OLD TESTAMENT PSEUDEPIGRAPHA More Noncanonical Scriptures

VOLUME 1

Richard Bauckham James R. Davila

Alexander Panayotov EDITORS

&O11,BW0RD BY

au& H. Cbarles~ h

The Book of the Covenant A new translation and introduction

by James VanderKam

Didymus, often called Didymus the Blind (313-98 C.E.), lived in Alexandria where he composed a number of works in the Greek language. In his corpus, he makes numerous references to extra-canonical writings, among which is one he calls He biblos tes diathekes ("The Book of the Covenant"). Apart from one use of it in his Commentary on Job, all of the certain references are in his Commentary on Genesis, which is preserved only to Gen 17:3-6. It is likely that he also employed the Book of the Covenant in the latter parts of the work on Genesis which are not available at present as the allusion in the Job commentary (relating the scene in Job 1 to the one in Genesis 22) suggests.

Pierre Nau tin, who published an edition of Didymus's Commentary on Genesis, briefly analyzed the five references to the Book of the Covenant and concluded that the work in question was the Book of Jubilees on the grounds that three of the five references (1, 4, 5) found parallels in Jubilees. While he did not exclude the possibility there was another work that included all the material in the five references, he believed the most likely explanation was that Didymus had a lapse of memory and mistakenly thought he had read numbers 2

and 3 as well in Jubilees, due to the similarity in subject matter.1 Dieter and Ulrike Hage-dorn later identified a sixth reference to the Book of the Covenant in Didymus's Commen-tary on Job and, with Nau tin, thought he meant by it a version of the Book of Jubilees "oder stand ihnen zumindest sehr nahe:'2

In the most comprehensive study of the material from the Book of the Covenant, Dieter Liihrmann summarized the brief history of scholarship on the subject, presented the Greek excerpts, translated and commented upon them. 3 He did the same for Didy-mus's use of the Ascension of Isaiah and the Apocalypse of Elijah. As Liihrmann noted, Didymus admits that he did not know Hebrew, yet he refers to Jewish works that were available in Alexandria in the fourth century and that had apparently been received by Christians for some time. He never, for example, stops to explain to the readers what the noncanonical works from which he takes information are-as if they would be aware of

1. Nautin, Didyme l'Aveugle Sur la Genese I, 28-29. There he lists the passages and adduces the parallels from Jubilees for the first, fourth, and fifth of them. For numbers 2 and 3, which lack parallels in Jubilees, he finds similarities in an Ethiopic work The Conflict of Adam and Eve with Satan, a Christian composition

· that may have used Jubilees as a source (see Stone, A History of the Literature of Adam and Eve, 98-1oo). Didymus's commentary is preserved in one of the eight codices containing his and Origen writings, found in a cave near Tura in Egypt in 1941 .

. 2. "or it at least stands very near to if' "Kritisches zum Hiobkommentar Didymus' des Blinden:' 60. The editor of the Commentary on Job, A. Henrichs, had translated the title of the work to which he referred as "das (Alte) Testament" (Didymos der Blinde Kommentar zu Hiob [Tura-Papyrus}, part I, Kommentar zu Hiob Kap. 1-4, 41).

3. "Alttestamentliche Pseudepigraphen:' 231-49.

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The Book of the Covenant

them-though he does occasionally exp • • . . . ress m1sg1vmgs about them (see 1, 5, 6; cf. 2). In his presentation of the s:ctwns in which Didymus appeals to the Book of the Covenant, Liihrmann kept the thesis of Nautin and the Hagedorns that the work is Jubilees in the foreground but eventually rejected it, and in this he certainly appears to be correct. There are indeed several para~els between what Didymus attributes to the Book of the Covenant and the contents of Jubilees, but similar information is found elsewhere as well and noth-ing specifically ties any of the notices to Jubilees. Moreover, in some cases Didymus claims material for the Book of the Covenant that is not found in Jubilees (passages 2 and 3). The Book of the Covenant was probably a work that, like Jubilees, filled in some of the gaps left in Genesis, even though it was not Jubilees itself.

In no one of the six certain references to the Book of the Covenant does Didymus quote it directly. His practice is to adduce information from it or allude to it in summary fashion.

Bibliography Hagedorn, D., and U. Hagedorn. "Kritisches zum Hiobkommentar Didymus' des Blinden."

ZPE 67 (1987): 59-78. Henrichs, A. Didymos der Blinde Kommentar zu Hiob (Tura-Papyrus), part I, Kommentar zu

Hiob Kap. 1-4. Papyrologische Texte und Abhandlungen 1. Bonn: Rudolf Habelt Verlag GMBH, 1968. The edition ofDidymus's Commentary on Job.

Kugel, J. Traditions of the Bible: A Guide to the Bible As It Was at the Start of the Common Era. Cambridge/London: Harvard University Press, 1998.

