he that is envied flourisheth, and’, &c. 4. afflicted my soul with fasting. Ps. xxxv.15. Cf. T. R. i. το. 6. forgiveth, ovyywaoxeraaefS' οὗ καταγινώσκε bdg A b* ede, are hostile to. The text has ‘love’ = in the Hebrew original אהביו‎ corrupt for YS.

1V. 4. Joseph is commended here and always in the Testaments except Naph. Cf. T. R. iv. 8-10. 3οι

compassionate and pitiful, he bore no malice against me; but loved me even as the rest of his

5 brethren. Beware, therefore, my children, of all jealousy and envy, and walk in singleness of BAS! heart, soul and with good heart, keeping in mind Joseph your father's brother,

that God may give ‘you also’ grace and glory, and blessing upon” your heads, even as ye saw in 6 Joseph’s case. All his days he reproached us not concerning this thing, but loved us as his own 7 soul, and beyond his own sons glorified us, and gave us riches, and cattle and fruits. Do ye also,

my children, love each one his brother with a good heart, and the spirit of envy will withdraw from 8 you. For this maketh savage the soul and destroycth the body; it causeth anger and war in the

mind, and stirreth up unto deeds of blood,

a 8 38 οἳ and leadeth the mind into frenzy, and leadeth the mind into frenzy, ‘and suffereth not prudence to act in men’; moreover, it taketh away sleep,

[and causeth tumult to the soul and trembling to the body].

9 For even in sleep some malicious jealousy, deluding him, gnaweth, and with wicked spirits dis- turbeth his soul, and causeth the body to be troubled, and waketh the mind from sleep in confusion ; and as a wicked and poisonous spirit, so appeareth it to men.

51 = Therefore was Joseph comely in appearance, and goodly to look upon, because no wickedness

2 dwelt in him; for some of the trouble of the spirit the face manifesteth. And now, my children,

Makc your hearts good before the Lord, And your ways straight before men, And ye shall find grace before the Lord and men. 3. Beware, therefore, of fornication, For fornication is mother of all evils, Separating from God, and bringing near to Beliar. For I have seen it inscribed in the writing of Enoch that your sons shall be corrupted in fornication,

5 and shall do harm to the sons of Levi with the sword. But they shall not be able to withstand Levi ;

6 for he shall wage the war of the Lord, and shall conquer ‘all’ your hosts. And they shall be few in number, divided in Levi and Judah, and there shall be none of you for sovereignty, cven as also our father prophesied in his blessings.

6 1,2 Behold I have told you all things, that I may be acquitted of your sin. Now, if ye remove from you your envy and all stiff-neckedness, As a rose shall my bones flourish in Israel, And as a lily my flesh in Jacob, And my odour shall be as the odour of Libanus ; And as cedars shall holy ones be multiplied from me for ever, And their branches shall stretch afar off.

5. singleness of heart. See T. Iss. iii. 2 (note). of heart a. ΒΑ 5) read ‘soul and (> Α 58) with good (‘pure? A®bh*edeg > A») heart, keeping in mind Joseph (> b) your father’s brother (‘brother’ A)’. d is corrupt. The twofold recension obviously goes back to the Hebrew original. 6. gave us riches, &c. Cf. Gen. xlvil. 11, 12. 7. love each one his brother. Cf. T. JR. vi. 9. will withdraw a &c.: ‘ put ye away’ 8-6 ₪ 51. | For ‘ withdraw’ cf. iii. 5, 6.

poisonous. Cf. T. R. v. 3; also ii. 2 (note).

the sons of Levi. ‘See T. R. vi. 5.

6. few in nnmber, divided in Leviand Judah. Cf. Gen. xlix.7. ‘I will divide them (Simeon and Levi) in Jacob and disperse them in Israel.’ Levi is omitted from this curse here, yet Levi claims the credit of destroying Shechem in Τ. L. vi. 4, and is praised for it in Jub. xxx. 18-23. Cf.T.L.v. 3. Contrast the tone of Gen. xlix. 6-7 and later Rabbinic tradition.

And a remnant shall not be unto Amalek,

‘And all the Cappadocians shall perish’,

And all the Hittites shall be utterly destroyed. + Then shall fail the land of Ham,

And all the people shall perish.

Then shall all the earth rest from trouble,

A\nd all the world under heaven from war.

Restored Text 5 5 Then the Mighty One of Israel shall glorify Then shall Shem (MSS. ‘ Seth’) be glorified, Shem, For the Lord our God shall appear on earth For the Lord God shall appear on earth, [as man| And Himself save men. And Himself saves again.

6 Then shall all the spirits of deceit be given to be trodden under foot, And men shall rule over wicked spirits.

7 Then shall I arise in joy, And will bless the Most High because of his marvellous works, [Because God hath taken a body and eaten with men and saved men].

7x And now, my children, obey Levi and Judah, and be not lifted up against these two tribes, for 2 from them shall arise unto you the salvation ‘of God’. For the Lord shall raise up from Levi as it were a High-priest,and from Judah as it were a King [God and man], He shall save all [the Gentiles 3.and] the race of Israel. Therefore I give you these commands that ye also may command your children, that they may observe them throughout their generations. 81 And when Simeon had made an end of commanding his sons, he slept with his fathers, being an 2 hundred and twenty years old. And they laid him in a wooden coffin, to take up his bones to 3 Hebron. And they took them up secretly during a war of the Egyptians. For the bones of Joseph 4 the Egyptians guarded in the tombs of the kings. For the sorcerers told them, that on the departure of the bones of Joseph there should be throughout all the land darkness and gloom, and an exceeding great plague to the Egyptians, so that even with a lamp a man should not recognize his brother. 9 1.2 And the sons of Simeon bewailed their father. And they were in Egypt until the day of their departure by the hand of Moses.

3. The destruction of Israel's foes. And all... perish > A. The Cappadocians seem to mean here the Caphtorim or Philistines. Cf. Deut. ii. 23, and note on Jub. xxiv. 29. Hittites, either חתי‎ * Hittites’ or כתים‎ (i. ₪. Greeks, or Macedonians). 4. all the people. Which people? λαός generally refers to Israel, and so perhaps the Messianic ὠδίνες are meant. 5-8. A Theophany. God Himself comes to save men, subdues the evil spirits, and raises the righteous. 5. For other Theophanies see T. L. ii. 11, v. 2, viii. 11; T. Jud. xxii. 2; Τ. 7. ix. 8; Τ. Ν. viii. 3; T. A. vii. 3. the Mighty One of Israel. So 8S A **98 58 (in 2nd clause), while a reads µέγα τῷ Ἰσραήλ (in 151 clause). shall glorify. Conjectured from ἐνδοξασθήσεται, all MSS., i. 6. T23° corrupt for 733°. Shem. SobdA>*c4eg: ‘Seth’ ל* ב‎ 5: ‘thesign’aS-bdS. Possibly σημεῖον = f?¥ misread for }P¥ = «Zion’, jas man] αβ-α 5, a Christian addition. and Himself save men: lit. = ‘and save in Himself the Adam’ αβ5. ἐν αὐτῷ (or éavra) = yoyya, which the translator should have rendered by αὐτός. | האדם‎ defied translation into Greek, hence τὸν ᾿Αδάμ. This third clause is wanting in A®* 5 8 6 8 and Corrupt in A®>», For this primitive view of the Messianic kingdom as a visible Theocracy cf. 1 En. xxv. 3, xxvii. 1. It will be on this earth, and the righteous dead will rise to share in it. 6. Cf. Luke x. 19, 20 ‘to tread . . . on every power of the enemy’, ‘the spirits are subject unto you’. Cf. T. L. xviii. 12. Basedon Ps. xci. 13. 7. [Because God hath taken a body, &c.] Cf. a like Christian interpolation in T. A. vii. 3; also T. D. v. 134, vi. 9. VII. 1. and Judah 6: ‘and in Judah shall ye (‘ we’ A&* 94!

8) be redeemed’ hBAS. be not lifted up. Cf. T. R. vi. 5. from them shall arise . . . salvation. See T. R. vi. 5-12 (note). 2. Levi’s supremacy is here (with the text of .א‎ viii. 2) alone in this work limnited to the pricsthood. all the Gentiles. See T. B. ix. 2 (note). VIII. 2. wooden coffin a A>*°4¢fg; ‘coffin of incorruptible wood’ ק-8‎ A*®>1S, during a war of the Egyptians BAS. See T. B. xil. 3 (note). 4. tombs a: ‘treasure-houses’ 8 46 5. Ps.-Jon. on Gen. 1. 26 says, ‘they embalmed him and placed him in a coffin and sank him in the middle of the Nile of Egypt.’ Cf. Exod, rabba .אא‎ 17. R. Nathan says Joseph was buried in Pharaoh’s palace. . 2 Reason for the guarding of Joseph’s bones. Why should the darkness be chosen for mention out of all the gues ? IX. 1. their father + ‘according to the law of mourning’ 8 S.

393

1: The copy of the words of Levi, the things which he ordained unto his sons, according to all that 2 they should do, and what things should befall them until the day of judgement. He was sound in health when he called them to him; for it had been revealed to him that he should die. And when they were gathered together he said to them: 21.2 I, Levi, was born in Haran, and I came with my father to Shechem. And I was young, about 3 twenty years of age, when, with Simcon, I wrought vengeance on Hamor for our sister Dinah. And when I was feeding the flocks in Abel-Maul, the spirit of understanding of the Lord came upon me, and I saw all men corrupting their way, and that unrighteousness had built for itself walls, and law- 4 lessness sat upon towers. And I was grieving for the race of the sons of men, and I prayed to the 5 Lord that I might be saved. Then there fell upon me a sleep, and I beheld a high mountain, and 6 I was upon it. And behold the heavens were opened, and an angel of God said to me, Levi, enter.

a Ae 8 8 ו5‎ ל‎ And I entered from the first 7. And when I had entered And I entered from the first 7 heaven, and I saw there a great | into the first heaven. fand he | heaven into the second, and I sea hanging. escorted raised met to the | saw there a sea hanging between second. And I saw there a | the one and the other. great sea hanging.

8 And further T saw a second And further I saw a third 8 heaven far brighter and more heaven far brighter and more brilliant, for there was a bound- brilliant than these two; for less light also therein. there was also a_ boundless

theight therein.

9 And I said to the angel, Why ο. And I said unto him: And I said unto the angel: 9 is this so? And the angel said | What is this, Lord? And he | Wherefore is it so? And the

to me, Marvel not at this, for | said unto me: angel said unto me: Marvel not

thou shalt see another heaven at these; for thou shalt see four

more brilliant and incomparable. other heavens more brilliant and incomparable,

TITLE. Soa: ‘Testament of Levi concerning the priesthood’ ב-8‎ 6 6 AS: +‘ and arrogance’ bdefA*cdetg, 1. 1. until the day of judgement. This event is therefore conceived as near to the time of the writer. revealed to him. Levi has several revelations.

II. 2. about twenty years; eighteen according to T. L. xii. §. Jub. xxviii. 13, 14 makes Simeon two years older. 3. Abel-Maul = the Abel-meholah of the O.T. e.g. Judges vii. 22. corrupting their way. Cf. Gen. vi. 12. unrighteousness had built . . . towers 8 AC4°8 51: ‘sin was built upon a wall and unrighteousness sat upon towers’ a. Cf. 1 En. xci. 5 ‘ unrighteousness will come to an end, . .. and its whole structure will be destroyed’. Cf. also Zech. v. 8-11. After 3 6 makes a long addition, describing the call and purifying of Levi. 5. and I was upon ita. ‘This is the mountain of the shield in Abelmaul’ ₪ A®* 8. See Τ. L. vi. 1.

11. 7-11. The original passage described three heavens, but it has been worked up to include seven. The first heaven really has the great sea, as τ’. 8 in a shows, for the second heaven is further on. This second becomes the third in β ΑΡ 5%. “Again in 9, 10 « speaks of ‘ another heaven’. β A® S? makes ‘four other heavens’ of it. In 10 the word ‘thither’ and the general effect require no more than one heaven. In iii. 1-4 a once more gives us three heavens, and God dwelling in the highest. § ΑΗ 51 makes four of the first two, and then passes at a leap to the highest, which in verses 5-8 we find has two or three others between it and the fourth or third heaven. a also has undergone alteration in verses 5-8 and mentions three other heavens.

The doctrine of the seven heavens was prevalent in Judaism before and after the time of Christ. See e.g. 2 En. iii-xxi ; Talmud, Chag. 12>; 4 Ezra vii. 81-7.

Christian apocalypses like Asc. Isa. followed Hebrew teaching on this point. Thus the redaction originated in Hebrew, and has been betrayed by the testimony of the first and better of the two independent Greek Versions —a. That they are independent is shown by iii. 2 κρίσεως, a: προστάγµατος, β, 111. 6 θυσίαν, a: προσφοράν, B ; iii. 9 τρέµοµεν, a : σαλευόµμεθα, β.

light. Text = ‘height’ = לבה‎ corrupt for 733, ‘light’ or ‘brightness’. So read נה‎ = φέγγος or φῶς instead of גבהּ‎ = ὕψος.

g. Note that the one heaven in a becomes four in 4.

304

a

ΑπΠά when thou hast ascended‏ סנ thither, Thou shalt stand near‏

the Lord, And shalt be His minister, And shalt declare His mys- teries to men,

And shalt proclaim concerning

Him that shall redeemf Israel.

Az 10. When thou hast ascended thither, Thou shalt stand before the Lord, And shalt be His minister, And his coming mysteries thou shalt declare unto men.

And by thee and Judah shall the Lord appear among men.‏ זז

"Saving every race of men."

15 And from the Lord’s portion shall be thy life, And He shall be thy field and vineyard,

And fruits, gold, and silver.

a

Hear, therefore, regarding the heavens which have been shown to thee. The lowest is for this cause gloomy unto thee, in that it beholds all the unrighteous deeds of men.

31

2 And it has fire, snow, and |

ice made ready for the day of judgement, in the righteous judgement of God ; for in it are all the spirits of the retributions for vengeance on men.

3 And in the second are the hosts of the armies which are ordained for the day of judge- ment, to work vengeance on the spirits of deceit and of Beliar. And above them are the holy ones.

10-12. Levi has not yet ascended into the third heaven; in fact he does not do so till v. 1. anticipate in 10-12, and resumes his account in iii. 1. 1ο. Levi is to be made priest on ascending into the third heaven. stand near the Lord, and shalt be His minister.

the redemption of Israel.

Ae

> Ar

ו5 8 8

When thou hast ascended 0 thither. ‘Because’ thou shalt stand near the Lord,

And shalt be His minister,

And His mysteries shalt thou declare to men,

And shalt proclaim concern- ing the redemption of Israel.

Hear, therefore, regarding the 1 seven heavens. The lowest is for this cause gloomier, since it beholds all the unrighteous deeds of men.

The second has fire, snow, ice 2 ready for the day of the ordi- nance of the Lord in the righteous judgement of God. In it are all the spirits of the retri- butions for vengeance on the lawless.

In the third are the hosts of 3 the armies which_are ordained for the day of judgement, to work vengeance on the spirits of de- ceit and of Beliar. tAnd those in the fourtht who are above these are holy.

The angel appears to

Otherwise 10-12 would follow naturally on iv. 2.

See v. 1, 2.

Cf. Deut. x. 8, .וטא‎ 11; Jub. xxxi. 14.

Af alone preserves the original reading. a@8S are all moditied by Christian influence to ‘ Him that shall redeem Israel ’.

11. by thee and Judah. See Τ. R. vi. 5-12 (note). appear among men. That God Himself would appear and dwell with men was the older Jewish view in the second century 8.0. Cf. Τ. 5. vi. 5 (note); Τ. L. v. 2; 1 En. xxv. 3. Saving every race of men > A. See Τ. 5. vi. 5 (note). 12. from the Lord’s portion. See viii. 16 (note). Cf. Deut. xxxii. 9; Sir. xvil. 17, where Israel is the Lord’s portion.

11]. 1. gloomy ... in that it beholds, ὃς. Cf. 2 Bar. lili. 5, Ivi. 5, 7 ‘the black waters’. Apoc. Esdrae; Apoc. Pauli 4; and see James, 7exts and Studies, V. 1. 67.

2. The first (a) heaven contains the instruments of God’s retribution for sin. that the treasuries of the ice and snow, and the great sea, are in the first heaven. for the day of judgement. Cf. εἰς ἐκδίκησιν ἔκτισται, Sir. xxxix. 29. Cf. also Sir. xxxix. 28, 30 and xl. 9, 10.

spirits of the retributions. Natural phenomena are the agents of punishment, but they are under the control of spirits or angels. Cf. 1 En. Ix. 12.

on the lawless, ‘on men’ a, by textual corruption. Cf. Sir. xl. 10.

but in the fourth heaven and for a different purpose.

+And those in the fourtht. The β recension here cannot be cleared up by a, as it was independently altered by the redactor. Verse 8 in 8 naturally refers to the fourth heaven, which therefore need not be mentioned here. Perhaps we should read ‘ and the four heavens above. these are holy והארבעה .1.6 ל‎ for .ושברביעי‎ This gives a point to the ‘for’ in v. 4 (8).

above them are the holy ones a. ‘These are the angels. For the first passage in which the abode of the

1105.2 305 x

Cf. also 3 Baruch viii;

2 En. tii. 3; v. 1 also holds, like «a,

2 En. xvii gives us an armed host,

a

4 And in the highest of all dwelleth the Great Glory, far above all holiness.

5 In [the heaven next to] it are the archangels, who minister and make propitiation to the Lord for all the sins of igno- rance of the righteous ;

6 Offering to the Lord a sweet- smelling savour, a reasonable and a bloodless offering.

7 And [in the heaven below this] are the angels who bear tanswers to the angels of the presence of the Lord.

8 An fin the heaven next to this} are thrones and dominions, in which always they offer praise to God.

ap AB S!

ο When, therefore, the Lord looketh upon us, all of us are shaken; yea, the heavens, and the earth, and the abysses are shaken at the presence of His majesty.

Ac 4. And tthe Holy One of the holy ones} is above all holiness.

g. When, therefore, the Lord looketh upon all creation, the heavens and the earth and the abysses are shaken.

For in the Highest of all 4 dwelleth the Great Glory, in the holy of holies, far above all holiness.

And in [the heaven next to] 5 it are the angels of the presence of the Lord, who minister and make propitiation to the Lord for all the sins of ignorance of the righteous.

And they offer to 106 6 Lord a sweet-smelling savour, a reasonable and _ bloodless offering.

And in [the heaven below] ל‎ are the angels who bear the answers to the angels of the presence of the Lord.

And in the heaven next to8 this are thrones and dominions in which always praises are offered to God.

10 But the sons of men, having no perception of these things, sin and provoke the Most High.

Because when the rocks are being rent,

And the sun quenched, And the waters dried up,

Now, therefore, know that the Lord shall execute judgement upon the sons of men.

blessed even after judgement is heaven is in + En. civ. 2, ciii. 4, 6, xli. 2, li. 4, i.e. between 100 and 50 B.C. The intermediate abode of souls—-even of the righteous—is Sheol at this date, 1 En. xxii. 4-9, 11. 1, 6 5 (cf. 4 Ezra iv. 41);

2 Macc. vi. 23. 4. the Great Glory.

1 En, xiv. 20, ο. 3. Cf. 1 En. xxv. 3, 7, xlvii. 3.

5-8. Even a here has been interpolated. The sixth, fifth, and fourth heavens are introduced, but there is still a gap between ο. 3 and ₪. 8, as there is no third heaven mentioned in 3 (a). The descending order is a witness to the original text, which thus enumerated the angels in the third heaven.

spoken of in Exod. xxv. 9, 40; Num, viii. 4, and was already a familiar idea.

See my Commentary 22 foc. The

intercession of angels occurs in Zech. i. 12; Job v. 1, xxxiii. 23, and especially in 1 En. ix. 3, xv. 2, Ixxxix. 76. 6

T. D. vi. 2. sins of ignorance. 6. reasonable, λογικήν. behalf.

Cf. too + En. xxxix. 5, xlvii. 2, xl. 6, civ. 1. Cf. Τ. R. i. 6; T. Jud. xix. 3; T. Z. i. 5.

Cf. Rom. xii. 1. Cf. Origen, De Orat. xi λογικὴν iepovpyiav, of Raphael offering on Tobit’s

For λειτουργοῦντες cf. Heb. i. 14.

bloodless offering. Cf. Essenes’ objection to bloody sacrifices. Cf. Philo ii. 457.

Perhaps we should render ‘bear the answers for the

angels of the presence’, or ‘of the angels’, &c. (as g). The analogy of Rev. v. 8, however, would suggest תפלות‎ Cf. 3 Bar. xi-xii; Apoc. Pauli vii-x; Origen, De /riac. i. 8. 1-

* prayers’ instead of תשובות‎ ‘answers’.

Cf. Col. i. τό: Eph. i. 21: 2 En. xx. 1.

they offer praise. Cf. 2 En. xvii, xviii.

g. This verse and Sir. xvi. 18, {9 are independent versions of a lost Hebrew original. Thus a has τρέµοµεν, B σαλευόµεθα, Greek of Sir. συνσείονται.

Ass. Mos, x. 4.

Cf. 1 En. lxvii. 11.

waters dried up.

Cf. Pss. Sol. xvii. 21; Ass. Mos. x. 6; 4 Ezra vi. 24.

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Moreover a and 8 differ.

For parallels cf. Judges v. 4; Isa. Ixiv.1; Judith xvi. 15 ;

And the fire cowering,

And all creation troubled,

And the invisible spirits melting away,

And Hades taketh spoils through the visitations of the Most High,

Men will be unbelieving and persist in their iniquity.

On this account with punishment shall they be judged. 2 ‘Therefore! the Most High hath heard thy prayer,

To separate thee from iniquity, and that thou shouldst become to Him a son,

And a servant, and a minister of His presence. 8 The light of knowledge shalt thou light up in Jacob,

And as the sun shalt thou be to all the seed of Israel. 4 And there shall be given to thee a blessing, and to all thy seed,

Until the Lord shall visit all the Gentiles in His tender mercies for ever. 5 ‘And! therefore there have been given to thee counsel and understanding,

That thou mightst instruct thy sons concerning this ; 6 Because they that bless {Him shall be blessed,

And they that 61567 Him shall perish. 1 And thereupon the angel opened to me the gates of heaven, and I saw the holy temple, and upon 2 a throne of glory the Most High. And He said to me: Levi, I have given thee the blessings of the 3 priesthood until I come and sojourn in the midst of Israel. Then the angel brought me down to the _earth, and gave me a shield and a sword, and said to me: Execute vengeance on Shechem because 4 of Dinah, thy sister, and I will be with thee because the Lord hath sent me. And I destroyed at 5 that time the sons of Hamor, as it is written in the heavenly tables. And I said to him: I pray 6 thee, O Lord, tell me Thy name, that I may call upon Thee in a day of tribulation. And he said:

I am the angel who intercedeth for the nation of Israel that they may not be smitten utterly, 7 for every evil spirit attacketh it. And after these things I awaked, and blessed the Most High, and the angel who intercedeth for the nation of Israel and for all the righteous.

And Hades taketh spoils. Cf. Isa. v.14. Or a Christian addition-—‘and Hades is despoiled *, σκυλευοµένου being taken in a passive not middle sense. visitations. A difficult but possible rendering of πάθει. If an interpolation,= * passion’. unbelieving and persist. Cf. Rev. xvi. ο, 11, 21; 1 En. Ixvii. 12, 13. For ἀπιστοῦντες B-d APS we have ἀπειβοῦντες, ‘ disobedient ’ a d. 2. become to Him a son. Already in the second century B.C. we find the individual Israelite viewed as a son of God. Cf. Sir. xxiii. 1, li. 10 (Syriac); Jub. i. 24 (note). minister of His presence. Cf. Jub. xxxi. 14. 3. The light of knowledge. See xviii. 3 (note). 4. This ‘ blessing’ is probably God's blessing on Levi, as Jub. xxxi. 13, not that pronounced by the priests (Τ. R. vi. 10, note), or the priestly privileges, 1. L. v. 2. Until the Lord shall visit. Cf. v. 2. in His tender mercies. αβ ΑΑ 5 read ‘in His Son's tender mercies ’. Ας reads in 4 ‘And it shall come to pass in the last days that God shall send [His Son] to save the created things [and thy sons shall lay hands on and crucify Him]’. αβ ΑΒ 5 also have the last clause—an obvious Christian addition. 6. For ‘ Him’ read ‘ thee’, as in Isaac’s blessing of Levi in Jub. xxxi. 17.

the holy temple. With xviii. 6 and perhaps iii. 4 (8 A® 91), the earliest reference to the heavenly temple. Cf. Rev. xi. 19, xvi. 17 and contrast Rev. xxi. 22.

and upon . . . Most High 8 AS: ‘the Holy Most High One sitting upon a throne’ a.

3. 8 821616. See vi. 1.

Execute vengeance. Yet Levi ssys ‘ we sinned’ in vi. 7.

heavenly tables 8 AS". See T. A. ii. 10, vii. 5 )8 A 51): ‘tables of the fathers’ a, perhaps better. Cf, Jub. XXX, 23.

6. angel who intercedeth for the nation of Israel. See my Commentary i /oc. παραιτούµενος rd γένος )3-0 : προϊστάμενος τοῦ γένους d: παρεπόµενος τοῦ γένους a: φύλαξ τοῦ γ. A: σώζων τὸ y. 5% a seems a bad rendering of 325, as in D. vi. 2a. dAS'=‘protector’. For 8-0 cf. Asc. Is. ix. 23 (Latin and Slavonic) * 1516 est magnus angelus Michael deprecans semper pro humanitate ’. , \

This angel then appears to be Michael. ΟΕ Dan. x. 13, 21, xii. 1. Also see 1 En. xx. 7, which limits his good offices to the righteous in Israel, cf. Τ. L. v. 7. He intercedes for Israel, 1 En. lxxxix. 76, helps Israel, xc. 14 and opposes the angels of the heathen nations in Dan. x-xii. God Himself is Israel’s Patron in Deut. xxxii. 8-9 (LXX) ; Sir. xvii. 17 ; Jub. xv. 31, 32; Hebrew T. Naph. ix. 5, and only the other nations have angel-patrons. Or it may be the angel of peace that is referred to here. Cf. T. D. vi. 5: Dan. x. 5-6, 11% 12-14, 19-21, xi-xiil. See also 1. A. vi. 6; T. B. vi. 1; 1 En. xi. 8, lii. 5, liii. 4, &c., for this angel as a guide. He is distinct from Michael, Dan. x. 13; 1 Επ. xl. 8-9. -

utterly . . . attacketh it >a.

6 ן‎ And when I was going to my father, | found a brazen shield ; wherefore also the name of the 2 mountain is Aspis, which is ncar Gebal, to the south of Abila. And I kept these words in my aheart. And after this I counselled my father, and Reuben my brother, to bid the sons of Hamor

not to be circumcised ; for I was zealous because of the abomination which they had wrought on

4.5 my sister. And I slew Shechem first, and Simeon slew Hamor. And after this my brothers 6 came and smote ‘that! city with the edge of the sword. And my father heard ‘these things! and

was wroth, and he was gricved in that they had received the circumcision, and after that had been 7 put to death, and in his blessings hc tlooked amiss upon us. For we sinned because we had done א‎ this thing against his will, and he was sick on that day. But I saw that the sentence of God was for evil upon Shechem; for they sought to do to Sarah ‘and Rebecca! as they had done to Dinah our 9 sister, but the Lord prevented them. And they persecuted Abraham our father when he was a stranger, and they vexed his flocks when they were big with young ; and Eblacn, who was born in his סו‎ house, they most shamefully handled. And thus they did to all strangers, taking away their 11 wives by force, and they fbanished them. But the wrath of the Lord came upon them to the uttermost.

7 And I said to my father Jacob: By thee will the Lord despoil the Canaanites, and will give 2 their land to thec and to thy seed after thee. For from this day forward shall Shechem be 3 called a city of imbeciles ; for as a man mocketh a fool, so did we mock them. Because also 4 they had wrought folly in Isracl by defiling my sister. And we departed and came to Bethel.

δι: And there again I saw a vision as the former, after we had spent there seventy days. And I saw seven nicn in white raiment saying untomec: Arise, put on the robe of the pricsthood, and the crown of right- cousness. and the breastplate of understanding, and the garment of truth, and the plate of faith, and the

3 turban of the thead, and the cphod of prophecy. And they severally carried (these things) and put (them) on me, and said unto me: From henceforth become a priest of the Lord, thou and thy seed for

VI..1. shield. Prof. Sayce suggests this = JY’, 1-6. Mount Hermon (Deut. ii. 9) which is 10 miles SE. of Abilene, but 40 miles from Gebal. wherefore διό. ἐν ᾧ a. 2. 1 Κερί ... heart. Ct. Dan. iv. 25 LXX (contrast LXX in vil. 28); Luke ti. 19. 3- my brother > c. not 6 only. Jub. xxx. 1-4; Josephus, vé. i. 21. 1 omit the circumcision of the Shechemites. Levi was opposed to their circumcision as he intended to avenge the insult donc to his sister. on my sister a A*: ‘in Israel’ 8 ΛΑ ο]. 4-5. Cf. Gen. xxxiv. 25-7, where the other sons of Jacob ‘ came upon the slain and spoiled the city’. 6. Cf. Gen. xxxiv. 30; Jub. xxx. 25. Gen. says Jacob reproached Simeon and Levi. looked amiss. παρεῖδεν a: ‘did inequitably’, ἄλλως ἐποίησεν B~d g ΑΒ 51. 7. he was sick cb: ‘1 was sick’ h&-bAS?. 8. upon Shechem >a. and Rebeeca >a. The Shechemites had done nothing to Sarah and Rebecca—for the incidents at Gerar see Gen. xx. 3, -1צאא‎ 7. 9. Also not m Genesis. 10. their wives ]3-8 ] .\ 51: ras ξένας aa f, i. ₪. wives of guests or strangers. banished, a mistranslation of ידיחון‎ ‘seduced thein’ (to idolatry). or ‘forced them’, as Prov. vii. 21. See Jub. ANN. 7-17, where intermarriage with heathen involves the death penalty, as in the case of the Shechemites. Marriage with a Gentile was considered equivalent to worship of the Gentile idols. 11. of the Lord ] οἱ: ‘of God’ a. This verse, adopted by δι. Paul in 1 Thess. ii. 16, seems to be based on Gen. xxx¥. 5 and presupposes חמת‎ YM instead of NAN WM. Jub. xxx. 26 reads the latter.

VIL. 1. Jacob a: ‘be not angry my (af g: > A®) lord Jacob (> d)’ B-bAS’. 2. a city of imbeciles. Cf. Sir. 1. 26—of Shechem. 3. wrought folly in Israel. Gen. xxxiv. 7 ; Jub. xxx. 5. 4. And we + ‘took our sister’ 2 6 ₪ came to Bethel. Cf. Jub. xxxi. 3; Gen. xxxv. 6.

VIII. 1. For this vision cf. Jub. xxxii. 1, where, however, Levi has already visited Isaac and returned to Bethel. Sec T. L. ix. 1. 2. Seven men. For the ‘seven angels’ cf. Ezek. ix. 2, and for their names see 1 En. xx. \ robe of the priesthood, &c. See my Commentary 22 foc. Cf. Exod. xxviii. 4, 36-8, xxix. 51 Sir xiv. 8-12; Philo, d Vita Mos. iii. 11-14; Josephus, Anz. ili, 7. 1-6. robe = NiN3 or tunic of every pricst. crown = ΠΙΟ). breastplate of understanding. Cf. ‘breastplate of judgement’, Exod. xxviii. 15 ; cf. Sir. xlv. Το. garment —the long outer robe or ποδήµης. plate = πέταλον or 135. See Lacye. Bid. iil. 3157. turban of the jhead. ‘The µίτρα should have some virtue or power associated with it. So for U'NT (κεφαλῆς a), and מופת‎ (σημείου b de g ΑΝ, corrupted to στηθίον a fS4), we must read YO", * uprightness’. ephod of prophecy. Cf. 1 Sam. xxiil. 9, 10. 6 , : \ 3. ₪ priest...ever 2.2 οἱ. ‘A priest, thou and all thy = Μα. Cf. Jub. xxxii. 1, which supports 8 AS". 30

4,5 ever. And the first anointed me with holy oil, and gave to me the staff of judgement. The second washed me with pure water, and fed me with bread and wine (even) the most holy things. and clad 6. 7 me with a holy and glorious robe. ‘The third clothed me with a linen vestment like an ephod. The 8. 9 fourth put round me a girdle like unto purple. The fifth gave me a branch of rich olive. The sixth סו‎ placed a crown on my head. ‘The seventh placed on my head a diadem of priesthood, and filled my זז‎ hands with incense, that I might serve as priest to the Lord God. And they said to me: Levi, thy 12 seed shall be divided into three offices, for a sign of the glory of the Lord who is to come. And the 13 first portion shall be great ; yea, greater than it shall none be. The second shall be in the pricst- 14 hood. And the third shall be called by a new name, because a king shall arise in Judah, and shall 15 establish a new priesthood, after the {fashion of the Gentiles [to all the Gentiles]. And His presence is beloved, as a prophet of the Most High, of the seed of Abraham our father. 6ו‎ Therefore, every desirable thing in Israel shall be for thee and for thy seed, And ye shall eat everything fair to look upon, And the table of the Lord shall thy seed apportion. 17, And some of them shall be high priests, and judges, and scribes ; For by their mouth shall the holy place be guarded. 18,19 And when I awoke, I understood that this (dream) was like the first dream. And [ hid this also in my heart, and told it not to any man upon the earth. 91,2 And after two days I and Judah went up with our father Jacob to Isaac our father’s father.

And my father’s father blessed me according to all the words of the visions which I had seen. And 3 he would not come with us to Bethel. "And when we came to Bethel', my father saw a vision 4 concerning me, that I should be their priest unto God. And he rose up early in the morning, 5 and paid tithes of all 'to the Lord' through me. And ‘so! we came to Ifebron to dwell there. 6 And Isaac called me continually to put me in remembrance of the law of the Lord, even as the

5, bread and wine, (even) the most holy things οἳ Η οἱ: «holy bread and wine’ h.\. Cf. Gen. xiv. 18. Is Christian influence apparent here ?

