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THE JEWISH ENCYCLOPEDIA

Apocrypha

On

the apocryphal books of

Enoch see Apocaand Enoch, Book of. The Samaritan author, a fragment of whose writing has been preserved by Eusebius("Praep. Ev."ix. 17) under the name of Eupolemus, speaks of revelations by angels to Methuselah, which had been preserved lypse, § V.

to his time.

our

,

A Book

of

Lamech

is

named

in one of

of Apocrypha. Books of Noah are mentioned in Jubilees (x. 12, xxi. 10). Fragments of an Apocalypse of Noah are incorporated in different places in Enoch (which see). book bearing the name of Noria, the wife of Noah, was current among certain Gnostics (Epilists

A

phanius, "Adv. Hasreses," xxvi. 1). Shem transmits the books of his father, Noah (Jubilees, x. 14); other writings are ascribed to him by late authors. Ham was the author of a prophecy cited by Isidore, the son of Basilides (Clemens Alexandrinus,"Stromata," vi. 6); according to others he was the inventor of magic (identified with Zoroaster; Clementine, "Recognitiones," iv. 27). special class of apocry§ VII. Testaments. phal literature is made up of the so-called " Testaments " of prominent figures in Bible history. Suggested, doubtless, by such passages as the Blessing of Jacob (Gen. xlix.), the Blessing of Moses (Deut. xxxiii.), the parting speeches of Moses (Deut. iv., xxix. et seq.) and Joshua (Josh, xxiii., xxiv.), etc., the Testaments narrate the close of the hero's life, sometimes with a retrospect of his history, last coun-

A

and admonitions to his children, and disclosures These elements are present in varying of the future. proportions, but the general type is well marked. 12. Testament of Abraham. Edited in Greek (two recensions) by M. R. James, "Texts and Studies," sels

2 in Rumanian by Gaster, in " Proc. of Society of Biblical Archeology," 1887, ix. 195 et seq. see also Kohler, in " Jew. Quart. Rev. " 1895, vii. 581 et seq. ii.





(See Abraham, Testament of, called also Apocalypse of Abraham). Narrative of the end of Abraham's life his refusal to follow Michael, who is sent to him his long negotiations with the Angel of Death. At his request, Michael shows him, while still in the body, this world and all its doings, and conducts him to the gate of heaven. The book is thus mainly Haggadah, with a little apocalypse in the middle. The Slavonic Apocatypse of Abraham (ed. by Bonwetsch, " Studien zur Geschichte der Theologie und Kirche," 1897), translated from the Greek, gives the story of Abraham's conversion the second part enlarges on the vision of Abraham in Gen. xv. 13. Testaments of Isaac and Jacob. Preserved in Arabic and Ethiopic. They are upon the same pattern as the Testament of Abraham each includes an apocalypse in which the punishment of the wicked and the abode of the blessed are exhibited. The moral exhortation which properly belongs to the type is lacking in the Testament of Abraham, but is found in the other two. 14. Testaments of the Twelve Patriarchs. The part;





ing admonitions of the twelve sons of Jacob to their children. Each warns against certain particular sins and commends the contrary virtues, illustrating and enforcing the moral by the example or experience Thus, Gad warns against hatred, of the speaker. Issachar shows the beauty of simple-mindedness,

Joseph teaches the lesson of chastity. In some (e.g., Testament of Joseph) the legendary narrative

in the

of the patriarch's life fills a larger space, in others (e.g. Benjamin) direct ethical teaching predominates. The eschatological element is also present in varypredictions of the falling away in ing proportions the last days and the evils that will prevail the judgment of God on the speaker's posterity for their sins ,

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Levi, xiv. et seq. Judah, xviii. 22 et seq. Zebulun, ix.); and the succeeding Messianic age (Levi, xviii. Judah, xxiv. et seq. Simeon, vi. Zebulun, ix. true apocalypse is found in the Test, of et seq.). This eschatoLevi, ii. et seq. (see Apocalypse). (e.g.





,







A

logical element is professedly derived from a book written by Enoch (e.g., Levi, x., xiv., xvi. Judah,

The work is substantially Simeon, v., etc.). Jewish; the Christian interpolations, though numerous, are not very extensive, and in general are easily viii.



recognizable.

A

of Naphtali has been pubProceedings of Society of Biblical Archeology," December, 1893; February, 1894; see also "Chron. of Jerahmeel," pp. 87 et seq.), and is regarded by the editor and by Resell (" Studien und Kritiken," 1899, pp. 206 etseq.) as the original of which the Greek Testament is a Christian recension.

Hebrew Testament

lished

by Gaster

("

Testament of Job. When the end of his life is Job narrates to his children the history of his trials, beginning with the cause of Satan's animosity toward him. After parting admonitions (45), he divides his possessions among his sons, and gives to his three daughters girdles of wonderful properties(46 etseq.). The book is a Haggadah of the story of Job, exaggerating his wealth and power, his good works, and his calamities, through all of which he maintains unshaken his confidence in God. There are no long arguments, as in the poem the friends do not appear as defenders of God's justice the problem of theodicy is not mooted they try Job with questions (see 36 et seq.). Elihu is inspired by Satan, and is not forgiven with the others. See Kohler, in " Semitic Studies in Memory of Alexander Kohut, " pp. 264-338 and 611, 612, and James, in " Apocrypha Anecdota, ii. 104 et seq.). 16. Testament of Moses. The patristic lists of Apoc15.

at hand,



—

—

rypha contain, in close proximity, the Testament of Moses and the Assumption of Moses. It is probable that the two were internally connected, and that the former has been preserved in our Assumption of Moses, the extant part of which is really a Testament a prophetic-apocalyptic discourse of Moses

—

to Joshua.

See below, § x. 2. Testament of Solomon. Last words of Solomon, closing with a confession of the sins of his old age under the influence of the Jebusite, Shulamite. It is in the main a magical book in narrative form, telling how Solomon got the magic seal by it learned the names and powers of the demons and the names of the angels by whom they are constrained, and put them to his service in building the Temple besides other wonderful things which he accomplished through his power over the demons. (See Fleck, " Wissenschaftliche Reise," ii. seq.) A 3, 111 et 17.





translation into English by Conybeare in " Jewish Quart. Rev. " 1899, xi. 1-45.

The Gelasian Decree names

was given

also a " Contradictio