Testaments of the Twelve Patriarchs

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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, Sixth Edition. 2008. Encyclopedia.com. 29 Nov. 2009 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>.

"Testaments of the Twelve Patriarchs." The Columbia Encyclopedia, Sixth Edition. 2008. Encyclopedia.com. (November 29, 2009). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1E1-Test12Pat.html

"Testaments of the Twelve Patriarchs." The Columbia Encyclopedia, Sixth Edition. 2008. Retrieved November 29, 2009 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1E1-Test12Pat.html

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Testaments of the Twelve Patriarchs

The Concise Oxford Dictionary of World Religions | 1997 | | Â© The Concise Oxford Dictionary of World Religions 1997, originally published by Oxford University Press 1997. (Hide copyright information) Copyright

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. 29 Nov. 2009 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>.

JOHN BOWKER. "Testaments of the Twelve Patriarchs." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of World Religions. 1997. Encyclopedia.com. (November 29, 2009). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O101-TestamentsofthTwlvPtrrchs.html

JOHN BOWKER. "Testaments of the Twelve Patriarchs." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of World Religions. 1997. Retrieved November 29, 2009 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O101-TestamentsofthTwlvPtrrchs.html

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Testaments of the Twelve Patriarchs

The Concise Oxford Dictionary of the Christian Church | 2000 | | Â© The Concise Oxford Dictionary of the Christian Church 2000, originally published by Oxford University Press 2000. (Hide copyright information) Copyright

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. 29 Nov. 2009 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>.

E. A. LIVINGSTONE. "Testaments of the Twelve Patriarchs." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of the Christian Church. 2000. Encyclopedia.com. (November 29, 2009). 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 November 29, 2009 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O95-TestamentsofthTwlvPtrrchs.html

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