9-10. SoafS!: ‘And the sixth filled my hands with incense that ] might serve as priest before the Lord’ A*: ‘And the sixth placed a diadem of priesthood on my head and the seventh filled,’ &c. A®*: ‘And the sixth and the seventh gave me a diadem of priesthood and again filled,’ &c. \ fg,

filled my hands. This = ordination. Cf. Exod. xxviii. 41. Goda: >BAS.

a new name: ‘priests of the Most High God’. Cf. Gen. xiv. 18 (Melchizedek); also .\ss. Mos. vi. 13 Josephus, Ant. xvi. 6. 2; Jub. -וואאצ‎ 1, xxxvi. 16; T. LC. viii. 15.

king. See 1 Macc. xiv. 41. Simon was ἀρχιερεύς, στρατηγός, and ἐθνάρχης.

in Judah, ‘ out of Judah’ a8: ‘in Judah’ A, possibly.

new priesthood. Cf. xviii. 2.

after the fashion of the Gentiles, &c. ₪ 8-0 40 5: ‘a new priesthood to all the Gentiles’ d. The bracketed words may go back to a dittography in the Hebrew. For ‘after the fashion’ read perhaps as in the note in my Com- mentary ‘for a mediator’,

15. Verses 14-15 date this work in the time of the Maccabean dynasty. Verse 15 dates it under John Hyrcanus, who alone of the Maccabees is credited with the gift of prophecy, Josephus, Aed/. Ziad. i. 2. 8. Cf. refs. in T. L. xviii. 6 (note). Moreover, it must be earlier than his struggle with the Pharisees.

beloved uaf 57: * unutterable’ 3-af A. 16. Cf. Isaac's blessing of levi in Jub. xxxi. 16; also T. Jud. xxi. 5; Sir. xlv. 21. 17. Cf. Jub. xxxi. 15. guarded §-af 45 : ‘taken’ af (ch imply). by their mouth = * 31 their word’. -או-18‎ 9. Cf. Aramaic Fragment, Appendix 11 in Commentary. 19. The first dream vision is also kept secret by Levi. Cf. vi. 2.

ΙΧ. 1. Here the visit to Isaac follows the dream vision of 1. L. viii. In Jub. xxxi. 13-17 the visit and Isaac's blessing precede the vision at Bethel in xxxii. 1. to Isaac. Isaac was living in Abraham’s house (Jub. xxxi. 5) in Hebron (v. 5, Gen. .טאאא‎ 27). Cf. Aram. and Gk. Frag. v. 11. 2. Cf. Jub. xxxi. 13-17. he would not come. Cf. Jub. xxxi. 27. 3. and when... Bethel abeg. In Jub. xxxii. 1 Levi, not Jacob, has this vision. If ‘ Jacob’ be read there for * Levi’, the difference in order mentioned in ix. 1 (nove) would be removed. unto God 3 5%: ‘before the Lord’ A: < ₪ 4. Cf. Jub. xxxii. 2. s At Hebron Isaac was living. 6-14. These instructions Abraham gives to Isaac in Jub. xxi. 1-23.

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7 angel of the Lord showed unto me. And he taught me the law of the priesthood, of sacrifices,

whole burnt-offerings, first-fruits, freewill-offerings, peace-offerings. And each day he was instructing‏ א

y me, and was busied on my behalf before the Lord, and said to me: Beware of the spirit of

10 fornication; for this shall continue and shall by thy seed pollute the holy place. Take, therefore,

to thyself a wife without blemish or pollution, while yet thou art young, and not of the race of

11 Strange nations. And before entering into the holy place, bathe; and when thou offerest the

12 Sacrifice, wash ; and again, when thou finishest the sacrifice, wash. Of twelve trees having leaves

13 offer to the Lord, as Abraham taught me also. And of every clean beast ‘and bird” offer a

14 sacrifice to the Lord. And of all thy first-fruits and of wine offer the first, as a sacrifice to the Lord God; and every sacrifice thou shalt salt with salt.

10Ο, Now, therefore, observe whatsoever I command you, children; for whatsoever things I have

2 heard from my fathers ‘I have declared unto you. And behold’ I am clear from your ungodliness

and transgression, which ye shall commit in the end of the ages [against the Saviour of the

world, Christ, acting Sagres deceiving Israel, and stirring up against it great evils from the

3 Lord. And ye shall deal lawlessly together with Israel, so He shall not bear with Jerusalem

because of your wickedness; but the veil of the temple shall be rent, so as not to cover your

4shame. And ye shall be scattered as captives among the Gentiles, and shall be for a reproach

5 and for a curse there. For the house which the Lord shall choose shall be called Jerusalem,

as is contained in the book of Enoch the righteous.

11 1, 2 Therefore when I took a wife I was twenty-eight years old, and her name was Melcha. And

she conceived and bare a son, and I called his name Gersam, for we were sojourners in our land.

3: 4 And I saw concerning him, that he would not be in the first rank. And Kohath was born in the

5 thirty-fifth year of my 1165 towards sunrise. And I saw in a vision that he was standing on high

6 in the midst of all the congregation. Therefore I called his name Kohath [which is, beginning of

7 majesty and instruction]. And she bare me a third son, in the fortieth year of my life; and since

his mother bare him with difficulty, I called him Merari, that is, ‘my bitterness,’ because he also was

7. law of the priesthood, 1.6. מִשָפט‎ ‘ custom’ or ‘ prerogatives’ of the priests. Cf. Deut. xviii. 3. Cf. the peace- offerings and thank-offerings in Jub. xxi. 7-9. δ. before the Lord > a. ο. beware of . . . fornication. Cf. Jub. xxi. 21-2; Aram. and Gk. Frag. 14, 16; Τ. R. 1. 6, &c. holy place, or ‘ holy things’. 10. Take . . . a wife. Cf. Aram. and Gk. Frag. 17. 11. For these ablutions cf. Jub. xxi. 16; Aram. and Gk. Frag. 19, 21, 3. wash, νίπτου, 1.6. the hands and the feet, whereas ‘ bathe’, λούον, refers to the whole body. 12. trees having leaves ag; ‘evergreen trees’ B-g A. See Aram. and Gk. Frag. 23-4; Jub. xxi. 12. 13. and bird > A. 14. of ... first fruits . . . the first. Cf. Ezek. xliv. 30 (Heb.) ; Sir. xlv. 20 (Gk.). as a sacrifice to the Lord God a: ‘ a sacrifice unto the Lord’ af: ‘unto the Lord’ deg Af 51: > b. and every sacrifice thou shalt salt with salt >a. Cf. Jub. xxi. 11; Lev. ii. 13; Mark ix. 49, 5ο.

{against the Saviour . . . godlessly.] A Christian addition. ‘Christ’ 6 only: ‘ acting godlessly’ 8 A S4. stirring up ... evils. Cf. Isa. x. 26, &c. 3. together with Israel 6 Α 51: ‘in Israel’ ₪ the veil, καταπέτασµα c(h plur.) ; cf. Mark xv. 38. ἔνδυμα 8-d A 5 suggests that τοῦ ναοῦ is an interpolation, and that the rending of garments is spoken of ; cf. Isa. xxii. 8. Α΄ inserts κόσμου before τοῦ ναοῦ. 4. there + ‘and a trampling under foot’ BAS. Cf. Isa. xxviii. 18. 5. This verse seems to be an addition or at least an afterthought. the house which the Lord shall choose. 1 En. Ixxxix. 54 calls Jerusalem ‘ the house of the Lord '. which the Lord shall choose. Deut. xii. 5, 6 the book of Enoch. The references to Enoch in the Testaments are suspicious. See my Commentary, ΡΡ. 49-5ο. References occur in T. S. v. 4; Τ. L-. x. 5, xiv. 1 (> a), xvi. 1 (> a); Τ. Jud. xviii. 1 (>a); Τ. D.v.6; Τ. N.iv.1; Τ. B. ix. 1 (> A). Four of these belong to the first century 8.C., and only in two, Τ. 5. ν. 4, T. N. iv. 1, of the others do all our authorities agree. S* further refers to Enoch in T. A. ii. 10, vii. 1, 5. AL. 1. See xii. 5. Melcha. Gk. and Syr. Frag. 62 and Jub. xxxiv. 20. 2. Gersam. Cf. Gen. xvi. 11. sojourners. Cf. Exod. ii. 22: ‘in a land of sojourning’ a.

5-6. Cf. Aram. and Gk. Frag. 67, which also suggests a paronomasia of קהת‎ and bap ‘congregation’. The brackets indicate a gloss. The Gk. Frag. 67 adds ‘and his seed shall be ἀμχὴ βασιλέων iepdrevpa.’ Cf. here ἀρχὴ μεγαλείου καὶ συμβιβασμός.

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g like to die. And Jochebed was born in Egypt, in my sixty-fourth year, for I was renowned then in the midst of my brethren. 21,2 And Gersam took a wife,and she bare to him Lomni and Semei. And the sons of Kohath, 3. 4 Ambram, Issachar, Hebron, and Ozeel. And the sons of Merari, Mooli, and Mouses. And ‘in the ninety-fourth year' Ambram took Jochebed my daughter to him to wife, for they were born in one 5 day, he and my daughter. Eight years old was I when I went intothe land of Canaan, and eighteen years when I slew Shechem, and at nineteen years I became priest, and at twenty-eight years I took 6 a wife, and at forty-eight I went into Egypt. And behold, my children, ye are a third generation. 7 In my hundred and eighteenth year Joseph died. 18, And now, my children, 1 command you: Fear the Lord your God ‘with your whole heart’, And walk in simplicity according to all His law. 2 And do ye also teach your children letters, That they may have understanding all their life, Reading unceasingly the law of God. ב3‎ For every one that knoweth the law of the Lord shall be honoured, And shall not be a stranger whithersoever he goeth. 4 Yea, many friends shall he gain more than his parents, And many men shall desire to serve him, And to hear the law from his mouth. 5 Work righteousness, ‘therefore’, my children, upon the earth, That ye may have (it) as a treasure in heaven. 6 And sow good things in your souls, That ye may find them in your life.

But if ye sow evil things, Ye shall reap every trouble and affliction. , Get wisdom in the fear of God with diligence ; For though there be a leading into captivity, And cities and Jands be destroyed, And gold and silver and every possession perish, The wisdom of the wise nought can take away, Save the blindness of ungodliness, and the callousness (that comes) of sin. g ‘For if one keep oneself from these evil things’, Then even among his enemies shall wisdom be a glory to him, And in a strange country a fatherland, And in the midst of foes shall prove a friend. 9 Whosoever teaches noble things and does them, Shall be enthroned with kings, As was also Joseph my brother.

ΧΙ. 1-3. Cf. Exod. vi. 17-19.

5. Eight years. Cf. Syr. Frag. ‘eighteen’ Aram. Frag. 78: ‘nine’ Jub. xxvill. 14, xxix. 14. eighteen years. So Syr. Frag. and Aram. Frag., also Jub. xxx. 2 with xxviii. 14, 23. forty-eight: ‘forty’ text, ‘forty-eight’ Aram. Frag. 79. Cf. T. Jud. xii. 12 (note).

7- hundred and eighteenth. For a different calculation see Jub. xxviii. 14, 24.

XII1. 1. A poem in praise of the wise. Cf. Sir. xxxix. 9-11. 2. teach ... letters. Cf. Τ. R.iv.1. This verse > a. 4. desire to zefve him. Cf. Sir. x. 25. 5. righteousness = alms. Cf. LXX in Deut. vi. 25, xxiv. 13; Ps. xxiv. 5. have (it) as a treasure emended. ‘find’ 8 485: ‘be healed’ a. Both תמצאו‎ and תרפאו‎ corrupt for WYNN. Cf. Matt. vi. 20; Tobit iv. 8-9; Pea 15>; B. Bathra 11%; Pss.-Sol. ix. 6,93 1 En. xxxvili.2. The treasure of good works occurs also in 4 Ezra vii. 77 ; 2 Bar. xiv. 12; Shabbath 31>; and 15 the measure of the righteous’ final reward, 4 Ezra vill. 33 ; 2 Bar. xxiv. 1. 6. sow evil. Cf. Prov. xxii. 8. 7. with diligence 8 455: > aA*. nought, οὐδείς, text. the blindness of ungodliness. Cf. xiv. 4. 8. For if... things a: ‘ But if one keep these’ d: > 8-4 AS. 9. teaches . . . and does. Cf. Matt. v. 19, vii. 24, 26. noble 0: ‘ these’ 8 A.

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2

3

4

5

6 eating (them) contemptuously with harlots.

a, Δα

Therefore, my children, I have learnt that at the end of the ages ye will transgress against the Lord, stretching out hands to wickedness [against Him]; and to all the Gentiles shall ye become a

scorn.

3, ΛΒ ופ‎

to shame because of you, and to all the Gentiles shall ye become a scorn.

For our father Israel is pure from the transgressions of the chief priests [who shall lay their hands upon the Saviour of the world].

a, Aa For as the heaven is purer in the Lord’s sight than the earth, so also be ye, the lights of Israel, (purer) than all the Gentiles.

But if ye be darkened through transgressions, what, therefore, will all the Gentiles do living in blindness? Yea, ye shall bring a curse upon our race, because the light of the law which was given for to lighten every man this ye desire to destroy by teaching command- ments contrary to the ordinances of God.

BS! 3. The heaven is purer than the earth, and ye, the lights of Israel, are tas sun and moon.

4. What will all the Gentiles do, if ye be darkened through transgressions? Yea, ye shall bring a curse upon our race, because the light of the law which was given to lighten every man, this ye shall desire to de- stroy by teaching command- ments contrary to the ordinances of God.

My children, be ye pure as the heaven is (purer) than the earth: and ye who are the lights of Israel, shall be as the sun and moon.

What will all the Gentiles do, if ye be darkened through trans- gression? Yea, curses will come upon your race, and the light which was given through the law to lighten you and every man ye shall desire to destroy, and teach your commandments

contrary to the ordinances of God.

The offerings of the Lord ye shall rob, and from His portion shall ye steal choice portions,

And out of covetousness ye shall teach the command-

XIV-XV1. The groundwork and indeed the main narrative of the Testaments is pro-Maccabean, and exalts Levi and his posterity. Unquestioning obedience to them is required. But in x, xiv—-xvi words fail to denounce the

lewdness and baseness of the priests. God’s ordinances, profane the priesthood, and pollute the sacrifices.

and they shall go into captivity, a scorn to the Gentiles. The date is not after A. D. 70, as the Temple prediction might seem to suggest, for the Sadducees, who are in view

The chief priests transgress, are Covetous, corrupt the law, teach contrary to For this reason the Temple shall be laid waste

in xiv. 4 and xvi. 2, disappear after that date as a party. The Pharisees, moreover, were not the subjects of persecution after 63 B.C. when the Pharisaic Hyrcanus became a vassal king under the Romans. Nor were the high-priests immoral in the first century A.D. The sack of Jerusalem, if already enacted, would be more than a vague prophecy.

The charges of gross immorality and profanation and of persecuting the righteous apply alike to the Hellenistic priests of 200-170 B.C., and the Sadducean priests of 100-60 B.c. But the eating of sacrifices with harlots in public can refer only to Jannaeus. See xiv. 5 (note). As he died in 78 B.C., this passage cannot be much later. In any case it is later than Dan. 1x. 24, which is the source of the interpretation of Jeremiah’s seventy years as weeks of years in xvi. 1, and later too than 1 En. Ixxxix. 54, which cannot be dated before 164

XIV. 1. learnt +‘from the writing of Enoch’ ₪ AS'. The following words do not occur in Enoch; yet cf. 1 En. xci. 6, χο]. 9. See T. L. x. 5 (note). transgress ... wickedness +‘against Him’ a, a Christian addition: > ‘all’ a. ‘stretching out bands against the Lord in all wickedness ’. 2. pure, &c. Cf. Τ. 5. vi. 1. The chief-priests are the Maccabean prince-priests, in particular Jannaeus. [who shall lay, &c.], a Christian addition. : 3. a gives the clearest version. Yet ₪ 5' and Af lead us to correct ‘ sun’ into ‘heaven’, and ‘on’ to ‘than’. ‘Sun and moon’ in 8 Af S‘ also may be original, and * than all the Gentiles’ may be due to a’s drawing upon the next verse. 4. The author connects sin closely with darkness of mind. Cf. Τ. R. iii. 8; T. L. xiii. 7, xiv. 4, xix. 1; T. Jos. vii. § ; also T. Jud. xviii. 3, 6; T. 12. it. 43 Τ. G. iii. 3, vi. ο. the light of the law. Cf. Wisd. xviii. 4; Prov. vi. 23; T. L. xviii. 3; Ps. cxix. 105. light ...to lighten every man. John i. 9. teaching commandments contrary. Cf. incident of Jannaeus, Josephus, «4114. xiii. 13. §; Bell. Jud. i. 4. 3, together with Talmud, Sukka 485. See also Pss. Sol. viii. 12, 13 for the Maccabean robbery of temple gifts, and approach when unclean to the altar. See also Jub. xv. 1. 5. This verse and 6 up to ‘ defile and’ ΣΑ”. the offerings... rob. Cf. Pss. Sol. viii. 12 τὰ ἅγια τοῦ θεοῦ διήρπαζον. my Commentary, p. 57- steal choice portions caf. bdey AF, eating them contemptuously with harlots. Cf. Josephus, «421. xiii, 14. 2, of Jannaeus’ savage celebration of his victory over the Pharisees : 'Βστιώμενος ἐν ἁπόπτῳ peta τῶν παλλακίδων. 6. out 01 covetousness. Cf. Mic. iii. 11, ‘the priests teach for hire.’

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We might render 8 Af 1

For the case of Siinon ben Shetach see

‘steal: and before sacrificing to the Lord ye shall take the choice portions,’

Cf. 1 Pet. v. 2.

And now. my children, I have learnt from the t writing of Enoch that in the end ye will trans- gress against the Lord, stretching out hands to all wickedness ; and your brethren shall be put

=

ments of the Lord, wedded women shall ye pollute, ‘and the virgins of Jerusalem shall ye defile'; and with harlots and adulteresses shall ye be joined, and the daughters of the Gentiles shall ye take to wife, purifying them with an unlawful purification ; and your union shall be like unto Sodom and 7 Gomorrah. And ye shall be puffed up because of your priesthood, lifting yourselves up against 8 men. and not only so, but also against the commands of God. For ye shall contemn the holy things with jests and laughter. 15. Therefore the temple, which the Lord shall choose, shall be laid waste through your uncleanness, 2 and ye shall be captives throughout all nations. And ye shall be an abomination unto them, and ye 3 shall receive reproach and everlasting shame from the righteous judgement of God. And all who hate 4 you shall rejoice at your destruction. And if you were not to receive mercy through Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, our fathers, not one of our seed should be left upon the earth. 16: And now I have learnt that for seventy weeks ye shall go astray, and profane the priesthood, and 2 pollute the sacrifices. And ye shall make void the law, and set at nought the words of the prophets by evil perverseness. And ye shall persecute righteous men, and hate the godly ; the words of the 3 faithful shall ye abhor. [And a man who reneweth the law in the power of the Most High, ye shall call a deceiver; and at last ye shall rush (upon him) to slay him, not knowing his dignity, taking 4 innocent blood through wickedness upon your heads.] And your holy places shall be laid waste 5 even to the ground because of thim.

And ye shall have no place that is clean; but ye shall be among the Gentiles a curse and a dispersion until He shall again visit you. and in pity shall receive you [through faith and water]. 171 _ And whereas ye have heard concerning the seventy weeks, hear also concerning the priesthood. 2 For in each jubilee there shall be a priesthood. And in the first jubilee, the first who is anointed to the priesthood shall be great, and shall speak to God as to a father. And his priesthood shall be

wedded women, &c. Cf. Pss. Sol. iv. 5, 6, 11, 12, 15, 23, for like charges against the Sadducees.

and the virgins of Israel (Jerusalem bg) shall ye defile. 8 only. Cf. Pss. Sol. ii. 14.

with harlots and adulteresses. Cf. Pss. Sol. iv. 23.

daughters of the Gentiles . .. wife. The prohibition of marriage with Canaanites in Deut. vii. 3 (cf. Gen. xxv. 3, ὃς.) was suspended in the case of captives during war, Deut. xxi. 10-13. After Ezra (Ezra ix. 1-2, x. 10-11 ; Neh. x. 30) the prohibition was extended to all Gentiles. Contrast 1 Macc. i. 15 (the Hellenizing Jews), and the reaction again in Jub, xxx. 7, 10.

purifying ... purification 8A: >u. Lax observance of customary purifications may be meant, or it may be that any purification is unlawful, i.e. the prohibition is absolute.

like unto Sodom. Cf. Jude 7.

shall rejoice at your destruction «: ‘shall flee from you’ 8 AF.

profane the priesthood. Cf. Neh. xiii. 29. pollute the sacrifices, i.e. approach the altar when unclean. Cf. Pss. Sol. ii. 3, viii. 13, 26 ; Ass. Mos. vi. 1. sacrifices. ‘altars’ a, cf. 1 Macc. iv. 38. 2. make void the law, &c. Cf. 1 En. xcix. 2; civ. 9, 1Ο. persecute righteous men. A charge against the Sadducees in 1 En. οὐ]. 14, 15.

3. 19 this verse a Christian interpolation, or is it recast by Christian scribes? If the latter, the Onias of Josephus, Ant. xiv. 2. 1, 2 may be meant, who refused to pray for Hyrcanus II against Aristobulus 11. Or possibly Onias 1, alluded to in Dan. ix. 26, xi. 22; 2 Macc. iv. 33-6. Cf. 1 En. xc. 8.

in the power of the Most High «8S': ‘of the Most High’ ΑΒ: ΣΑ".

a deceiver. Cf. Matt. xxvii. 63, of our Lord.

rush (upon him) to slay him«, Cf. Acts vii. 57, 58. ‘slay as ye suppose’ 8 46 5: ‘ye shall slay him’ ΑΑ. These variants seem to point to a dittography in the Hebrew.

dignity, ἀνάστημα, aS! : * resurrection ’, ἀνάστασιν ΑΡ. ¢ de,

taking innocent blood . . . heads. Cf. Matt. xxvii. 24, 25.

thim. ‘it’ y.

laid waste aA“: ‘polluted’ 8 8 5.

5. [through faith and water]af-e! AS: >e'A*. Probably a Christian addition. But baptism was already in use among the Jews by the Christian era, while 4 Ezra ix. 7, xiii. 23, insist on the need and value of faith. See also 2 Bar. liv. 16, 21, vii. 2, &c.

the first who is anointed, Levi or Moses. For Levi cf. v. 2, vi. 2 ff. speak to God as toa father. Cf. xviii.6. Moses spoke with God asa friend. Exod. xxxiii. 11.

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perfect with the Lord, [and in the day of his gladness shall he arise for the salvation of the world]. 3 In the second jubilee, he that is anointed shall be conceived in the sorrow of beloved ones; and his 4 pricsthood shall be honoured and shall be glorified by all. And the third priest shall be taken hold 5 of by sorrow. And the fourth shall be in pain, because unrighteousness shall gather itself against 6 him exccedingly, and all Israel shall hate each one his neighbour. The fifth shall be taken hold of 7 by darkness. Likewise also the sixth and the seventh. And in the seventh shall be such pollution 8 as I cannot express before men, for they shall know it who do these things. Therefore shall they g be taken captive and become a prey, and their land and their substance shall be destroyed. ιο Απά in the fifth week they shall return to their desolate country, and shall renew the house of the 11 Lord. And in the seventh week shall become priests, (who are) idolaters, adulterers, lovers of money, proud, lawless, lascivious, abusers of children and beasts. 181 And after their punishment shall have come from the Lord, the priesthood shall fail. 2 Then shall the Lord raise up a new pricst. And to him all the words of the Lord shall be revealed ; And he shall execute a righteous judgement upon the earth for a multitude of days. 3 And his star shall arise in heaven as of a king. Lighting up the light of knowledge as the sun the day, And he shall be magnified in the world. 4 He shall shine forth as the sun on the earth, And shall remove all darkness from under heaven, And there shall be peace in all the carth.

5 The heavens shall exult in his days, And the earth shall be glad, And the fclouds shall rejoice ; [And the knowledge of the Lord shall be poured forth upon the earth, as the water of the seas ;] And the angels of the glory of the presence of the Lord shall be glad in him. 6 The heavens shall be opened, And from the temple of glory shall come upon him sanctification, With the Father’s voice as from Abraham to Isaac. 7 And the glory of the Most High shall be uttered over him, And the spirit of understanding and sanctification shall rest upon him [in the water]. 8 For he shall give the majesty of the Lord to His sons in truth for evermore ;

perfect with the Lord. Cf. 1 Kings viii. 61, &c. [and in the day ... arise, &c.] An intrusion. 3. Aaron apparently, born during the oppression in Egypt. 5. shall gather itself against him. Restored from ‘shall add to him’ text. Perhaps should be ‘ shall be added unto him’. The references are most obscure. i: , 10-11. Part of the original text, containing a division of some period into seven weeks. Their duration is uncertain, but the events referred to are clear. 10. Return of Ezra and Nehemiah, and re-dedication of the temple, about 516 B.c. Cf. 1 En. Ixxxix. 2. 11. The Hellenizing chief-priests who with Antiochus Epiphanes opposed Judaism. Seventh § Αβ 5 : ‘seventieth’ a. adulterers a: ‘contentious’ 8 Af ΡΙ. AVIII. The new priesthood, to follow the immoral Hellenizers of the Zadokite line. 2-15. A Messianic hymn. 2. a new priest. Cf. viii. 14. 3. his star. Cf. T. Jud. xxiv. 1, also derived from Num. xxiv. 17.

in heaven. In Τ. Jud. xxiv. 1, same passage recurs with ‘in peace.’

lighting up the light of knowledge = Hos. x. 12 (LXX). Cf. Syr. and Targ. Jon. The Hebrew there reads ‘till ye the untilled ground’. For our text cf. iv. 3; T. B. xi. 2; also Jer. iv. 3.

as the sun the day. So emended from texts, all Corrupt. Cf. iv. 3.

in the world +‘ until his ascension’ β Af οἱ. ,

5- And the tclouds, perhaps read ‘because of him’ and omit ‘shall be glad’. The bracketed words spoil the parallelism. Cf. 1 En. li. 4 (as emended). ,

With the Father’s voice. This seems to refer to Hyrcanus, whose receiving of a Bath Qol is mentioned by Josephus, «4214. xiii. 10. 3; Jer. Talmud, Sotah. 1x. 12. Probably Hyrcanus had some attestation, at least in popular belief, such as Simon had in’Ps. cx.

as from Abraham to Isaac, i.e. as son, in a Messianic sense.

[in the water] < 6 only. A Christian addition.

δ. For a only. / : ,

he, probably John Hyrcanus, and not God. Hence ‘of the Lord’ and not ‘His own majesty’. On the other hand in vz. 10-12 * he’ seems to mean God.

sons in truth = true sons, T. Jud. xxiv. 3.

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And there shall none succeed him for all generations for ever. y And in his priesthood the Gentiles shall be multiplied in knowledge upon the earth, And enlightened through the grace of the Lord: In his priesthood shall sin come to an end, And the lawless shall cease to do evil. [And the just shall rest in him.] סג‎ Απά he shall open the gates of paradise, And shall remove the threatening sword against Adam. זג‎ And he shall give to the saints to eat from the tree of life, And the spirit of holiness shall be on them. 12 And Beliar shall be bound by him, And he shall give power to His children to tread upon the evil spirits. 13 And the Lord shall rejoice in His children, And be well pleased in His beloved ones for ever. 14 Then shall Abraham and Isaac and Jacob exult, And I will be glad, And all the saints shall clothe themselves with joy.

191 And now, my children, ye have heard all; choose, therefore, for yourselves either the light or the 2 darkness, either the law of the Lord or the works of Beliar. And his sons answered him, saying, 3 Before the Lord we will walk according to His law. And their father said unto them, The Lord is

witness, and His angels are witnesses, and ye are witnesses, and I am witness, concerning the word 4 οί your mouth. And his sons said unto him: We are witnesses. And thus Levi ceased commanding his sons ; and he stretched out his feet ‘on the bed', and was gathered to his fathers, after he had 6 lived a hundred and thirty-seven years. And they laid him in a coffin, and afterwards they buried him in Hebron, with Abraham. Isaac, and Jacob.

11,2 The copy of the words of Judah, what things he spake to his sons before he died. They gathered

3 themselves together, therefore, and came to him, and he said to them: ‘Hearken, my children, to

Judah your father'!. I was the fourth son born to my father Jacob; and Leah my mother named

4 me Judah, saying, I give thanks to the Lord, because He hath given me a fourth son ‘also'. I was

5 swift in my youth, and obedient to my father in everything. And I honoured my mother and my

6 mother’s sister. And it came to pass, when I became a man, that my father blessed me, saying, Thou shalt be a king, prospering in all things.

none succeed him, i.e. the office is secured to him and his descendants. Cf. Ps. cx; 1 Macc. xiv. 41 ‘a priest for ever’, of Simon. 9. grace of the Lord +‘ But Israel shall be minished through ignorance, and darkened through grief’, all MSS. except be. A Christian addition. sin come to an end. For a gradual renewing of heaven and earth, ethically conditioned by Israel’s conduct cf. Isa. lxv. 17, Ixvi. 22; Jub. i, 29, iv. 26, xxiii. 26-8. Also 1 En. Ixix. 29; Pss. Sol. xvii. 29; and 1 En. ו6א‎ 5, κει. 8, 14, 6. 5 for the disappearing of sin. [And the just . .. him] >e. An interpolation. 10. open ... paradise. If ‘he’ =the Messiah, this passage alone in Jewish literature ascribes the act to him. For the opening cf. 4 Ezra viii. 52 ; Sib. Or. iii. 769 ff.; also 4 Ezra vii. 36; 2 En. x.; 2 Bar. li. 11. Adam, or ‘man’. 11. tree of life, in Paradise, 4 Ezra viii. 52; eaten by the righteous, 1 En. xxvi. 5,6; 4 Ezra vii. 123. Cf. Rev. xxii. 2. 12. Beliar . . . bound. In Isa. xxiv. 22, 23 God imprisons certain of the host of heaven. In Matt. xii. 29; Luke x. 19 Christ binds the strong man. In Rev. xx. 2, 3 an angel binds Satan. If the Messiah here binds Beliar, cf. his position in 1 En. Ixii. 5 ₪. ; Ixix. 27. power . . . totread upon the evil spirits. Cf. T. S. vi. 6, also Luke x. 19, and T. Z. ix. 8 (bd g). His children = the righteous. 14. joy beg A»: ‘righteousness’ aafS'. XIX. 1. choose, &c. Cf. Deut. xxx. 19. the light ... Beliar. Cf. T. .א‎ ii. 6, and especially 2 Cor. vi. 14, 15 tis κοινωνία φωτὶ πρὸς σκότος; τίς δὲ συµ- Φφώνησις Χριστοῦ πρὸς Βελίαρ; 2. his sons. Several MSS. here and in v. 3 have the 151 person, ‘we’, ὥς. 4. on the bed a: > 8-0 Α 51.

TITLE a +‘ concerning courage and love of money (> 6 S') and fornication’ (> fS") be f S', also A generally. 1. 3. hearken ... fathera: > 8-dA.

Judah ... give thanks tothe Lord. Cf. Gen. xxix. 35 for the play on words. 6. blessed, ἐπεύξατο. Cf. xvii. 5.

Thou shalt be a king. Cf. xxi. 5, xxii. 3; Ber. rab. Ixxxiv. 16.

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21,2 And the Lord showed me favour in all my works both in the field and in the house. I know that

3 I raced a hind, and caught it, and prepared the meat for my father, and he did eat. And the roes

I used to master in the chase, and overtake all that was in the plains. A wild mare I overtook, and

4 caught it and tamed it. I slew a lion and plucked a kid out of its mouth. I took a bear by its paw

5 and hurled it down the cliff, and it was crushed. I outran the wild boar, and seizing it ‘as I ran’,

6 I tore it in sunder. .\ leopard in Hebron leaped upon my dog, and I caught it by the tail, and

7 hurled it on the rocks, and it was broken in twain. I found a wild ox feeding in the fields, and seizing it by the horns, and whirling it round and stunning it, 1 cast it from me and slew it.

31 And when the two kings of the Canaanites came sheathed in armour against our flocks, and much

people with them, single-handed [ rushed upon the king of Hazor, and smote him on the greaves

2 and dragged him down. and so I slew him. And the other, the king of Tappuah, as he sat upon his

3 horse, [I slew, and so [ scattered all his people. Achor the king] a man of giant stature ‘I found’,

hurling javelins before and behind as he sat on horseback, and ] took up a stone of sixty pounds

4 weight, and hurled it and smote his horse, and killed it. And I fought with (this) other for two

5 hours; and I clave his shield in twain, and I chopped off his feet, and killed him. And as I was

6 stripping off his breastplate, behold nine men his companions began to fight with me. And I wound

my garment on my hand; and I slung stones at them, and killed four of them, and the rest fled.

7 And Jacob my father slew }Beelesath, king of all the kings, a giant in strength, twelve cubits high.

&. 9 And fear fell upon them, and they ceased warring against us. Therefore my father was free from

anxiety in the wars when 1 was with my brethren. For he saw in a vision ‘concerning me! that an‏ סו

angel of might followed me everywhere, that I should not be overcome. 4, And in the south there came upon us a greater war than that in Shechem; and I joined in battle array with my brethren, and pursued a thousand men, and slew of them two hundred men and

4. hurled g A: ‘let go’ aa: both = שלחתי‎ : ‘rolled’ bdef. and it was crushed a: ‘and it was broken in pieces on them’ d: ‘and any beast that turned on me, I rent it like a dog’ SAS! 6. on the rocks and it was broken in twain «a: ‘and it was broken on the coasts of Gaza’ 3-0 Α 5). Gaza is 37 miles from Hebron. But cf. Judges xvi. 1-3. Was there a Hebron near Gaza? For the feat cf. T. G. i. 2.

Η-ΝΗ. These chapters contain an ancient legend which tells of Jacob's conquest of Shechem. Cf. Gen. xlviii. 22 ‘which 1 took out of the hand of the Amorite with my sword and with my bow’. See Jub. xxxiv. 2-8, which tells of an attack by seven Amorite kings. Cf. also Targ. fon. on Gen. xlviii. 22, the Midrash Wajjissau (Jellinek, Bet Aa- Aidrasch, iii, 1-3), the Chronicles of Jerahmeel xxxvi, and especially the Book of Jashar (see French trans. Dict. des Afpocr. ii. 1173-84).

1 5. Judah's slaughter of two kings, those of Hazor and Tappuah. ‘ Achor’, v. 3, is corrupt.

1, > later accounts.

Canaanites, in Jub., &c. ‘ Amorites’: Jashar ‘ Canaanite and Amorite kings’. against our flocks. Cf. Jub. Other authorities give as motive to exterminate Jacob's sons. of Hazor. ‘the other’ a. See iv. 2 (note). This Hazor is near Shechem.

2-6. The Midr. Wajjis. gives ‘And he slew at the outset Jashub king of Tappuah who was . . . riding on a horse and could hurl his javelins . . . from horseback in front and behind. When Judah saw... he took up a stone ... weighing sixty shekels and hurled it . . . he (Jashub) clave the shield in twain . . . (Judah) cut off his feet . . - And while he was stripping him of his armour there came against him nine of his companions.’ See my Commentary, pp. 70, 71 for full quotation. me

2-5. There were seven kings in all (Jub. xxxiv. 2; Midr. Wajjis.) = king of Hazor, iii, 1; of Tappuah, ili. 2-5; four kings, iv. 1; of Shilo, iv. 7. Thus Achor is one too many. Besides, iil. 1 mentions two kings, not three. The Midr. Wajjis. and Jashar (ii. 1174-75) give the details in v7. 3 and 4 and assign them to Jashub.

2. [I slew ... people]. An addition, necessitated by the corrupt reading * Achor the king ’.

