Skip to Content
intertextual.bible
Go to Related Reading
About this book

Testament of Dan

Testament of the Twelve Patriarchs

About this book
Chapter 6

1 Now fear the Lord, my children, and beware of Satan and his spirits.⁠ 2 Draw near to God and to the angel who intercedes for you, for he is a mediator between God and humanity,⁠ and for the peace of Israel he will stand against the kingdom of the enemy. 3 This is why the enemy is eager to destroy all who call on the Lord. 4 For he knows that on the day Israel repents, the kingdom of the enemy will be brought to an end. 5 For the angel of peace himself will strengthen Israel,⁠ so that it does not fall into the depths of evil. 6 In the time of Israel's lawlessness, the Lord will not depart from them, but will transform them into a nation that does his will, for none of the angels will be equal to him. 7 His name will be in every place in Israel and among the Gentiles. 8 So keep yourselves, my children, from every evil deed. Cast away anger and all lying, and love truth and patience. 9 And the things you have heard from your father, pass on to your children as well, so that the Savior of the Gentiles may receive you, for he is true and patient, gentle and humble, and teaches the law of God by his works. 10 So turn away from all unrighteousness and hold fast to the righteousness of God, and your descendants will be saved forever. 11 And bury me near my fathers.

Texts in conversation

Compare Testament of Dan 6:2 and 1 Timothy 2:5

Pseudepigrapha, Testaments · New Testament

Share:

Summary

The Testament of Dan describes an angel who mediates between God and humanity, interceding for Israel and opposing the enemy. 1 Timothy similarly describes Jesus as a mediator between God and humans, applying this common Jewish tradition to him.

Passages

Testament of Dan 6:2

Pseudepigrapha, Testaments · Testament of the Twelve Patriarchs
1 Now fear the Lord, my children, and beware of Satan and his spirits. 2 Draw near to God and to the angel who intercedes for you, for he is a mediator between God and humanity, and for the peace of Israel he will stand against the kingdom of the enemy. 3 This is why the enemy is eager to destroy all who call on the Lord. 4 For he knows that on the day Israel repents, the kingdom of the enemy will be brought to an end. 5 For the angel of peace himself will strengthen Israel, so that it does not fall into the depths of evil. 6 In the time of Israel's lawlessness, the Lord will not depart from them, but will transform them into a nation that does his will, for none of the angels will be equal to him.
100 BCE – 100 CE (scholarly estimate) Read in the Testament of Dan

1 Timothy 2:5

New Testament
1 First of all, then, I urge that requests, prayers, intercessions, and thanks be offered on behalf of all people, 2 even for kings and all who are in authority, that we may lead a peaceful and quiet life in all godliness and dignity. 3 Such prayer for all is good and welcomed before God our Savior, 4 since he wants all people to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth. 5 For there is one God and one intermediary between God and humanity, Christ Jesus, himself human, 6 who gave himself as a ransom for all, revealing God’s purpose at his appointed time. 7 For this I was appointed a preacher and apostle—I am telling the truth; I am not lying—and a teacher of the Gentiles in faith and truth.
90–100 CE (scholarly estimate) Read in 1 Timothy

References

"... The LXX in Job 9:33 had used the term to bemoan the absence of someone to officiate between man and God. Anthony Hanson unconvincingly posits Job 9:33 as the main background here (“The Mediator: 1 Timothy 2:5-6,” in Studies in the Pastoral Epistles [London: S.P.C.K., 1968] 56-64). Philo had made considerable use of µεσίτης and cognates in his voluminous speculations about the existence of various cosmic and angelic intermediaries between God and human beings. The Mithra cult and other Greco-Roman religions also made liberal use of the term in their various mediatorial theologies. See also T. Dan 6:2 concerning angelic mediators which might have influenced Paul himself in Gal 3:19-20. The term is predicated elsewhere of Christ (Heb 8:6; 9:15; 12:24) but with reference specifically to priestly sacrifice and thus not at issue in 1 Tim 2:5-6 ..."
Peter Dunstan Brown, “The Use of Ransom Language in 1 Timothy 2:1–7 and Titus 2:11–14” (PhD diss., The Catholic University of America, 2014), 100.

References are not endorsements of their contents. Read each reference in full to understand its author's intentions in using these texts.

Your feedback

Testament of Dan 6:2 and 1 Timothy 2:5

Leave a comment

Your questions and comments are welcome!

Comments

Glossary

Search the Library