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Testament of Levi

Testament of the Twelve Patriarchs

About this book
Chapter 18

1 And after their punishment has come from the Lord, the priesthood will fail. 2 Then the Lord will raise up a new priest. 3 And to him all the words of the Lord will be revealed; and he will execute a righteous judgment on the earth for many days. 4 And his star will arise in heaven like that of a king. 5 Lighting up the light of knowledge as the sun lights the day, and he will be magnified in the world. 6 He will shine forth like the sun on the earth, and will remove all darkness from under heaven, and there will be peace throughout the earth. 7 The heavens will exult in his days, and the earth will be glad, and the clouds will rejoice, and the knowledge of the Lord will be poured out on the earth, as the water of the seas. And the angels of the glory of the presence of the Lord will be glad in him. 8 The heavens will be opened, and from the temple of glory sanctification will come upon him, with the Father’s voice, as from Abraham to Isaac. 9 And the glory of the Most High will be proclaimed over him, and the spirit of understanding and sanctification will rest on him in the water.⁠ 10 For he will give the majesty of the Lord to His children in truth forever; and none will succeed him for all generations ever. 11 And in his priesthood the Gentiles will be multiplied in knowledge on the earth, and enlightened by the grace of the Lord. In his priesthood, sin will come to an end, and the lawless will cease to do evil.⁠ 12 And the just will rest in him. And he will open the gates of paradise, and will remove the threatening sword against Adam. 13 And he will give to the saints to eat from the tree of life, and the spirit of holiness will be upon them. 14 And Beliar will be bound by him, and he will give power to His children to trample upon the evil spirits.⁠ 15 And the Lord will rejoice in His children, and be well pleased in His beloved ones forever. 16 Then Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob will be joyful, and I will be glad, and all the saints will clothe themselves with joy.

Texts in conversation

Compare Testament of Levi 18:12 and Luke 10:19

Pseudepigrapha, Testaments · New Testament

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Summary

The Testament of Levi describes a future figure who will stop evil and give his children strength to defeat spirits. In Luke, Jesus gives his followers power over snakes and scorpions. Both draw on Psalm 91 and interpret the animals as demonic forces.

Passages

Testament of Levi 18:12

Pseudepigrapha, Testaments · Testament of the Twelve Patriarchs
10 For he will give the majesty of the Lord to His children in truth forever; and none will succeed him for all generations ever. 11 And in his priesthood the Gentiles will be multiplied in knowledge on the earth, and enlightened by the grace of the Lord. In his priesthood, sin will come to an end, and the lawless will cease to do evil. 12 And the just will rest in him. And he will open the gates of paradise, and will remove the threatening sword against Adam. 13 And he will give to the saints to eat from the tree of life, and the spirit of holiness will be upon them. 14 And Beliar will be bound by him, and he will give power to His children to trample upon the evil spirits. 15 And the Lord will rejoice in His children, and be well pleased in His beloved ones forever. 16 Then Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob will be joyful, and I will be glad, and all the saints will clothe themselves with joy.
100 BCE – 100 CE (scholarly estimate) Read in the Testament of Levi

Luke 10:19

New Testament
15 And you, Capernaum, will you be exalted to heaven? No, you will be thrown down to Hades! 16 “The one who listens to you listens to me, and the one who rejects you rejects me, and the one who rejects me rejects the one who sent me.” 17 Then the seventy-two returned with joy, saying, “Lord, even the demons submit to us in your name!” 18 So he said to them, “I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven. 19 Look, I have given you authority to tread on snakes and scorpions and on the full force of the enemy, and nothing will hurt you. 20 Nevertheless, do not rejoice that the spirits submit to you, but rejoice that your names stand written in heaven.”
75–85 CE (scholarly estimate) Read in Luke

References

"... Jesus assures his disciples that he has given them the 'authority to tread on snakes and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy' (Luke 10:19). Jesus is alluding to Psalm 91:13 ("You will tread on the lion and the adder"), but as this passage was interpreted in pseudepigraphal (Testament of Levi 18:10-12; Testament of Simeon 6:6; Testament of Zebulon 9:8) and targumic tradition (Targum Psalms 91:5-6, 10, 13). The demonic interpretation of Psalm 91, attested at Qumran (compare 11Q11), also clarifies the function of Psalm 91:11-12 in the temptation narratives (Matthew 4:5-7; Luke 4:9-12). Moreover, Jesus' declaration that he 'watched Satan fall from heaven like a flash of lightning' (Luke 10:18) also coheres with pseudepigraphal (Testament of Solomon 20:16-17; 2 Enoch 29:5) and targumic (Targum Isaiah 14:12) tradition ..."
Craig A. Evans, Ancient Texts for New Testament Studies: A Guide to the Background Literature (Peabody, MA: Hendrickson, 2005), 71.

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

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Testament of Levi 18:12 and Luke 10:19

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