3. [Achor the king], i.e. ‘the other (AMX) king’ a dittography of 7. 2.

Ifound a: > SASL before and .. . horseback 8 A 5, Midr. Wajjis., Chron. Jer., Jashar: > a. smote AS!: ‘have yiven' aafy. 4. > a, through hint. other. E:nended from קש ג'‎ ]3-6, Ναχώρ ABP. , clave his shield. ‘he Midr. Wajjis., Chron. Jer., and Jashar make Jashub cleave Judah's shield. . Mine | ες Midr. Wajjis., Chron. Jer., and Jashar: ‘eight’ 4 ק-2‎ S': ‘seven? \- 578 | : 6. four of them ; he killed the other eight, according to the Hebrew authorities, while Levi slew the king of Gaash. 7. Jacob... slew. The Midr. Wajjis. and Jashar say Jacob slew four other kings. +Beelesath e: corrupt for ‘ lord of Shiloh’, given by Hebrew authorities. ο. I should not be overcome § A S!: * none shall touch me’ a == ככע‎ differently pointed.

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וש

51 On the next day we departed to Aretan, a city strong and walled and inaccessible, threatening us 2 with death. But I and Gad approached on the east side of the city, and Reuben and Levi on the 3west. And they that were upon the wall, thinking that we were alone, twere drawn down} against 4us. And so my brothers secretly climbed up the wall on both sides by stakes, and entered the city, 5 while the men knew it not. And we took it with the edge of the sword. And as for those who had

taken refuge in the tower, we sct fire to the tower and took both it and them.

0 BAS! 6 And as we were departing the men of Tappuah | And as we were departing the men of Tappuah seized our spoil, and seeing (this) we fought with | set upon our spoil, and delivering it up to our 7them. And we slew them all and recovered our | sons we fought with them as far as Tappuah.

spoil. | And we slew them and burnt their city, and | took as spoil all that was in it.

G 1,2 And when I was at the waters of Kozeba, the men of {Jobel came against us to battle. And we

fought with them and routed them; ‘and their allies from Shiloh we slew! and we did not leave

3 them ‘power! to come in against us. And the men of {Makir came upon us the fifth day, to seize

our spoil; and we attacked them and overcame them in fierce battle: for there was a host of mighty

4 men amongst them, and we slew them before they had gone up the ascent. And when we came to

5 their city their women rolled upon us stones from the brow of the hill on which the city stood. And

I and Simeon hid ourselves behind the town, and seized upon the heights, and destroyed this city also.

7:1 And the next day it was told us that the king of the city of Gaash with a mighty host was coming

2against us. I, therefore, and Dan feigned ourselves to be Amorites, and as allics went into their

3 city. And in the depth of night our brethren came and we opened to them the gates; and we

destroyed a!l the men and their substance, and we took for a prey all that was thcirs, and their three

2. upon the wall. Midr. W. adds ‘ of Hazor '. four mighty men. So [ restore from the Hebrew authorities. ‘ still other four kings’ A: ‘two other kings’ BS': ‘their king’ (i.e. of Hazor) a. These four mighty men are distinct from the ‘four kings’ of iv. 1. See Midr. W., Chron. Jer. xxxvi. 6; Jashar (ii. 1176). 3. captured Hazor Midr. W.: ‘freed Hebron’ text. ‘Hebron’ is out of the context, and ‘ freed הפיש='‎ for .תפיט‎ all the spoil +‘ of the kings’ 8-6 AS'. V. The destruction of Sartan and Tappuah. 1. Aretan be!: Aretad A: ἑτέραν aae*f{S'. Hebrew authorities give Sartan, cf. Saregan, Jub. xxxiv. 4, 7. walled and inaccessible ]3-0 ₪ /\ 5. Cf. Midr. W. ‘mighty’ a. 2. land Gad... on the east, &c. The Midr. W., &c., give quite different dispositions. 3-4. Not in Hebrew authorities. 3. were drawn down ה‎ 8 5': ‘prolonged the war’ A. Perhaps emend to ‘set themselves in array’, i.e. ערכו‎ misread as 137. 4. climbed >a A. by stakes >a. while the men knew it not >a. . we set fire... it and them f: ‘ we burnt (them) with fire and so we took them all and all their possessions’ a. Midr. W. makes Judah slay 200 on the tower. Cf. Chron. Jer. xxxvi. 7 ; Jashar gives two towers, ii. 1177. 6-7. a is more accurate but less full than 8 4 55. Ina we have a successful raid, and a recovery of the spoil: in ]8 Α 5' an attempted raid, and the destruction of the city. seized ae. Hebrew authorities. ‘set upon’ 8-86 AS. VI. The rout of the men of Arbela, and the destruction of Shiloh and Shakir. 1-2. >a: while Af omits 1. Kozeba. Cf. 1 Chron. iv. 22, and Gen. xxxviil. 5. the men of + Jobel b: ‘ Arbclians’, Jashar ii. 1178. Cf. * Arbael’, Midr. W. 2. their allies from Shiloh we slew 1-1 Midr.

W. and Chron. Jer. xxxvi. 8. power = διέξοδο», a dittography, or a rendering of the 7' in Midr. W. and Chron. Jer. 3. tMakir. ‘Shabir’ Midr. W.: ‘Shakir’ Chron. Jer. xxxvi. 9: ‘camp of Shakir’ Jub. xxxiv. 4 (Maanisakir). to seize our spoil >«. battle 8-4 ) A 51: ‘sword? af. for there was .. . amongst them >a. 4. women, Midr. W. and Chron. Jer. mention only men. rolled, ‘hurled’ Midr. W. and Chron. Jer. VII. 1. king of the city of Gaash with a mighty host ad: ‘Gaash the city of the kings with a great host ' aef: ‘the cities of the two kings with a great host’ כ‎ 51: ‘Gaash a city with a powerful king’ A. \ 2. 1 therefore .. . allies 3-6 6 5': ‘and ] and Gad also proceeded to the Amorites and feigning ourselves to be their allies’ a. 3. allthat was...down >a. — three walls. Cf. Hebrew authorities,

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4 walls we cast down. And we drew near to Thamna, where was all the substance of the hostile kings. 5 Then being insulted by them, I was therefore wroth, and rushed against them to the summit; and 6 they kept slinging against me stones and darts. And had not Dan my brother aided me, they would 7 have slain me. We came upon them, therefore, with wrath, and they all fled; and passing by 8 another way, they besought my father, and he made peace with them. And we did to them no hurt, 9 and they became tributary to us, and we restored to them their spoil. And I built Thamna,and my 10 father built Pabael. I was twenty years old when this war befell. And the Canaanites fearcd me and my brethren. 81,2 And I had much cattle, and I had for chief herdsman Iram the Adullamite. And when I went to him I saw Parsaba, king of Adullam; ‘and he spake unto us', and he made us a feast; 3 and when I was heated he gave me his daughter Bathshua to wife. She bare me Er, and Onan and Shelah ; and two of them the Lord smote: for Shelah lived, and his children are ye. 91 And eighteen years my father abode in peace with his brother Esau, and his sons with us, after 2 that we came from Mesopotamia, from Laban. And when eighteen years were fulfilled, in the fortieth year of my life, Esau, the brother of my father, came upon us with a mighty and strong 3 people. And Jacob smote Esau with an arrow, and he was taken up wounded on Mount Seir, and 4 as he went he died at Anoniram. And we pursued after the sons of Esau. Now they had a city with walls of iron and gates of brass; and we could not enter ‘into 11%, and we encamped around, and 5 besieged it.

And when they opened not to us in twenty days, I set up a ladder 'in the sight of all' and with my shield upon my head I went up, sustaining the assault of stones, upwards of three 7 talents weight; and I slew four of their mighty men. And Reuben and Gad slew six others. Then they asked from us terms of peace; and having taken counsel with our father, we received them as 8 tributaries. And they gave us five hundred cors of wheat, five hundred baths of oil, five hundred measures of wine, ‘until the famine’, when we went down into Egypt. 10: And after these things my son Er took to wife Tamar, from Mesopotamia, a daughter of Aram. 2 Now Er was wicked, and he fwas in need concerning Tamar, because she was not of the land 3 of Canaan. And on the third night an angel of the Lord smote him. ‘And he had not known her 4 according to the evil craftiness of his mother, for he did not wish to have children by her. In the

Substance: ‘ refuge’ ל‎ ₪. 5-6. These incidents are told of Gaash, not Thamna, in the Hebrew authorities. 5. The Hebrew authorities give the occasion of the insult.

against them to the summit = omy .לראש‎ | Midr. W. + upon the wall the first’= .ראשון לחומה‎ kept slinging. Cf. Midr. W. 6. Jacob rescues Judah in Chron. Jer. xxxvi. 11. 7. he made peace with them β-α f S' Midr. W.: ‘they made peace with him’ aaf. 8, they became tributary to usa. Cf. Midr.W.: ‘we made a truce with them’ BAS}. we restored. Midr. W. and Jashar make the Amorites restore the spoil to Jacob’s sons. Cf. Jub. xxxiv. 7-9. ο. 82 51: ‘and we built also their city’ a. See Jub. xxxiv. 8 ‘Robel (1.6. Arbela, cf. 1 Macc. ix. 2) and Tamnatares’, also Midr. W. 10. twenty years. Cf. Jub. xxviii, 15, xxxiv. I. VIII. 1. Iram. Cf. Gen. .טאאא‎ 1. 2. he spake unto us a only. when I was heated. Conjectured for παρακαλέσας. Cf. Isa. Ivii. 5 (LXX). Cf. T. Jud. xi. 2, xiii. 5-7, xiv. 3. For the offence of this Canaanite marriage cf. Jub. xxxiv. 0. ΙΧ. 1. The war between Jacob and Esau. For fuller accounts see Jub. xxxvii-xxxviii. 1-14; Midr. W., and Chron. Jer. xxxvii, and a different one in Jashar, ii. 1235-6. 2. in the fortieth year of my life. Cf. Jub. xxviii. 15, xxxvi. 21, xxxviil. 14. >a. 3. Jacob smote Esau, &c., a. Jub. xxxviii. 2; Midr. W. and Chron. Jer.: ‘he fell by the bow of Jacob’ bg AS". wounded. So 1 restore in accordance with Midr. W. for text = ‘dead’. But cf. Jub. xxxviii. 8 ‘slain’. and as he went... Anoniram >ch. Anoniram ל-9]‎ 0 A: ‘Aduram’ Jub, xxxviii. ο: ‘Arodin’ Midr.W. This is the Adora which Hyrcanus took and forced to accept circumcision, Josephus, «4211. xiii. 9. 1, xxli. 15. 4. 4. with walls of iron and gates of brass 8-0 /\ : ‘strong’a. Cf. v. 1. 5. sustaining ... stones. Midr. W. and Chron.

Jer. assign this feat to Naphtali and Gad as well. upwards .. . weight > a. 7. as tributaries. Cf. vii. 8 and Midr.W. >a. 8. five hundred a afS?: ‘two hundred’ bd eA. baths, ‘ ephahs’ seem to be implied by aa f. the famine when a: << 1 X. 1. daughter of Aram, i.e. a Semite. Cf. Jub. xli. 1, and Opus Jmperfectum on Matt. i. 3. 2. he was ... night >a. twas in need, or ‘difficulty’, perhaps corrupt in Hebrew for ‘ put to shame’. Cf. Jub. xli. 2. 3. > A through hmt. for... by her >a. The 0/5 Imperf. says: ‘ Mater autem eius cum 65561 Chananaea hortaretur eum accipere ex genere suo: ille consilio matris usus non contigit eam, Propter quod percussit eum Deus malignantem.’

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days! of the wedding-feast I gave Onan to her in marriage; and he also in wickedness knew her not, 5 though he spent with her a year. And when I threatened him he went in unto her, but he spilled the seed on the ground, according to the command of his mother, and he also died through wickedness. 6 And I wished to give Shelah also to her, but his mother did not permit it; ‘for she wrought evil against Tamar', because she was not of the daughters of Canaan, as she also herself was. 1] ι And 1 knew that the race of the Canaanites was wicked, but the impulse of youth blinded my 2mind. And when I saw her pouring out wine, owing to the intoxication of wine I was deceived, and 3 took her although my father had not counselled (it). And while I was away she went and took for 4 Shelah a wife from Canaan. And when I knew what she had done, I cursed her in the anguish of 5my soul. And she also died through her wickedness together with her sons. 12:1 And after these things, while Tamar was a widow, she heard after two years that I was going up 2 to shear my sheep, and adorned herself in bridal array, and sat in the city Enaim by the gate. |For it was a law of the Amorites, that she who was about to marry should sit in fornication seven days 3 by the gate’. Therefore being drunk with wine, I did not recognize her; and her beauty deceived 4 me, through the fashion of her adorning. And I turned aside to her, and said: Let me go in unto thee. And she said: What wilt thou give me? And 1 gave her my staff, and my girdle, and the 5 diadem of my kingdom ‘in pledge'. And I went in unto her, and she conceived.

And not knowing 6 what I had done, I wished to slay her ; but she privily sent my pledges, and put me to shame. And when I called her, I heard also the secret words which "I spoke’ when lying with her in my drunken- 7 ness; and I could not slay her, because it was from the Lord. For I said, Lest haply she did it in 8 subtlety, having received the pledge from another woman. But I came not again near her while 9 I lived, because I had done ‘this! abomination in ‘all’ Israel. Moreover, they who were in the city said there was no harlot in the gate, because she came from another place, and sat for a while in the το, 11 gate. And I thought that no one knew that I had gone in to her. And after this we came into 12 Egypt 'to Joseph', because of the famine. And I was forty and six years old, and seventy and three years lived I in Egypt. 131° And now I command you, my children, hearken ‘to Judah your father!, and kecp my sayings to 2 perform all the ordinances of the Lord, and to obey the commands of God. And walk not after your lusts, nor in the imaginations of your thoughts in haughtiness of heart; and glory not in the deeds 3 and strength of your youth, for this also is evil in the eyes of the Lord. Since I also gloried that in wars no comely woman's face ever enticed me, and reproved Reuben my brother concerning Bilhah, the wife of my father, the spirits of jealousy and of fornication arrayed themselves against

4- 3 ₪ 51: ‘And [ gave her to Aunan my second son, and behold the Lord slew him’ a. 5. >a 6. his mother a: ‘my wife Bathshua’ BAS. Cf. Jub. xi. 7.

against Tamar bdeS.

ΧΙ. 2. pouring out wine > A S'. owing to the intoxication > a. took her a: ‘had intercourse with her’ 8 S'. not counselled. Cf. xiii. 3.

ΧΙ. Cf. Gen. xxxviii. 12-26 ; Jub. xli. 8-23.

3. +‘at the waters of Kozeba’ 8-df A%b>*cdefgS! at the beginning of verse.

6-10. >a, but substitutes an abbreviation of Gen. xxxviii. 20, 24-30, LXX.

nor in the imaginations of your thoughts > aag. Cf. 1 Chron. xxviii. 9. See T. A. i. 3 (note). 3. enticed 8A: ‘met’ aS}, 1.6. ὑπήντησε for ἠπάτησε.

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14

15

16

4 me, until I lay with Bathshua the Canaanite, and Tamar, who was espoused to my sons. For I said to my father-in-law: I will take counsel with my father, and so will I take thy daughter. And he was unwilling, but he showed me a boundless store of gold in his daughter's behalf; for he was

3aking. And he adorned her with gold and pearls, and caused her to pour out wine for us at the

6 feast fwith the beauty of women.{ And the wine turned aside my eyes, and pleasure blinded my

heart. And I became enamourcd of and I lay with her, and transgressed the commandment of the‏ ל

8 Lord and the commandment of my fathers, and I took her to wife. And the Lord rewarded me according to the imagination of my heart, inasmuch as I had no joy in her children.

And now, my children,'I say unto you", be not drunk with wine ; for wine turneth the mind away‏ ז

2 from the truth, and inspires the passion of lust, and leadeth the cyes into error. For the spirit of fornication hath wine as a minister to give pleasure to the mind; for these two also take away the

3 mind of man. For if a man drink wine to drunkenness, it disturbeth the mind with filthy thoughts ‘leading to fornication’, and heateth the body to carnal union; and if the occasion of the lust be

4 present, he worketh the sin, and is not ashamed. Such is the inebriated man, my children ; for he

5 who is drunken reverenceth no man. For, lo, it made me also to err, so that I was not ashamed of the multitude in the city, in that before the eyes of all I turned aside unto Tamar, and I wrought

6 a great sin, and I uncovered the covering of my sons’ shame. After I had drunk wine I reverenced

7 not the commandment of God, and I took a woman of Canaan to wife. For much discretion needeth the man who drinketh wine, my children ; and herein is discretion in drinking wine, a man

8 may drink so long as he preserveth modesty. But if he go beyond this limit the spirit of deceit attacketh his mind, and it maketh the drunkard to talk filthily, and to transgress and not to be ashamed, but even to glory in his shame, and to account himself honourable.

1 He that committeth fornication is not aware when he suffers loss, and is not ashamed when put

2 to dishonour. For even though a man be a king and commit fornication, he is stripped of his

3 kingship by becoming the slave of fornication, as I myself also suffered. For I gave my staff, that is, the stay of my tribe; and my girdle, that is, my power; and my diadem. that is, the glory of my

4kingdom. And indeed I repented of these things; wine and flesh I eat not until my old age, nor

5 did I behold any joy. And the angel of God showed me that for ever do women bear rule over

6 king and beggar alike. And from the king they take away his glory, and from the valiant man his might, and from the beggar even that little which is the stay of his poverty.

1 Observe, therefore, my children, the (right) limit in wine; for there are in it four evil spirits—of

2 Just, of hot desire, of profligacy, of filthy lucre. If ye drink wine in gladness, be ye modest in the fear of God. For if in (your) gladness the fear of God departeth, then drunkenness ariseth and

3 shamelessness stealeth in. But if ye would live soberly do not touch wine at all, lest ye sin in words of outrage, and in fightings and slanders, and transgressions of the cominandments of God,

4and ye perish before your time. Moreover, wine revealeth the mysteries of God and men, even as

Ilay with, συνέπεσα εἰς, β Α S': συνετέλεσα εἰς, a. 4. he was unwilling, but > 6-d AS*. 5. twith the beauty of woment > cA. Kead ‘with the ornaments of women’, or the words may be corrupt for ‘in the women’s apartment’. 7. lay with, συνέπεσα eis. See xi. 2, xiii. 3 (notes). fathers. ‘father’ a. XIV. 1. Tsay unto youh: ‘I say’c: >BAS'. be not drunk with wine. Cf. xvi. 1 and ו‎ v. 18.

4. the inebriated man, πάροινος, emended from πονηρός, aaf: mépvos, e: οἶνος, bAS. 7. much > β Α 5). aman may, ‘that a man should’ 8-dg AS}. 8. glory in his shame. Cf. Phil. iil. 19. AV. 1-2. Cf. T. R. iv. 7. 2. stripped of +‘ and goes forth from’ 8 A. 3. girdle aadf: omit next seven words through hint. 4. joy, ‘folly’ c. 5- for ever > «. alike +‘ and in them there is no advance of life’ a. XVL. 1. For this verse and xix. 1 cf. Col. iii. 5 ‘covetousness is idolatry’; Eph.v.5; also Eph. ν. 5 for ‘ profligacy’ or ‘excess’. See xiv. 1, xxi. I. 2. For if... departeth ef A ο]: ‘for if ye drink without modesty and the fear of God departeth’ b: > a. 3. if ye would live soberly a: ‘what say 1?’ 61: ‘I tell you, if it is possible for you’ d: ‘it is a good thing (not to)’ A. before your time. Cf. T. BR. iv. 6. 4. God and men + ' to aliens’ כ‎ \* " *

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I also revealed the commandments of God and the mysteries of Jacob my father to the Canaanitish 5 woman Bathshua, which God bade me not to reveal. And wine is a cause both of war and confusion.

17 : And now, I command you, my children, not to love money, nor to gaze upon the beauty of

women; because for the sake of money and beauty I was led astray to Bathshua the Canaanite.

2,3 [For I know that because of these two things shall my race fall into wickedness. For even wise

men among my sons shall they mar, and shall cause the kingdom of Judah to be diminished, which

4the Lord gave me because of my obedience to my father. For I never caused grief to Jacob, my

5 father ; for all things whatsoever he commanded I did. And Isaac, the father of my father, blessed

6 me to be king in Israel, and Jacob further blessed me in like manner. And I know that from me shall the kingdom be established.

a BAS! 18: And I know what evils ye will do in the last For I have also read in the books of Enoch days.] the righteous what evils ye will do in the last days. | 2 Beware, therefore, my children, of fornication, and the love of money, and hearken to Judah your

father. 3 For these things withdraw you from the law of God, And blind the inclination of the soul, And teach arrogance, And suffer not a man to have compassion upon his neighbour. 4 They rob his soul of all goodness, And oppress him with toils and troubles, 'And drive away sleep from him’, And devour his flesh. 5 And he hindereth the sacrifices of God ; ‘And he remembereth not the blessing of God,' He hearkeneth not to a prophet when he speaketh, And resenteth the words of godliness. 6 ‘For he is a slave to two contrary passions, And cannot obey God, Because they have blinded his soul, And he walketh in the day as in the night". 19. My children, the love of money leadeth to idolatry ; because, when led astray through money, men name as gods those who are not gods, and it causeth him who hath it to fall into madness. 2 For the sake of money 1 lost my children, and had not my repentance, "and my humiliation’, and 3 the prayers of my father been accepted, I should have died childless. But the God of my fathers

5 >a. XVII. 1. nor to gaze upon. Cf. T. R. iv. 1.

XVII. 2—XVIII. 1. Bracketed as a later addition. xviii. 2 resumes xvii. 1. 2. wickedness ₪ 51: ‘ perdition of fornication’ a: ‘ fornication’ A. 3. because of my obedience. See Jewish Encyc. vii. 328 for various reasons for Judah’s headship. 4. caused grief to Jacob aa A>: ‘caused grief to the word of Jacob’ B-agS!. Perhaps the Hebrew original was ‘I disobeyed the word of J.’ 5-6. For Judah’s kingship cf. Τ. 5. vii. 2 Τ. Jud. xxi. 5, xxii. 3. 5. Isaac d A: ‘Abraham’ a 8-6 5 (and therefore 6 reads ‘ great-grandfather ’). blessed me to be king. Supply λέγων after ‘ blessed me’ and render ‘saying I should be king.’ Cf. 1. 6. Jacob ad: ‘Isaac’ 8-dAS'. XVIII. 1. the books of Enoch, an interpolation. See T. L. x. 5 (note), and cf. T. A. vii. 2 for ‘I know’. 2. Resumes xvii. 1. 3. blind, &c. 61 xiii. 7. 4. drive away sleep from him a: ‘put away his sleep’ 0-0 ₪ 5 Sir. xlii.9. Cf. T. 5. iv. 8. 6. For . . . obey God af: ‘for being a slave to the passions contrary to the commandments of God’ ae S'. Cf. Matt. vi. 24. walketh in the day. Cf. Rom. xiii. 13. XIX. 1. love of money’. . . idolatry. Cf. Col. iii. 5; Eph. v. 5; Shem. rab. 121 ‘qui opes suas multiplicat per foenus, ille est idolatra’; cf. Philo, De «ους. i, 2 and Matt. vi. 24 for Mammon as a god. 2. my repentance a: ‘the repentance of my flesh’ 8-4 4 5. my humiliation a: ‘the humiliation of my soul’ β 5), prayers of my father. Cf. I. R.i. 7, iv. 3; Τ. G. v. 9. been accepted, tavé8papor,a: >BS': ἔσωζον, A >. Probably Heb. was עזרו‎ * helped’, or 187) ‘ were acceptable’. See Τ. G. v. 9 (note). 1108-2 321 Y

20

21

4 had mercy on me, because I did it in ignorance. And the prince of deceit blinded me, and I sinned as a man and as flesh, being corrupted through sins; ‘and I learnt my own weakness while thinking myself invincible’.

Know, therefore, my children, that two spirits wait upon man—the spirit of truth and the spirit‏ ג

2 of deceit. And in the midst is the spirit of understanding of the mind, to which it belongeth to turn whithersoever it will.

4 And there is no time at which the works of men can be hid ; for on the heart itself have they been

5 written down ‘before the Lord’. And the spirit of truth testifieth all things, and accuseth all; and the sinner is burnt up עפ‎ his own heart’, and cannot raise his face ‘to the judge’.

1 And now, my children, I command you, love Levi, that ye may abide, and ‘exalt not yourselves

2 against him!, lest ye be utterly destroyed. ‘For to me the Lord gave the kingdom, and to him the

3 priesthood, and He set the kingdom beneath the priesthood. To ine He gave the things upon the

4 earth; tohim the things in the heavens. As the heaven is higher than the earth, so is the priesthood of God higher than the earthly kingdom, unless it falls away through sin from the Lord and is

5 dominated by the earthly kingdom’. For 'the angel of the Lord said unto me’: The Lord chose him rather than thee, to draw near to Him, and to eat of His table ‘and to offer Him the first-fruits! of the choice things of the sons of Israel; but thou shalt be king of Jacob.

6 And thou shalt be amongst them as the sea. For as, on the sea, just and unjust are tossed about, ‘some taken into captivity while some are enriched’, so also shall every race of men be in thee: some shall be impoverished, being taken captive, ‘and others grow rich by plundering the possessions of others’.

They shall swallow men like fishes : The sons and daughters ‘of freemen! shall they enslave ; Houses, lands, flocks, money shall they plunder: 8 And with the flesh of many shall they ‘wrongfully’ feed the ravens and the cranes ; "And they shall tadvance in evil, in covetousness uplifted,}? 9 And there shall be false prophets like! tempests, And they shall persecute all righteous men.

221 And the Lord shall bring upon them divisions ‘one against another!.

3. had mercy on mea: ‘the compassionate and merciful pardoned me’ β 51. Cf. Jub. xli. 25, and 1 Tim, i. 13 ἠλεήθην ὅτι ἀγνοῶν ἐποίησα. CF. Pss. Sol. iii. 9, xvii. 6. 4. as flesh. Cf. T. Z. ix. 7. XX. 1-3. Here a is without v. 1, has four words in 2, and last clause of 3. 1. the spirit of truth. Cf. John xv. 26; also Τ. A. i. 4. 2-5. A striking description of man’s attitude to good and evil. He can will either (v. 2), and the results are written on his heart or character, ever open to the eyes of God (3-4). 2. The ‘ understanding’ seems to mean the will: a reads ‘ conscience’. 3. Written upon the hearts. God (Jer. xxxi. 33) and man (Prov. iii. 3) can write thus on the heart. 4- Text as B-ag 46 on the heart itself = ἐν στήθει ὁστέων αὐτοῦ, a Hebraism. on >a. 5. testifieth all things and >a. Cf. John xv. 26. testifieth . . . accuseth. Cf. Rom. ii. 15, where the conscience is still the judge of past actions, and not the deciding power as to present policy. burnt up... heart. Cf. T.G. v. 3. ΧΧΙ. Levi’s pre-eminence is enforced as in Τ. R. vi. 5-12, &c. 1. exalt... him. Cf. T. R.vi (note). 4. As the heaven is higher than the earth >a. Cf. T. L. xiv. 3. 5. the angel... unto me > ₪ 4 % to eat of His table. Cf. T. L. viii. 16 (note). to offer Him >BAS'. king of Jacob. Cf. xvii. 5-6. ΧΧ]. 6—XXIII. An alien section, possibly a polemic against the kings (xxi. 6-8) Aristobulus 11 and Hyrcanus II (70-40 B.C.). Cf. xxii. 1-2. But the visitations of xxiii. 3-5 suit the Babylonian or Syrian conquests of 588 and 168 B.C. ΧΧΙ.

6. amongst aefg: ‘to’ ab. and unjust > aaf. impoverished, Text reads ‘in danger’, owing to wrong punctuation in the original Hebrew, the possessions of others > 8 AS}. 7. Cf. 1 Sam, vill. 11-17. 8. tadvance in evil. Cf. 2 Tim. ii. 16, iii, 13. XXII. 1. divisions one against another, i.e. the civil wars of Aristobulus 11 and Hyrcanus II, 70-40 B.C. Cf. Τ. Z. ix, 2-4. το.

And there shall be ‘continual! wars in Israel ; 2 And among men of another race shall my kingdom be brought to an end, Until the salvation of Israel shall come, ‘Until the appearing of the God of righteousness’, That Jacob [and all the Gentiles] may rest in peace. 3 And He shall guard the might of my kingdom for ever ; For the Lord sware to me with an oath that He would not destroy the kingdom from my seed for ever. 231 Now I have much grief, my children, because of your lewdness and witchcrafts, and idolatries which ye shall practise ‘against the kingdom|, following them that have familiar spirits, diviners, and 2 demons of error. Ye shall make your daughters singing girls and harlots, and ye shall mingle in 3 the abominations of the Gentiles. For which things’ sake the Lord shall bring upon you famine and pestilence, death and the sword, beleaguering by enemies, and revilings of friends, the slaughter of children, the rape of wives, the plundering of possessions, [the burning of the temple of God,] the 4 laying waste of the land, the enslavement of yourselves among the Gentiles. And they shall make some of you eunuchs for their wives. a BAS! 5 Until the Lord visit you, when with perfect Until ye turn unto the Lord with perfect heart ₪ heart ye repent and walk in all His command- | repenting and walking in all the commandments ments, and He bring you up from captivity | of God, and the Lord visit you with mercy and

among the Gentiles. bring you up from captivity among the Gentiles. 031 A 24 , And after these things shall a star arise to you And after these things shall arisc the star of x from Jacob in peace, peace,

And a man shall arise [from my seed], like the sun of righteousness,

Walking with the sons of men in meekness and And he shall walk with men in meekness and righteousness ; righteousness.

And no sin shall be found in him.

continual wars. From Alexander's death to Herod’s accession this holds good.

[and all the Gentiles] >A. An interpolation, as this section is not universalistic.

the abominations of the Gentiles. Cf. Pss. Sol. i. 8, ii. 13, 14, viii. 14.

sword A + ‘avenging *a8.

beleaguering by enemies. Cf. Jer. xix.9. + καὶ κύνας eis διασπασμύν, a β-8 before ἐχθρῶν, added from Jer. xv. 3 (LXX).

friends + ‘destruction and blighting of the eyes’ text: >hiA: emend to ‘destruction of bribes’, or possibly to ‘ destruction of children’ (dittography of next phrase). Or, like κύνας, &c., regard it as an Intrusion.

the rape of wives > a.

[the burning of the temple of God], not realized in Maccabean times (cf. Ps. lxxiv. 7 (gates only consumed) ; 1 Macc. iv. 38) or in the first century B.C.

enslavement ... Gentiles. (Cf. the captivities of Apollonius, 1 Macc. i. 29-40; 2 Macc. v. 23-6: and of Pompey, Philo, De leg. ad Caium, 23; Pss. Sol. ii. 6, xvii. 14; T. Ζ. ix. 6: of Cassius Longinus in 49 and 43 B.C., Josephus, «411. xiv. 11. 2.

from captivity. Cf. v. 3 (note); 1 En. xc. 33; Sir. xxxvi. 11; Pss. Sol. xvii. 28, 50.

XXIV. Two Messianic fragments. Verses 1-3 speak of a Messiah, probably from Levi, as ‘from my seed’ is an interpolation. Cf. both for diction and matter, T. L. xviii, the hymn in honour of John Hyrcanus. ‘Thus cf. 1* here with 3° there, 2 with 6, 1 with 4% 1° with ο”, 3° with 8°. Verses 5, 6 start afresh and refer directly to a Messiah from Judah. Verse 4 is a marginal gloss.

in peace. Cf. Τ. L. xviii. 3 ‘in heaven’.

aman shall arise. Cf. LXX of Num. xxiv. 17 (‘a sceptre shall arise’ Hebrew).

sun of righteousness. Mal. iv.2. Cf. Τ. L. xviii, 4; T. Z. ix. 8.

Walking with the sons of men. See T. Iss. vii. 7; T. D. v. 13; and especially 1 En. ΙΧ. 14.

meekness and righteousness. Ps. xlv. 4, interpreted of the Messiah by Targum and LXX. Cf. too Zech. ix, 9 323 צ‎ 2

aps! 2 And the heavens shall be opened unto him, To pour out the spirit, (even) the blessing of the Holy Father ; 3 And Heshall pour out the spirit of grace upon you; And ye shall be unto Him sons in truth, And ye shall walk in His commandments first and last. 4 [This Branch of God Most High, And this Fountain giving life unto all.] 5 Then shall the sceptre of my kingdom shine forth ; And from your root shall arise a stem ; 6 And from it shall grow a rod of righteousness to the Gentiles,

To judge and to save all that call upon the Lord.

And the heavens shall be opened unto him, 2

And the blessings of the Holy Father shall be poured down upon him.

And He will pour down upon us the spirit of 3 grace.

And ye shall be His true children by adoption,

And ye shall walk in His commandments first and last.

[Then a branch shall go forth from me.] 4

And the sceptre of my kingdom shall shine § forth ;

And from your root shall arise a stem ;

And from it shall grow up the rod of righteous- 6 ness unto the Gentiles,

To judge and to save all that call upon the Lord.

251 And after these things shall Abraham and Isaac and Jacob arise unto life, and I and my brethren shall be chiefs of the tribes ‘of Israel': Levi first, I the second, Joseph third, Benjamin fourth, 2 Simeon fifth, Issachar sixth, and so all in order. And the Lord blessed Levi, and the Angel of the Presence, me; the powers of glory, Simeon; the heaven, Reuben; the earth, Issachar; the sea, Zebulun ; the mountains, Joseph ; the tabernacle, Benjamin ; the luminaries, Dan; Eden, Naphtali ; the sun, Gad ; the moon, Asher. 3. And ye shall be the people of the Lord, and have one tongue ; And there shall be there no spirit of deceit of Beliar', For he shall be cast into the fire for ever. 4 And they who have died in grief shall arise ‘in joy’, "And they who were poor for the Lord’s sake shall be made rich’, And they who are put to death for the Lord’s sake shall awake ‘to life’. And the harts of Jacob shall run in joyfulness', And the eagles of Israel shall fly ‘in gladness'; And all the people shall glorify the Lord for ever. 261 Observe, therefore, my children, all the law of the Lord, for there is hope for all them who hold 2 fast unto His ways. And ‘he said to them: Behold’, 1 die before your eyes this day, a hundred and

תי

‘ Thy king cometh to thec, righteous and lowly’, and .[ק26‎ ii. 4. Meekness is not an attribute of the Messiah in Jewish literature 200 B.C.—A.D. 100. See 1. D. vi. 9. 2. See T. L. xviii. 6 (note).