Liihrmann, D. 'J\lttestamentliche Pseudepigraphen bei Didymos von Alexandrien:' ZAW 104 (1992): 231-49.

Nautin, P. Didyme l'Aveugle Sur la Genese I. SC 233. Paris: Les editions du Cerf, 1976. ____ . Didyme l'Aveugle Sur la Genese II. SC 244. Paris: Les editions du Cerf, 1978. The

edition of Didymus's Commentary on Genesis. Stone, M. A History of the Literature of Adam and Eve. SBLEJL 3. Atlanta, Ga.: Scholars Press,

1992. VanderKam, J. The Book of Jubilees. 2 volumes. CSCO 510-11, Scriptores Aethiopici 87-88. Leu-

ven: Peeters, 1989. The first volume contains the ancient versions available at the time of publication, the second an English translation of them.

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The Book of the Covenanta

Passage 1 (118, 29-119, 2: on Gen 4:1-2) If one is willing to admit the Book of the Covenant, he will find in it by how much time the one preceded the other.

Comment: Here Didymus is interested in the question how long a time elapsed between the births of Cain and Abel-how much older Adam and Eve's first son was than their second. Genesis fails to provide any chronological details, noting only that Abel was born later (literally, "she [Eve] added to bear"). Didymus does not divulge how the Book of the Covenant answers the query; he simply invites readers to consult it if they are curious about the matter and are willing to accept what it has to say. Jubilees, which regularly dates events within a week of years (a seven-year period), places Cain's birth between years of the world 64 and 70, that of Abel between 71 and 77 (4:1-2). The Byzantine chronographer George Syncellus specifies the year 70 for Cain and 77 for Abel.

Passage 2 (121, 22-27: on Gen 4:5} Regarding which one could mention what emerges from the Book of the Cov-

1 Kgs 1s,3s; 2 chr 7:i enant in which it is written that, when fire descended from heaven, it received

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(the) properly offered sacrifices, from which, it seems, Cain recognized that the fire did not fall upon his while that of Abel was consumed by it.

Comment: Genesis 4:4-5 relate cryptically that the Lord "had regard for Abel and his offering, but for Cain and his offering he had no regard:' The text says nothing about how the divine evaluation of the two sacrifices was communi-cated to the brothers, although they were obviously aware of it. The Book of Jubi-lees is no less reticent than Genesis about the matter. In 4:2 the Angel of the Pres-ence who narrates the action to Moses discloses only that he and his colleagues accepted Abel's sacrifice but not that of Cain and that Cain killed his brother as a result. There are early sources that attempt to explain the divine decision and how it was conveyed to the brothers; such expansions of the brief scriptural text appear to have been fairly widespread and took several forms.h

a. The text of the Commentary on Genesis translated here is that ofNautin, Didyme l'Aveugle Sur la Genese I (SC 233; Paris: Les editions du Cerf, 1976). The numbers in parentheses are the page and line numbers in this edition.

b. See Kugel, Traditions of the Bible, 150-52, for examples. Li.ihrmann ('i\lttestamentliche Pseudepigraphen;' 241) noted that a close parallel to what Didymus found in the Book of the

The 1Jdok of the Cttvenant

passage 3 (126, 24-26: on Gen 4:8) This is in fact not difficult, for if_it was not with iron, it cou1d still have taken pla:ce with either stone or wood-a matter about which the l3ook of the Covenant offeted a hint.

comment: Genesis 4:8 says that, while they were in the field, Ca:in "tose up against his brother Abel, and killed him:' A natural question for the inquiring reader is how he· mur-dered his brother, but Genesis does not name the instrument he used. The Book <Jf the Covenant speaks darkly or offers hints about the tool involved, according to Didymus, Ju-bilees 4:4 reports the homicide, without details about the instrument Cain used, but later, when dealing with the death of Cain, it says that his house collapsed on him and its st-ones killed him: "for with a stone he had killed Abel and, by a just judgment, he was killed with a stone"a (4:31; the event was the reason for the law providing that a killer be executed with the instrument with which he had murdered his fellow [ 4:32; cf. Lev 24:·17-20 ]). The motif of the stone and the law attached to it are more widespread than inJubilees.b IfDidymus is saying that the Book of the Covenant was not clear about the instrument Cain employed, he would not have been referring to Jubilees, which is unambiguous about the matter.c

Passage 4 (142, 28-143, 3: on Cain's death) It is said in the Book of the Covenant that Cain was unintentionally killed by Lamech, for a wall he was building overturned on him, while Cain, who thus was killed unintention-ally, was behind it.

Comment: Genesis neglects to tell about the death of Cain. The last one hears of him is when he goes away from the presence of the Lord and lives in the land of Nod (Gen 4:16). Again Didymus calls upon the Book of the Covenant to fill the gap left by the scriptural ac-count. As noted above, Jub. 4:31 indicates that Cain died when his house fell on him, with a stone delivering the fatal blow. The Book of the Covenant, however, connects Cain's death with Lamech. It apparently understands the "man'' of Lamech's song as a reference to Cain-not an unnatural assumption since he mentions Cain in the next sentence: "I have killed a man for wounding me, a young man for striking me. If Cain is avenged sevenfold, truly Lamech seventy-sevenfold" (4:23b-24).d The passage offers another indication that the Book of the Covenant is unlikely to have been Jubilees.

