Testaments of the Twelve Patriarchs

Testaments of the Twelve Patriarchs

Testaments of the Twelve Patriarchs an early Jewish work, with some Christian interpolations, reckoned among the Old Testament Pseudepigrapha . The work may have been written as early as 1st cent. BC It purports to be the final sayings ( "Testaments" ) of the 12 patriarchs, i.e., the 12 sons of Jacob, to their respective families. They each reflect on the meaning of life and the sins which they have committed. Many of the Testaments espouse apocalyptic theology, teaching an ethical dualism similar to the Dead Sea Scrolls .

Bibliography: See J. H. Charlesworth, ed., The Old Testament Pseudepigrapha (Vol. I, 1983).

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"Testaments of the Twelve Patriarchs." The Columbia Encyclopedia, 6th ed.. 2011. Encyclopedia.com. 31 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>.

"Testaments of the Twelve Patriarchs." The Columbia Encyclopedia, 6th ed.. 2011. Encyclopedia.com. (May 31, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1E1-Test12Pat.html

"Testaments of the Twelve Patriarchs." The Columbia Encyclopedia, 6th ed.. 2011. Retrieved May 31, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1E1-Test12Pat.html

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Testaments of the Twelve Patriarchs

Testaments of the Twelve Patriarchs A Christian work of the 2nd cent. CE, though the core of it is a Jewish document containing doctrines found also in the Dead Sea scrolls (e.g. a belief in two Messiahs) and therefore in existence before 70 CE. The content, exhortations supposedly given by Jacob to his sons on his deathbed, is a compendium of ethical instructions, but the Jewish traditions have been reinterpreted in the Christian interest.

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W. R. F. BROWNING. "Testaments of the Twelve Patriarchs." A Dictionary of the Bible. 1997. Encyclopedia.com. 31 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>.

W. R. F. BROWNING. "Testaments of the Twelve Patriarchs." A Dictionary of the Bible. 1997. Encyclopedia.com. (May 31, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O94-TestamentsofthTwlvPtrrchs.html

W. R. F. BROWNING. "Testaments of the Twelve Patriarchs." A Dictionary of the Bible. 1997. Retrieved May 31, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O94-TestamentsofthTwlvPtrrchs.html

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Testaments of the Twelve Patriarchs

Testaments of the Twelve Patriarchs. A pseudepigraphical writing which professes to relate the message that each of the twelve sons of Jacob gave to his descendants on his deathbed. It is unclear whether the work was Christian in origin or Jewish (in which case the obviously Christian passages are explained as interpolations). If Jewish, it probably dates from the 2nd cent. BC; if Christian, from c.AD 200.

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E. A. LIVINGSTONE. "Testaments of the Twelve Patriarchs." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of the Christian Church. 2000. Encyclopedia.com. 31 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>.

E. A. LIVINGSTONE. "Testaments of the Twelve Patriarchs." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of the Christian Church. 2000. Encyclopedia.com. (May 31, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O95-TestamentsofthTwlvPtrrchs.html

E. A. LIVINGSTONE. "Testaments of the Twelve Patriarchs." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of the Christian Church. 2000. Retrieved May 31, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O95-TestamentsofthTwlvPtrrchs.html

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Testaments of the Twelve Patriarchs

Testaments of the Twelve Patriarchs. A pseudepigraphical writing relating in twelve books the message that each of the twelve sons of Jacob gave to his descendants on his deathbed.

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JOHN BOWKER. "Testaments of the Twelve Patriarchs." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of World Religions. 1997. Encyclopedia.com. 31 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>.

JOHN BOWKER. "Testaments of the Twelve Patriarchs." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of World Religions. 1997. Encyclopedia.com. (May 31, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O101-TestamentsofthTwlvPtrrchs.html

JOHN BOWKER. "Testaments of the Twelve Patriarchs." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of World Religions. 1997. Retrieved May 31, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O101-TestamentsofthTwlvPtrrchs.html

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