And the heavens. Cf. 1 En. xi. 1, 3. pour... grace. Cf. Ps, xlv. 2. And ye shall be . . . walk. ‘in truth’ a.

sons in truth. Cf. T. L. xviii. 8. first and last. Cf. e.g. 1 Chron. xxix. 29. 4. A marginal gioss. This Branch. Cf. Isa. xi. 13 Jer. xxili. 5, xxxiii. 15. this Fountain, &c.a(8S'): > A. Cf. Johniv. 14. Cf. Prov. זווא‎ &c. 5-6. A new Messianic fragment, added by the inserter of xxi. 6—xxiii. 5- astem. ‘a fountain’ a, corruptly. Cf. Isa. xi. 1. 6. rod of righteousness. Cf. Ps. xlv. 6.

tribes, σκήπτρων, 1.6. Ὁ 935’. Cf. Matt. xix. 28 ‘In the regeneration . . Eden. Text 9 τρυφή = TY. Cf. Gen. .ו‎ 15 (LXX).

one tongue, i.e. Hebrew. Ber. rabba 18; Shabb. 12>; Jub. iii. 28 (note). be there a: ‘ be no more’ BS'; ‘be among you’ A.

rich +‘and they who have been in want shall be filled, and they who have been weak shall be strong’ 7% Cf. Matt. v. 6.

5. JacobabgAS!: “Joseph * 1 And the eagles . . . gladness αβ δὶς ‘And the heifers of Israel shall leap’ A 4‘ But the ungodly shall lament and the sinners shall weep’ a8 δι. AXVI. 1. hold fast unto a: ‘direct’ 8 5% 1.6. מישרים‎ for שומרים‎ 2. Behold ΣβΑ ο]. before your eyes > a.

- + judging the twelve tribes of Israel’.

₪ ₪ =

=

3 nincteen years old. Let no one bury me ‘in costly apparel’, nor tear open my bowels, ‘for this

4 shall they who are kings do'; and carry me up to Hebron with you. And Judah, when he had said these things, fell asleep ; and his sons did according to all whatsoever he commanded them, and they buried him in Hebron, with his fathers.

1 1 The copy ofthe words of Issachar. For he called his sons and said to them: Hearken, my children, to Issachar your father ; Give ear to the words of him who is beloved of the Lord. 2,3 1 was born the ‘fifth son to Jacob’, by way of hire for the mandrakes. For Reuben "my brother! 4 brought in mandrakes from the field, and Rachel met him and took them. And Reuben wept, and 5 at his voice Leah my mother came forth. Now these (mandrakes) were ‘sweet-smelling’ apples 6 which were produced in the land of Haran below a ravine of water. And Rachel said: I will not give them to thee, but they shall be to me instead of children. ‘For the Lord hath despised me, 7 and I have not borne children 10 Jacob’. Now there were two apples; and Leah said ‘to Rachel’: 8 Let it suffice thee that thou hast taken my husband: wilt thou take these 8150? And Rachel said g ‘to her': Thou shalt have Jacob this night for the mandrakes ‘of thy son’. And Leah said to her: 10 Jacob is mine, for I am the wife of his youth. But Rachel said: Boast not, and vaunt not thyself; for he espoused me before thee, and for my sake he served our father fourteen years.

a 3 A S ננ‎ And had not craft increased on the earth and What shall 1 do to thee? for the craft and αχ the wickedness of men prospered, thou wouldst | the subtlety of men are increased, and craft pros- not now see the face of Jacob. pereth on the earth—if it were not so, thou wouldst not now see the face of Jacob.

12,13 For thou art not his wife, but in craft wert taken to him in my stead. And my father deceived me, ‘and removed me on that night’, and did not suffer ‘Jacob to 566 me; for' had I been 14 there, this had not happened ‘to him'. Nevertheless, for the mandrakes I am hiring Jacob to thee 15 for one night. And Jacob knew Leah, and she ‘conceived and! bare me, and on account of the hire I was called Issachar.

1 Then appeared to Jacob an angel of the Lord, saying: Two children shall Rachel bear, inasmuch 2 as she hath refused company with her husband, and hath chosen continency. And had not Leah

my mother paid the two apples for the sake of his company, she would have borne eight sons ;

for this reason she bare six, and Rachel bare the two: for on account of the mandrakes the Lord 3 visited her. For He knew that for the sake of children she wished to company with Jacob, and 4 not for lust of pleasure. For on the morrow also she again gave up Jacob. Because of the man- 5 drakes, therefore, the Lord hearkened to Rachel. For though she desired them, she eat them not,

but offered them in the house of the Lord, presenting them to the priest of the Most High who was at that time.

nineteen 8 A 51: ‘ eighteen’ a, wrongly. 3. nor tear open . . . kings do > a. with you. ‘where are my fathers also’ a.

1. 1. TITLE a: +‘ concerning simplicity’ bf 51: ‘concerning goodness’ e. the words of him who is beloved ciaefA: ‘the words beloved’ hd 51: ‘(my) words, ye beloved’ bg.

2-14. Cf. Gen. xxx. 14-18.

7- to Rachel > BAS.

g. Jacob is mine, for I a: * Boast not nor vaunt thyself ; for Jacob is mine, and I’ 8 1

Boast . . . thyself: ‘ How 50?' BAS!‏ ,סז

3%5

31

When, therefore, I grew up, my children, 1 walked in uprightness of heart, and I became

a husbandman for my father and my brethren, and I brought in fruits from the field according to

2, 3 their season. ‘And my father blessed me, for he saw that I walked in rectitude before him’. And 41 was not a busybody in my doings, ‘nor envious and malicious against my neighbour. I never

slandered any one, nor did I censure the life of any man, walking as I did in singleness of eye’.

5 Therefore, when I was thirty-'five' years old, I took to myself a wife, for my labour wore away my

strength, and I never thought upon pleasure with women ; ‘but owing to my toil, sleep overcame me’,

6 And my father ‘always’ rejoiced in my rectitude, "because I offered through the priest to the Lord 7 all first-fruits ; then to my father also. And the Lord increased ten thousandfold His benefits in my 8 hands; and also Jacob. my father, knew that God aided my singleness. For on all the poor and

oppressed I bestowed the good things of the earth in the singleness of my heart".

And now, hearken to me, my children,

And walk in singlencss ‘of your heart’,

For I have seen in it ‘all! that is well-pleasing to the Lord. 'The single-(minded) man coveteth not gold,

He overreacheth not his neighbour,

He longeth not after manifold dainties,

He delighteth not in varicd apparel.

He doth not desire to live a long life,

But only waiteth for the will of God".

And the spirits of deceit have no power against him,

For he looketh not on the beauty of women,

"Lest he should pollute his mind with corruption’.

There is no envy in his thoughts,

[No malicious person maketh his soul to pine away, |

Nor worry with insatiable desire in his mind.

For he walketh in singleness ‘of soul’,

And beholdeth all things in uprightness ‘of heart’, Shunning eyes (made) evil through the error of the world, Lest he should see the perversion of any of the commandments of the Lord. Keep, therefore, my children, the law of God,

And get singleness,

II-VI. Issachar is here held up as the single-hearted husbandman (iii. 1, v. 3, 5) who scorns luxuries and wealth

(iv. 2), is free from envy, malice, and greed (iii. 3, iv. 5), shuns lust (iv. 4), offers freely to God and his father (iii. 6), and to the poor (iii. 8). Cf. LXX of Gen. xlix. 15 ἐγενήθη ἀνὴρ γεωργός, ‘he bowed his shoulder to bear, and became a servant under taskwork’ (Heb.). The Targums interpret this labour as in the law; cf. 1 Chron. xii. 32.

and A.D. 50 it employs more frequently than the LXX the late Greek word ἁπλότης = pM The MSS. waver between the two at times, probably because ἁπλότης was not yet so popular a term as it later became. See iny Commentary, υ. 103, and cf. T. G. vii. 7, T. Iss. iv. 6.

according to their season >aaf. 2. >A. rectitude, ἁπλότης = wholeness, integrity. Cf. Eph. vi. 5; Col. iii. 32. 3. busybody. Cf. 1 Tim. v. 13. 4. singleness of eye. Cf. Matt. vi. 22; T. Iss. iv. 6 (note). 5. five > bdgA. sleep. Perhaps read ‘ old age’. Cf. Τ. Z. x. 6. 6. because, ‘for on whatsoever 1 laboured’ β51. all first-fruits + ‘all the choicest fruit and all the firstfruits ' 3 1. 7. ten thousandfold a: ‘twofold’ β 51. 8. bestowed ... singleness of heart. Cf. Rom. xii. 8. Hence the meaning ‘disinterested generosity’ in

2 Cor. ix. 13, ἁπλότητι τῆς κοινωνίας eis αὐτούς.

IV. 1. heart cg: ‘soul’ hiaef. in it bdgA: ‘in you’ aaefS'. 2. coveteth not .. . neighbour bdeg 51: ‘gaineth not gold wrongfully’ aaf. 3. doth not desire to live 51: οὐκ ἐπιγράφει τοῦ ζην a B S*, 1.6. MPND, perhaps corrupt for TEND, 4- looketh not on the beauty, οὐ yap cider ἐπιδέξασθαι (ἐπιλέξασθαι fg A: > 53) κάλλος. Perhaps there was a ditto-

graphy in the original Hebrew בחר בחן‎ = ἐπιλέξασθαι κάλλος, Cf. Τ. Κ. iv. 1.

[No malicious person, &c.] An interpolation >A: ‘malice... not’ bdgS.

Nor worry .. . his mind, emended from οὐδὲ περισπασμὸν ἐν ἀπληστείᾳ ἐννοεῖ aB S' to... περισπασμὸς ... ἐν νοῦ, 6. singleness of soul a: > ‘of soul’ A: 8S read ‘uprightness of soul’ and so ‘singleness of heart’ below.

eyes ... evil. Cf. Matt. vi. 22, 23 ‘eye... single; eye... evil’, i.e. ethically unsound. In Matt. xx, 15 =‘ envious.”

326

‘And walk in guilelessness, Not playing the busybody with the business of your neighbour, 2 But love the Lord and your neighbour, Have compassion on the poor and weak". 3 Bow down your back unto husbandry, And toil in labours ‘in all manner of husbandry, Offering gifts to the Lord with thanksgiving". 4 For with the first-fruits of the earth will the Lord bless you, ‘even as He blessed all the saints 5 from Abel even until now’. For no other portion is given to you ‘than of the fatness of the earth, 6 whose fruits are raised by toil’. For our father Jacob blessed me with blessings of the earth and of ל‎ first-fruits. And Levi and Judah were glorified by the Lord even among the sons of Jacob ; for the Lord gave them an inheritance, and to Levi He gave the priesthood, and to Judah the kingdom. 8 And do ye therefore obey them, and walk in the singleness of your father; [for unto Gad hath it been given to destroy the troops that are coming upon Israel]. 61 Know ye therefore, my children, that in the last times Your sons will forsake singleness, ΓΑπά will cleave unto insatiable desire ; And! leaving ‘guilelessness, will draw near to malice ; And forsaking the commandments of the Lord, They will cleave unto Beliar. 2 And leaving’ husbandry, They will follow after their own "wicked" devices, And they shall be dispersed among the Gentiles, And shall serve their enemies. / 3 And do you therefore give these commands to your children, that, if they sin, they may the more 4 quickly return to the Lord; For He is merciful, and will deliver them, even to bring them back into their land.

a BAS! 71 Behold, therefore, as ye see, 1 am a hundred I am a hundred and twenty-two years old, and 1 and twenty-six years old and am not conscious of | I am not conscious of having committed any sin committing any sin. unto death.

2 Except my wife I have not known any woman’. I never committed fornication by the uplifting of my ‘eyes’. 3 I drank not wine, to be led astray thereby ; I coveted not any desirable thing that was my neighbour's. 4 Guile arose not in my heart ; A lie passed not through my lips. 5 If any man were in distress I joined my sighs with his,

V. 1. busybody with + ‘the commands of God and’ BS". 3. Bow ... husbandry. Gen. xlix. 15 (Heb.). labours a + ‘of the earth’ 8 AS’. 5. to you gA: ‘tothee’ B-agS: ‘tous’ a: >a. whose fruits are raised by toil bgS': ‘through the toils of fruits’ aaef: >d. 6-7. A is defective and confused. 7. to Levi. . . {ο Judah 6: ‘to the one... to the other’ hp. 8. [for )8 AS': ‘and’ a) unto Gad... Israel.] Probably out of place, and belonged to T. Gad originally, preceded by a phrase like ‘and she called his name Gad’. Cf. Gen, xlix. 19.

serve their enemies. Cf. Τ. Jud. xxiii. 3: T. ו .א‎ 2.

VII. hundred and twenty-two 8 AS = Midrash Tadshe. See 1. R. i. 1 (note). am not conscious, &c. Cf. 1 Cor. ix. 4; Τ. 4 sin unto death SAS. Cf. Num. xviii. 22; Jub. xxi. 22, xxxviii. 18 ; 1 John v. 16. 2. a omits οὐκ ἔγνων through hmt. It reads ‘ woman except my wife’. the uplifting, perewpiopds = Cf. T. B. vi. 3; Sir. xxiii. 4, xxvi. 9: Prov. vi. 25. 4. A has ‘And guile arose not through my lips, and I lied not to my neighbour . 5. Cf. Sir. vii. 34; Rom. xii. 15. 327

And 1 shared my bread with the poor. I wrought godliness, all my days I kept truth.

a BS! 6 I loved the Lord ; ‘The Lord I loved with all my strength : 6 Likewise also every man with all my heart. Likewise also every man I loved more than my

own children,

Ἰ. So do you also these things, my children,

And every spirit of Beliar shall flee from you,

And no deed of wicked men shall rule over you;

And every wild beast shall ye subdue,

Since you have with you the God of heaven and carth

(And) walk with men in singleness of heart’. 8 And having said these things, he commanded his sons that they should carry him up to Hebron, 9 and bury him there in the cave ‘with his fathers'. And he stretched out his feet and died, at a good

old age ; with every limb sound, and with strength unabated, he slept the eternal sleep.

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

7 But when they wished to kill him, I adjured them much ‘with tears! not to be guilty of this sin. 21,2 For Simeon and Gad came against Joseph 'to kill him’, and he said unto them with tears: Pity me, my brethren, have mercy upon the bowels of Jacob our father: lay not upon me your hands 3 ‘to shed innocent blood’, for I have not sinned against you. And if indeed I have sinned, with chastening chastise me, ‘my brethren’, but lay not upon me your hand, for the sake of Jacob our 4father. And as he spoke these words, ‘wailing as he did so', I was unable to bear his lamentations, and 'began to weep', and my liver was poured out, and all the substance of my bowels was floosened.

shared my bread. Cf. Prov. xxii. 9. with the poor + ‘I never eat alone, I moved no landmark’ β S'. kept truth a: ‘did truth’ @-beS?: ‘and I walked in holiness’ A + * 1 loved godliness’ ₪ 7. shall flee. Cf. Τ. .א‎ viii. 4. walk with men... heart hief (‘his heart’ hi): ‘walking with men in the singleness of His heart’ 6 (= Messiah, cf. T. Jud. xxiv. 1): ‘walking with men of (or ‘in’) singleness of heart’ '" 1 8. in the cave Σαρ. g. and 0100 . . . sleep. ‘and slept at a good old age the eternal sleep’ a. the eternal sleep. This does not preclude Resurrection. T. Jud. xxv.1; T. B. x. 6 ff.

TITLE a +‘ compassion and mercy’ )* almsgiving ' d ϱ) B-a 951. 1. 1. before he died ς d. fourteenth h 1 β-ᾱ 55 cf. Jashar ii. 1248: ‘fourth’ 6: ‘fiftieth’ a: ‘twenty-fourth’ A. two years. See Jub. xxviii. 11-24 (notes). 3. Zebulun, a good gift. Gen. xxx. 20. straked rods. Cf. Gen. xxx. 37 ff. he had: ‘I had’ ad. 4. am not conscious, &c. Cf. T. Iss. vii. 1. 5. sin of ignorance. Cf. Τ. R.i.6; T. L. iii.5; T. Jud. xix. 3. which I committed > a. = covenanted with = כרתי‎ emended from כסיתי‎ ‘ concealed for’ כ‎ g A: ‘ confirmed to’ a 8-5 ₪ 7- 1 adjured: ‘1 summoned’ hi: c omits rest of verse and ii. 1* to ‘ kill him’ through hmt.

1]. 1. Simeon + ‘and Dan’h. Cf. iii. 2. against Joseph : ‘with anger’ g. +‘ with anger’ de 51. and he said . . . tears: ‘and falling on his face Joseph said to them’ f-a f 1. 2. upon me > a. 3. upon me: ‘to slay your brother’ a. 4. wailing as he did so > 8A ο). 1 was . . . lamentations a: ‘I pitied him’ 8S". poured out dg. Cf. Lam. ii. 11: ‘melted’ ₪ 8-0 ς 51. was tloosened 4 + ‘within my soul’ 8 AS'. Perhaps emend to ‘ was troubled ’, as Lam. i. 20, ii. 11.

328

5 And I wept with Joseph, and my heart sounded, ‘and the joints of my body trembled’, and I was 6 not able to stand. And when ‘Joseph! saw me weeping with him, and them coming against him to 7 slay him, he fled behind me, beseeching them. But meanwhile Reuben arose and said: 'Come', my

brethren, let us not slay him, but let us cast him into one of these dry pits, which our fathers digged 8 and found no water. For for this cause the Lord forbade that water should rise up in them, in order that Joseph should be preserved. And they did so, until they sold him to the Ishmaelites.

For in his price I had no share, my children. But Simeon and Gad and six other of our brethren took the price of Joseph, and bought sandals for themselves, and their wives, ‘and their children’, 3 saying: We will not eat of it, for it is the price of our brother's blood, but we will assuredly tread

it under foot, because he said that he would be king over us, ‘and so let us see what will become of 4 פות‎ dreams’. Therefore it is written in the writing of the law of Moses, that whosoever will not raise 5 up seed to his brother, his sandal should be unloosed, and they should spit in his face. And the

brethren of Joseph wished not that their brother should live, and the Lord loosed from them the 6 sandal which they wore against ‘Joseph their brother'. For when they came into Egypt ‘they were unloosed by the servants of Joseph outside the gate, and so they made obeisance to Joseph after the 7 fashion of King Pharaoh. And! not only did they make obeisance to him, but ‘were spit upon also, 8 falling down before him forthwith, and so! they were put to shame before the Egyptians. For after

1,2

this the Egyptians heard all the evils that they had done to Joseph.

a

4: And after he was tsold my brothers sat down 2 to eat and drink. But I, through pity for Joseph, did not eat, but watched the pit, since Judah feared lest Simeon, Dan, and Gad should rush 3 off and slay him. But when they saw that I did not eat, they set me to watch him, till he was 5 sold to the Ishmaelites. And when Reuben came and heard that while he was away (Joseph) had been sold, he rent his garments, (and) mourning, said: How shall I look on the face of my father 6 Jacob? And he took the money and ran after the merchants, but as he failed to find them he returned grieving. But the merchants had left the broad road and marched through the Tro- glodytes by a short cut.

And after they had cast him into the pit ‘my 1 brethren’ sat down to eat. ‘For I through two 2 days and two nights eat nothing, through pity for Joseph’. And Judah eat not with them, but watched ‘the pit'; for he feared lest Simeon and Gad should run off and slay him. And when 3 they saw that I also eat not, they set me to watch him until he was sold. And he spent in 4 the pit three days and three nights, and so was sold famishing. And when Reuben heard that 5 while he was away (Joseph) had been sold, he rent his clothes, and mourned, saying : How shall I look in the face of Jacob my father? And he 6 took the money and ran after the merchants, and found no one; for they had left the main road,

and journeyed through the Troglodytes by a short cut.

7 ‘But Reuben was grieved', and eat no food that day. Dan therefore came to him and said: 8, 9 Weep not, neither grieve; for we have found what we can say to our father Jacob. Let us slay

11 2. Gad ... brethren: ‘ Dan and Gad and their children’ a. bought sandals. Cf. Ps.-Jon. on Gen. xxxvii. 28; Pirke R. EL. xxxviii; also Amos ii. 6. 3. the price of .. . blood. Cf. Matt. xxvii. 6. ἵ 16% us see, &c. Gen. xxxvii. 20. 4-7. An attempt to explain certain customs of the Levirate Law. 4- law of Moses a: ‘ law of Enoch’ β 5]. whosoever will not, &c. Cf. Deut. xxxv. 10; Ruth iv. 4. 7- forthwith, παραχρῆμα, bd 15 : napa σχῆμα, aaeg. before 8-dA ο): ‘by’ ad. β 95]: ‘for they heard the evils that they had done unto him’ a.

1V. 1. 15018 a: πραθηναι corrupt for βληθηναι. sat down ad only. Cf. Gen. xxxvii. 25.

. Dan (a). See ii. 1.

. to the Ishmaelites (a). Cf. T. S. ii. 9; T. Z. ii. 9.

- > a, possibly through hmt.

. How shall Ilook . . . Jacob? So Ps.-Jon. and Targ. Jer. on Gen. xxxvii. 30.

. Troglodytes: ‘Indokolpitae’ in T. Jos. xi, 2. See LXX of 2 Chron. xii. 1.

. Slay bdA +‘with the sword’ ₪ 8-5 6 5%. 2

OW יש‎ = ₪ ₪

329

10 a kid of the goats, and dip in it the coat of Joseph; and let us send it to Jacob, saying: Know, is 11 this the coat of thy son? And they did so. ‘For they stripped off from Joseph his coat when they were selling him, and put upon him the garment of a slave'. Now Simeon took the coat, and would not give it up, ‘for he wished to rend it with his sword’, as he was angry that Joseph lived and that 12 he had not slain him. Then we ‘all’ rose up and said unto him: If thou givest not up the coat, we 13 will say ‘to our father’ that thou alone didst this evil thing in Isracl. And so he gave it unto them, and they did even as Dan had said. ז‎ And now, my children, I bid you to keep the commands of the Lord, ‘and to show mercy to your neighbours, and to have compassion towards all, not. towards men only, but also towards beasts. 2 For all this thing’s sake the Lord blessed me’, and when all my brethren were sick, I escaped with- 3 out sickness, for the Lord knoweth the purposes of each. Have, therefore, compassion in your hearts, my children, because even as a man doeth to his neighbour, even so also will the Lord do to him. 4 For the sons of my brethren were sickening and were dying on account of Joseph, ‘because they 5 showed not mercy in their hearts’; but my sons were preserved without sickness, as ye know. And when I was in the land of Canaan, by the sea-coast, I made a catch of fish for Jacob my father; and when many were choked in the sea, [ continued unhurt.

6 ן‎ I was the first to make a boat to sail upon the sea, for the Lord gave me understanding ‘and 2 wisdom therein’. And I let down a rudder behind it, and I stretched a sail upon another upright 4 piece of wood in the midst. And I sailed therein along the shores, catching fish for the house of my

father until we came to Egypt. Verses 4-6 found only in bd ₪.

4,5 [And through compassion I shared my catch with every stranger. And if a man were a stranger,

or sick, or aged, I boiled the fish, and dressed them well, and offered them to all men. as every man 6 had need, grieving with and having compassion upon them. Wherefore also the Lord satisfied me with abundance of fish when catching fish; for he that shareth with his neighbour receiveth manifold 7 more from the Lord.| For five years I caught fish [and gave thereof to every man whom I saw, 8 and sufficed for all the house of my father]. And in the summer I caught fish, and in the winter I kept sheep with my brethren. vii-viii. 3 found only in bdg. 7, _ [Now I will declare unto you what I did. 1 saw a man in distress through nakedness in winter- time, and had compassion upon him, and stole away a garment secretly from my father’s house, and 2 gave it to him who was in distress. Do you, therefore, my children, from that which God bestoweth upon you, show compassion and mercy without hesitation to all men, and give to every man with 3.2 good heart. And if ye have not the wherewithal to give to him that needeth, have compassion for 4him in bowels of mercy. I know that my hand found not the wherewithal to give to him that needed, and I walked with him weeping for seven furlongs, and my bowels yearned towards him in compassion.

8, Have, therefore, yourselves also, my children, compassion towards every man with mercy, that the 2 Lord also may have compassion and mercy upon you. Because also in the last days God will send 3 His compassion on the earth, and wheresoever He findeth bowels of mercy 116 dwelleth in him. For

in the degree in which a man hath compassion upon his neighbours, in the same degree hath the

let us send . . . saying a: ‘and we will say’ 8 \ 1ο. his coat a: ‘the coat of our father’ 8 -d g S'. 11. Joseph lived and > a. 12. to our father ag. in Israel. a only. V. 3. even asa man, &c. Cf. viii. 3; Judges i.7; Matt. vil. 2. 4. in their hearts 8 S': ‘to them’ c. VI. 1. the first to make a boat. Cf. Gen. xlix. 13. 2. rudder, lit. ‘a piece of wood’. 3. catching fish g: ‘and 1 caught fish’ bd A: ‘in’ af: >a >. 4-6. The sections peculiar to bd g, i.e. vi. 4-6, 7°, vii-viii, go back probably to a Hebrew original. vin. 3, though a saying attributed to Gamaliel 11 or (:amaliel of Jabneh (80-105 A. D.), iS virtually the same as ν- 3. 6. satisfied, ἐνέπλησε, 1: ἐποίησε, כ‎ g, wrongly. Neighbour + ‘with all willingness’ d. 7. [and gave . . . father] bd g only. whom I saw bg: ‘what sufficed’ d. VII. 1. my father’s house d: ‘ my house’ b g. 2. show . .. mercy without hesitation. Cf. Jude 22, if yy is restored before διακρινύµενοι there. 3. needeth, or ‘asketh’, χρῄζοντι. Cf. Matt. v. 42. VIIL. 2. last days. See T. Iss. vi. 1 (note). 3. Sce v. 3 (note) and vi. 4-6 (note). Cf. Sifre, Deut. 96; Shabb. 151°.

33°

4, 5 Lord also upon him.] And when we went down into Egypt, Joseph bore no malice against us. To whom taking heed, do ye also, my children, ‘approve yourselves without malice, and' love one 6 another ; and do not set down in account, each one of you, evil against his brother. For this breaketh unity and divideth ‘all kindred, and troubleth the soul', and weareth away the countenance. 91 Observe, therefore’, the waters, and know when they flow together, they sweep along stones, trees, 2 earth, and other things. But if they are divided into many streams, the earth swalloweth them up, 8, 4 and they vanish away. So shall ye also be if ye be divided. Be not ye, therefore, divided into two heads, for everything which the Lord made hath but one head, and two shoulders, two 5 hands, two feet, and all the remaining members. For I have learnt in the writing of my fathers. that Ye shall be divided in Israel, And ye shall follow two kings, And shall work every abomination. 6 And your enemies shall lead you captive, And ye shall be evil entreated among the Gentiles, With many infirmities and tribulations.

a BAS}

And after these things ye shall remember the‏ ל

Lord and repent,

And He shall have mercy upon you, for He is merciful and compassionate.

And He setteth not down in account evil against the sons of men,

Because they are flesh, and are deceived through their own wicked deeds.

And after these things ye shall remember the 7 Lord, and repent,

[And He shall cause you to return]; for He is merciful and compassionate.

And He setteth not down in account evil to the sons of men, because they are flesh,

And the spirits of deceit deceive them in all their deeds.

aaefAS!

8 And after these things shall there arise "unto you' the Lord Himself, the light of righteousness,

bdg

And after these things there shall arise unto 8 you the Lord Himself, the light of righteousness,

[And healing and compassion shall be in His wings.

He shall redeem all the captivity of the sons of men from Beliar ;

And every spirit of deceit shall be trodden down] ;

And he shall bring back all the Gentiles into zeal for Him.

4- Kesumes vi. 3. And when. bdg read ‘for when’, which supports the originality of vii—viii. 2. against us +‘ but when he saw me he had compassion’ ל‎ g. 6. approve . . . malice and >aaefA. set not down in account, &c. Cf. 1 Cor. xiii. 5. evil against c A: * the evil of’ β ο]. 6. and weareth away the countenance (‘possessions’ ae 1. )?( 51( a: ‘for he who beareth malice hath no bowels of mercy’ bd g.

ΙΧ. Written at a time of national divisions, e.g. Hyrcanus 11'5 struggles with Aristobulus II. 1. and other things a: ‘sand’ 8-5 6 A. 2. vanish away. So I emend with Perles; the text has ‘become of no account’, i.e. 3OND* corrupt for .ימס‎ See 1 Sam. xv. 9. 4, 5. two heads = Hyrcanus 11 and Aristobulus II. 5. writing of my fathers. See T. L. x. 5 (note). kings: ‘kingdoms’ aaefS’. abomination + ‘and worship every idol’ ג‎ 5'. 6. be evil entreated: ‘dwell’ cbd. tribulations + ‘and anguish of soul’ bdg. 7. repent : ἐπιστρέψετε a: peravonoere BAS": both = Twn. cause ... to return 8AS'. Or ἐπιστρέψει may be rendered ‘ return’ if we omit ὑμᾶς. setteth not down in account. Cf. Ps. xxxii. 2. Because .. . flesh. Cf. Gen. vi. 3; T. Jud. xix. 4. 8. bdg appear to be a Jewish expansiou of aaefAS'. Thus 8" comes from Mal. iv. 2, suggested by ‘light of righteousness’, 8° = Τ. Ὀ. v. 11%, 84 = T. L. xviii. 12 or T. 5. vi. 6.

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+ ‘that in the last days ye will depart from the Lord and’ bd g.

Cf. T. D. v. ο».

aaefAS! bdg And ye shall return unto your land. | And ye shall see [God in the fashion of a man] And ye shall see Him in Jerusalem, ‘for His | (the place) which the Lord shall choose, Jerusalem name’s sake '. is its name.

g And again ‘through the wickedness of your works' shall ye provoke Him to anger, And ye shall be cast away 'by Him' unto the time of consummation. 10: And now, my children, grieve not that I am dying, nor be cast down in that I am coming to my zend. For I shall rise again in the midst of you, ‘as a ruler in the midst of his sons'; and I shall rejoice in the midst of my tribe, as many 35 shall keep the law of the Lord, ‘and the commandments 3 of Zcbulun their father'. But upon the ungodly shall the Lord bring eternal fire, and destroy them 4. 5 throughout all generations. But I am now hastening away to my rest, as did also my fathers. But 6 do ye fear the Lord ‘our God with all your strength all the days of your life. And when he had 7 said these things he fell aslcep, ‘at a good old age!. And his sons laid him in a wooden" coffin. And afterwards they carried him up and buried him in Hebron, with his fathers.

li The copy of the words of Dan, which he spake to his sons in his last days, in the hundred and 2 twenty-fifth year of his life. For he called together his family, and said: Hearken to my words, ye 3 sons of Dan; and give hced to the words ‘of your father'. I have proved in my heart, and in my whole life, that truth with just dealing is good and well pleasing to God, and that lying and anger 4 are evil, because they teach man all wickedness. I confess, therefore, this day to you, my children, 5 that in my heart I resolved on the death of Joseph ‘my brother’, the true and good man. [And 6 I rejoiced that he was sold, because his father loved him more than us.]_ For the spirit of jealousy 7 and vainglory said to me: Thou thyself also art his son. And one of the spirits of Beliar stirred me up, saying: Take this sword, and ‘with it' slay Joseph: so shall thy father love thee when he is dead.

8 Now this is the spirit of anger that persuaded me to crush Joseph as a leopard crusheth a kid.

a B A 1 9 But the God of my fathers did not suffer him But the God of Jacob our father did not deliver 9 to fall into my hands, so that I should find him | him into my hands that I should find him alone, alone and slay him, and cause a second tribe to | nor suffer me to work this iniquity, lest two tribes be destroyed in Israel. should be destroyed in Israel.

21 And now, my children, behold I am dying, and I tell you ofa truth, that unless ye keep yourselves from the spirit of lying and of anger, and love truth and longsuffering, ye shall perish.

ς BAS! 2 Tor anger is blindness, and does not suffer one There is blindness in anger, my children, and 2 to see the face of any man with truth. no angry man seeth the face with truth.

3 For though it be a father or a mother, ‘he behaveth towards them as enemies!; though it be a brother, he knowcth him not; though it be a prophet of the Lord, he disobeyeth him; though

see Him a: ‘see the Lord’ aefAS'. (the place) . . . its name b: ‘whom the Lord shall choose in Jerusalem for His name’s sake’ g: ‘and His name shall be called the angel of great counsel’ d. ϱ. by Him a: > ₪ 1: ‘among the Gentiles’ A. Χ. 1. be cast down, συµπίπτετε. Cf. T. Jos. vii. 1. 2. Cf. T. Jud. xxv. 1 ; Box. 7. 3. Cf Ps. xi. 6. throughout all generations: ‘from the children of Israel’ A. 6. good old age: ‘good sleep’ text. 12° was misread for .שיבה‎ Cf. T. Iss. vii. g; T. D. vii. 1, &e. woodena: >8AS'. Cf. Τ. S. vii. 2. TITLE 4: + ‘concerning anger (* wrath’ dg) and lying’ bdefg S': + ‘concerning arrogancy and hatred’ A, I. 3. just dealing. We expect longsuffering here, as in ii. i, vi. 8. 4. Tesolved a: rejoiced 8(A)S!: i.e. שמחתי‎ for ‘new. For Dan’s design, see T. Z. ii. 1. 5. Bracketed, as it breaks the connexion of 4 and 6. 7. ος τ. 7. Π. τι 2. stirred me up = .יע'ר‎ Text = ‘ helped πιεὈ = ,יעזר‎ 8. to crush ... a kid 8-adfA: a has the order different. crush = 7/3": emended from ‘suck’ .מצ'[==‎ ϱ. Why ‘a second tribe’? 8 AS! seems to have the better reading.

1. 2. angry man: >‘angry’aefAS}. 332

4 ג‎ righteous man, he regardeth him not; ‘though a friend, he doth not acknowledge him’. For the spirit of anger encompasseth him with the net of deceit, and blindeth his eyes, and through lying

5 darkeneth his mind, and giveth him its own peculiar vision. And wherewith encompasseth it his eyes? With hatred of heart, so as to be envious of his brother.

a B-aAS'! 31 For anger is an evil thing, my children, for it For anger is an evil thing, my children, for it troubleth even the soul itself. becomes a soul to the soul itself.

2 And the body of the angry man it maketh its own, and over his soul it getteth the mastery, and 3 it bestoweth upon the body ‘power that it may work all’ iniquity. And when the body does all 4 these things, the soul justifieth what is done, since it seeth not aright. Therefore he that is wrathful, if he be a mighty man, hath a threefold power in his anger: one by the help of his servants; and a second by his wealth, whereby he persuadeth and overcometh wrongfully ; and thirdly, having his 5 own natural power he worketh thereby the evil. And though the wrathful man be weak, yet hath 6 he a power twofold of that which is by nature; for wrath ever aideth such in lawlessness. This spirit goeth always with lying ‘at the right hand of Satan, that with cruelty and lying’ his works may be wrought. 41,2 Understand ye, therefore, the power of wrath, that it is fvain. For it first of all giveth provocation by word ; then by deeds it fstrengtheneth him who is angry, and with sharp losses disturbeth his 3 mind, and so stirreth up with great wrath his soul. Therefore, when any one speaketh against you, be not ye moved to anger, [and if any man praiseth you as holy men, be not uplifted: be not moved 4 either to delight or to disgust]. For first tit pleaseth the hearingf, and so maketh the mind keen to perceive the grounds for provocation ; and then being enraged, he thinketh that he is justly angry. 5 If ye fall into any loss or ruin, my children, ‘be not afflicted’; for this very spirit maketh (a man) 6 desire that which is perishable, in order that he may be enraged through the affliction.