Passage s (149, ;-8: on Gen ;:24) If one is willing to read the Book of the Covenant, he will know that it is said he was taken (into) the garden.e And to know this, even if it does not come from an unimpeachable book, is not absurd.

Covenant is present in 1 Kgs 18:38 (fire falling from heaven and consuming Elijah's burnt offering and ev-erything near it). See also the sources in Kugel, Traditions of the Bible, 159 (where he mentions this passage from Didymus).

a. Translations of f!'bilees are from VanderKam, The Book of Jubilees, 2:30-31. b. See Kugel, Traditions of the Bible, 166-67 .

. c. As Liihrmann wrote (''Alttestamentliche Pseudepigraphen:' 241), the problem with positing that Cam used an iron weapon is that iron was not invented until Gen 4:22. Hence Didymus had to deal with the issue.

d. See Kugel, Traditions of the Bible, 167 (where he mentions this passage from Didymus). e. Or "Paradise:'

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The Book of the Covenant

Comment: Genesis s :24 offers, these crypti~ ~liJJi~ ali,R~ &0m:: u.E'liI<ildm walike'QJ! Wiiifu God; then he was no more, because God took him. Om:e- miglii:t womfeir where Gi>d! !mans,. ported rum, but Genesis does not answer the- question .. Jub.ife-es 4:23 irerates:- "He was;~ from human society, and we led him into the garden of Eden foir €.his) girea1lness,and!II©n:er,:. Now he is there writing down the judgment and condemmation of tne- woirFdl arrcll all! li&e wickedness of mankind." In this instance, Jubilees, does agree- witlii wmat is,, a-cc017clmg; l'0i Didymus, in the Book of the Covenant. Liihrmann obje.cted that the· J.11am:e of the pface: is, different (paradise/garden of Eden), but the distinction is hardly ei:ompeNing.a

Passage 6 ( Commentary on Job 6, 17-24: comments on Job it He [the devil] put in motion the last scheme of the demand for surrender, thinking 1lhat by this means he could move him from applying his virtue, a tactic he also used OJ))) toe· patri~ch Abraham, if one is willing to accept the Book of the Covenant.

Commentary: In the Job commentary, Didymus deals with the similarity between the satan's approach to Job and to Abraham, as explained in the Book of the Covenant. Since· his Commentary on Genesis is preserved only through Gen 17:3-6, the Aqedah is not cov.-ered; but the Job commentary implies that Didymus may have employed the Book of the Covenant also in connection with Genesis 22. Jubilees presents the story of the binding 0.£

Isaac in a Johan framework: Mastema, not the Lord, is the one responsible ultimately for the command that Abraham sacrifice his son (see 1n5-18:19, especially 17:16; 18:12). In the context Didymus does not designate the opponent as Mastema, but otherwise the Book of the Covenant seems to understand the Genesis 22 story within the same framework as.Ju-bilees does. It should be added, nevertheless, that Jubilees was not the only ancient sow-ce to depict the Aqedah in Johan terms. Another clear example is 4Q225 from Qumran.'

a. Liihrmann, "Alttestamentliche Pseudepigraphen:' 242. He also cited Didymus's comment on Acts 8:39 where the Spirit snatches Philip away after he baptizes the Ethiopian eunuch; the latter did not see him again. Didymus says this agrees with what is said about Enoch's being moved from one place to an-other without the text saying where. He writes that in the apocrypha it is said that the place was paradise. Liihrmann thought the Book of the Covenant was also the source here, though Didymus did not identify it explicitly ("Alttestamentliche Pseudepigraphen;' 242-43).

b. For the text, see Albert Henrichs, Didymos der Blinde Kommentar zu Hiob (Tura-Papyi:us), part I, Kommentar zu Hiob Kap. 1-4. The designation "6, 17-24" refers to the page and line numbers. of the too. in Henrichs's edition.

c. Liihrmann also adduces a passage from the Catena of Nicephorus where there is an expansion on the story of the tower of Babel, an expansion attributed to "the Covenant" C'Alttestamentli,che Pseudepig-raphen," 244). Whether the work was the same as the Book of the Covenant to which Didymus . .r;efers is no.t clear, though it offers similar material. It reads: " ... they spent 43 years building (it). Its. height was 5.'~33 cubits and two palms. Its width was about 203 bricks. The height of the brick was a third of one bd~ TJ,i.e, extent of one wall was 13 stades and of the other 30" (VanderKam, Tb~ Book of Jub#ees,. 2.355; (or the Greelc text, see 1.267). The passage is a reproduction of Jub. 10:21.

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