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Encyclopedia Britannica - Main :: MOL-MOS |
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MOSES, ASSUMPTION OF , an extra-canonical apocalyptic work of the Old Testament. The Assumption or Ascension of Moses ('AvhXrttliis Mama-ion) is a prophecy of the future relating to Israel , put into the mouth of Moses, and addressed to Joshua just before the great lawgiver died. Founded upon the book of Deuteronomy, it is brief and unpoetical. But it seems to have been large at first, for according to Nicephorus it consisted of 1400 stichs. It contains a brief history of Israel from Moses to the Messianic age. The most striking feature in this work is the writer's scathing condemnation of the priesthood before, during, and after the Maccabean period, and an unsparing depreciation of the Temple services.This book was lost for many centuries till a large fragment of it was discovered and published by Ceriani in 1861 (Monumenta sacra I. i. 5564) from a palimpsest of the 6th century. Very little was known about the contents of this book prior to this discovery. One passage found in this fragment is quoted in the Ada synodi Nicaenae, ii. 18. Most of the other references relate to the strife of Michael and Satan about the body
Various other works have been attributed to Moses, such as the Petirath Moshe, the jijXos Aoywv saris v Mwva&ss, The Exodus of Moses (in Slavonic), &c. See Charles, Assumption of Moses, pp: xiv.xvii. ; Schiirer, Gesch. des fad. Volkes, 220221. Date.The book has been assigned to most dates
Author.The author was not an Essene, for he recognizes animal sacrifices and cherishes the Messianic hope. He was not a Sadducee, for he looks forward to the establishment
movement
The Latin Version a Translation from the Greek.That our Latin text is derived from the Greek there can be no question. Thus Greek words are transliterated, as " chedrio " from ,ceSpbw, heremus " f rom Zpnos ; Greek idioms are reproduced, as " usque nos duci captivos," ws rob iWas aixaXon ia0i)sai, and retranslation into Greek is frequently necessary in order to correct the misrenderings of the translator or the corruptions already inherent in the Greek. Finally, fragments of the Greek version are still preserved. The Greek a Translation from the Hebrew.That the Greek was in turn derived from a Semitic original
opinion that it is possible to prove that the Greek goes back not to an Aramaic but to a Hebrew original
idiomatic phrases survive in the text. Thus circumibo (ii. 7) = " I will protect," i.e. aaias (cf. Deut. xxxii. io), and in sacerdotes vocabuntur = cis iepeIs ,c7 riBiioovnu, ueN: o'Inv 'iv (cf. i Chron. xxiii. 14, and Isa. xlviii.2), =" they will call themselves priests." (2) Frequently it is only through retranslation that we can understand the source of corruptions in the text. (3) In some cases we must translate not the Latin but the Hebrew presupposed by it. Thus in i. 7, successor =SehSoxos=mein, must be rendered " minister." The Book may be the lost Testament of Moses.The present book is possibly the long lost OtaOiiic Mwuo wS mentioned in some of the ancient lists, for it never speaks of the assumption of Moses, but always of his natural death (i. 15, iii. 13, X. 14). About a half of the original Testament is preserved in the Latin Version. The latter half probably dealt with questions about the Creation (see Fabric. Cod. pseud. V. T., ii. 844; Acta synodi Nicaenae, ii. 20). With this " Testament " the " Assumption," to which almost all the patristic references and that of Jude are made, was subsequently edited. Some views of Author.Our author's views on Moses are remarkable. He writes that Moses was prepared from before the foundation of the world to be the mediator of God's covenant with his people (i. 14, iii. 12). During his life he was Israel's intercessor with God (xi. I I, 17). Praying on their behalf as a " great angel
(xii. 6). His death was an ordinary one (i. 15, iii. 13, X. 12, 14), but no single place was worthy to mark the place of his burial, for his sepulchre was from the rising to the setting sun, and from the south to the confines of the northyea, the whole world was his sepulchre (xi. 8). On the doctrine of good works our author's views are allied to Old Testament conceptions rather than to the rabbinic doctrine of man's righteousness, which bulks so largely in Jewish literature from A.D. 50 onwards. So far from representing man's righteousness as involving merit over against God, our author represents the greatest hero of Israel as declaring " Not for any virtue or strength of mine, but in His compassion and long-suffering was He pleased to call me " (xii. 7.)End of Article: MOSES, ASSUMPTION OF If you wish, you can link directly to this article.
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