And if ye suffer loss voluntarily, or involuntarily, be not vexed ; for from vexation ariseth wrath ‘with lying”. 7 Moreover, a twofold mischief is wrath with lying ; and they assist one another in order to disturb the heart ; and when the soul is continually disturbed, the Lord departeth from it, and Beliar ruleth over it. ז‎ Observe, therefore, my children, the commandments of the Lord, And keep His law ; Depart from wrath, And hate lying, That the Lord may dwell among you, And Beliar may flee from you. 2 Speak truth each one with his neighbour. So shall ye not fall into wrath and confusion ; But ye shall be in peace, having the God of peace, So shall no war prevail over you.

4. spirit of anger . . . deceit : ‘ spirit of deceit . . . nets of luxury’ A. 5. And... his eyes. A reads ‘And then it encompasses (him) with its own eye, and surrounds . with hatred .. . brother a: ‘with hatred of heart and it giveth him its own heart (‘a heart hostile’ A: “a heart’ 51) so as to be envious of his brother’be AS". 15 111. 1. it troubleth even a: ‘it becometh a soul to" §-ag 5% perhaps better. 2. power ag: ‘its own '+זסשסק‎ 3. when the body ... aright a: ‘ when it doeth aught, the soul justifieth . . . seeth not’ BAS! 4- a mighty man + ‘in body’ a. having . . . evil: ‘having the natural power of his body and of his own agency working’ 8A 9]. 5. yet hath he... by nature 8 AS': ‘the passion of anger springeth up in him with twofold power? α. 6. Bracketed words > aA. IV. 1. tvain. Read ‘a destroyer’. 2. giveth provocation : ‘is provoked’ wae f. tstrengtheneth. Read ‘embittereth’ or ‘ inciteth’. 3. The bracketed words are out of the context. 4. tit pleaseth the hearingt. Read ‘the thing said giveth provocation '. the grounds for provocation, reading τὸ ἐρεθίσαν for τὸ ἐρεθισθέν a B-d ρ 5]. 5. This spirit deceives in order to irritate. Bet A reads, ‘the spirit of error desired to do this thing, and to accomplish the ruin.’ affliction, πάθους, α. ‘longing ', πύθον, β 1. 7. Moreover... lying: >afg through hmt. V. 2. Speak truth, &c.: from Zech. viii. 16. Cf. T. R. vi. 9; Eph. iv. 25. God of peace. Cf. 1 Thess. v. 23; Rom. xv. 33; Phil. iv. 9. war. Perles suggests * enemy’ πολέμιος for πύλεμυς. Cf. Jer. i. 19; טא‎ 20.

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6

7

το

12

Love the Lord through all your life,

And one another with a true heart.

1 know that in the last days ye shall depart from the Lord,

And ye shall provoke Levi unto anger,

And fight against Judah ;

But ye shall not prevail against them,

For an angel of the Lord shall guide them both ;

For by them shall Israel stand.

And whensoever ye depart from the Lord, ye shall walk in all evil and work the abominations of the Gentiles, going a-whoring after women of the lawless ones, while with all wickedness the spirits of wickedness work ‘in γου]. [For 1 have read in the book of Enoch, the righteous, that your prince is Satan, and that all the spirits of wickedness and pride will conspire to attend constantly on the sons of Levi, to cause them to sin before the Lord.

And my sons will draw near to Levi,

And sin with them in all things ;

And the sons of Judah will be covetous,

Plundering other men’s goods like lions.]

Therefore shall ye be led away [with them] into captivity,

And there shall ye receive all the plagues of Egypt,

And all the evils of the Gentiles.

And so when ye return to the Lord ye shall obtain mercy,

And He shall bring you into His sanctuary,

And He shall give you peace.

And there shall arise unto you from the tribe of [Judah and of] Levi the salvation of the Lord ;

And he shall make war against Beliar.

And execute an everlasting vengeance on our enemies ;

And the captivity shall he take from Beliar [the souls of the saints],

And turn disobedient hearts unto the Lord,

And give to them that call upon him eternal peace.

And the saints shall rest in Eden,

And in the New Jerusalem shall the righteous rejoice,

ς. spirits of wickedness af: ‘spirits of fornication’ be A 51, i.e. πορνείας for πονηρίας. Cf. v. 6.

6-7. Contradict v. 4, where Dan opposes Levi and Judah, who are led of God. These two verses refer to the demoralization under the later Maccabees, like T. L. x, xiv-xvi; 1. Jud. xxi. 6-xxxiii ; T. Z. ix.

referred to in that verse ; while Jer. viii. 16 is interpreted by Irenaeus v. 30. 2 of the Antichrist (and so Dan is omitted Rev. vii. 5-8). Cf. Ber. rab. xliti on Jer. viii. 16.

book of Enoch. See T. L. x. 5 (note). righteous + ‘and I have known’ (‘found ' h 1) chi. isaB: ‘will be? \ all > af. conspire = ,יקשרו‎ emended from יקשיבו‎ = ‘ obey’ in the text. 7. sin with them. Levi was to lead Israel astray, Τ. L. x. 2. sons of Judah, &c. Cf. T. Jud. xxi. 6, 7. 8. led away. Cf. T. L.x. 4; T. Z. ix. 6. [with them], added by interpolator of 6-7. evils of the Gentiles. Cf. T. 2.0.6; Τ. Ν. iv. 2. g. when ye return ... mercy. Cf. Τ. Z. ix. 7. He shall bring you, &c. Cf. T. Jud. xxiii. 5; T. Iss, vi. 3; T. A. vii. 7. give you peace. Cf. Haggai ii. 9: 1 En. Ixxi. 17. 1ο. arise ... salvation of the Lord. Cf. T. L. xviii. 3; Τ. Jud. xxiv. 1; T. Z. ix. 8, &c. the tribe of [Judah and of] Levi: The singular, ‘tribe,’ necessitates one name only. Only T. G. viii. 1

(corrupt) puts Judah before Levi, and only T. Jud. xxiv. 5-6 (first century B.C.) and Τ. .א‎ viii. 2 (corrupt) derive the Messiah from Judah.

war against Beliar. Cf. T. L. xvili. 12. everlasting. So I emend text = ‘of victory’, which is due to a wrong rendering of ny3 in Hebrew. our enemies = .אויבינו‎ So 1 emend from text = ‘our fathers’ = .אבותינו‎

the captivity = ‘ disobedient hearts’ enslaved through sin. Brackets show a Christian addition.‏ .זו turn disobedient, &c. Cf. Luke i. 17; and T. Z. ix, 8 (bdg).‏ Eden. Cf. Τ. L. xviii. το.‏ .12

the New Jerusalem bg A 5': ‘the kingdom of J.’,c; ‘the new Holy J.’, hi. This is the earliest occurrence of

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And it shall be unto the glory of God for ever. 13. And no longer shall Jerusalem endure desolation, Nor Israel be led captive ; For the Lord shall be in the midst of it [living amongst men], And the Holy One of Israel shall reign over it [in humility and in poverty ; and he who believeth on Him shall reign amongst men in truth]. 61,2 And now, fear the Lord, my children, and beware of Satan and his spirits. Draw ncar unto God and unto the angel that intercedeth for you, for he is a mediator between God and man, and for the 3 peace of Israel he shall stand up against the kingdom of the enemy. Therefore is the enemy eager 4 to destroy all that call upon the Lord. For he knoweth that upon the day on which Israel shall 5 repent, the kingdom of the enemy shall be brought to an end. For the very angel of peace shall 6 strengthen Israel, that it fall not into the extremity of evil. And it shall be in the time of the law- lessness of Israel, that the Lord will not depart from them, but will transform them into a nation 7 that doeth His will, for none of the angels will be cqual unto him. And His name shall be in every place in Israel, "and among the Gentiles’. 8 Keep, therefore, yourselves, my children, from every evi] work, And cast away wrath and all lying, And love truth and long-suffering. And the things which ye have heard from your father, do ye ‘also' impart to your children [that the Saviour of the Gentiles may receive you; for he is true and long-suffering, meek and lowly, and το teacheth by his works the law of God]. Depart, therefore, from all unrighteousness, and cleave unto the righteousness of God, and your race will be saved for ever. And bury me near my fathers.

71,2 And when he had said these things he kissed them, and fell asleep at a good old age. And his sons buried him, And after that they carried up "his bones', and placed them near Abraham, and 3 Isaac, and Jacob. [Nevertheless,"Dan' prophesied unto them that they should forget their God, and should be alienated from the land of their inheritance ‘and from the race of Israel’, and from the family of '}their 56060.1 [

11 The copy of the testament of Naphtali, which he ordained at the time of his death in the hundred zand thirtieth year of his life. When his sons were gathered together in the seventh month, on the 3 first day of the month, while still in good health, he made them a feast of food and wine. And after

the expression in Jewish literature. Cf. 1 En. xc. 29; also Ezek. xl, xlvili; Isa. liv. 11, 12, Ix. 13 Rev. iii. 12, xxi. 2. Here it is Jerusalem rebuilt, v. 13. and it shall be unto: ‘which is’ = 13. Brackets indicate Christian additions, though for the Messiah’s humility cf. T. Jud. xxiv. 1 (note).

VI. 1-7. A section complete in itself. Israel is between the opposing spiritual forces of God and of Satan. ‘The reign of evil will end when Israel repents, therefore Satan seeks to destroy those who call upon God. Even in Israel's lawlessness, the angel of peace is with them, to transform them into a nation doing the will of God.

mediator between God and man. Cf. 1 Tim. ii. 5. Here of Michael cf. Jub. i. 29; Apoc. Mos. (ed. Tischendorf, p. 1); Jellinek, Bet ha-Midrasch, vi. 75; Jalk. Chad., ₪ 120. Later, about the time of Christ, Moses was regarded as mediator, Ass. Mos. i. 14, iii. 12. stand up. Cf. Dan. xii. 1. against the kingdom of the enemy ל‎ ₪ (A) 5' : ‘ before the kingdom of God’ adef. 4. repent a: ‘believe’ 8(A)S'. If all Israel repent, redemption will come, Pesikt. 1630, &c. Seemy Comm., p. 132. ς. angel of peace. Cf. T. A. vi.6; T. B. vi. 15 1 En. xl. 8, 1. 5. See T. L. v. 6 (note). strengthen: ‘convert and strengthen’ ₪ that it fall not, &c. Cf. T. L. v. 6.

emended to ‘ will transform them into’ = יהפך‎ (transitive). doeth: ‘seeketh’ c.

g. that the Saviour . . . receive you. A Christian addition. The rest may be Jewish. Cf. Τ, Jud. xxiv. 1.

jo. the righteousness of + ‘the law of’ 8 S'.

and your race > b. : VII. 1. old age: ‘sleep’c. See T. Z.x.6. For ‘eternal sleep’ ΒΑ οἱ, cf. Τ. Iss. vil. 9. 3. A later addition.

their God a S': ‘the law of their God’ bd A.

ttheir seed t «: ‘and so it came to pass’ 4.

TITLE a: + ‘concerning natural goodness’ bde f A® 1.

and wine > a.

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4 he was awake in the morning, he said to them, I am dying; and they believed him not. And as he

5 glorified the Lord, he grew strong and said that after yesterday's feast he should die. And he began

6 then to say: Hear, my children, ye sons of Naphtali, hear the words of your father. I was born from

Bilhah, ‘and’ because Rachel dealt craftily, and gave Bilhah in place of herself to Jacob, and she

7 conceived and bare me upon Rachel's knees, ‘therefore she called my name Naphtali. For Rachel

loved me very much because I was born upon her lap'; and when I was still young she was wont

8 to kiss me, and say: May I have a brother of thine from mine own womb, like unto thee. Whence

9 also Joseph was like unto me ‘in all things', according to the prayers of Rachel. Now my mother

was Bilhah, daughter of Rotheus the brother of Deborah, Rebecca’s nurse, who was born on one and

the self-same day with Rachel. And Rotheus was of the family of Abraham, a Chaldean, God-‏ סז

11 fearing, free-born, and noble. And he was taken captive and was bought by Laban; and he gave

him Kuna his handmaid to wife, and she bore a daughter, and called her name Zilpah, after the name

12 of the village in which he had been taken captive. And next she bore Bilhah, saying: My daughter

hastens after what is new, for immediately that she was born she seized the breast and hastened to

suck it.

2, And I was swift ‘on my feet' like the deer, and my father Jacob appointed me for all messages,

2 and as a deer did he give me his blessing. For as the potter knoweth the vessel, how much it is to

contain, and bringeth clay accordingly, so also doth the Lord make the body after the likeness of

3 the spirit, and according to the capacity of the body doth He implant the spirit. And the one does

not fall short of the other bya third part of a hair; for by weight, and measure, and rule was all the

4 creation made. And as the potter knoweth the use of each vessel, what it is meet for, so also doth

the Lord know the body, how far it will persist in goodness, and when it beginneth in evil. For

5 there is no inclination or thought which the Lord knoweth not, for He created every man after His own image.

a B-agA 6 For as a man’s strength, so also is his work ; As a man’s strength, so also is his work; and 6

as his teye, so also is his sleep; as his soul, so | as his mind, so also is his skill; ‘and as his

also is his word either in the law of the Lord or | purpose, so also is his achievement ; and as his

in the law of Beliar. heart, so also is his mouth ;’ as his teye, so also

is his sleep ; as his soul, so also is his word, either

in the law of the Lord or in the works of Beliar.

7 And as there is a division between light and darkness, between seeing and hearing, so also is there a division between man and man, and between woman and woman ; and it is not to be said that the 8 one is like the other either in face or in mind. ‘For' God made all things good in their order, the five senses in the head, and He joined on the neck to the head, adding to it the hair also for comeliness and glory, then the heart for understanding, the belly for excrement, and the stomach for

4. grew strong a: ‘ affirmed’ § 5]. that. +. - he should die ₪ 51: ‘after . . . my body died’ a. 5. ο, 6. For the play on the words cf. Gen, xxx. 8. conceived and << 7. May I have A: ‘ may I see’ 8-gS!: a is corrupt. prayers bd A: ‘blessings’ aaefS'. 9-11. The aim is to show that Bilhah was of Semitic descent. Cf. e.g. Ps.-Jon. on Gen. xxix. 24, 29. 11. Zilpah, here a sister of Bilhah, as in Jub. xxviii. 9, and Ps.-Jon., &c.

11. 1. asadeer ... blessing. See Gen. xlix. 21.

created . . . after His own image. Cf. Sir. xvii. 3. Earliest quotation (with Sirach) of Gen. i. 26, 27. 6. as his teye, so also is his sleep. Something is wrong. Perhaps for ‘ eye’ read ‘maw’, as in Berach. 61°, 8. the five senses. See 1. R. ti. 3—iil. 1 (note). and He joined .. . head >aS'. Compare the lists of man’s powers and faculties in (1) Berach. 61%", (2) and (3) Othioth of * ΕΚ. Akiba’ (ed. Jellinek, Bet ha-Afidrasch, ili. 42, 43), (4) Hebrew Τ. Naph. x. 6, least akin to our text. heart for understanding, in (1) (2) (3) and practically (4). Ε belly for excrement, in (2). I read διαχώρησιν for διάκρισιν. Perles neatly suggests that the Heb. was ered =

* for excrement’, which the translator took for = une: = eis διάερισιν.

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(grinding), the windpipe for taking in (the breath), the liver for wrath, the gall for bitterness, the spleen for laughter, the reins ‘for prudence, the muscles of the loins’ for power, the lungs for drawing 9 in, the loins for strength, and so forth. So ‘then’, my children, let all your works be done in order 10 with good intent in the fear of God, and do nothing disorderly in scorn or out of its due season. For if thou bid the eye to hear, it cannot; so neither while ye are in darkness can ye do the works of light. ι eRe ye, therefore, not eager to corrupt your doings through covetousness or with vain words to beguile your souls; because if ye keep silence in purity of heart, ye shall understand how to hold 2 fast the will of God, and to cast away the will of Βε]ίατ. Sun and moon and stars change not their 3 order; so do ye also change not the law of God in the disorderliness of your doings. The Gentiles went astray, and forsook the Lord, and changed their order, and obeyed stocks and stones, spirits of 4 deceit. But ye shall not be so, my children, recognizing in the firmament, in the earth, and in the sea, and in all created things, the Lord who made all things, that ye become not as Sodom, which 5 changed the order of nature. In like manner the Watchers also changed the order of their nature, whom the Lord cursed at the flood, on whose account He made the earth without inhabitants and fruitless, 1 These things I say unto you, my children, for I have read in the writing of Enoch that ye your- selves also shall depart from the Lord, walking according to all the lawlessness of the Gentiles, and 2 ye shall do according to all the wickedness of Sodom.

And the Lord shall bring captivity upon you, and ‘there! shail ye serve your enemies, and ye shall be bowed down with every affliction and 3 tribulation, until the Lord have consumed you all. And after ye have become minished and made few, ye shall return and acknowledge the Lord your God ; and He shall bring you back into your 4 land, according to His abundant mercy. And it shall be, that after that they come into the land of 5 their fathers, they shall again forget the Lord and become ungodly. And the Lord shall scatter them upon the face of all the earth, until the compassion of the Lord shall come, a man working righteousness and working mercy unto all them that are afar off, and to them that are near. ז‎ For in the fortieth year of my life, I saw a vision מס‎ the Mount of Olives, on the east of Jerusalem,

stomach for (grinding) (‘ grinding’ supplied from )2(( = (1) (2) (3).

windpipe for taking in (text, = ‘ reed for health’, corrupt) = (2) (3). Cf. (1) (4), ‘sending out.’

liver for wrath (1) (2) (3) (4). Cf. T. R. iii. 4.

gall for bitterness > (2) (4): (1) (3) ‘the gall sprinkles on it a drop and quiets it.’

spleen for laughter (1) (2) (3) (4).

reins for prudence (πανουργία, as Prov. i. 4, viii. 5, LXX): ‘reins for counsel’ (2). Cf. (1) (3) (4). (1) and (2) tell us that the reins give both good and bad counsel. Cf. Eccles. x. 2.

muscles of the loins for power. No parallel; a dittography.

lungs for drawing in (2). Cf. (1) (3) (4). But our text is corrupt. πλευρὰν eis τὸ καθεύδειν at πλευρᾶν eis θήκην B-g 51. Read πλεύµονα, לשאוב‎ TN.

loins for strength. Cf. Deut. xxxiii. ΕΙ.

ϱ. while in darkness . . . light. Cf. John iii. ο. works of light. Cf. Eph. v. 9, ‘ fruits of light.’

118. 1. with vain words to beguile. Cf. Eph. v. 6. Beliar ad: ‘the devil’ β-ἆ A®». 2. Cf. Sir. xvi. 26-8, xliii. 6 ff.; 1 En. ii. 1; Pss. Sol. xviii. 11-14. change 8 51: ‘hide’ a: ‘hinder’ A. . 3. stones a + ‘having followed after’ BAS". a regards the stocks and stones as spirits of deceit. 4. 5 Sodom. Cf. iv.1; T. B. ix. 1; Jude 7; 2 Pet. ii. 6. Jude6speaks of the angels who kept not τὴν ἑαντῶν ἀρχήν. 5. the Watchers. Cf. 1 En. vi ff. without inhabitants. 1 En. ix. 2 (not Gk.), Ixvii. 2, Ixxxiv. 5.

IV. A first-century B.C. passage like Zeb. ix. The reference to Enoch and ?. 4 support this view. 1. I have read bdg AS!: ‘I have known’ aaef. Soa did not at first mention Enoch. See 1. L. x. 5 (note). 2. there. Cf. T. Dan. v.8: >dAS'. be bowed down A: ‘be covered’ כ‎ gS: ‘dwell’ aadef. affliction and tribulation. Cf. T. Z. ix.6; T. 12. v. 8; Ps. .וו‎ 39. 3. become minished and < .ה‎ ᾿ bring you back. Cf. 2 Chron. vi. 25 ; 7. ix. 7. , 4. again forget. Cf. 1. -0.אן.2‎ Renewed apostasy under 561600105 or later Maccabees. ᾿ . 5. the compassion of the Lord: ‘the Lord’ A® (+‘ with compassion’ ΑΡ” 9ου). Cf. Τ. Z. ix. 7. a man working righteousness, the Messiah, not a Maccabee. afar off. Isa. lvii. 19. V-VII. The hatred of Joseph here reflects Jewish hatred of Samaria. .עד‎ 1-5. This vision is hardly intelligible. Cf. Heb. Τ. Naph. ii. 1. a vision >8 \

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2 that the sun and the moon were standing still. And behold Isaac, the father of my father, said to us; Run and lay hold of them, each one according to his strength; ‘and to him that seizeth them 3 will the sun and moon belong.’ And we all of us ran together, and Levi laid hold of the sun, and Judah outstripped the others and scized the moon, and they were both of them lifted up with them. 4 And when Levi became as a sun, ‘lo', a certain young man gave to him twelve branches of palm; 5 and Judah was bright as the moon, and under their feet were twelve rays. [And the two, Levi and 6 Judah, ran, and laid hold of them.] And lo, a bull upon the earth, with two great horns, and an 7 eagle’s wings upon its back; and we wished to seize him, but could not. But Joseph came, and 8 seized him, and ascended up with him on high. And I saw, for I was there, and behold a holy writing appeared to us, saying: Assyrians, Medes, Persians, [Chaldeans,| Syrians, shall possess in captivity the twelve tribes of Israel. 61 And again, after seven days, I saw our father Jacob standing by the sea of Jamnia, and we were 2 with him. And behold, there came a ship sailing by, without sailors or pilot ; and there was written 3 upon the ship, The Ship of Jacob. And our father said to us: Come, let us embark on our ship. 4 And when he had gone on board, there arose a vehement storm, and a mighty tempest of wind; and 5 our father, who was holding the helm, departed from us. And we, being tost with the tempest, were borne along over the sea; and the ship was filled with water, (and was) pounded by mighty waves, 6 until it was broken up.

And Joseph fled away upon a little boat, ‘and we were all divided upon nine 7 planks', and Levi and Judah were together. And we were all scattered unto the ends of the earth. 8, y Then Levi, girt about with sackcloth, prayed for us all unto the Lord. And when the storm ceased, the ship reached the land ‘as it were! in peace. And, lo, our father came, and we all rejoiced with one accord. 71 These two dreams I told to my father; and he said to me: These things must be fulfilled in their season, after that Israel hath endured many things. 2 Then my father saith unto me: I believe God that Joseph liveth, for I see ‘always! that the Lord numbereth him with you. And he said, weeping: Ah me, my son Joseph, thou livest, though I behold thee. not, and thou seest not Jacob that begat thee. He caused me also, therefore, to weep by these words, and I burned in my heart to declare that ‘Joseph’ had been sold, but I feared my brethren. 8 1 And lo! my children, I have shown unto you the last times, how everything shall come to pass in 2 Israel. Do ye also, ‘therefore’, charge your children that they be united to Levi and to Judah; For through them shall salvation arise unto Israel, And in them shall Jacob be blessed.

2-3. Cf. Heb. Τ. Naph. ii. 2-4, which adds ‘ nine stars’, Cf. Gen. xxxvii. 9. 4. This obscure verse is given differently in Heb. T. Naph. ii. 4-6. 5. Dittography of 32°. ΒΑ 5] read ‘ran to each other and Jaid hold of each other’. 6-8. In the 1160. T. Naph. Joseph holds aloof (ii), but finally (iii) mounts a great bull and rides for four hours (the 400 years until the division of the kingdoms). In the end a storm disperses the tribes (the captivity). Our text in 15 8 goes on to the Syrian (Seleucid) rule. 6. a bull, &c. Cf. Deut. xxxiii. 17. eagle’s wings: like a stork’s, according to Heb. T. Naph. iii. 1.

ς. pounded ... waves 8-dfAS!: ‘borne along’ a: ‘and the waves of the sea smote it to the rock’ Heb. T. Naph. ν. 5.

until: text has ‘so that’. 6. Joseph = Samaria.

nine a: ‘ten’ 8S" 7. of the earth > §-d ο]. 8. for us all > a: ‘for us’ A.

Joseph < 8 4 5.

3 For through their tribes shall God appear [dwelling among men] on earth, To save the race of Israel, And to gather together the righteous from amongst the Gentiles. 4 If ye work that which is good, my children, ‘Both! men and angels shall bless you; And God shall be glorified among the Gentiles through you, And the devil shall flee from you, "And the wild beasts shall fear you’, And the Lord shall love you, [And the angels shall cleave to you]. 5 Asa man who has trained a child well is kept in kindly remembrance ; So also for a good work there is a good remembrance before God. 6 But him that doeth not that which is good, "Both? angels and men shall curse, And God shall be dishonoured among the Gentiles through him, And the devil shall make him as his own peculiar instrument, And every wild beast shall master him, And the Lord shall hate him. ל‎ For the commandments of the law are twofold, ‘And’ through prudence must they be fulfilled. 8 For there is a season for a man to embrace his wife, And a season to abstain therefrom for his prayer. 9 So, then, there are two commandments; and, unless they be done in due order, they bring ‘very סנ‎ great' sin ‘upon men!. So also is it with the other commandments. Be ye therefore wise in God, ‘my children’, and prudent, understanding the order of His commandments, and the laws of every word, that the Lord may love you. ;

9: And when he had charged them with many such words, he exhorted them that they should 3 remove his bones to Hebron, and that they should bury him with his fathers. And when he had 3 eaten and drunken with a merry heart, he covered his face and died. And his sons did according to

all that Naphtali their father had commanded them.

1: The copy of the testament of Gad, what things he spake unto his sons, in the hundred and twenty- 2 fifth year of his life, saying unto them: ‘Hearken, my children’, I was the ninth son born to Jacob,

3 and I was valiant in keeping the flocks. Accordingly I guarded ‘at night’ the flock; and whenever the lion came, or the wolf’, or any wild beast against the fold, I pursued it, and ‘overtaking (it)"

4 I seized its foot with my hand and hurled it about a stone’s throw, and so killed it. Now Joseph ‘my brother’ was feeding the flock with us for upwards of thirty days, and being young, he fell sick

3. their tribes: text = ‘his tnbe’, a Christian alteration. God appear. Cf. T. 5. vi. 4; T. Z. ix. 8. {dwelling among men]: a Christian interpolation 2 the righteous from amongst the Gentiles, or ‘the righteous of the Gentiles’, i.e. conversion of the Gentiles. Cf. 1 En. x. 21, xc. 9-16, 18, 30. See T. B. ix. 2 (note). 4-6. Verses 4 and 6 are antithetic, so bracket 46. 4. Both >aA. devil . . . flee: James iv. 7. And the Lord shall love you: eg ΑΡ οἀοίςς >aabdf. But cf. 65 while 46 looks like a dittography in the Hebrew. 6. And God . . . through him > a. 8. Cf. Eccles. iii. 5 and 1 Cor. vii. s—‘a season . . . unto prayer’. ϱ. there are two commandments: ‘the two (commandments) of God are’ ae f. very... mena: ‘sin’BAS*L TITLE a: +‘ concerning hatred’ 8-8 d (A) 5. I. 1. hundred and twenty-fifth. So Midrash Tadshe; Shemoth rab. i. 5 ; Jashar (ii. 1246). 3. Cf. Judah’s feats, T. Jud. ii. Accordingly a: < 5. came +‘ or leopard or bear’ beg AS}. or any wild beast > a. overtaking ... seized a: ‘seizing’ BAS!. hurled . . . throw a: ‘whirling it round I stunned it, and having hurled it over two furlongs’ β-ἆ 5. For Gad’s strength cf. Ber. rabba xcv. 4. 4. young ₪ 5! : ‘delicate’ BA.

5 by reason of the heat. And he returned to Hebron to our father, who made him lie down near him, 6 because he loved him greatly. And Joseph told our father that the sons of 'Zilpah and! Bilhah were slaying the best ‘of the flock’ and cating them against the judgement of Reuben and Judah. 7 For he saw that I had delivered a lamb out of the mouth of a bear, and put the bear to death ; but 8 had slain the lamb, being grieved concerning it that it could not live, and that we had eaten it. And 9 regarding this matter I was wroth with Joseph ‘until the day that he was sold. And the spirit of hatred was in סות‎ and I wished not cither to hear of Joseph with the cars, or see him with the eyes, because he rcbuked us to our faces 'saying" that we were eating of the flock without Judah. For whatsoever things he told our father, he believed him. \ 1 I confess now my sin. my children, that oftentimes I wished to kill him, becausc 1 hated him from 2 my heart. Moreover, I hated him yet more for his dreams ; and 1 wished to lick him out of the land of the living, even as an ox licketh up the grass of the field.

a BAS! 3. And Judah sold him secretly to the Ishmael- Therefore I and Simeon sold him to the Ish- 3 ites. maelites [for thirty pieces of gold, and ten of them

we hid, and showed the twenty to our brethren]. And thus through covetousness we were bent 4 ‘on slaying him. s Thus the God of our fathers delivered him And the God of my fathers delivered him from 5 from our hands, that we should not work great | my hands, that I should not work lawlessness in lawlessness in Israel. Israel.

3 ן‎ And now, my children, hearken to the words of truth to work righteousness, and all the law of the Most High, and go not astray through the spirit of hatred, for it is evil in all the doings of 2men. Whatsoever a man doeth the hater abominateth him: and though a man worketh the law of the Lord, he praiscth him not; though a man feareth the Lord, and taketh pleasure in that which is 3 righteous, he loveth him not. He dispraiseth the truth, he envieth him that prospercth, he weicometh evil-speaking, he loveth arrogance, for hatred blindeth his soul ; as 1 13150 116 ' looked} on Joseph. 1 Beware, therefore, my children of hatred; for it worketh lawlessness ‘even* against the Lord Him- 2 self. For it will not hear 'the words 0/7 His commandments concerning the loving of one’s neigh- 3 bour, ‘and’ it sinneth against God. 'For if a brother stumble’, it delighteth immediately to proclaim it to all men, and is urgent that he should be judged for it, and be punished and be put to death. 4 And if it be a servant it stirreth him up against his master, and with every affliction it deviseth against 5 him, if possibly he can be put to death. For hatred worketh with cnvy also against them that prosper: so long as it hceareth of or seeth their success, it always languishcth. 6 For as love would quicken ‘even’ the dead, and would call back them that are condemned to dic, so hatred would slay the living, and those that had sinned venially it would not suffer to live. 7 For the spirit of hatred worketh together with Satan, through hastiness of spirit, in all things to men’s death ; but the spirit of love worketh together with the law of God in long-suffering unto the salvation of men.

6. Ps.-Jon. on Gen. xxxvii. 2 says Joseph reported that ZiJpah and Bilhah’s sons were eating flesh cut from the living animal. 7. eaten it + ‘and he told our (‘his’ A») father’ b A». g. to hear. A only. Il. 1. from my heart aA: έως ψυχῆς B-g S'. 2. ΕΕ το τσ. tolick. Cf. Num. xxii. 4 and T. Ὀ. 1. 8: ‘to blot out’ ἆ Α(2αΡ). 3-5. BAS! show Christian influence, e.g. the thirty pieces. Gen. xxxvii. 28 gives ‘ twenty pieces of silver’. 3. Simeon 8-5 55 Cf. T. Z. iii. 2 and Τ. 5. ἵν. 2. ‘Judah’ 055 Cf. Τ. 5. ii. 9; Gen. xxxvii. 26. of gold: LXX of Gen. alone. 4. We were B-bgS!: ‘I was’ by A. 5. delivered. Cf. T. 5. ii. 8.

prospereth, or ‘doeth right’. I talso looked ont.» Read perhaps ‘it blinded me also in regard to’. IV. 3. For ...stumble 8S. Cf. Gal. vi. 1. >a A. delighteth 8 A 51: ‘hastencth’ a. 4. stirreth ... up against a 251: ‘slandercth’ A. it deviseth against כ‎ 51: ‘it rejoiccth over’ a B-b. Perhaps omit ‘ with’ before ‘ every affliction’. 5. also against, or ‘and with regard to’; connecting with following words. 7. hastiness of spirit. Cf. LXX on Exod. vi.g; Pss. Sol. xvi. 11.

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51 ‘Hatred, therefore, is evil’, for it constantly mateth with lying, speaking against the truth; and it maketh small things to be great, and causeth the light to be darkness, and calleth the sweet bitter, and teacheth slander, and ‘kindleth’ wrath, and 'stirreth’ up war, and violence and all covet-

2 ousness ; it filleth the heart with evils and devilish poison. These things, ‘therefore’, I say to you from experience, my children, that ye may drive forth hatred, which is of the devil, and cleave to 3 the love of God. Righteousness casteth out hatred, humility destroyeth envy. For he that is just and humble is ashamed to do what is unjust, "being reproved not of another’, but of his own heart, 4 because the Lord looketh on his inclination. He speaketh not against a holy man, because the fear 5 of God overcometh hatred. For fearing lest he should offend the Lord, he will not do wrong to any 6, 7 man, even in thought. These things I learnt at last, after 1 had repented concerning Joseph. For true repentance after a godly sort [destroyeth ignorance, and] driveth away the darkness, and 8 enlighteneth the eyes, and giveth knowledge to the soul, and leadeth the mind to salvation. And g those things which it hath not learnt from man, it knoweth through repentance. For God brought upon me a disease of the liver; and had not the prayers of Jacob my father succoured me, it had סז‎ hardly failed but my spirit had departed. For by what things a man transgresseth, by the same also 11 is he punished. Since, ‘therefore’, my liver was set mercilessly against Joseph, in my liver too I suffered mercilessly, and was judged for eleven months, for so long a time as I had been angry against Joseph. 1 And now, my children, 'I exhort you’, love ye each one his brother, and put away hatred from 2 your hearts, love one another in deed, and in word, and in the inclination of the soul.

For in the presence of my father I spake peaceably to Joseph ; and when I had gone out, the spirit of hatred darkened my mind, and stirred up my soul to slay him.

3 Love ye one another from the heart; and if Love ye, therefore, one another from the heart ; aman sin against thee, speak peaceably to him, | and if a man sin against thee, cast forth the and in thy soul hold not guile; and if he repent | poison of hate and speak peaceably to him, and and confess, forgive him. in thy soul hold not guile; and if he confess and

repent, forgive him.

4 But if he deny it, do not get into a passion with him, lest catching the poison from thee he take

V. 1. mateth with lying. Cf. Sir. xx. 25. causeth ... darkness. Cf. Isa. v. 20. kindleth: ‘disturbeth’a: > 1 stirreth up > BA 5. 2. God cid A: ‘the Lord’ ה‎ 5. 3. envy agA>*: ‘hatred’abeA*bodets, the Lord looketh on. Cf. 1 Sam. xvi. 7. his inclination 2-0 A S!': ‘his soul’ a. 4. God cB-be: * Most High’ 5 Α 51. overcometh hatred 8 Α 51: ‘dwelleth in him’ a, by corruption in the Hebrew original. 5. wrong... even in thought. Cf. T. Jos. ix. 2; Matt. v. 21, 27. 7. aa after a godly sort... salvation. Cf. 2 Cor. vii. 10; Sir. iv. 22. Bracketed words are a gloss: > A. 8. So 8-81 5% ‘ and it hath not learnt this from man, but it knoweth how to receive those who return through repentance’a. For ‘it . . . repentance’ A reads ‘repentance knoweth’. ο. Cf. T. R. i. 7, iv. 4 ; T. Jud. xix. 2. of Jacob >a. succoured me, ἐβοήθησάν por, aA: > 8-8 5 : ἔφθασαν α. Cf. T. Jud. xix. 2 (note). 1o. Cf. Jub. iv. 31, 32. For the popularity of the doctrine of retaliation in the second century B.C. cf. 2 Macc. v. 1ο, xv. 32, 33. Cf. Col. ini. 25. also >a. 11. eleven months 8 AS: ‘ten periods’ a. Joseph + ‘until he was sold’ BAS.

