Jubilees 17:17
Pseudepigrapha
16 Then Prince Mastema came and said before God: ‘Abraham does indeed love his son Isaac and finds him more pleasing than anyone else. Tell him to offer him as a sacrifice on an altar. Then you will see whether he performs this order and will know whether he is faithful in everything through which you test him.’ 17 Now the Lord was aware that Abraham was faithful in every difficulty which he had told him. For he had tested him through his land and the famine; he had tested him through the wealth of kings; he had tested him again through his wife when she was taken forcibly, and through circumcision; and he had tested him through Ishmael and his servant girl Hagar when he sent them away. 18 In everything through which he tested him he was found faithful. He himself did not grow impatient, nor was he slow to act; for he was faithful and one who loved the Lord.
Date: 150-100 B.C.E. (based on scholarly estimates)
Source
1 Enoch 108:9
Pseudepigrapha
8 Who loved God and loved neither gold nor silver nor any of the good things which are in the world, but gave over their bodies to torture. 9 Who, since they came into being, longed not after earthly food, but regarded everything as a passing breath, and lived accordingly, and the Lord tested them greatly, and their spirits were found pure so that they should bless His name. 10 And all the blessings destined for them I have recounted in the books. And he has assigned them their reward, because they have been found to be such as loved heaven more than their life in the world, and though they were trodden underfoot by wicked men, and experienced abuse and reviling from them and were put to shame, yet they blessed Me.
Date: 200-50 B.C.E. (based on scholarly estimates)
Source
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Notes and References
"... The third view [of suffering] considers suffering as God-sent to his innocent, righteous servant in atonement for the sins of individuals and/or the nation. The Book of Wisdom says that the Lord tests the upright through suffering in order that they might be found worthy. Jubilees (17:17) recalls the testing of Abraham in Genesis 22 and the Psalms of Solomon state that, “in the process of God’s testing, the righteous are required to endure so that they may be shown mercy (Psalms of Solomon 16:14-15). 2 and 4 Maccabees provide detailed accounts of the martyrdom of Eleazer, the mother and her seven sons, and others. The example par excellence of an innocent sufferer for others in the Old Testament is, of course, the Suffering Servant of Isaiah 52:13—53:12 ..."
Mortell, Philip B.
A Socio-rhetorical Interpretation of Paul’s Theology of Christian Suffering in 1 Corinthians
(pp. 25-26) University of Limerick, 2020
* 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.
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