Sin entails physical punishment (sickness, Test. Reiib. i. 7, Test. Sim. li. 12, I'est. Gad, v. 9 ; cf. 1 Co 5» IP), and spiritual (Test. Eeiib. iii. 8; cf. Ro 1^') and eternal (Te.it. Zeb. x. 3, Test. Gad, vii. 5) penalties. Sin is iinally to be destroyed and Beliar cast into the fire for ever (Test. Jud. xxv. 3).
Repentance is a very prominent feature in the Testaments. In Reuben's case it includes life- long penitence (Test. Eeub. iv. 3) and seven j'ears' penance in the way of strict abstinence from llesh and wine (i. 10) ; in Simeon's case prayer and weeping (2'cst. Sim. ii. 13) and two j'ears' fasting (iii. 4' ; in Judah's case abstinence from tlesh and wine and all enjoyment till old age (Test. Jud. XV. 4). Repentance includes a moral change and attainment of higher insight, ' for true repentance after a godly sort destroyeth ignorance, and driveth a\\ay the darkness, and enlighteneth the eyes, and giveth knowledge to the soul, and leadeth the mind to salvation' (Test. Gad, v. 7 ; cf. 2 Co 7'"). National repentance will make possible national restoration — 'on the day on wliich Israel shall repent, the kingdom of the enemy shall be brought to an end' (Test. Dan, vi. 4 ; cf. Test. Iss. vi. 3, 4 ; Test. Zeb. ix. 7). For the close connexion of re- pentance and the Kingdom of Heaven, cf. Mt 3*. For the human conditioning of the coming of the Kingdom, cf. 2 P 3'-.
E-schatology. — Death is referred to as 'sleep' in Test. Iss. vii. 9 and four other passages. In each of these four other cases, however, Charles would emend the phrase to ' died at a good old age ' (so Test. Benj. xii. 2, /3). In Test. Dan, vii. 1, Test. Jos. XX. 4 the /3 text reads, ' slept the eternal sleep.' 'Eternal life' awaits the rigliteous (Test. Asher, vi. 6 ; cf. v. 2). ' Hades ' is mentioned three times, twice in Christian interpolations, and never as a place of punishment. The 'judgment' is referred to three times, twice in passages interpolated. The lirst passage, Test. Levi, iii. 2, 3, refers to the judgment on men and on the evil spirits. For the heavenly armies of iii. 3, cf. Rev 12'. The resur- rection is expected of all the patriarchs from Enoch in order (Test. Benj. x. 6, 7) and the twelve sons of Jacob each amid his descendants (Test. Sim. vi. 7, Test. Jud. xxv. 1, Test. Zeb. x. 2, Test. Benj. x. 7). The resurrection is limited to the righteous Israelites in Test. Zeb. x. 2, but includes all man- kind good and bad in Test. Benj. x. 8 (probably not original). The Re.surrection life will be eternal (Test. Jud. xxv. 4, 5) and so will the punishirient of the wicked (Test. Zeb. x. 3, Test. Gad, vii. 5).
Asceticism is a marked feature. See on Repent- ance above, and especially Te.9t. Iss. iii. 5, iv. 2-4, Test. Jos. iii. 3-5, iv. 3, 8, viii. 1, ix. 2, x. 1-3. Almsgiving is also prominent (Test. Iss. iii. 8, v. 2, vii. 5, Test. Zeb. vi. 4, 5, Test. Jos. iii. 5). Zebulun even steals to clothe the naked (Test. Zeb. vii. 1).
Remarkable stress is laiil upon the duty of love, not only to God, but also to one's neighbour. We may compare Test. Gad, iv. 7, 'the spirit of love worketh together with tlie law of God in long- suil'ering unto the salvation of men,' with Ko 2'' ; and vi. 3-7, ' love ye one another from the heart ;
566 TESTAMENTS OF 12 PATRIARCHS TESTAJVIENTS OF 12 PATRIARCHS
and if a man sin against tliee, speak peaceably to him, and in tliy soul liuld not >;uile ; and it lie repent and confess, foi),'ive liim. . . . And tlum;ili he deny it, . . . give over leinoviiig liiin. . . . And if ho be shameless and persist in his wrong-doing, even so forgive him from the heart, and leave to God the avt-n.u'ing' (cf. Ko 12'").
8. The Christian interpolations. — If we could be certain exactly where the Christian interpolations occur and where they begin and end, the evidence of the Testaments would be of higher value as a wit- ness both to Jewish theology in tlie two centuries before Christ and to primitive Christian views as to the Person of our Lord. As it is, we can never feel certain that a striking parallel to NT theology may not be post-Christian in date, and the pre- sumption lies that way unless there is evidence, e.g. in 1 Enoch or other pre-Christian pseudepi- grapha, of the same view. In other words, the evidence of the Testaments can hardly be admitted in its own right as to pre-Christian beliefs and teaching. Charles's method has been rather to bracket only manifest Christian interpolations, and then never a word more than is absolutely necessary.
Very often the interpolation consists of a word or two, or the turn given to a passage : in such cases a slight alteration restores a perfectly Judaic text, at least not going beyond Is 40'''° ; cf. Test. Sim. vi. 5, Test. Dan, vi. 7 : an important series of additions, often introduced by the word 'until,' transforms an original theophany prediction into an unguarded expression regarding the Incarna- tion, e.g. 'the Lord God shall appear upon earth as man ' (Test. Sim. vi. 5) ; ' since you have with you the God of heaven and earth walking with men in singleness of heart' (Test. Iss, vii. 7 — a few inferior manuscripts read 'you walk,' etc.); 'the Lord shall be in the midst of it (Israel) living amongst ■meti. And the Holy One of Israel shall reign over it, in humility and in poverty,' etc. (Test. Dan, v. 13) ; 'the Most High shall visit the earth, coming Himself as man, -with men eating and drinking ' (Te.it. Asher, vii. 3); 'worshipping the King of heaven, who appeared upon earth in the form of a man in humility,' etc. (Test. Benj. x. 7 ; the Armenian version is free from this addition). Similar statements are found more detached from the context, e.g. ' God hath taken a body and eaten vnth men and saved men' (Test. Sim. vi, 7"^), 'this Branch of God Most High, and this Fountain giving life to all' (Test. Jud. xxiv. 4); 'ye shall see God in the fashion of a man' (Test. Zeh. ix. 8'"'8) ; ' through his [Judah's] tribe shall God appear dwelling among men upon earth,' etc. (Test. i\'aph. viii. 3) ; ' God speaking in the person of man ' ( 7 est. Asher, vii. 3); 'when He appeared as God in the flesh,' etc. (Test. Benj. x. 8; Armenian version omits).