Testament of the Twelve Patriarchs

A collection of pseudonymous last testaments of the 12 sons of Jacob. In its extant form, the book is a Jewish work, probably of the late 2nd century CE, with Christian interpolations.|||Survives in Greek and Armenian. Fragments found at Qumran (Aramaic Levi Document). The Testaments are known from fifteen Greek manuscripts; the oldest preserved complete version dates from the tenth century. There is also a Slavonic version.|||The most probable date for its composition is 80–110 or 120 CE. Written in Greek. The original work was written in Hebrew in the later years of John Hyrcanus, probably 109–106 BCE.|||Not canonical in any tradition.|||The last words of the 12 sons of Jacob. Each testament contains ethical teachings, prophecies about the future of Israel, and warnings against specific vices.|||Charles, R. H. The Testaments of the Twelve Patriarchs. A. & C. Black, 1908.|||Kee, H. C. " Testaments of the Twelve Patriarchs." In The Old Testament Pseudepigrapha, vol. 1. Doubleday, 1983.|||Testaments of the Twelve Patriarchs — Early Jewish Writings|https://www.earlyjewishwritings.com/12patriarchs.html|Full translation and scholarly resources.;; Testaments of the Twelve Patriarchs — Wikipedia|https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Testaments_of_the_Twelve_Patriarchs|Background and scholarly discussion.|||" And the patriarchs said: Keep the commandments of the Lord, and you will live." — Testament of the Twelve Patriarchs (paraphrase)