3-7. A unique passage in ancient literature on the subject of forgiveness. It shows remarkable insight, and the diction and thought are closely parallel to Luke xvii. 3; Matt. xvili. 15. Forgiveness is perfect when we gain our offendiug brother, and restore him to communiou with ourselves. But we can at least cast out our own anger, even if he is not reconciled.

the poison BAS*. Cf. ο. 4. peaceably .. . not guile. Contrast Jer. ix. 7. ifhe .. . repent, forgive. Cf. Luke xvii. 3.

interpolation, 2. 5.

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5 to swearing and so thou sin doubly. [Let not another man hear thy secrets when engaged in legal strife, lest he come to hate thee and become thy enemy, and commit a great sin against thee; for 6 ofttimes he addresseth thee guilefully or busicth himself about thee with wicked intent.] And though he deny it and yet have a sense of shame when reproved, give over reproving him. For he who denicth may repent so as not again to wrong thee; yea, he may also honour thee, and [fear 7and] be at peace with thee. And if he be shameless and persist in his wrong-doing, even 5ο forgive him from the heart, and leave 'to God the avenging. 1 Ifaman prospercth more than you, do not be vexed, but pray also for him’, that he may have 2 perfect prosperity. For so it is expedient for you. And if he be further exalted, be not envious ‘of him', remembering that all flesh shall die; and offer praise to God, who giveth things good and 3 profitable to all men. Seek out the judgements of the Lord, and thy mind will rest and be at peace. 4 And though a man become rich by evil means, even as Esau, the brother of my father, be not jeal- 5 ous; ‘but’ wait for the end of the Lord. For if he taketh away (from a man) wealth gotten by evil 6 means He forgiveth him if he repent, but the unrepentant is reserved for eternal punishment. For the poor man, if free from envy he pleaseth the Lord in all things, is blessed beyond all men, because 7 he hath not the travail of vain men, Put away, therefore, jealousy from your souls, and love one another with uprightness of heart.

81 Do ye also therefore tell these things to your children, that they honour {Judah and Levit, for from 2 them shall the Lord raise up salvation to Israel. [For I know that at the last your children shall depart from Him, and shall walk in all wickedness, and affliction and corruption before the Lord.] 3 And when he had rested for a little while, he said again; My children, obey your father, and bury 4,5 me near to my fathers. And he drew up his feet, and fell asleep in peace. And after five years they carried him up to Hebron, and laid him with his fathers.

1: The copy of the Testament of Asher, what things he spake to his sons in the hundred and 2 twenty-fifth year of his life. ‘For' while he was still in health, he said to them: Hearken, ye chil- dren of Asher, to your father, and I will declare to you all that is upright in the sight of the Lord.

5. Cf. Prov. xxv. 8-10 ; Sir. xix. 8-9. addresseth abfg: ‘slayeth’ de AS. 6. reproving a: ‘bringing forth’ 8 (S'). repent. Cf. Τ. B.v. 4. so as not ... wrong: ‘of having wronged’ a. yea . . . at peace: ‘and he may [fear and] be at peace’ ₪. [fear and]. ‘fear’ = 19M a corrupt dittograph of יהדר‎ = ‘ honour ’. 7. leave to God the avenging. Cf. Rom. xii. 19. A is here defective. leave, lit. ‘ give’.

VII. 1-7. High ethical teaching like vi. 3-7. We must banish envy, when a rival prospers. 1. have perfect prosperity : ‘be perfected’ af. 3. rest, emended : ‘shine’ a: ‘not ( > bf) leave’ β-α. 5. wealth A: ‘them’ other texts, corruptly. wealth gotten by evil means. Cf. Prov. xiii. 11 (Peshitto, Targum, and LXX). is reserved a(A): ‘he reserveth’ bdefgS'. for eternal punishment dA: ‘for ever the punishment’ abefy, which requires ‘for the unrepentant as in bdefgS'. 6. the poor man if free a: ‘ the man who is poor and free’ B-a .ב‎ pleaseth a: ‘giveth thanks to’ 8-8 AS'. blessed = אשר‎ : texts have ‘rich’ = Wy. Cf. Pirqe Aboth wv. 3. travail of vain men, ₪ : ‘evil travail of men’? BAS". Cf. Eccles. i. 13, iv. 8, ν. 13. 7. jealousy: ‘hatred’ text. uprightness. See T. Iss. ili. 1 (note).

VILL 1. tJudah and Levit. Read ‘Levi and Judah’. See T. R. vi. 5-12 (note); T. D. v. 10; T. B. xi. 2. : Lord raise up salvation (+ ‘unto you’ hi}higA: ‘Lord the Saviour arise unto you’ 4061: ‘ Lord raise up a Saviour’ כ‎ 5 : ‘ Lord, salvation, arise unto us’ ₪ 2. First century B.C. addition. Iknow. Cf. T. Iss. vi. 1; T. A. vii. 2. at the last >a. before: ‘from’ a. 4- drew up his feet αβ: ‘kissed his sons’ A. 2 nee 5. five years. If Gad lived 125 years (i. 1), and was born 2131 A.M. (Jub. xxvili. 20), he died in 2256, and was buried 2201 A.M. But Benjamin was buried in the 0186 year after Israel went down into Egypt (T. B. xii. 3) in 2172 A.M. (Jub. .טוא‎ 1), i.e. in 2263, which is also the date of the war between Egypt and Canaan (Jub. xlvi.9; T. 5. viii. 25 Τ. B. xii. 4). Is b then right, in Τ. G. i. 1, in reading 127 years?

TITLE a: + ‘concerning the two faces of vice (‘duplicity’ A) and virtue’ bdefAS'. 1. 2. upright, a play in Hebrew on ישר‎ and .אשר‎

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3 Two ways hath God given to the sons of men, and two inclinations, ‘and two kinds of action, and 4 two modes (of action)', and ‘two! issues. Therefore all things are by twos, one over against the 5 other. ‘For’ there are two ways of good and evil, and {with these are the two inclinations in our 6 breasts discriminating themf. Therefore if the soul take pleasure in the good (inclination), all its 7 actions are in righteousness ; and if it sin it straightway repenteth. For, having its thoughts set upon righteousness, and casting away wickedness, it straightway overthroweth the evil, and uprooteth 8the sin. But if it incline to the evil inclination, all its actions are in wickedness, and it driveth away the good, and cleaveth to the evil, and is ruled by Beliar; even though it work what is good, 9 he perverteth it to evil. For whenever it beginneth to do good, he forceth the issue of the action into evil for him, seeing that the treasure of the inclination is filled with an evil spirit. t A person then may with words help the good for the sake of the evil, yet the issue of the action 2 leadeth to mischief. There is a man who showeth no compassion upon him who serveth his turn in 3 evil ; and this thing hath two aspects, but the whole is evil. And there is a man that loveth him that worketh evil, because he would prefer ‘even’ to die in evil for his sake ; and concerning this it is clear that it hath two aspects, but the whole is an evil work. a BS! 4 Though indeed he have love, yet is he wicked Though indeed there is love, yet it is wicked 4 who concealeth what is evil for the sake of the | as it concealeth what is evil; now this thing

good namef, but the end of the action tendeth | seemeth good in name, but the end of the action unto evil. tendeth unto evil.

5 Another stealeth, doeth unjustly, plundereth, defraudeth, and withal pitieth the poor: this '100' 6 hath a twofold aspect, but the whole is evil. He who defraudeth his neighbour provoketh God, and sweareth falsely against the Most High, and yet pitieth the poor: the Lord who commandeth the 7 law he setteth at nought and provoketh, and yet he refresheth the poor. He ‘defileth the soul, and’ maketh gay the body; he killeth many, and pitieth a few: this, too, hath a twofold aspect, but the 8 whole is evil. Another committeth adultery and fornication, and abstaineth from meats, and when he fasteth he doeth evil, and by the power of his wealth overwhelmeth many ; and notwithstanding

3. Two ways. Earliest occurrence of this phrase in Jewish literature. Cf. Jer. xxi. 8 and 2 En. xxx. 15 (my note). two inclinations. The oldest reference to the good yeser. See my Commentary 4 /oc., also my ed. 2 Bar. 92-93. For theevil yeser cf. Hebrew Sir. xv. 14, Sir. xxi. 11, xxvii. 5-6. The good impulse is free from Beliar’s power (T. B. vi. 1), admits no evil desire (T. R. iv. 9), receives no glory from men (T. B. vi. 4). God knows (T. .א‎ ii. ϱ) and tries it (T. Jos. ii. 6), rewards according to it (T. Jud. xiii. 8). The yeser is blinded by fornication (Τ. Jud. xviii. 3), and the evil yeser blinds the mind (T. Jud. xi. 1). 4. all things are by twos. Cf. v.15; Sir. xxxvi. 15, xlii. 24; Eccles. vii. 14. 5. twith these are ... discriminating themt, perhaps a Hebraism for ‘and these . . . discriminate.’ 6. The right of choice belongs to the soul, as to the ‘ spirit of the understanding of the mind’ in T. Jud. xx. 1. in the good 8 AS': ‘to walk in goodness’ a. all its actions are: ‘it does all its actions’ a. 7. The modes of the good yeser’s action. 8. if it incline to the evil inclination : ‘ if the inclination incline to evil’ text. But the subject here should be ‘the soul’ as inv. 6. So ‘ its’ (actions) = αὐτῆς, not αὐτοῦ. : cleaveth to ch: ‘receiveth’ 8 4 5). 0 κ by Beliar. The evil tendency is identified with Satan in Baba Bathra 16% and is a strange god, Shab- ath 105%. g. to do: ‘as though to do’ BAS! into evil for him a: * into evil doing’ 8-bAS'. treasure of the inclination, a play on words, i.e. .אוצר יצר‎ Cf. Matt. xii.

35 ‘evil man . . . evil treasure’. is filled with : ‘is born from’ g. an evil spirit : ‘the poison of the evil spirit ’ 8-6 g: ‘ evil poison of the wickedness of the spirit’ A.

11. 1. help. So I emend for various corrupt readings, e.g. ἀφιστῶσα, a. the issue . . . leadeth, or ‘ it (the soul) leadeth the issue ’.

bdefgAS'.

for his sake >a A.

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his excessive wickedness he docth ‘the’ commandments: this, too, hath a twofold aspect, but the 9 whoic is evil. Such men are hares; clean,—like those that divide the hoof, but in very deed are 10 unclean. For God in the tables of the commandments hath thus declared. 31 But do not ye, my children, wear two faces like unto them, of goodness and of wickedness ; but 2 Cleave unto goodness only, for God hath his habitation therein, and men desire it. But from wicked- ness flee away, destroying the (evil) inclination by your good works ; for they that are double-faced serve not God, but their own lusts, so that they may please Beliar and men like unto themselves. 4: For good men, even they that arc of single facc, though they be thought by them that are double- 2 faced to sin, are just before God. For many in killing the wicked do two works, of good and evil ; 3 but the whole is good, because he hath uprooted and destroyed that which is evil. One man hateth the merciful and unjust man, and the man who committcth adultery and fasteth : this, too, hath a two- fold aspect, but the ‘whole’ work is good, because he followeth the Lord’s example, in that he 4 accepteth not the seeming good as the genuine good. Another desireth not to see a good day with them that riot, lest he defile his body and pollute his soul : this, too, is double-faced, but the whole is 5 good. For such men are like to stags and to hinds, because in the manner of wild animals they seem to be unclean, but they are altogether clean ; because ‘they walk’ in zeal for the Lord and abstain from what God also hateth and forbiddeth by His commandments, warding off the evil from the good.

"ו5‎ Ye sec, my children, how that there are two ‘in all things’, one against the other, and the one is hidden by the other: ‘in wealth (is hidden) covctousness, in conviviality drunkenness, in laughter 2 grief, in wedlock profligacy. Death succeedeth to life, ‘dishonour to glory’, night to day, and darkness to light ; [and all things arc under the day, just things under life, “unjust things under 3 death';] wherefore also eternal life tawaiteth death. Nor may it be said that truth is a lie, nor 4 right wrong ; for all truth is under the light, even as all things are under God". All these things, therefore, I proved in my life, and I wandered not from the truth of the Lord, and I searched out the commandments of the Most High, walking according to all my strength with singleness of face unto that which is good. G1 Takc heed, therefore, ye also, my children, to the commandments of the Lord, following the truth 2 with singleness of face. For they that are double-faced are guilty of a twofold sin ; ‘for they both do the evil thing and they have pleasure in them that do 11%, following the example of the spirits of 3 deceit, and striving against mankind. Do ye, ‘therefore, my children, ' keep the law of the Lord, and give not heed unto evil as unto good ; but look unto the thing that is really good, and keep it in all

g. areharesaS'. Cf. Lev. xi.6; Deut. xiv. 7. ‘are like swine’ bd gA (+ ‘hares’ bd g). clean like those that divide the hoof. Texts read ὅτι ἐξ ἡμισείας καθαροί. Here ὅτι ἐξ ἡμισείας = כי מפרס‎ corrupt for ΠΟ 23. Cf. Ber. rab. xxii. 13. Cf. Perles, who, however, wrongly rejects καθαροί. το, tables of the commandments: ‘ heavenly tablets’ BAS!. Cf. T. L.v. 4; T. A. vii. 5 )8 4 51).

118. 1. God: ‘Lord God’ a.

IV. 3. See ii. 5, 8. this, too, hath a twofold aspect: ‘he also is double-faced’ ad g. accepteth : * expecteth’ a. as the genuine good, emended from ‘ with the genuine good ’ (‘evil’ 8) a ב‎ 4. Asceticism is bad in itself. a good day. Cf. Esther viii. 17: ‘good days’ 6: Pss. xxxiv. 12 (LXX). 5. Seems corrupt. Lord a: ‘God’ BAS! what God . . . commandments h 8-5 5': ‘what God hateth’ 6: ‘what God also ordereth them through His commandments to hate’ A. warding ef: ‘and they ward’ 5 6 51: ‘and to ward’ A: ca omit this and the following words : h g defective.

V. 1. See i. 4 (note). in Wealth . . . covetousness > a. profligacy a: ‘intemperance’ 8 6 51: > f. 2. Brackets indicate intrusions. eternal life. Cf. Dau. xii. 1; 1 En. xxxvii. 4, xl. 9, &c. tawaiteth, we expect ‘followeth on '. 4. with singleness . . . good > a.

VI. 2. are guilty of a twofold sin: ‘are chastened doubly’ text. Cf. 1 En. v. ο. for they both do... it >by A. Rom.i 22. Cf. Τ. Α. ii. 3, 24 following . . . striving: ‘evil spirits hate ye wbich (‘because they’ d) strive’ כ‎ 0 g A. of deceit and striving a: ‘of evil which strive’ ה‎ 6.

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4 commandments of the Lord, having your conversation therein, and resting therein. For the latter ends of men do show their righteousness (or unrighteousness), when they meet the angels of the 5 Lord and of Satan. For when the soul departs troubled, it is tormented by the evil spirit which also it served in lusts and evil works. a תפ‎ 6 But if he is peaceful with joy he meeteth the But if peacefully "with joy', he hath met the 6 angel of peace, and he leadeth him into eternal | angel of peace, he fcomforteth him with life. life.

7x Become not, my children, as Sodom, which sinned against the angels of the Lord, and perished for 2ever. For I know that ye shall sin, and be delivered into the hands of your enemies ; ‘and’ your land shall be made desolate, and your holy places destroyed, and ye shall be scattered unto the four 3 corners of the earth. And yeshall be set at nought in the dispersion vanishing away as water. Until the Most High shall visit the earth, coming Himself [as man, with men eating and drinking], and break- ing the head of the dragon in the water. He shall save Israel and all the Gentiles [God speaking in 4 the person of man]. [Therefore do ‘ye also, my children’, tell these things to your children, that they 5 disobey Him not. For I have known that ye shall assuredly be disobedient, and assuredly act ungodly, not giving heed to the law of God, but to the commandments of men, being corrupted 6 through wickedness. And therefore shall ye be scattered as Gad and Dan my brethren, and ye shall 7 know not your lands, tribe, and tongue. But the Lord will gather you together in faith through His tender mercy, ‘and’ for the sake of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.]’ 8 ן‎ And when he had said these things unto them, he commanded them, saying: Bury me in Hebron. 2 And he fell asleep and died at a good old age. And his sons did as he had commanded them, and they carried him up to Hebron, and buried him with his fathers.

4-6. A man’s latter end reveals his true character. The idea that good or evil angels meet the soul at death as it leaves the body occurs here first in Jewish literature. Cf. Kethuboth 104%, and see my Comm. 168, 169. 4. when they meet = יועדו‎ : text corrupt. ‘and are known to’ = יודעו ל‎ a (cf. T. A. vii. 1) : ‘and they know’ = ירעו‎ A. Cf. 8S* the angels: ‘the law’ A. Satan : ‘ Eeliar' ' ₪ ς. troubled 8A S!: ‘evil’ a. 6. with joy > 3 5%. Possibly a corruption for ‘departs’, or else read with following words. meeteth: ‘shall know’ a: ‘knew’ SAS! angel of peace. Cf. T. D. vi. 5. leadeth a. Cf. T. B. vi. 1. tcomforteth β A, corrupt for ‘leadeth’. Cf. 1 Sam. xxii. 4; Isa. Ivii. 86.

VII. 1. sinned against. The LXX uses ἀγνοεῖν to translate .שגה ,רשע ,אשם‎ (Perles.) 2. For like predictions see Τ. S. v. 3 ff.; T. L. x, xiv-xvi; T. Jud. xxiii; T. Iss. vi. 1,2; T. Z. ix.6; Τ. Ὀ.ν. 8; T. G. viii. 2. delivered ... enemies. Cf. T. Iss. vi. 2; T. 2. ix. 6. holy places destroyed. Cf. T. L. x. 3, &c. scattered: T. A. vii.6; Τ. L.x. 4, &c. ene away as water. Text is ὡς ὕδωρ ἄχρηστον = כמים נמאסים‎ corrupt for -כמים גמפים‎ Cf. T. Z. ix. 2. So Perles. 7 3. A Theophany followed by the destruction of the primeval foe, the dragon. Cf. Ps. Ixxiv. 13. breaking c: ‘in peace breaking’ h BA ο]. in ₪ 976: ‘through’ a f-g. all the Gentiles. For this universalism cf. T. Β. ix. 2 (note); Jer. iv. 2, &c.; Isa. ii. 2-4, &c.; Ps. xxii. 27-31 ; Ixv. 2. 4-7. First century B.C. addition. Cf. T. G. viii. 2. 5- known: ‘read’ bd g A+‘in the heavenly tablets’ BAS'. Cf. ii. 10. disobedient 6 + ‘unto him’ hi8SAS'. ungodly + ‘towards him’ ΒΑ ο. being . . . wickedness >ab: ‘being carried away by sheer wickedness’ de ₪. 6. as Gad and Dan. See 1. G. viii. 2; T- D. v. 8, vii. 3. and ye a: ‘who’ β. 7- the Lord β-εβ S': ‘He’ ae. through + ‘the hope of’ BAS'.

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14

2

0

21,2 3 4

5

The copy of the Testament of Joseph. When he was about to die he called his sons and his brethren together, and said to them :--

My brethren and my children,

Hearken to Joseph the beloved of Israel ;

Give car, my sons, unto your father.

T have seen in my life envy and death,

Yet I went not astray, "but persevered’ in the truth of the Lord.

They let me down into a pit, and the Most High brought me up again.

[ was taken into captivity, and His strong hand succoured me.

I was beset with hunger, and the Lord Himself nourished me.

T was in prison, and my God showed favour unto me;

In bonds, and He released me ;

Slandered, and He pleaded my cause ;

Bitterly spoken against by the Egyptians, and He delivered me;

Envied by my fellow-slaves, and He exalted me.

And this chief captain of Pharaoh entrusted to me his house. And I struggled against a shame- less woman. urging me to transgress with her; but the God of Israel my father delivered me from the burning flame. 1 was cast into prison, I was beaten, "I was mocked'; but the Lord granted me to find mercy in the sight of the keeper of the prison.

For the Lord doth not forsake them that fear Him,

Neither in darkness, nor in bonds, nor in tribulations, nor in necessities.

For God is not put to shame as a man,

Nor as the son of man is he afraid,

Nor as one that is earth-born is He [weak or] affrighted.

α BAS! Kut in all those things doth He give protection, But in all places He is at hand,

And in divers ways doth He comfort, (Though) for a little space He departeth to try the inclination of the soul.

TITLE a: + ‘concerning sobriety’ be 151: + ‘concerning envy’ Abbefg,

I—X. 4. In this Testament there appear to be two independent writings, i—x. 4 and x. 5—xviii. Yet in historical sequence x. 5—xvi should be read after i. In i—x. 4 the theme is chastity ; in x. §—xviii it is brotherly love. In i—x. 4 Potiphar is called ‘the Egyptian man’ (iv. 5), but Pentephri(s) in x. 5—xviii (e.g. xii. 1; .וא‎ 1; xv.6). In i~x. 4 his wife is called the Egyptian woman (and β-ἆ wrongly in xvi. 1), while in x. 5—xviii she is known as the Memphian woman (so, too, the conflate reading in ili. 6). We find also recurring phrases like ‘Joseph the son of a mighty man’ (x. 6) and * 1 held my peace lest 1 should put to shame’ (x. 6, &c.) in the later section. Joseph also transgresses the Testament’s rule of truthfulness in it.

1. 2. my sons ... father: ‘the words of my mouth’ a.

ς. into slavery aA: ‘to bea slave’ 8S.

captivity, hunger. Cf. Matt. xxv. 35, 36 for this and the next verse. The resemblance to our Lord’s words is very striking.

Lord δείς ‘Most High’ bdgs : ‘God’ A.

my God Ab*cdfe; ‘Lord’ S': ‘the Saviour’ aBS?.

In bonds and He released me >d. Without it stanzas 4-7 are symmetrical. Yoma 35% says Joseph used the words to Potiphar’s wife.

Envied ... slaves: ‘a slave’a: < ₪ II. 1. this chief captain of Pharaoh: ‘the eunuch of Pharaoh’ 2-5 : ‘so Petaphres’ )* Photiphar’ Abed fa) A. 2. Israel my father befg: ‘my father’ h Ab* 90'8: ‘my father Jacob’ ad: ‘my fathers’ c. 3. gltanted me... mercy, &c. Cf. Dan. i. 9. 4. doth ad A: ‘will’ 8-0 5. ₪ Cf. Num. xxiii. 19; 1 Sam. xv. 29. [weak or]. An addition. affrighted a: ‘rejected’ 8 Α 951, corruptly.

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In ten temptations He showed me approved,‏ ל And in all of them I endured;‏ For endurance is a mighty charm,‏ And patience giveth many good things.‏ How often did the Egyptian woman threaten me with death! How often did she give me over‏ 81 to punishment, and then call me back and threaten me, and when I was unwilling to company with‏ her, she said to me: Thou shalt be lord of me, and all that is in my house, if thou wilt give thyself‏ 2 unto me, and thou shalt be as our master. But I remembered the words of my father, and going‏ 3 into my chamber, I wept and' prayed unto the Lord. And I fasted in those seven years, and I appeared‏ 4 to the Egyptians as one living delicately, for they that fast for God’s sake receive beauty of face.‏ And if my lord were away from home, I drank no wine; nor for three days did I take my food, but‏ 5 I gave it to the poor and sick. And I sought the Lord early, and I wept for the Egyptian woman of‏ 6 Memphis, for very unceasingly did she trouble me, for also at night she came to me under pretence‏ of visiting me.‏

a BAS! ל‎ And because she had no male child she pre- And because she had no male child she pre- 7 tended to regard me as a son. tended to regard me as a son, and so I prayed to

the Lord, and she bare a male child.

8 And for a time she embraced me as a son, and I knew it not; but later, she sought to draw mc g into fornication. And when I perceived it I sorrowed unto death; and when she had gone out, I came to myself, and lamented for her many days, because I recognized her guile and her deceit.

1o And I declared unto her the words of the Most High, if haply she would turn from her evil lust. 4, Often, therefore, did she flatter me with words as a holy man, and guilefully in her talk praise my 2 Chastity before her husband, while desiring to ensnare me when we were alone. ‘For! she lauded me openly as chaste, and in secret she said unto me: Fear not my husband; for he is persuaded con- 3 cerning thy chastity: for even should one tell him concerning us, he would not believe. Owing to all these things I lay upon the ground, and besought God that the Lord would deliver me from her 4 deceit. And when she had prevailed nothing ‘thereby’, she came ‘again’ to me under the plea of 5 instruction, that she might learn the word of God. And she said unto me: If thou willest that I should leave my idols, lie with me, and I will persuade my husband to depart from his idols, and 6 we will walk in the law of thy Lord. And I said unto her: The Lord willeth not that those who reverence Him should be in uncleanness, nor doth He take pleasure in them that commit adultery, 7 ‘but in those that approach Him with a pure heart and undefiled lips’. But she held her peace, 8 longing to accomplish her evil desire. And I gave myself yet more to fasting and prayer, that the

Lord might deliver me from her.

5: ‘And! again, at another time she said unto me: If thou wilt not commit adultery, I will kill my 2 husband by poison; and take thee to be my husband. I therefore, when I heard this, rent my

118. 1. and when... her, shea: ‘when ... her! And she’ β-α A®S'. 2. in my house a: ‘mine’S8AS" 3. father c (+ ‘Jacob’ dgA). Cf. Jub. xxxix. 6: ‘fathers’ haefS': ‘fathers of my father Jacob’ b. 4. seven: ‘ten’ in Jub. xlvi. 3.

Egyptians c: ‘ Egyptian’ rest of MSS.

fast . . . beanty of face. Dan. i. 15. 5. Cf. Luke xii. 45. Cf. for Joseph, Zeb. 118°.

lord α(Α 2): 28 51. 6. Egyptian woman of Memphis, conflate text. 7. and so... child β Α 51, disturbs the context. 8. knew it not. Cf. xiv. 4.

tbut later a: ‘that’ a: ‘finally’ beS': ‘later’ ]: ‘and after this’ A. 9. came to myself. Cf. Luke xv. 17.

IV. 1, Often therefore a: ‘how often’ 8-3 AS! 3. ground + ‘in sackcloth (+ ‘and ashes’ A) BAS'. her deceit a: ‘the Egyptian woman’ ב-8‎ AS}. 4. God a: ‘the Lord’ BAS* 5- my husband a A: ‘the Egyptian’ 8 S' (+ ‘Potiphar’ $'). in the law of 8 AS': ‘ before’ ο: ‘in the name of’ h. 6. but in those a only. 7. held her peace bgA: ‘ was angry’ a f-bg. V.1. my husband a: ‘the Egyptian’ BAS. Cf. iv. = by poison and a: ‘and so lawfully’ 8 A 51, by corruption in Hebrew.

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garments, and said unto her: Woman, reverence God, and do not this evil deed, lest thou be 3 destroyed ; for know indecd that I will declare this thy device unto all men. She therefore, being 4 afraid, besought that I would not declare this device. And she departed soothing me with gifts, and sending to me every delight of the sons of men. 1.2 And ‘afterwards! she sent me food mingled with enchantments. And when the eunuch who brought it came, I looked up and beheld a terrible man giving me with the dish a sword, and 3 I perceived that (her) scheme was to beguile me. And ‘when he had gone out! I wept, nor did 4 I taste that or any other of her food. So then after one day she came to me and observed the food, 5 and said unto me: Why is it that thou hast not eaten of the food? And I said unto her: It is because thou hast filled it with deadly’ enchantments ; and how saidst thou: I come not near to 6 idols, but to the Lord ‘alone’. Now therefore know that the God of my father hath revealed unto me by His angel thy wickedness, and I have kept it to convict thee, if haply thou mayst see and repent.

a BAS!

7 But that thou mayst learn that the wickedness But that thou mayst learn that the wickedness 7

of the ungodly hath no power over them that | of the ungodly hath no power over them that worship God with chastity, behold I will take of | worship God in chastity, I took of it and ate it and cat before thee. And having so said, I | before her, saying: The God of my fathers and prayed thus: The God of my fathers and the | the angel of Abraham shall be with me.

angel of Abraham, be with me; and ate.

8 And ‘when she saw this! she fell upon her face at my feet, weeping; and I raised her up and admonished her. And she promised to do this iniquity no more.

a. BAS! 7, But her heart was still set upon evil, and she But (d A ‘nevertheless’) her heart was still set looked around how to ensnare me, and sighing | upon me with a vicw to lewdness, and sighing

deeply she became downcast, though she was | she became downcast. not sick.

2 And when her husband saw her, he said unto her: Why is thy countenance fallen? And she said ‘unto him': I have a pain at my heart, and the groanings of my spirit oppress me; and so 3 he comforted her who was not sick. Then, accordingly seizing an opportunity, she rushed unto me while her husband was yet without, and said unto me: I will hang myself, or cast myself over a cliff, 4 if thou wilt not lie with me. And when I saw the spirit of Beliar was troubling her, I prayed unto 5 the Lord, and said unto her: Why, ‘wretched woman', art thou troubled and disturbed, blinded through sins? Remember that if thou kill thyself, Asteho, the concubine of thy husband, thy rival, 6 will beat thy children, and thou wilt destroy thy memorial from off the earth. And she said unto me: Lo, then thou lovest me; let this suffice me: only strive for my life ‘and’my children’, and 7 T expect that 1 shall enjoy my desire ‘also’. But she knew not that because of my lord I spake

God af: ‘the Lord’ B-fAS"

know .. . device a: ‘I will declare thy ungodly device ’ 8 AS, i. 6. רע‎ ‘ wicked’ for דע‎ ‘know’. 3. this device a: ‘ to any one her wickedness’ §-g A S. 4. sending . . . men 8-d AS!: ‘every delight’ a.

VIL. 1. deeply, συντόμως, a, corrupt for συντόνως. became downcast, συνέπιπτε, cf. T. 2. x. 1: +in countenance’ 6 (cf. ο. 2): + ‘in spirit’ A. set upon πε... lewdness bdgA: ‘set upon lewdness’ aef 5% (cf. a). 2. her husband a ל-\/‎ 8 : ‘the Egyptian man’ 6 AP 16 1 who was not sick: ‘ in words’ a, corruptly. 3 Then ..- Opportunity a: ‘then’ 2-6 51: ‘one day’ d: ‘and when I was passing’ A*®: * and on the second day’ ' cdg, over a 01187 03 6151: ‘into a well’ A*” (+ ‘or over a cliff’ b(d) g A®* ¢4). 5. Asteho a: ‘Asitho’ ef A*&: * Setho’ b. thou wilt a 3-5 ץע‎ S?: ‘she will’ bg (A). 6. let this suffice me: only strive for a: ‘this (> 8-6 91) alone (> A) suffices me that (> af) thou strivest for’ BAS}. andIa: > f-adgS!: ‘ifI’a: ‘I therefore’ dg A. 7. my lord: ‘God’ 5 ἆ 5% against context.

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8 thus, and not because of her.

For if a man hath fallen before the passion of a wicked desire and

become enslaved by it, even as she, whatever good thing he may hear with regard to that passion,

he receiveth it with a view to his wicked desire.

I declare, therefore, unto you, my children, that it was about the sixth hour when she departed

from me ; and I knelt before the Lord all day, and all the night ; and about dawn I rose up, weeping 2 the while and praying for a release from her. At last, then, she laid hold of my garments, forcibly

dragging me to have connexion with her.

aA

3 When, ‘therefore’, I saw that in her madness she was holding fast to my garment, I left it behind, and fled away naked.

a

4 And holding fast to the garment she falsely accused me, and when her husband came he cast me into prison in his house; and on the morrow he scourged me and sent me into Pharaoh’s prison.

a

5 And when I was in bonds, the Egyptian woman was oppressed with grief, and she came and heard how I gave thanks unto the Lord and sang praises in the abode of darkness, and with glad voice rejoiced, glorifying my God that I was delivered from the lustful desire of the Egyptian

BS When, therefore, I saw that in her madness she was holding fast by force to my garment, I fled away naked.

And she falsely accused me to her husband, 4 and the Egyptian cast me into prison in his house, and on the morrow he scourged me and sent me into Pharaoh’s prison.

And when I was in fetters, the Egyptian was 5 sick with grief, and she heard how I sang praises unto the Lord in the house of darkness, and with glad voice rejoicing, glorified God only that I was delivered from the lustful desire of the Egyptian woman.

woman.

9 1 And often hath she sent unto me saying: Consent to ‘fulfil my desire’, and I will release thee 2 from thy bonds, ‘and I will free thee from the darkness. And not even in thought did I incline unto her. For God loveth him who in a den of wickedness combines fasting with chastity, rather than 3 the man who in kings’ chambers combines luxury with licence. And if a man liveth in chastity, and desireth also glory, and the Most High knoweth that it is expedient for him, He bestoweth this 4also upon me. How often’, though she were sick, did she come down ‘to me! at unlooked for times, 5 and listened to my voice as I prayed! And when I heard her groanings I held my peace. ‘For' when I was in her house she was wont to bare her arms, and breasts, and legs, ‘that I might lie with πες; for she was' very beautiful, “splendidly adorned’ in order to beguile me. And the Lord guarded me from her devices. Ye see, therefore, my children, how great things patience worketh, and prayer with fasting. So

10 1,2

8. that passion a: ‘the passion by which (> ‘by which’ A) he is vanquished ’ 8-3 g A S!. to his aA: ‘tothe’ 8S'. VIII. 1. and alla: ‘together with all’ BAS? her a: ‘the Egyptian woman’ 8-0 A 51, 2-4. Cf. Gen. xxxix. 12-14, 16. 3. garment, χιτῶνα, a: ipana, β. left it behind + ‘and shook it off’ a: > 6. by force ה-3]‎ 61 5. 5. was sick, ἠσθένει, β-ᾱ A 51: ‘was oppressed ’, συνείχετο, a. from the lustful desire = -מתאוה‎ 5ο 1 emend ‘through a pretext’ = בתאנה‎ ₪ BS: ‘from the pretexts’ A. For a like corruption cf. Prov. xviii. 1.

ΙΧ. A omits much in ix.

ος if 8 man (‘but πε cbS')... and ® > a: ‘and if’ b.

5- and breasts > a. lie with = συµπέσω. See ‘I. Jud. xiii. 3 (note). adorned. Cf. Yoma 35».

chastity ae f(g): > h.

