Riassunto
Trama e riassunto di The Testament of Jacob
A chi è rivolto
For readers of Genesis who wonder how later generations imagined the patriarchs' deaths, and anyone curious about early Christian writing in Egypt, farewell counsels and visions of the afterlife.
Che cos’è questo libro
The Testament of Jacob is a short ancient text about the last days of the patriarch Jacob, the father of the twelve tribes of Israel. It is the third in a small set called the Testaments of the Three Patriarchs, which also holds the Testament of Abraham and the Testament of Isaac. Each tells how a patriarch is warned of his death and then prepares to leave this world.
The text survives in Coptic, Arabic and Ethiopic versions, not in the Hebrew of Genesis. Its author is unknown. In this account an angel visits the dying Jacob, he gives counsel to those around him, and he is shown the places of rest and of punishment. First, let us see how this text fits with the two testaments before it.
In questo riassunto
- 1One of three patriarch testamentsFree
- 2An angel comes to the dying Jacob
- 3The last counsels of a father
- 4Places of rest, places of punishment
Punto chiave 1 di 4
One of three patriarch testaments
The Testament of Jacob belongs to a group of three works. The Testament of Abraham is the best known and was first written in Greek. The Testaments of Isaac and Jacob survive mainly in Coptic, Arabic and Ethiopic, the languages of Egypt and Ethiopia. Scholars treat the three as a family, since they share a pattern.
In each, a patriarch grows old and heaven sends word that his life is ending. Each is shown something of the world beyond, and each dies with a blessing. The Isaac and Jacob texts look like they were shaped on the model of the Abraham story. Many scholars think they were written or reworked by Christians, probably in Egypt.
The date is disputed. Some place the origins in the early centuries of the Common Era, while the surviving manuscripts are much later. Because the text lives in several versions that differ in wording and detail, readers should not expect one fixed form. It is best read as a tradition that was retold and copied over many generations.
That’s 1 of 4 key points.
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Questions about The Testament of Jacob
What is the Testament of Jacob about?
It tells of the patriarch Jacob in his last days. An angel visits him, he gives counsel, and he sees the places of rest and punishment.
Is the Testament of Jacob in the Bible?
No. It is not in the Hebrew Bible and is not part of the canons of the major churches. It belongs to the apocryphal writings, which some communities valued without placing them among the scriptures.
What are the Testaments of the Three Patriarchs?
They are three related texts about the deaths of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. Each tells how a patriarch is warned of his death, is shown the world beyond and dies with a blessing.
When was the Testament of Jacob written?
Scholars disagree. Many place its origins in the early centuries of the Common Era, probably in Egypt, but it survives only in later manuscripts in Coptic, Arabic and Ethiopic versions.
Is the Testament of Jacob hard to read?
It is short and simple in form, a deathbed story with a farewell speech and a vision.