Assumption of Moses

The Assumption of Moses (also called the Testament of Moses) describes two or more is a Jewish apocryphal works. The best known of these portrays the last prophecies of Moses to Joshua just before Moses' death. It is known from a single sixth-century manuscript in Latin that was discovered in Milan in the mid-nineteenth century and published by him in 1861.

This Assumption of Moses begins with a brief outline of Jewish history up until the first century CE with particular emphasis on the Hasmonean period, which it indicts for priestly corruption, probably aimed at the Sadducees. It predicts the coming of a Levite man named Taxo and his seven sons, who, rather than give in to these hellenizing influences, seal themselves into a cave.

Most scholars date the work to the early first century CE, contemporary with the latest historical figures it describes, who is probably Herod the Great. Others date the bulk of the text to the previous century and suggest that the first century CE references are later insertions into the text.

The title of the work is based on the fact that one line of the text (1:14) matches a quotation in the writings of Pope Gelasius I from an otherwise lost work he referred to as the Assumption of Moses. A problem posed by this identification is that both Gelasius and Origen refer to an incident related in their Assumption of Moses that does not appear in this text. The incident, a dispute between the archangel Michael and Satan over the body of Moses, is famously quoted in the Epistle of Jude (1:9), though not attributed to any specific source.

The Stichometry of Nicephorus and some other ancient lists refer to both a Testament of Moses and an Assumption of Moses, apparently as separate texts. Thus, the question becomes whether the the Assumption of Gelasius and the current Assumption were two works or one. The issue is further complicated by the existence of yet another fragmentary Assumption of Moses, which has been known for centuries as in summarized below.

Character

The Assumption of Moses was discovered by Antonio Ceriani in the Biblioteca Ambrosiana of Milan in 1861. Based on the literal translation of idioms within the text, it is generally accepted that the extant Latin version is a translation from Greek, with the Greek itself probably a translation from Hebrew. The text is missing several sections, which allowed Ceriani to account for the fact that it contains no mention of Moses' actual death or ascenscion, and is also missing passages quoted in the Assumption of Moses referred to by early Christian texts.

The Assumption of Moses adopts a harshly critical attitude toward Hasmonean dynasty that ruled the Jewish kingdom of Judaea on the foundation of the Maccabean revolt of the mid second century B.C.E. The writer is also critical of the more ancient priesthood, which he accuses of idolatry for creating graven images of animals (perhaps referring to the many bronze bulls) in the Temple of Jeruslaem. The brunt of his attack, however, is aimed at the Sadducean priests of the turn of the Common Era, whose luxurious style and hellenzed lifestyle he found intolerable.

The book predicts, however, that true religion will soon come to the fore and will be persecuted by a powerful tyrant, who forces the Jews to defile the temple and mutilate their bodies by an operation intended to reverse circumcision. A man of the tribe of Levi named Taxo will then arise and, in an act of extreme defiance, will seal himself with his sons in a cave rather than allow his family to sin. God will avenge them, the author claims, and then the kingdom of God shall be established.

Since the Essenes were harbor a particular animosity to the Temple priesthood of the time in question, an Essen writer is often considered the most likely candidate as the author of the Assumption of Moses. However, the Pharisees were also sometimes bitter opponents of the Sadducees, and thus a Pharisaic author is also plausible. Finally, the Zealots, too, should be mentioned as a third group, possibly overlapping the other two, who favored dramatic action against the Romans and their Jewish collaborators.

Another 'Assumption of Moses'

Another Assumption of Moses is a fragment preserved in the Midrash Bereshit Rabbati of Rabbi Moses ha-Darshan, a manuscript kept in the library of the Jewish congregation in Prague. The following is a synopsis of its contents:

As the time for Moses' death approached, God permitted him to ascend into heaven, and unveiled to him the future world. God's the Attribute of Mercy came to him, saying: "I will announce good tidings." Turning his eyes to the mercy seat, Moses saw God building the Temple of Jerusalem out of precious stones and pearls. He also saw the rays of the Godhead, and the Messiah, the son of David, with the Torah in his arms. Moses also beheld the spirit of his own brother Aaron in his priestly robes.

Aaron imparted to Moses that his death was near at hand, whereupon Moses asked God for permission to speak with the Messiah, who revealed to him that the sanctuary and city which God was then constructing in heaven were the actual Temple and Jerusalem which would be established for Israel in the future world to endure for all eternity. Moreover, God had shown the same vision to Jacob in his famous dream in Bethel.

Moses asked when the new Jerusalem would descend to earth, and God replied: "I have not yet revealed the end to anyone; should I reveal it to you?" At this, Moses bargained: "Give me at least a hint from the events of history." God answered: "After I have scattered Israel among all the nations, I will stretch out my hand to gather them in a second time from all the ends of the earth."

Moses then joyfully departed from heaven, followed by the angel of death, who demanded his soul. Moses refused to yield it; but finally God appeared to him, and he surrendered his soul to God willingly and cheerfully.

See also

• Non-canonical books referenced in the Bible

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