349

ye too, if ye follow after chastity and purity with patience and prayer, with fasting in humility of 3 heart, the Lord will dwell among you, because He loveth chastity. And wheresoever the Most High dwelleth, even though envy, or slavery, or slander befalleth (a man), the Lord who dwelleth in him, for the sake of his chastity not only’ delivereth him from evil, "but also exalteth him even as me. 5 For in every way the man’ is lifted up, whether in deed, or in word, or in thought. My brethren knew how my father loved me, and yet I did not exalt myself ‘in my mind': although I was a child, 6 "I had the fear of God in my heart'; for I knew that all things would pass away. And I did not raise myself (against them) with evil intent, but I honoured my brethren; and out of respect for them, even when I was being sold, I refrained from telling the Ishmaelites that I was a son of Jacob, a great man and a mighty. 1 Do ye also, my children, "have the fear of God in all your works before your eyes, and! honour 2 your brethren. For every one who 1061 the law of the Lord shall be loved by Him. And when I came to the Indocolpitae with the Ishmaelites, they asked me, saying: Art thou a slave? And 3 1 said that I was a home-born slave, that I might not put my brethren to shame. And the eldest of them said unto me: Thou art not a slave, for even thy appearance doth make it manifest. But 4 1 said that I was ‘their’ slave. Now when we came into Egypt they strove concerning me, which of 5 them should buy me and take me. Therefore it seemed good to all that I should remain in Egypt 6 with the merchant of their trade, until they should return bringing merchandise.

And the Lord 7 gave me favour in the eyes of the merchant, and he entrusted unto me his house. And God blessed 8 him by my means, and increased him in gold and silver ‘and in household servants’. And I was with him three months and five days. 1 And about that time the Memphian woman, the wife of Pentephri, came down ‘in a chariot’, "with 2 great pomp, because she had heard from her eunuchs concerning me’. And she told her husband that the merchant had become rich by means of a young Hebrew, and they say that he had assuredly 3 been stolen out of the land of Canaan. Now, therefore, render justice unto him, and take away the youth to thy house; so shall the God of the Hebrews bless thee, for grace from heaven is upon him. 1 And Pentephris was persuaded by her words, and commanded the merchant to be brought, and said unto him: What is this that I hear ‘concerning thee’, that thou stealest persons out of the land 2 of Canaan, and sellest them for slaves? But the merchant fell at his feet, and besought him, saying: 3 I beseech thee, my lord, I know not what thou sayest. And Pentephris said unto him: Whence, then,

even > 8AS'.

telling +‘my race’ BAS!

Jacob > 6 A®>* cdg,

mighty 8 A S?: ‘just’ a. Cf. 3°93, Prov. xvii. 7 = δίκαιος LXX,

ΧΙ. 1. before your eyes > hb. 2. came . . . Ishmaelites 8-0 51: ‘ was coming with the Ish.’ a: ‘came with them to the Indocolpitae’ A. ו‎ ... Slave 0: +‘or a freeman’ A: < ₪51. Jashar (ii. 1187) says his brethren sold Joseph as being their slave. a home-born aaf: ‘their home-born’ bdeA S!. I might not put ... shame. Cf. x. 6, &c. 3. manifest + ‘concerning thee. And he threatened me ‘unto death!’ 8A 5]. 4. Which of them, &c. αβ S'. 6. gave me favour. Gen. xxxix. 21. 7. God aaf: ‘the Lord’ 8-8] AS and in household servants: ‘and in work’a: > BAS}. ἔργον is a mistranslation of TTY. five days > a.

XII. 1. came down a: ‘ passed’ 8A 51. in a chariot > ל‎ 4 ο]. with ... me: ‘she looked and saw me’ A. she .. . eunuchs a: ‘ her eunuchs had told her’ β 51. 2. that the merchant a: ‘concerning the merchant that he’ 8 AS*. 3. to thy house aef 51: ‘to our house’ a: ‘to be thy steward’ ל‎ dg (A).

35°

\

is the Hebrew slave? And he said: The Ishmaelites entrusted him unto me until they should return. 4 But he believed him not, but commanded him to be stripped and beaten. And when he persisted 5 in this statement, Pentephris said: Let the youth be brought. And when I was brought ,תו‎ did 6 obeisance to Pentephris (for he was third in rank of the officers of Pharaoh). And he took me apart 7 from him, and said unto me: Art thou a slave or free? And I said: A slave. And he said: 8 Whose? And I said: The 1501461165 - And he said: How didst thou become their slave? And 9 [ said: They bought me out of the land of Canaan. And he said unto me: ‘Truly'thou liest ; and ‘straightway' he commanded me to be stripped and beaten. 141 Now the Memphian woman was looking through a window “at me while I was being beaten, for her house was near, and she sent unto him saying': Thy judgement is unjust; for thou dost punish 2 8 ‘free’ man who hath been stolen, as though he were a transgressor. And when I made no change in my statement, ‘though I was beaten', he ordered me to be imprisoned, until, he said, the owners 3 of the boy should come. And the woman said unto her husband: Wherefore dost thou detain the 4 captive and well-born lad in bonds, who ought rather to be set at liberty, and be waited upon? For 5 she wished to see me out of a desire ‘of sin’, but I was ignorant concerning all these things. And he said to her: It is not the custom of the Egyptians to take that which belongeth to others before 6 proof is given. This, therefore, he said concerning the merchant; but as for the lad, he must be imprisoned.

15 : Now after four and twenty days came the Ishmaelites; for they had heard that Jacob ‘my father! 2 was mourning ‘much' concerning me. And they came and said unto me: How is it that thou saidst that thou wast a slave? and lo, we have learnt that thou art the son of a mighty man in the land of 3 Canaan, and thy father ‘still’ mourneth for thee in sackcloth ‘and ashes'!. ‘When I heard this my bowels were dissolved and my heart melted’, and I desired greatly to weep, but J restrained myself, that I should not put my brethren to shame. ‘And 1 said unto them, I know not, I am a slave’. 4: 5 Then, ‘therefore', they took counsel to sell me, that I should not be found in their hands. For they feared my father, lest he [should come and] execute upon them a grievous vengeance. For they had 6 heard that he was mighty with God and with men. Then said the merchant unto them: Release 7 me from the judgement of Pentiphri. And they came and requested me, saying: ‘Say’ that thou wast bought by us with money, and he will set us free. 16: Now the Memphian woman said to her husband: Buy the youth ; for I hear, said she, that they are selling him.

ς BAS! 2 And straightway she sent a eunuch to the And she sent a eunuch to the Ishmaelites and 2 3 Ishmaelites, and asked them to sell me. But | asked them tosell me. The chief captain, there-

is a: ‘hast thou’ 8-£A S'. 4. be brought abd g: ‘auswer’ aefS'. 5. Pentephris a: ‘the chief of the eunuchs’ 8 5% : ‘him’ A. third ... Pharaoha. Cf. Dan.v.7. ‘his rank was second to Ρ. A: ‘third in rank with P., (as) officer of all the eunuchs, having wives and concubines and children’ β. 6. AndI said >< to ‘and I said’ תו‎ 8, 9. Truly a only. straightway αρ. XIV. 1. at me >bef. for... near 1% him a: ‘her husband’ g S!. Thy: ‘the’ 8-5 As>*odfg, thou dost punish ... as... transgressor: ‘to punish unjustly’ ₪, corruptly. 2. me: ‘us’ defg. owners of the boy : ‘his (“my ' d A>‘8) owners’ dg A. 3. her husband a: ‘him’ BAS". in bonds > 8 AS’. be waited upon a: ‘wait upon thee’ 8 AS’. 4. CE. iii. 8. 5. her 6: ‘the Memphite woman’ 8-80 A-». XV. 1. for ... heard a: ‘and having heard’ BAS!: + ‘ when they were in the land of Canaan’ d A. 3. When .. . melted a only. 5- my father a: ‘Jacob’ BAS!. grievous = κιδύνου. God ag: ‘the Lord’ 8-g AS}. 7. and he will set us: ‘and he set us’ bdg: ‘and the merchant set’ (+ ‘us’ A®¥4) A.

the end of the Testament of Benjamin. 2. The chief . . . sell me <

ao)

ς BAS! since the eunuch would not agrce to buy me (at | fore, called the Ishmaelites and asked them to their price) he returned, having made trial of | sell me. ‘And since he did not agree (to their 3 them, and he made known to his mistress that | price) he departed’, But the eunuch, "when he they asked a large price for their slave. had made trial of them’, made known to his mistress that they asked a large price "for their slave’.

4 ‘And she sent another eunuch’, saying: I:ven though they demand two minas, ‘give them’, do not

spare ‘the gold’; only buy the boy, and bring him to me. ς B-dAS!

5 The eunuch therefore went and gave them And he gave them eighty pieces of gold for 5 eighty picces of gold, andt he received met; | me, and told the Egyptian woman that a but to the Egyptian woman he said: 1 have | hundred pieces had been given. given a hundred.

6 And though I knew (this) I held my peace, lest the eunuch should be put to shame.

17 Yesce, therefore, my children, what great things I endured that I should not put my brethren to

18

2 shame. Do ye also, ‘therefore’, love one another, ‘and with long-suffcring hide ye one another's 3 faults'. For God dclighteth ‘in the unity of brethren, and’ in the purpose of a heart that takes 4 pleasure in love. And when my brethren came into Egypt they learnt that I had returned their 5 money unto them, and upbraided them not, and comforted them. And after the death of Jacob my father I loved them ‘more abundantly’, and all things whatsoever he commanded I did ‘very 6 abundantly’ for them. And I suffered them not to be afflicted in the smallest matter ; and all that 7 was in my hand I gave unto them. ‘And’ their children were my children, and my children as their servants; and their life was my life, and all their suffering was my suffering, "and all their sickness 8 was my infirmity’. My land was their land, and their counsel my counsel. And I exalted not myself among them ‘in arrogance’ because of my ‘worldly’ glory, "but I was among them as one of סו‎ 1 - If ye also, therefore, walk in the commandments of the Lord, my children, He will exalt you there, 2 and will bless you with good things for ever and ever. ‘And if any one sceketh to do evil unto you, 3 do well unto him, and pray for him, and ye shall be redeemed of the Lord from all evil’. [For], behold, ye see that ‘out of my humility and long-suffering' I took unto wife the daughter of the priest of Heliopolis. And a hundred talents of gold were given me with her, and the Lord made 4 them to serve me. And He gave me also beauty as a flower beyond the beautiful ones of Israel ; and He preserved me ‘unto old age in strength and’ in beauty, because I was like in all things to Jacob.

3. since he .. . But the eunuch . . . made known begS': ‘since the eunuch . . . and made known’ af. 4. minas c + ‘of gold’ BAS". give them cad: ‘take care’ befg. to mec: < ₪ 5. treceived met, corrupt for ‘ for me’. 6. put to shame c: ‘be tortured’ aefAS'. XVII. 3. a heart ₪ 4 51: ‘a good heart’ c. love 8-a: ‘the good’ ca Ahb*c¢ds_ Read perhaps ‘ brotherliness ’. 4. Egypt + ‘when’BAS* 5. my father > 8-dg A? fs, he (‘they’ A) commanded f-ad AS; ‘they wished’ ca. 7. their ..-my§8S': ‘my... their’ cA. My... land >caef. their... mycdg: ‘my... their’ vefS'. 8. I was... least. Cf. Luke xxii. 27. XVIII. 1. A has ‘walk ye also, therefore, in the same path, my children (+ ‘with me’ ΑΡ) and God (‘Israel Shaddai’ A>* ¢4f 8) will glorify you and exalt you for ever.’

He . . . bless you: ‘ God (>a f) will exalt you’ caf. 2. Cf. Τ. G. vi-vii; .זראו‎ Syr. Frag. [. 20 ‘if thy enemy meet thee with evil, mect thou him with good’. 3.4. 328.

my humility andc: < 1 priest of Heliopolis 6." Cf. Jub. xl. 1ο (note). ‘ of my masters ')8-3 A 51). talents. Cf. Jashar (ii. 1211).

4. A has ‘And (+ *Asenath my wife" ΑΝ) was beautiful as a flower, and (+ ‘I was’ A>) beautiful beyond (‘ all’ A>) the chosen ones of Isracl ) + ‘and temperate and humble’ A>), beyond Levi and Judah and Naphtali. He preserved me in beauty (‘1 was more beautiful than they’ A) because I was like Jacob in all things.’

as a flower >c. like ... to Jacob. See Gen. rabba Ixxxiv. 6 ; Num. τ, xiv. 16.

352

081 And hear ye, my children, also the vision 2 which I saw. There were twelve harts feeding: and the nine were (first) dispersed! over all the earth, and likewise also the three.

8 And I saw that [from Judah was born] a tvirgin [wearing a linen garment, and from her] was born a lamb, [without spot]; and on his left hand there was as it were a lion; and all the beasts rushed against him, and the lamb over- came them, and destroyed them and trod them

g under foot. And because of him the angels and

το men rejoiced, and all the land. And these things shall come to pass in their season, in the last

Hear ye, therefore, the vision which 1 saw. 1 I saw twelve harts feeding. And nine of them 2 were dispersed. Now the three were preserved. but on the following day they also were dis- persed. And I saw that the three harts became 3 three lambs, and they cried to the Lord, and He brought them forth into a flourishing and well- watered place, yea He brought them out of darkness into light.

And there they cried unto the Lord until! 4 there gathered together unto them the nine harts, and they became as twelve sheep, and after a little time they increased and became many flocks. And after these things I saw and behold, 5 twelve bulls were sucking one cow, which pro- duced a sea of milk, and there drank thereof the twelve flocks and innumerable herds.

And the horns of the ffourth bull went up 6 unto heaven and became as a wall for the flocks, and in the midst of the ‘two’ horns there grew another horn. And I saw a bull calf which7 surrounded them twelve times, and it became a help to the bulls wholly.

And I saw in the midst of the horns a {virgin 8 {wearing a many-coloured garment, and from her] went forth a lamb; and on his right (was as it were a lion; and) all the beasts and all the reptiles rushed (against him), and the lamb over- came them and destroyed them. And the bulls 9 rejoiced because of him, and the cow [and the harts] exulted together with them. And these 10 things must come to pass in their season. And 11

it alone has 3-7, and 8 and 11 in it are fairly pure.

2-4. A vision concerning the nine tribes and the three, their captivity and return. The nine are regarded as back

in Palestine. 2. harts. See note in Commentary, p. 191. feeding + ‘in a place’ ο. all>bS'.

were preserved A*>*cdfg; ‘fed with each other’ A». For their change into lambs, cf. 1 En. xc. 38, where the

out of darkness into light. Cf. Ps. cvii. 14 ; Isa. ix. 2, .וו[א‎ 16, lviii. 10.

Used of the princes of Judah, Lam. i. 6.

Cf. 1 Pet. ii. 9, 10.

Tribes are regarded as in Palestine. Maccabees (cf. v. 11 Levi and Judah). 6. tfourth, i.e. tribe = Judah. two < 8. another horn. Perhaps Mattathias. 7-9. Is the bull-calf the same as the lamb of ο. 8?

ahelp. Cf. Dan. xi. 34, ‘little help.’

So ‘in the midst of the horns’ implies that the Messiah is to arise from the Judah was to help—the lion on the left hand in 2. 8. Is this a Christian alteration of ‘ third’ = Levi?

If so, Judas would be both; if not, the lamb is Hyrcanus. 7. a bull... times: ‘twelve oxen which surrounded them ' A>*4,

For ‘ surrounded’ read perhaps ‘ protected ’.

8. [from Judah was born]. A Christian addition. A omits it, and a definite name is here out of place. A

‘virgin’ also clashes with the animal symbolism. became a lamb’. For ‘ wearing’ cf. Rev. xii. 1.

a lion = Judah.

all the beasts, i.e. the Gentiles.

Cf. 1 En. xc. 12, 16.

So read ‘ And I saw that in the midst of the hors a bull-calf

g. The Greek text interprets ‘ cow’ aright as = Palestine ; but the ‘ bulls’ are the tribes, not ‘angels and men’. [and the harts] > the Greek texts. They have no place in this vision.

the cow .

1106-2

.. harts Ab*cdg: ‘the descendants of the three harts’ :ל*\/‎ ‘two of the three harts’ AD. 353

Aa

cBS! A 11 days. Do ye therefore, my children, observe | do ye, my children, honour Levi and Judah, for the commandments of the Lord, and honour | from them shall arise the salvation of Israel. Levi and Judah ; for from them shall arise "unto you’ [the Lamb of God, who taketh away the sin of the world] one who saveth [all the Gentiles and | Israel.

12 | For His kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, For my kingdom which is among you shall 12 which shall not pass away; but my kingdom | come to an end as a watcher’s hammock, which among you shall come to an end as a watcher’s | will not appear after the summer. hammock, which after the summer disappeareth.

20: ‘For’ I know that after my death the Egyptians will afflict you, but God will avenge you, and will 2 bring you into that which He promised to your fathers. But ye shall carry up my bones with you ;

‘for when my bones are being taken up thither, the Lord shall be with you in light, and Beliar shall be in darkness with the Egyptians’.

cAbtedg BS)

4,5 And when he had said these things he stretched out his feet, and died at a good old age. And all Israel mourned for him, and all Egypt, with a great mourning.

ς BS)

6 And when the children of Israel went out of For he felt even for the Egyptians as though 6 Egypt, they took with them the bones of Joseph, | a member (of their nation), and showed them and they buried him in Hebron with his fathers, | kindness, aiding them in every work, and counsel, and the years of his life were one hundred and | and matter. ten years.

1 τι = The copy of the words of Benjamin, which he commanded his sons to observe, after he had lived 2 a hundred and twenty-five years. And he kissed them, and said: As Isaac was born to Abraham 3 in his old age, so also was I to Jacob. And since Rachel my mother died in giving me birth, I had 4no milk ; therefore I was suckled by Bilhah her handmaid. For Rachel remained barren for twelve years ‘after she had borne Joseph’; and she prayed the Lord ‘with fasting twelve days, and she 5 conceived and bare me’. For ‘my father! loved Rachel dearly, ‘and prayed that he might see two

6 sons born from her'. Therefore was I called Benjamin, that is. a son of days.

11. Leviand JudahcA. See 1. R. vi. 5-12 (note). ‘Judah and Levi’ β S*. from them β A 51 : ‘from their seed’ ₪ unto you 8S': ‘unto us’ 60: >A. [the Lamb, &c.] Christian additions. who taketh... world 6: ‘by grace’ 8 5. 12. Dan, vii. 14. pass away c 3-3 כ‎ : ‘be shaken’ כ ג‎ watcher’s hammock. Isa. i. 8, xxiv. 20. XX. 2. Cf. Gen. 1. 25; Exod. xiii. 19. 4. Asenath your mother c d: ‘ Zilpah your mother’ bef A**«4gS!; ‘your brother’ A®>2: ‘brothers’ A®. [to the Hippodrome] > A. Cf. LXX in Gen. xlviii. 7 )? = Ephrath). Rachel was buried near Ephrath, Gen. xxxv. 16 ff., xivill. 7. nigh to Bilhah β 51. Jub. xxxiv. 16 says she was buried near Rachel. 4. good old age. So I emend ‘good sleep" c (cf. T. Z. x. 6): ‘eternal sleep’ 0 51: cf. Jer. li. 39; Τ. Iss. vii.g: > A. 6. as though . .. nation aef: ‘as for his ovn members’ bg: +‘ Joseph the eleventh son of Jacob and first son of Rachel lived one hundred and ten years’ f 1.

TITLE 6: +‘ concerning a pure mind’ ה-3‎ ₪ 51: + ‘to love one’s neighbour’ ₪ I. 1. words: ‘ Testament’ dA.

2. old age cd: ‘hundredth year’ 9-0 A. Cf. Gen. xxi. 2,5. Jashar (1, 1172) gives the same date for Benjamin’s birth. See, however, Jub. xix. 13. 8. my mother > 3-0 A*>* 6568 5 4. twelve years: ‘eleven’ in Jub. xxviii. 24, xxvii. 33. twelve days > c. For the prayer and fasting cf. Num. rabba xiv. 8. 6. Benjamin, a son of days. Cf. Gen. xliv. 20 ‘a son of old age’; Philo, De Afut. Nom.15. A» reads ‘son of aright hand’. Cf. Gen. xxxv. 17, 18. Jashar explains Benjamin as =‘ son of the south ' (it. 1172).

354

21

2 What did they tell my father when they sold me? And I said ‘unto him’, They dabbled thy coat with blood and sent it, and said: Know whether this be thy son’s coat.

6

3 And he said unto me: Even so, brother, when they had stripped me of my coat they gave me to the Ishmaelites, and they gave me a loin cloth, and scourged me, and bade me run.

4 And as for one of them that had beaten me with a rod, a lion met

5 him and slew him. And so his associates were affrighted.

31

3. And he said unto me: Even so, brother ; for when the Ish- maelites took me, one of them stripped off my coat, and gave me a loin cloth, and scourged me, and bade merun. 4. And 5 he went away to hide my gar- ment, a lion met him, and slew him. 5. And so his associates were affrighted, and sold me to their companions.

And Joseph said unto me: 3 Even so, brother, the Canaanite merchants stole me by force. And it came to pass that as 4 they went on their way they concealed my garment, as though a wild beast had met me and slain me. And so his 5 associates sold me to the Ish- maelites. And they did not lie 6 in saying this. For he wished to conceal from me the deeds of my brethren. And he called to him his brethren and said: Do not tell my father what ye 7 have done unto me, but tell him as I have told Benjamin. And 8 let the thoughts among you be such, and let not these things come to the heart of my father.

Do ye also, therefore, my children, "love the Lord God of heaven and earth, and keep His

commandments’, following the example of the good and holy man 'Joseph'.

cBS

2 And let your mind be unto good, even as ye know me; for he that hath his mind right seeth 3 all things rightly. Fear ye the Lord, and love your neighbour; and even though the spirits of Beliar claim you to afflict you with every evil,

yet shall they not have dominion over you, even

4 as they had not over Joseph my brother.

How

many men wished to slay him, and God shielded

him !

For he that feareth God and loveth his

neighbour cannot be smitten by the spirit of

5 Beliar, being shielded by the fear of God. Nor can he be ruled over by the device of men or beasts, for he is helped by the Lord through the love which he hath towards his neighbour.

6 For Joseph also besought our father ‘that he would pray for his brethren’, that “the Lord? would

For until his death he was not willing to tell 2-5 regarding himself; but Jacob, having learnt it from the Lord, told it to him. Nevertheless | he kept denying it. was persuaded by the adjurations of Israel.

And then with difficulty he

3-5. The text of c alone agrees with the context, but T. Ζ. iv. 10 makes his brothers give him the loin-cloth. 3S! and A differ from the context and the biblical account. 5. to their companions β 51: ‘to the Ishmaelites’ Α. Cf. Jashar (ii. 1187-go).

3- spirits of Beliar claim. Cf. Luke xxii. 31.

claim ₪ 51: ‘dement’ c.

to afflict with every evil: text = ‘ unto every evil of affliction’. they not 6: ‘no evil of tribulation’ β 51,

Cf. Eph. ii. 2.

father +‘ Jacob’ 9 5].

his brethren 6: ‘his sons’ 3-5 : ‘ our brethren’ b.

355

7 not impute to them as sin whatever evil they had done unto him’. And thus Jacob cried out: My good child, thou hast prevailed over the bowels of thy father Jacob. And he embraced him, and kissed him for two hours, saying :

8 In thee shall be fulfilled the prophecy of heaven In thee shall be fulfilled the prophecy of 8 [concerning the Lamb of God, and Saviour of the | heaven, which says that the blameless one shall world], and that a blameless one shall be | be defiled for lawless men, the sinless one shall delivered up for lawless men,and a sinlessone shall | die for ungodly men. die for ungodly men [in the blood of the cove- nant, for the salvation of the Gentiles and of Israel, and shall destroy Beliar and his servants].

4: 506 ye, therefore, my children, the end of the good man? 136 followers of his “compassion, there- 2 fore, with a good mind’, that ‘ye also' may wear crowns of glory. For the good man hath not 3a fdark eye; for he showeth mercy to all men, even though they be sinners. ‘And though they

devise with evil intent concerning him, by doing good he overcometh evil, being shiclded by God";

4 and he loveth the righteous as his own soul. If any one is glorified, he envieth him not ; if any one is enriched, he is not jealous; if any one is valiant, he praiseth him; the virtuous man he laudeth; ‘on the poor man he hath mercy ; on the weak he hath compassion ; unto God he singeth praises!.

cA B-aS' 5 And him that hath the grace of a good spirit As for him who hath the fear of God, he pro- 5 he loveth as his own soul. tecteth him as with a shield ; him that loveth

God he helpeth ; him that rejecteth the Most High he admonisheth and turneth back; and him that hath the grace of a good spirit he loveth as his own soul.

51 If, “therefore, ye also’ have a "good mind", then will both wicked men be at peace with you, and the profligate will reverence you ‘and turn unto good; and the covetous will not only cease from

2 their inordinate desire, but even give the objects of their covetousness to them that are afflicted. If

3 ye do well, even the unclean spirits will flee from you’; and the beasts will dread you. ‘For where there is reverence for good works and light in the mind, even darkness flecth away from him.!

4 ‘For! if any one does violence to a holy man, he repenteth; for ‘the holy man! is merciful to his reviler, and holdeth his peace.

ο B-aS}

5 And if any one betrayeth a righteous man, the And if any one betrayeth a righteous soul, and 5 righteous man prayeth : though for a little he be | the righteous man, though he prayeth, be hum- humbled, yet not long after he appeareth far | bled for a little, yet not long after he appeareth more glorious, as was Joseph my brother. more glorious, even as was Joseph my brother.

as sincgA: < 1% done unto c: ‘devised regarding’ ל‎ 7. And thus Jacob 60-60: ‘then Joseph’ A. child +‘ Joseph’ bg A. 8. For vicarious suffering, cf. 2 Macc. vii. 38 in pre-Christian times. a sinless 8 οἱ: ‘the sinless’ cA. in the blood of the covenant. Heb. xiii. 20. IV. 1. end c8S: ‘mercy’ A. crowns 01 glory : earliest reference. Cf. Rev. ii. 10; Jas. i. 12; Asc. Is. vil. 22. 2. hath not at dark eye. Cf. Matt. vi. 22, 24. But read perhaps ‘ hath a compassionate eye”: cf. T. Iss. iv. 6. 3. devise with evil intent 35': ‘wish not well’ c. by doing good he cadef: ‘he that doeth good’ 351. overcometh evil. Cf. Rom. xii. 21; T. Jos. xviii. 2; T. G. vi, vil. righteous 8A ο): ‘ unrighteous’ c. 4. laudeth A: ‘loveth’ 6: ‘trusteth and jaudeth’ ' 1. singeth praises 8: ‘feareth’ ₪. 5. helpeth b: defg read * runneth with’ corrupt for ‘ hath pleasure in’, cf. Ps. xlix. 18 (LXX). V. 1. have ... mind 60 5': ‘are good’ A. covetousness +‘ which they had’ c. 2. Cf. T. Iss. vii. 73 Τ. D. v.13 T.N. viii. 4. 4. reverence . . . light 6: ‘light of (‘reverence for’ b) good works’ abefS': ‘light, a good work’ d: ‘a pure light’ g. 4. holy: ‘true’ A. repenteth. Cf. T. G. vi. 6. 5. A has ‘and if a man insult a righteous soul, he is sorry, because he hath seen him humiliated, and hath repented, as was Joseph my brother *.

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The inclination of the good man is not in the power of the deceit of the spirit of Beliar, for the angel of peace guideth his soul. ‘And’ he gazeth not ‘passionately’ upon corruptible things, nor gathereth together riches ‘through a desire of pleasure’. He delighteth not in pleasure, ' | 16 grieveth not his neighbour], he sateth not himself with luxuries, he erreth not in the uplifting of the eyes’, for the Lord is his portion. The good inclination receiveth not glory ‘nor dishonour' from men, and it knoweth not any guile, or lie, or fighting or reviling ;_ for the Lord dwelleth in him and lighteth up his soul, and he rejoiceth towards all men alway. The good mind hath not two tongues, of blessing and of cursing, of contumely and ‘of honour", of sorrow and of joy, of quietness and of confusion, of hypocrisy and of truth, [of poverty and of wealth]; but it hath one disposition’, uncorrupt and pure, concerning all

men.

«β 5)

Therefore, my children, I tell you, flee the malice of Beliar; for he giveth a sword to them that obey him.

cbg

And the sword is the mother of seven evils. First the mind conceiveth through Beliar,f and first there is bloodshed ; second- ly ruin; thirdly, tribulation ; fourthly, exile ; fifthly, dearth ; sixthly, panic; seventhly, de-

B-bgS!

It hath no double sight, nor double hearing ; for in everything which he doeth, ‘or speaketh, or

7 seeth, he knoweth that the Lord looketh on his soul. be condemned by men as well as' by God. And in like manner the works of Beliar are twofold, and there is no singleness in them. \

And he cleanseth his mind that he may not

Flee, my children, malice [and fornication]; 1 for it giveth a sword to them that obey it.

And the sword is the mother 2 of seven evils, and it receiveth (them) through Beliar. And first there is bloodshed (&c. as inc BS!),

struction. Therefore was Cain also delivered over to seven vengeances by God, for in every hundred years the Lord brought one plague upon him.

6 BA And when he was two hundred years old he When he was two hundred years old he began 4 began to suffer, and in the nine-hundredth year ! to suffer, and in his nine-hundredth year he was

panic ; seventhly, destruction.

angel of peace. See Τ. D. vi. 5 (note); T. A. vi. 6. 3. Perhaps A is right in the omissions.

uplifting, &c. See T. Iss. vii. 2 (note).

Lord is his portion. Cf. T. Lev. ii. 12.

knoweth not >c. lighteth up his soul. Cf. T. G. v. 7. rejoiceth . . . alway. Cf. Phil. iv. 4. 5. tongues of blessing and of cursing. Cf. James iii. 10. of sorrow and of joy >c. [of poverty ... wealth] > A.

VII. 1-2. See my Commentary #7 éoc., .כ‎ 206. Read either (1) ‘Flee the malice of Beliar; for the mind conceiveth through Beliar, and is the mother of seven evils; and first,’ &c., or (2) ‘ Flee the malice of Beliar; for he giveth a sword to those who obey him. And the sword’ (&c. as A).

For the seven compare the eight plagues of Sir. xl. 9; and seven of Pirke Aboth, v. 11.

him ο: ‘it’ 8S}. 2. the mind . . . Beliar c8—dg 51: ‘ the mind conceiveth wickedness through the malice of Keliar’ d. sometimes 151: ‘what... is’ de. bloodshed. Read φόνος for φθόνος. Cain’s first evil wss murder. ruin... We expect ‘panic’ here. See notes in Commentary, p. 207. destruction: text reads * desolation '.

3-4. Gen. iv. 15, 24 tells of a sevenfold vengeance on Cain's slayer. Here the sevenfold penalty is transferred to Cain himself. Contrast Jub. iv. 1. 31, which puts his death in his 860th year. Is Lamech here regarded as Cain’s slayer? Cf. Book of Adam and Eve ii. 13; Jalkut i. 38, &c.

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BA destroyed [at the Flood], on account of Abel, his righteous brother. With the seven evils, there- fore, was Cain judged, but Lamech with seventy times ‘seven’.

ς he was destroyed. For on account of Abel, his brother, with all the evils was he judged, but Lamech with seventy times seven.

Because for ever those who are like Cain ‘in envy and hatred of brethren’, shall be punished "with the same judgement".

6 85'

And do ye, my children, flee evil-doing, envy, and hatred of brethren, and cleave to goodness and love. He that hath a pure mind in love, looketh not after a woman with a view to fornica- tion; for he hath no defilement in his heart, because the Spirit of God resteth upon him.

BN Do ye, therefore, my children, flee evil-doing and cleave to goodness. For he that hath it looketh not on a woman with a view to fornica- tion, and he beholdeth no defilement ; for there resteth upon him a holy spirit.

For ‘as’ the sun is not defiled by shining on dung and mire, ‘but rather drieth up both and driveth away the evil smell’; so also the pure mind, though encompassed by the defilements of earth, rather cleanseth (them) and is not itself defiled.

And I believe that there will be also evil-doings among you, from the words of Enoch the right- eous : that ye shall commit fornication with the fornication of Sodom, and shall perish, all save a few, and shall renew wanton deeds with women; and the kingdom of the Lord shall not be among you, for straightway He shall take it away.

651 Nevertheless the temple of God shall be in

But in your portion shall be His inheritance.

your portion, and the last (temple) shall be more glorious than the first. And the twelve tribes shall be gathered together there, and all the Gentiles, until the Most High shall send forth His salvation in the visitation of an Tonly- 3 begotten prophet. [And He shall enter into the [first] temple, and there shall the Lord be treated with outrage, and 116 shall be lifted up upon

And on account of the temple of the Lord, Jacob exalted me that I should be glorified through it. And the twelve tribes shall be gathered there and all the Gentiles. [And the Lord shall be treated with outrage and set at nought. And He will depart from earth to heaven: for I knew how He is on earth and how in heaven, or what is His measure and place and way. |

4

atree. And the veil of the temple shall be rent, and the Spirit of God shall pass on to the Gen-

{at the Flood], impossible on any chronology ; even the Samaritan (1307 A. M.). With the seven evils adgA: ‘in the 700 years’ bef. Onkelos and Ps. Jon. on Gen. iv. 15 (contrast on v. 24) say he was punished for seven generations. See my Commentary, p. 208.

hath . . . in his heart 6 3 5 : ' beholdeth’ A, not so good. 3. by shining on 1: προσέχων c8-fAS'.

cleanseth: text corruptly reads ‘ buildeth up’.

IX. 1. that . . . among you: ‘also doings’ ₪, defective. from . . . righteous c8-dS': ‘for 1 have learnt from the book of the words,’ &c. d: ‘for 1 have heard from the words of our fathers’ A. shall renew wanton deeds: ‘ and again ye ) > A) shall be renewed unto . .. deeds’ ) ‘unto... deeds’ < 6( 6 A. straightway He 8S': ‘the upright’ (εὐθεῖς) A®>b: fan upright man’ A>*¢d (i.e. David shall take the kingdom from Saul) : > 6. 2. The text of οβ 21 is better. The second temple is more glorious (cf. Haggai ii. 9}, and under John Hyrcanus the twelve tribes met there in worship. the temple . . . in your portion. See Onkelos and Ps. Jon. on Gen. xlix. 27. all the Gentiles. The Maccabean triumphs lead to the hope of a general conversion of the Gentiles in the second century 3.0. Cf. Τ. 5. vii. 2. See my Commentary, pp. 210, 211. The Testaments are strongly tinged with universalism. God understands all men, T. N. ii. 5 (cf. Sir. xvii. 3). The Law is given to lighten every man, T. L. xiv. 4. Michael guards all the righteous, T. L. v. 7 (8 A8 51). Apart from Christiaf interpolations like T. Jos. xix. 11, the salvation of the Gentiles is taught in T. L. iv. 4, viii. 14, tic 11; Τ. S. vi. 5: T.N. vii. 3; T. A. vii. 3; Τ. D. vi. 7; T. Jud. xxv. 5; Τ. Β. ix. 2, x. 5. an tonly-begotten prophet 6—b: ‘His only begotten Son’ c. Read ‘beloved’ for ‘only begotten’, as T. L. viii. 15, ‘ beloved as a prophet of the Most High.’ 3-5. Christian additions. Cf. Luke xviii. 32; Mark ix. 12. 4. veil of the temple, &c. Cf. Matt. xxvii. 51. pass on to 6 ס-1]‎ 61 : ‘ascend’ bS!: ‘ descend’ d.

