Texts in Conversation
The Testament of Judah teaches that those who suffer or die for God will be resurrected, turning their sorrow into blessing. Jesus in Matthew echoes this in teaching that those who are persecuted will be blessed, expressing the same hope for vindication.
Share:
2500 BCE
1000+ CE
Testament of Judah 25:4
Testament of the Twelve Patriarchs
Pseudepigrapha
2 The Lord blessed Levi; the Angel of the Presence blessed me; the powers of glory blessed Simeon; heaven blessed Reuben; the earth blessed Issachar; the sea blessed Zebulun; the mountains blessed Joseph; the tabernacle blessed Benjamin; the lights of heaven blessed Dan; Eden blessed Naphtali; the sun blessed Gad; and the moon blessed Asher. 3 You will be the people of the Lord and speak one language, and the spirit of dishonesty of Beliar will no longer be there, for he will be thrown into the fire forever. 4 Those who died in grief will rise in joy, those who were poor for the Lord's sake will be made rich, and those who were put to death for the Lord's sake will awake to life. 5 The deer of Jacob will run with joy, the eagles of Israel will fly with gladness, and all the people will glorify the Lord forever.
Matthew 5:10
New Testament
6 Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be satisfied. 7 Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy. 8 Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God. 9 Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called the children of God. 10 Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to them. 11 Blessed are you when people insult you and persecute you and say all kinds of evil things about you falsely on account of me. 12 Rejoice and be glad because your reward is great in heaven, for they persecuted the prophets before you in the same way.
Search:
Notes and References
"... An even more significant parallel to Jesus' 'beatitudes' and 'woes' occurs in Jewish writings that are not Essene, but belong to the fringe of the Essene movement. These are the so-called Testaments of the Twelve Patriarchs that we possess in a Christian recension. It is easy, however, to detect the Jewish provenance of these writings. The work is presented in the form of the valedictory speeches of the twelve sons of Jacob. Judah speaks about salvation at the end of time ... The similarity between the beatitudes and woes of Jesus, and the Testament of Judah is obvious. The Jewish author has poetically expanded the common tradition and especially elaborated on the resurrection of the dead ..."
* The use of references are not endorsements of their contents. Please read the entirety of the provided reference(s) to understand the author's full intentions regarding the use of these texts.
Your Feedback:
Leave a Comment
Anonymous comments are welcome. All comments are subject to moderation.