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{{Short description|Jewish pseudepigraphical work possibly alluded to in Jude 1:9}}
The '''Assumption of Moses''' (otherwise called the '''Testament of Moses''') is a 1st century [[Jewish apocrypha]]l [[pseudepigrapha|pseudepigraphical]] work. It purports to contain secret prophecies [[Moses]] revealed to [[Joshua]] before passing leadership of the [[Israelites]] to him. It contains [[Apocalyptic literature|apocalyptic]] themes, but is characterized as a "testament", meaning it has the final speech of a dying person, Moses.<ref>{{Cite book|title=Apocalyptic literature : a reader|last=Reddish, Mitchell Glenn|date=1995|publisher=Hendrickson Pub|isbn=1565632109|oclc=34877180}}</ref> ▼
{{distinguish|Revelation of Moses}}
{{italic title}}
▲The '''Assumption of Moses''',
The text is thought to have been originally written in [[Hebrew]] or another Semitic language, and then translated to [[Koine Greek]]. The only surviving manuscript is a 6th-century [[Latin]] translation of the Greek text. The manuscript was incomplete, and the rest of the text is lost. From references in ancient works, it is thought that the missing text may have depicted a dispute over the body of Moses, between the archangel [[Michael (archangel)|Michael]] and Satan.
== Manuscript history ==
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==Identification==
The two titles of this manuscript are due to different identifications with lost texts. 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.
*[[Antonio Ceriani|Ceriani]], and later Tromp with him, identified the manuscript with the ''Assumption of Moses'' (which is also called the ''Ascension of Moses'') due to a match of verse 1:14 with a quotation included in the ''Historia Ecclesiastica'' of [[Gelasius of Cyzicus]].<ref>verse 2,17,17 critical edition: G.C. Hansen, Gelasius ''Anonyme Kirchengeschichte (hansen) Gcs Nf 9'' {{ISBN|3-11-017437-5}} pag 58</ref> This apocryphal work, entitled פטירת משה in Hebrew, and {{lang|grc|᾽Ανάληψις}} or {{lang|grc|᾽Ανάβασις Μωυσέως}} in Greek, is also mentioned by other ancient writers, including [[Athanasius]] (in his ''Synopsis Sacræ Scripturæ'') and [[Origen]];
*[[Robert Henry Charles|Charles]], in his edition of 1897<ref>R.H Charles ''The Assumption of Moses, Translated from the Latin Sixth Century MS., the Unemended Text of Which Is Published Herewith, Together with the Text in Its Restored and Critically Emended Form'', London 1897</ref> suggests that the manuscript shall be identified with the ''Testament of Moses'', because the extant text does not describe any [[Entering heaven alive|assumption]] of Moses to heaven, but simply contains the last exhortations of Moses (thus his ''testament''). Charles furthermore suggests that these two separate texts were later united to form a single work.
==Relation to the Epistle of Jude==
Some ancient writers, including [[Gelasius of Cyzicus
This dispute does not appear in Ceriani's manuscript
An alternative explanation is that Jude is compounding material from three sources:
* general Jewish traditions about Michael as a gravedigger for the just as in the ''[[Apocalypse of Moses]]''
* contrast with the accusation by Michael of [[Azazel]] in the [[Book of Enoch]]
* contrast with the [[angel of the Lord]] not rebuking Satan over the body of [[Joshua the High Priest]] in [[
This explanation has three arguments in
==Content==
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* Chapter 8 narrates a great [[persecution of Jews]] at the hands of hypocrites. Some scholars read this as an [[eschatology|eschatological]] prophecy, while others, like [[Robert Henry Charles|Charles]], interpret this as events that happened before the [[Maccabee rebellion]]. Charles also suggests that chapters 8 and 9 were originally located between chapters 5 and 6.
* In Chapter 9 the narrative follows with a description of a [[Levite]] man named Taxo and his seven sons, who, rather than give in to hellenizing influences, seal themselves into a cave.
* Chapter 10 contains an eschatological hymn: At the end of the times God will arise, punish the [[Gentile
* Chapters 11 and 12 conclude the text with Moses exhorting Joshua not to fear, as history fully provides for God's covenant and plan.
==Date, original language and themes==
Due to the ''[[Vaticinium ex eventu|vaticinia ex eventu]]'', most scholars date the work to the early 1st century AD, contemporary with the latest historical figures it describes.
Based on the literal translation of idioms within the text, it is generally accepted that the extant [[Latin]] version is a translation from [[Koine Greek]], with the Greek itself probably a translation from [[Hebrew]] or at least a text with considerable Semitic influence.
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==See also==
*[[Non-canonical books referenced in the Bible]]
*[[Sixth and Seventh Books of Moses]]
==Notes==
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Assumption Of Moses}}
[[Category:1st-century books]]
[[Category:1861 archaeological discoveries]]
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[[Category:Jewish apocrypha]]
[[Category:Apocalyptic literature]]
[[Category:
[[Category:Manuscripts of the Ambrosiana collections]]
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