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cBS! A 5 tiles as fire poured forth. And He shall ascend from Hades and shall pass from earth into heaven. And I know how lowly He shall be upon earth, and how glorious in heaven. ]

1Ο: Now when Joseph was in Egypt, I longed to see his figure ‘and the form of his countenance’; and through the prayers of Jacob my father I saw him, while awake in the daytime, even his entire figure exactly as he was.

2 ‘And when he had said these things, he said unto them’: Know ye, therefore, my children, that I am dying.

8 Do ye, therefore, truth each one to his neigh- Do ye, therefore, truth and righteousness ‘each 3 bour, and keep the law of the Lord and His | one to his neighbour’, and judgement unto con- commandments, firmation, and keep the law of the Lord and his

commandments.

4 For these things do I leave you instead of inheritance. Do ye also, ‘therefore’, give them to your

§ children for an everlasting possession ; for so did both Abraham, and Isaac, and Jacob. For all these things they gave us for an inheritance, saying: Keep the commandments of God, until the Lord

6 shall reveai His salvation to all Gentiles. ‘And'then shall yesee Enoch, Noah, and Shem, and Abra- ham, and Isaac, and Jacob, rising on the right hand in gladness.

6 8 οἱ A ל‎ Thenshall we also rise,each one over our tribe, Then shall we also rise, each over our own 7 worshipping the King of heaven, [who appeared | tribe, and we shall worship the heavenly King. upon earth in the form of a man in humility. And as many as believe on Him on the earth / 8 shall rejoice with Him]. Then 8150 311 men shall | Then shall we all be changed, some into glory 8 rise, some unto glory and some unto shamie. and some into shame ; for the Lord judges Israel And the Lord shall judge Israel first, for their | first for the unrighteousness which they have unrighteousness ; [for when He appeared as God | committed. in the flesh to deliver them they believed Him ' / 9 not]. And then shall He judge all the Gentiles, And then so (shall He judge) all the Gentiles. 9 [as many as believed Him not when He appeared / το uponearth]. And He shall convict Israel through And He shall convict Israel through the το the chosen ones of the Gentiles, even as He | chosen Gentiles,as He convicted Esau through reproved Esau through the Midianites, who | the Midianites who loved their brethren. Be ye tdeceived their brethren, [so that they fell into | therefore, iny children, in the portion of them fornication, and idolatry ; and they were alienated | that fear the Lord. from God], becoming therefore children in the portion ofthem that fear the Lord.

And Iknow ... heaven >cA>*edeg,

X.1. >c. Restore to beginning of ii. 1. - :

6-7. The Testaments give a primitive view of the resurrection to this present earth (cf. 1 En. vi-xxxvi, Ixxxiii-xc),

transformed gradually to sinlessness (T. L. xviii. 9), of the righteous. Note the order of resurrection. Cf. v. 8; ef. also T. Jud. xxv. 4; Dan.xii.1,2. The risen enter Eden, and eat of the tree of life, T. L. xviii. το, 11,and dwell in the New Jerusalem, T. D. v. 12.

God in the flesh 6 + ‘a deliverer’ 8. το. Israel is judged by Gentile standards. c omits this verse. And .. . Gentiles > ΑΡΗ, as He convicted .. . loved. A has the better text. The corruption and addition n 8S! refers to Num. xxv. therefore aA: ‘not’ β-α, corruptly.

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"therefore, my children’, walk in holiness "according 10 the commandments of the Lord), ye‏ 6 זז shall again dwell securely with me, and all Israel shall be gathered unto the Lord.‏ BS! A‏

ο 11 ι And I shall πο longer be 1. And 1 shall no longer be

called a ravening wolf on account of your ravages, but [a worker of the Lord distributing food to them that work what is good.

2 And there shall arise in the latter days] one beloved of the Lord, [of the tribe of Judah and Levi],a doer of His good pleasure in his mouth, [with new knowledge enlightening the Gentiles].

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called a ravening wolf on account of your ravages, but [a worker of the Lord, distributing food to them that work what is good. 2. And there shall rise up from my seed in the latter times] one beloved of the Lord, [hearing upon the carth His voice], and a doer of the good pleasure of His will, [enlightening with new knowledge all the Gentiles, even the light of knowledge, bursting in upon Israel for salvation and tearing away from them like a wolf, and giving to the syna- gogue of the Gentiles.

And I shall no longer bet called a captain of robbers, and at wolf, on account of your ravages. But one beloved of 2 the Lord, and a doer of the good pleasure of His mouth.

Until the consummation of the age shall he be in the synagogues of the Gentiles, and among their

4 rulers, as a strain of music in the mouth of all. And he shall be inscribed in the holy books, both 5 his work and his word, and he shall be a chosen one of God for ever. And through them he shall go to and fro as Jacob my father, saying: He shall fill up that which lacketh of thy tribe].

ο BAS! And when he had said these things he stretched And when he finished his words, he said: χ

2 out his feet. And dicd tin [a beautiful] and 3 good sleepy. And his sons did as he had enjoined

them, and they took up his body and buried it 4 in Hebron with his fathers. And the number (of

I command you, my children, carry up my bones out of Egypt, and bury me at Hebron, near my fathers. So Benjamin died a hundred and 2 twenty-five years old, at a good old age, and they

the days) of his life were a hundred and twenty-

placed him in a coffin. And in the ninety-first 3 five years.

year from the entrance of the children of Israel into Egypt, they and their brethren brought up the bones of their fathers secretly during the Canaanitish war; and they buried them in Hebron, by the feet of their fathers. And they returned 4 from the land of Canaan and dwelt in Egypt until the day of their departure from the land of Egypt.

11. according ... ofc: ‘ before the face of’ BS". securely : ‘in hope’ text, wrongly as LXX in Ezek. xxviii. 26, 6 XI. A is original and refers only to Benjamin. c adds a prophecy of the Messiah descended from Judah and Levi. β 51 transfers it to Paul. Cf. Tert. Adv. Mare. v. 1 (on Gen. xlix. 27). τ Te be A. a worker .. . what is good > A. / 0 food. Cf. LXX of Gen. xlix. 27, and ‘dabit הוז6563‎ ', Tertullian 4. ο. the spoil’. 2. one beloved of the Lord. Deut. xxxiii. 12, of Benjamin. For * the Beloved * = Christ. See my ed. Asc. 154. i. 4 (note). of His mouth: ‘in his mouth’ 6: ‘ of His will’ ΑΝ Sh bursting in כ‎ eg(df): ‘shining’ a. 5. through them . . . my father ]: ‘ because of him’, &c., 6: ‘because of him Jacob my father instructed me’ b: >ad: ‘ because of this he puffed me up’ ₪. fill up that which lacketh. A phrase of St. Paul. tribe bg: ‘belly’ def. XII. Here 8 AS! is the better text. 2. ata good old age 8 AS': ‘in a beautiful and good sleep’ 6. See T. Z. x. 6. 3. See T. G. viii. 5 (note). entrance ... into: The text absurdly reads ‘exodus . Canaanitish war 8 AS'. See T. 5. viii. 2; T. G. viii. 5. 4. f 51 add at the close: ‘ Benjamin, the twelfth son of Jacob, the second son of Rachel, lived 125 years.’ 360

There the Mass. has ‘ divide Here c twists it into a reference to the Messiah.

Cf. Eph. i. 5.

Cf. 2 Cor. xi. 9, &c.

.. from’.

These fragments are in italics, and their parallels in the original Testament given in the margin.

1 + The Testament of Naphtali, Naphtali the son of Jacob, *whom Bilhah, the handmaid of Rachel, had borne him 1 [the wrestlings of God}.2 When Naphtali had grown old, and had come to a good T. Naph. old age, and had completed his years of strength, and fulfilled the duty of the earth-born man, he i. 6 began to command his children, and he said unto them, ‘My children, come and draw near and 2 receive the commands of your father.’ And they answered and said unto him, ‘ Lo, we hearken to > 3 fulfil all that thou commandest us.’ And he said unto them, ‘I do not command you concerning 'T, Jos. my silver, nor concerning my gold, *nor all my substance* that | leave unto you here under the sun, xi, 6 nor do I command you any difficult thing which you may not be able to accomplish, but I speak to 4 you about an easy matter, which you can fulfil.’ And his sons answered and replied a second time, 5 and said, ‘ Speak, O father, for we listen.’ He said unto them, ‘I give you no command save in 6 regard to the fear of the Lord: Him shall ye serve, and to Him shall ye cleave.’ They said unto him, ‘ What need hath He of our service?’ He said unto them, ‘It is not that He hath need of any creature, but that all creatures of the world have need of Him. But He hath not created the world for nought, but that His creatures should fear Him, and that none should do to his neighbour 7 what he doth not like for himself.’ They said unto him, ‘Our father! hast thou forsooth seen us 8 departing from thy ways, or from the ways of our fathers, either to the right or to the left?’ He said unto them, ‘ The Lord and I are witnesses that it is even as ye say; but I dread that which is T.

Levi to come, lest ye go astray after the gods of strange nations, and walk according to the ordinances of xix. 3 the peoples of the lands, and lest ye join the children of Joseph instead of the children of Levi and Τ. Naph. 9 the children of Fudah. They said unto him, ‘ What dost thou see that thou commandest us in this vii. 2 πο wise?’ He said unto them, * Because I know that one day the children of Joseph will depart from the Lord, the God of their fathers, and cause the children of Israel to sin, and to be banished from the good land into another that is not ours, as we have been exiled through his being a bond- servant in Egypt. 1,2 ‘Further, I will tell you she vision 1 saw, when I was pasturing the flock. 1 saw, and lo, my T, Naph. twelve brothers were pasturing with me in the field ; and lo, our father came and said to us, “ My ν. 1-3 3 children, run and seize ye, each * before me,* what comes to his portion.” We answered and said unto 4 him, “ What shall we seize ? lo, we see nothing but the sun, moon, and the stars.” *He said unto them, “(Take hold) of them.”* When Levi heard it he seized a staff in his hand, and jumped upon 5 the sun and sat and rode thereon. And when Judah saw it, he did likewise ; and he sezzed a staff, 6 and sprang upon ¢he moon, and rode thereon. So did *all the ® tribes; each rode upon his star and 7 his planet in the heavens ; and Joseph only remained alone upon the earth.

Jacob our father said unto him, “ My son, why hast thon not done as thy brothers?” He said unto him, “ My father, what have they? that are born of woman to do in the heavens, as in the end they must needs stand upon the earth?” 31 ‘Whilst Joseph was speaking, /o, there stood near him a huge 00/77 with great wings like the wings Τ. Naph. 2 of a stork, and his horns were huge \ike the horns of the Reém. And Jacob said to him, “ Get up, v. 6 3 my son Joseph, and ride upon ".תות‎ And Joseph got up and mounted upon the bull. And Jacob 4 our father departed from us. For about four hours Joseph gloried in the bull—at times he walked and ran, at times ke few up with him, till he came near to Judah, and Joseph stretched out the v. 7 5 standard he had in his hands and began to smite Judah his brother. Judah said to him, “My

1 only in P. ? A gloss from Gen. xxx. 8. 5 J; also in A in a corrupt form. + For לפניי‎ read with Τ. Naph. v. 2, κατὰ δύναμιν, M3 .לפי‎ T he M2 could fall out before the following .בל אחד‎ 5 [ץ‎ <4. 6 A. ‘the nine’ PJ. ΕΙ πο ή,

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6 brother, why dost thou smite me?” He said unto him, “ Because thou holdest in thy hands twelve ל‎ staves, and I have only one ; *give me ten,' and there shall be peace.” But Judah refused to give them to him, and Joseph beat him till he had taken from him ten against his will, and only two were 8 left with Judah. Joseph then said to his ten brothers, '' Wherefore run ye after Judah and Levi? 9 Depart from them and follow after me.” When his brothers heard Joseph’s words, they departed from Levi and Judah as one man, to follow Joseph, and there remained with Judah only Benjamin 1ο, זז‎ and Levi. When Levi beheld this, he descended from the sun full of trouble of spirit. Joseph said 12 to Benjamin his brother, “ Benjamin, my brother! Art thou not my brother ? Come thou also with me.” But Benjamin refused to go with Joseph his brother. And it came to pass when the day drew to an end, lo, there arose a mighty storm, which separated Joseph from his brothers, so that 13 no two were left together. When I bcheld this vision, I related it to Jacob my father, and he said unto me, “ My son, it is only a dream, which will neither ascend nor descend, for it hath not been repeated.” 41,2 But no long time elapsed, when I saw another vision. Whilst we stood all together with Facob 7. Naph. our father on the shore of the Great Sca, behold a ship came sailing in the middle of the sea yj, 1-3. 3 without a sailor and a man (pilot). Our father said to us,“ Do ye see what I am seeing?” We 4 said unto him, “‘ We see it.” He said unto us, “ Do what ye see me doing.” Thereupon Jacob our 5 father took off his clothes, and threw himself into the sea, and we all followed him.

And the first 6 were Levi and Judah, and they jumped in(to the ship), and Jacob with them. And behold in that 7 ship there was all the goodness of the world. Jacob our father said unto them, “ Look at what is written on the mast; for there is no ship on which the name of the master is not written 8 on the mast.” Then Levi and Judah looked, and saw, and behold there was written, “ This ship 9 belongs to the son of Berachel, and all the good therein.” When Jacob our father heard that, he rejoiced very much, and bowed down, and thanked God. 116 said, “ Not enough that He has 10 blessed me on earth, He has blessed me on the sea too!” Then he said unto us, “ My children, 11 quit yourselves like men, and whatever each one of you seizes, that shall be his share.” Thereupon 12 Levi sprang to the big mast therein and sat upon it. The second after him, Judah, also leapt 13 to the second mast, which was next to Levi's mast, and he also sat thereon. And the rest of my other brothers took each his oar, and Jacob our father grasped the two rudders to steer the vi. 4. t4 ship by them. And Joseph was left alone. Our father said unto him, “ My son Joseph, take 15 thou also thine oar.” But Joseph refused. When my father saw that Joseph refused to take his oar, he said unto him, “Come here, my son, and take one of the rudders which I hold in τό my hands, and steer the ship, whilst thy brothers row with the oars until you reach land.” And he taught each one of us, and said unto us, “Thus ye shall steer the ship, and ye will not be afraid of the waves of the sea, nor of stormy winds when they shall arise against you.” 51,2 ‘And when he had made an end of commanding us, he disappeared from us.

And Joseph took both the rudders, one with the right hand and one with the left, and the rest of my brothers were 3 rowing, and the ship sailed on and floated over the waters. And Levi and Judah sat upon the two 4 masts to look out which way the ship was to take. As long as Joseph and Judah were of one mind, and Judah showed to Joseph which was the right way, Joseph directed thither the ship, and? the 5 ship sailed on peaceably without hindrance. And after a while a quarrel arose between Joseph and Judah, and Joseph no longer steered the ship according to the words of his father and the teaching of Judah ; and the ship went a wrong course, and the waves of the sea dashed it on a rock, so that T. Naph. the ship was broken up. vi. 5. 1 ‘Then Levi and Judah descended from the masts to escape for their lives, and as for the rest of 2 the brothers, we escaped for our lives to the shore. And behold there came Jacob our father, and 3 found us dispersed, one here, and another there. He said unto us, “ What is the matter with you, 4 my sons? Perhaps you have not 5160160 the ship as it ought, (even) as 1 commanded you?” And we said unto him, “ By the life of thy servants, we have not departed from anything that thou hast commanded us; but Joseph transgressed against the command; for he did not steer the ship according to thy command, and as he was instructed by Levi and Judah, for he was jealous of them.” 5 And he said unto us, “ Show me the place (of the ".(קזת5‎ And he saw, and behold the tops of the 6 masts were visible, and behold it was floating upon the surface of the water. And my father 7 whistled, and we all gathered round hini.

And he cast himself into the sea as before, and he 8 repaired the ship. And he reproved Joseph, and said unto him, “ My son, thou shalt not again deceive (nor) be jealous of thy brothers, for they were nearly lost through thee.” « ‘And when I recounted this vision to my father, he smote his hands together and sighed, and his 2. 3 eyes shed tears. And I waited till I was ashamed, but he spake no word to me. So 1 took the

rrr

1 Pj. ‘Come now, give them το me’, A. 2A’; >APJ.

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hand of my father to embrace it and to kiss it, and I said to him, “ Oh servant of the Lord! why do 4 thine eyes shed tears?” 116 said unto me, “My son, because of the repetition of thy vision my heart has sunk within me, and my body is confounded by reason of Joseph my son, for I loved him above you all; and for the wickedness of my son Joseph you will be sent into captivity, and you will 5 be scattered among the nations. For thy first and second visions are both one and the same vision. 6 Therefore I command you not to unite with the sons of Joseph, but only wzth Levi and Fudah.” aa ο ₪ ו‎ ‘Further, I tell you my lot shall be in the best of the middle of the earth, and ye shall eat and be 2 satisfied with its delights. I warn you not to kick in your fatness, and not to rebel, and not to (Deut. 3 oppose the command of the Lord, who satisfies you with the good things of His earth. And do not xxxii. forget the Lord your God, the God of your fathers; Who was chosen by our father Abraham when 15.) 4 the nations were divided in the time of Phaleg. For at that time the Lord, blessed be He, came down from His highest heavens, and brought down with Him seventy ministering angels, Michael at their 5 head. He commanded them to teach the seventy families which sprang from the loins of Noah 6 seventy languages. Forthwith the angels descended and did according to the command of their Creator. But the holy language, the Hebrew language, remained only in the house of Shem and Eber, and in the house of Abraham our father, who is one of their descendants.

9: ‘And on that day Michael took a message from the Lord, and said to the seventy nations, to each 2 nation separately: “ You know the rebellion you undertook, and the treacherous confederacy into which you entered against the Lord of heaven and earth, and now choose to-day whom you will 3 worship, and who shall be your intercessor in the height of heaven.” Nimrod the wicked answered and said, “For me there is none greater than he who taught me and my people in one hour the 4language of Kush.” In like manner also answered Put, and Migraim, and Tubal, and Javan, and Mesech, and Tiras; and every nation chose its own angel, and none of them mentioned the name of 5 the Lord, blessed be He. But when Michael said unto Abraham our father, “ Abram, whom dost thou choose, and whom wilt thou worship?” Abram answered, “I choose and select only Him who said, and the world was created; Who formed me in the womb of my mother, body within body ; Who placed in me spirit and soul; Him I choose, and to Him I will cleave, I and my seed, all the days of the world.” 1 ‘Then the Most High dispersed the nations, and apportioned and allotted to every nation its share 2 and lot. And from that time all the nations of the earth separated themselves from the Lord, blessed be He; only the house of Abraham remained with his Creator to worship Him; and after him Isaac 8 and Jacob. Therefore, my sons, I conjure you not to go astray and worship any other god than 4 Him whom your fathers have chosen. For know assuredly that there is none like unto Him, and no other who can do as He or like His works in heaven and on earth, and there is none who can do 5 wonders like unto His mighty deeds.

A portion only of His power you can see in the creation of 6 man; how many notable wonders are there not in him? He created him from head to foot; with his ears he hears, and with his eyes he sees, and with his brain he understands, and with his nose he smells, and with kis wind-pipe he brings forth his voice, and with his gullet he absorbs food and T. Naph. drink, and with his tongue he speaks, and with his mouth he completes (7); with his hands he does ii. 8 his work, and with his heart he reckons, and with his spleen he laughs, and with his liver he is angry ; and his maw grinds, and with his feet he walks, and Azs dungs are for breathing, and by his reins he ל‎ is counselled. And none of his members changes its function, but every one keeps to its own. It is 8 therefore proper for man to lay to heart all these things, Who hath created him, and Who it is that hath wrought him out of an ill-smelling drop’ in the womb of the woman, and Who it is that bringeth him out into the light of the world, and Who hath given him the sight of eyes and the walking of the feet, and Who causeth him to stand upright, and bringeth him nigh to his Creator and to His place, and hath prepared good deeds for him in the place of insight, and hath poured into him a 9 living soul and a pure spirit from Himself. Blessed is the man who does not defile the holy spirit of God which hath been put and breathed into him, and blessed is he who returns it to its Creator as pure as it was on the day when He entrusted it (to him).’ ιο ©Thus far are the words of Naphtali, the son of Israel, with which he admonished his sons, *with words sweeter than honey.”

1 The phrase is found also in the Pirke Aboth, iii, 1. 2 Emended. Sec my Text.

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Col. a. 1 ... from... daughter... that all... to do according to right in... Jacob my father, and saw ...and we said to them . . . they desire our daughter, and we will be all br(ethren) and companions. 2 Circumcise the foreskin of your flesh and appear (like us), and be sealed like us in the circumcision of... and we will be to y(ou) b(rethren).

Col. 2. 3... my brother at every time, ... that were in Shechem ... my brother and Dan showed... in Shechem and what ... (doers) of violence, and Judah showed them...that I and Simeon my brother went to him. . . to Reuben our brother, who . . . Judah (?) before (that he le)ft the sheep... .

4 [Col. a]... peace, and all the desirableness of the first-fruits of the earth, all of it for food and for dominion ; the sword, fighting and battle and slaughter and trouble and rage and murder and famine. 5 Sometimes thou shalt eat, and sometimes thou shalt be hungry; sometimes thou shalt labour, and sometimes thou shalt rest ; sometimes thou shalt sleep, and sometimes the sleep of the eye shall 6 depart. Now behold how he has made thee greater than all, and how I give thee the greatness of 7 everlasting peace. And two weeks passed from me, and I awoke from my sleep. Then 1 said: The T. Levi one vision is even as the other. 1 wondered that all the vision should be (given) to him. «πα 1 hid viii. 8 5 this also in my heart and revealed it to no man. And 1 went to my father Isaac, and he also in like viii. το 9 manner (blessed) me. Then when Jacob saw (in regard to the twelve) all that should happen to him according to his vow, (and how that) I was first at the head of (the priesthood), and to me of all his sons he had granted the offering, (he gave thanks) to God, and clothed me with the garment of the priesthood, and (/i/)led my hands} and 1 became a priest to God . . . , and I offered all his offerings, viii. το 1ο and blessed my father in my life, and blessed all my brethren. Then they all blessed me, and father זו‎ also blessed me, and I finished [Col. 4] offering his offerings in Bethel. And we went from Bethel, 12 and dodged in the castle of Abraham our father, w#th /saac our father. And Isaac our father saw us ix. 1, 5 13 all, and he blessed us and rejoiced.

And when he knew that I was priest of the Most High God, the Lord of heaven, he began to charge me, and to seach me the rights of the priesthood, and said to ix. 7 14 me, * Levi, take heed to thyself. my son, my son, against all defilement and all sin. Thy rights are 15 greater than those ofall flesh. And now, my son, I will show thee the rule of the truth, and will not hide 16 from thee any matter to inform thee in the rights of the priesthood. First, take heed to thyself, my ix. 9 17 son, against all lust and uncleanness, and against all formication. And do thou take to thyself a wife ix. סו‎ of my family, and defile not thy seed with harlots; for thou art a holy seed, and holy is thy seed 18 like the holy place, for a holy priest art thou called among all the seed of Abraham. / hou art nigh ii, 10 to (God) and nigh to all His holy ones. Now be thou pure in thy flesh from every defilement of all (Jub, xxi men. 16) 19 [Col. c] Aud when thou risest wp to enter the *house of God? wash thyself with water, and then ix. 11 20 clothe thyself with the garment of the priesthood. And when thou art clothed, again wash thy 21 hands and thy feet, before thou offer anything on the altar. «πα when thou takest to offer all that 25 is fitting to offer on the altar, again ?005/ thy hands and thy feet. And offer the split logs, and prove them first (free) from worms, and then offer them; for thus I saw Abraham my father taking 23 heed. Of allthe sivelze kinds of wood, he told me that those of them are fitting to burn on the ix. 12 24 altar whose smoke goes up with a sweet savour.

And these are their names :—cedar, and bay, and almond, and fir, and pine,* and mountain ash, and cypress, and fig, and olive, and laurel, and myrtle, (Jub. xxi 12 ' So Jub. xxxii. 3, * His father clothed him in the garments of the priesthood, and filled his hands’? :

* Gk. Frag. and T. Lev. ix. 11 give * the sanctuary ’. Text reads * thorns’ (שותא)‎ corrupt for שיטא‎ = ‘pine’.

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25 חב‎ aspalathus.! These are they which he told me it was right to offer under the sacrifice on the altar. And when (thou hast placed) of the wood of these (trees) on the altar, and the fire begins to 26 kindle [Col. d] them, then begin to sprinkle the blood on the sides of the altar. And again wash 27 thy hands and thy feet from the blood, and begin to offer up the limbs, salted. Offer the head first, 28 and upon it spread the fat, and let there not be seen on it the blood of the offering of the bull. And after it the neck, and after the neck its forelegs, and after its forelegs the breast with the side, and after the legs the thigh with the spine of the loin, and after the thigh the hind-legs washed together 29, 30 with the entrails. And let all be salted with salt as is fitting for them according to their need. And after this the meal mingled with oil, and after it all, wine of the drink-offering; and bum on them frankincense; and let all thy works be in order, and all thy offerings be pleasing (?), for a sweet 31 savour before the Most High God. And whatsoever thou doest, do it in order by measure and weight ; add nothing which is not fitting, and fall not short of the account of what is fitting (?) con- 32 cerning (?) the logs that are fitting to offer for all that goes up upon the altar. For the great bullock a talent of wood by weight ; and if the fat alone is offered, six minas ; and if it is a bull-calf?

which is offered... .

Verses 32°-66 (found only in the Greek).

33 ~ And for the second bull fifty minas ; and for the fat alone, five minas. And for a great bullock 34 (μόσχον) forty minas. And if it be a ram or a he-goat that is offered, for such thirty minas, and for 35 the fat three minas. And if it be a lamb or a kid twenty minas; and for the fat two minas. 36 And if it be a lamb without blemish of the first year, or a kid of the goats, fifteen minas ; 37 and for the fat half a mina. And sprinkle*® salt upon the great bull to salt its flesh, and offer it on the altar. One measure is fitting for the bull. And where there is a superfluity of salt. 38 salt therewith the hide. And for the second bull five-sixths of the measure. And for the 39 bullock (udécxor) the half of the measure. And for the ram half a measure, and for the he-goat the ס4‎ like measure. And for the lamb and the kid the third of the measure. And the meal that is fitting 41, 42 for them. For the great * bull and for the second bull and the bullock a measure of meal. And for the ram and the he-goat two-thirds of a measure, and for the lamb and for the kid a third part of 43, 44 2 Measure, and the oil. And the fourth of the measure for the bull mingled with this meal. And for the ram the sixth of the measure, and for the lamb the eighth of the measure tand of the lambft. And as for the wine, pour a libation according to the measure of the oil on the bull and the ram and 43. the kid. Of frankincense six shekels for the bull, and the half thereof for the ram, and the third 46 thereof for the kid, and (let) all the meal (be) mingled. If you offer this not upon (?) the fat, let there be offered upon it a weight of two shekels of frankincense.

And the third of the measure is the 47 third of the ephah. And the two parts of the bath and the weight of the mina are of fifty shekels. And of the shekel the fourth part is a weight.® The shekel comes to be about sixteen thermoi 48 (θερμού) and of one (and the same) weight. And now, my son, hear my words and give ear to my commands, and let not these my words depart from your heart throughout all thy days, because thou 49 art a holy priest of the Lord. And all thy seed shall be priests. And to thy sons so give com- Ρο Mandment that they do according to this use 5 as 1 have shown thee. For so my father Abraham 51 commanded me to do and to give commandment to my sons. And now, my son, I rejoice that thou hast been chosen to the holy priesthood, and to offer sacrifice to the Lord Most High, as it is 52 befitting to do according to that which is ordained for Him. When thou takest a sacrifice to offer before the Lord of any flesh, according to the reckoning of the wood so receive (it) as I command thee, and the salt and the meal and the wine and the frankincense receive at their hands for all the 53 animals. And always wash‘ thy hands and thy feet when thou goest to the altar, and when thou Jub. xxi goest forth from the sanctuary let no blood touch thy garments. Thou shalt not {kindle it the same 16-18 — 54,55 dayt. And thy hands and thy feet wash continually from all flesh. And let no blood be seen upon verses 56 thee, fand every soul,f for the blood is the life (soul) in the flesh. And if thou preparest for thyself * -3 76 any flesh at home to eat, cover its blood first in the earth before thou eatest of the flesh, and thou’ 57 shalt not eat of the blood.

For so my father Abraham commanded me; for so he found it in the Jub, xxi, 58 writing of the Book of Noah concerning the blood. And now, as I tell thee, my beloved son, thou Ἱ art beloved of thy father and holy unto the Lord Most High, and thou shalt be loved beyond all thy

1 The list in the Aramaic practically agrees with that in Jub. xxi.12. The Greek fragment diverges in omitting the almond and the olive, and adding the σχῖνος. See my text of the Testaments, 249.

2 The Greek has ‘the second bull’ here and in verses 38, 41.

* Emended. See my Text.

* See verse 32.

5 Here follows in the text θερμὺν & corrupt for θερμῶν 8’ = ‘of four thermoi.’

5 xpiow = .משפט‎

Verses 53-6 agree almost verbally with Jub. xxi. 16-18.‏ ד

* MS. reads ουσης σεαυτον, which may possibly be emended into ποιῇς σεαντῷ.

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7°,

πο brethren. +By thy seed shall be blessed in the earth,} and thy seed shall be enrolled in the book of

60 the memorial of life unto all ages. And thy name and the name of thy seed shall not be blotted

61 out unto all the ages. And now, my son Levi, thy seed shall be blessed upon the earth unto all the

62 generations of the 3265 And when four weeks were fulfilled in the years of my life, i.e. ἐπ my T. Le twenty-cighth year, I took unto myself a wife of the lineage of my father, even Milcah, the daughter of xi. 1

63 Bethuel, the son of Laban, my mother’s brother. And she conceived and bare me a first son, and Xi. 2 I called his name Gershom ; for I said that my seed would be sojourners in the land where I was

64 born. We are sojourners as...in the land... And in the case of the lad I saw in my vision that xi. 3

6; he would be cast out, he and his seed from the chief priesthood .... Thirty years old was I in my

66 life when he was born, and in the tenth month he was born towards sunset. And again she conceived and bare me about the time that is fitting with women, avd 1 called his name Kohath. xi. 6

66 [Col.c] (And it happen)ed about the ti(me of women that I was with her, and she concei)ved 67 again (and bare me another son, and) I (call)ed his name (Kohath. And I saw) that to him xi. (would b)e the gathering of all (the people, for) his would be the high-(priest)hood (over all Is)rael. 68 In the four and thirtieth year of my life was he born, in the fir(st) month, (on the fir)st day of the xi. 69 mo(nth), at sunrise. And again I was wi(th her), and she bare me a third son and I called his name xi. 7 Merari, for it was bitter to me concerning him exceedingly, for as soon as he was born he died ; and it was very bitter to me concerning him, because he was like to die,and 1 besought and prayed for

71 him, and it was in all bitterness. /x the fortieth year of my life she bare, in the third month. And 42 again I was with her, and she conceived and bare me a daughter, and I made her name Fochebed, xi. (for) I sai(d), as she hath borne to me honour, she hath borne for me glory to Israel. Ju the sixty- fourth year of my life she bare, in the first day of the seventh month, after that [Col. d.] we entered

73 Egypt. Inthe sixte(enth) year we entered the land of Egypt, and to my sons (were given) the 74 daughters of my brothers at the time ... to them sons. The names of the sons of Gershon (Libuai xii. 1, 2 and) Shimei ; and the names of the sons of Ko(hath, Amra)m and Ishar and Hebron and Uzziel; xii. 3 75 (and the names of) the sons of Merari, Mahli and Mushai. (Aud) Amram (took) to him as wife xii. 4 76 Fochebed my daughter, while 1 was yet living in the 9(4) year of my life. And I called the name of Amram, when he was born, Amram, for I said when he was born, this (child) (shall br)ing out the 77 people from the (land of Eg)ypt. Therefore his name was called the exalted people. On one day xii. 78 (were they born he) and Jochebed my daughter. Eighteen years old was I when I went in(to the lyand xii. of Canaan, and (nineteen years old when I slew She(chem) and destroyed the workers of violence. 79 Aud I was nineteen years old when | became priest, and twenty-eight years old when I took to me 80a wife. And eight and forty years old was I when we went into the land of Egypt, and eighty and nine years I lived in Egypt. 81 hee ε] And all the days of my life were 1(3)7 years, and I saw my sous of the th(ird generation) xix. 4 82 before I died. And im the (hundred and eigh)teenth (year) of my life, that is, the y(ear) in which xii. 6, 7 Foseph my brother died, 1 called (my) so(ns) and their sons, and began to charge them with all that was in my heart. 83 And I answered and said to (my) sons: (Hear) the word of Levi your father, And hearken to the commands of God’s beloved ; 84 give you a charge, my sons,

a

«ο

oe

שש

And I show you the truth, my beloved. “Ta 85 Let the sum of your works be truth, (Ps. cxix And (let) righteousness abide with you for ever. 160)

86 And the tr(uth)... And to them the harvest is blessed. 87 He that soweth good, rcapeth good ; xiii. 6 And he that soweth evil, his seed returneth upon him. 88 And now, my sons, a book of instruction in wisdom feach your sous,

Pr |

And let wisdom be with you an everlasting honour. ₪

89 He that learneth wisdom, she ἐς an honour to him, xili. 3 | And whoso despiseth wisdom is given over to contempt.

90 My sons, behold Foseph my brother, χι. 9 |

Who gave instruction in the writings and discipline of wisdom. xiii. 2 |

1 This verse ts indeed found in the Aramaic, but I have given the translation of the Greek, as the Aramaic is for the most part wanting.

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(Col. f]..-. man... and. increased (?) . . . to every co(untry) and city .. . to him brother . . . was xiii. 3‏ זפ in it, he ἐς (not Like) a stranger in it,* and not li(ke to) a stranger (in 1) 1 and not like an alien in it ;‏ for they all give him honour in it, for all desire to learn of his wisdom. xiii, 4‏ His friends are many,‏ 92 And they that salute him are great ones.‏ And ona seat of honour they place him,‏ 93 To hear the words of his wisdom.‏ Great wealth of honour is wisdom.‏ 94 And a goodly treasure to all that get her. xiii. 7‏ If there come mighty kings and much people,‏ 95 And an host and many horsemen and chariots with them.‏ And take .. country and city,‏ | And spoil all that is in them,‏ The treasures of wisdom they shall not spoil‏ Nor find out her hidden things‏ Nor...‏

+ The form in the Aramaic varies. We have here duplicate renderings of the same Hebrew original.

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